sterw

I have recently changed the head unit to a Kenwood DDX9903 and am ready to go to the next phase. I have looked at Focal Auditors and Kenwood Excelon. Does anyone have any experience with either? Music style ranges from rock to country to easy listening.

racebum

neither ! especially not focal

i have a short list of speakers i would recommend. my favorite sub $300 speaker is the morel tempo ultra

the JL c5 is decent. the morel hybrid is excellent.

there is more i like as the costs go up and some i like if you're flat broke. the alpine sps 610 coax is $59 a pair via ebay. it's a GREAT speaker for that price. it's not a great speaker but it sure is for that price


what's your budget and how many and what size speakers do you need?

Homer3D

Are those you 2 choices because you heard and liked them, or are you trying to stay under $200 for a set of component speakers?

sterw

Those were recommended by local shop. I would like to be under $300 on front. Not trying to make a concert hall, but to improve factory.

Homer3D

Is your local shop asking for close to $300 for those speakers? Unless they are offering something different, the Focal Auditor RSE-165 component speakers should be under $200 easy.

You wouldn't be able to get into the JL C5's for under $300 but you can give the C2650 a listen. Those you can pick up for under $300. You can also check out the Alpine R-S65C.

As far as the Kenwood Excelon, and this is all personal preference, but I don't like Kenwood speakers.

Homer3D

Oh by the way, I have the Hertz HSK 165 component speakers in my C6 which (for some reason) you can pick up on Amazon for under $300. That is cheap for these speakers. I will add though that it took me about a month to fine tune my system with these speakers. Mid-range was so harsh it was painful to listen loud. I might be a combination of EQ changes, adjusting cut off points and speaker break-in period, but when I finally got it right it was amazing. I love the clarity. And if you can really get these speakers for under $300, that’s a good buy.

racebum

https://www.rakuten.com/shop/dynamic...duct/ULTRA602/

$275 shipped

excellent speaker for this price point.

what's it do and what does it do badly? nice tweeter for a $300 speaker, midrange is not shrilly. problems would be wooty midbass when driven hard

you won't beat it until you spend about $500

UmCanesZ06

I have Hertz Mille MPK Pro components and they are awesome. They are more than $300 though. An earlier poster recommended the hertz hsk components, those are very good speakers and close to your budget. Hertz makes quality car audio components.

sterw

Thanks for all the great advice. After doing more research, I am now looking for a shop to listen to Morel Tempo Ultra's and Hertz HSK 165. Morel is tough to find around here but I am still looking. After hearing the Focal, I think the tweeter is a little too harsh and bright for my taste. Are there any issues in mounting either 6 1/2" regarding depth? Where are you putting the crossovers?

TorchRedFred

sterw, any 6 1/2 should fit just fine with no problems. As far as the crossovers, the less expensive speakers usually have a small crossover that you can mount inside the door somewhere if you choose. For most higher end speakers, the crossovers are bigger and some have some tuning adjustments on them. In that case you would install them somewhere inside the car. In my case, based on forum members recommendations, I ran the speaker wires to behind the drivers seat and installed the crossovers there with some velcro and then ran a wire to the amp from there.

racebum

this is a good comparison. hertz is a like forward sound. their higher end stuff isn't bad..it's basically the klipsch sound in a car and like klipsch the lower end is a bit rough. if you like a midrange forward sound it's a good choice. no other brand really has their sound

morel is nearfield. softer sound. warmer you might say. midrange is flat to down a db or two.

peter @ mobile west here in portland oregon sells both brands. if you get bored, ring him up and get his opinion 503 946 3562

personally the tempo ultra is my choice between every brand out there at that $300 price point. they are 349 in most shops making the 275 online price really good

home brands i like are B&W, martin logan, threshold, mcintosh, dynaudio, marantz, krell

home brands i hate. focal, kef, entry level yamaha,