DerrickM

Finally got around to replacing my Punch Stage 1 sub with a Perfect 12.1 yesterday. The different was pretty dramatic--definitely louder and crisper. (Of course I'm comparing an $80 sub with a $180 sub, so the difference isn't surprising). I found that the old sub wasn't strong enough for such a small sealed box.

I'm surprised RF sold that sub (150 watt) as a package deal with a 200 watt amp, but I guess the sub was basically free. I suppose you get what you pay for...

So far I'm really happy with it (the Infinity). I'm driving it with a 200 watt RF amp (actually needs more power), and have it in a .85cf sealed box in the trunk.

elduderino

How old was your RF? THe reason I wonder is that working in a small sealed box will cause lots of excursion, which can loosen up your woofer suspecnsion a lot. Your Infinity will sound different in a few weeks - probably better, but definitely different, as it breaks in.

Used to sell Kappas, always wanted to hear the Perfects...

Hee Hee I remeber when Punch 10"s needed 1.5 CF...: )

ou sig

honestly the Perfects, are the best subs I have ever heard in a small sealed box. The f'in pound and sound great. I woudnt change a thing, except maybe give it more power. Those are "sleeper" subs, I mean great SQ and can produce very high SPL's. congrats on the upgrade

phipark

I used to have a 10.1 and the SQ was awesome. I almost wish I went with the 12.1. They are also very sensitive and don't require as much power as other subs.

97Cl22

I've got the Perfect 12.1. Amazing sub. MUCH better than the 5 year old RF 12"ers i had in there before. So clean, even at really high volumes. I have a 600W pushing through it, and it sounds great!-

DerrickM

The RF Punch Stage 1 was about 3 months old. I did definitely improve after being broken in, but I was never really happy with it. I really think it needed a ported box.

Yeah, I'm really underpowering the Perfect, but at the rate I'm spending money, I don't see me replacing any amps for a while! Anyway, it sounds really good to me right now...

My only complaints with Infitinity (Harmon Kardon) is with the specs: the sensitivity ratings are measured "in-car", so the 96db SPL rating is misleading. The other thing is that the spec sheet graphs are all with a 70Hz LPF (12dB/oct), which is lower than most people are going to run.

I'm no longer happy with my mains, and am starting the search once again. I'm very unhappy with my choices, as I've already spent over $600 on speakers--which I keep trying to sell at half price after I get disappointed.

elduderino: Those Alpine SPX-F17's look really nice, but with a mounting depth of 2.8 inches, I don't think they'll fit in my 2001 TL. Also, those are packaged as single-channel sets, so I'm not sure if onlinecarstereo is selling one or two of those for $240.

ou_sig - tell me again about those Focals that you're so happy with--how hard were they to install? How deep are they?

ou sig

Derrick,

The Focals are really great speakers, they have them at Car Toys (if you have that store near by). They sound great at all volumes, and they can take the power. I really love music, and respect good sound, and these really do it for me. The great thing about the polyglass line, is they make a "slim" series. My 6.5 inch mid is a tad bit more than 2 inches deep. So it fit right in w/o even adding a spacer.

elduderino

CT doesn't go to Idaho, but if he ever goes into Spokane, they have one there, as I recall.

ou sig, if you don't have a spacer, you don't have a baffle for the mid either - at least one without a lot of holes in it (the inner door). With your TL, didn't the OE speaker have a frame that snugged up behind the door panel, using the door panel as the baffle?

Your midbass would get a lot tighter if you made some sort of spacing collar that would seal off the F of the mid from the back better, and would position the face of the mid up against the back of the door panel grille instead of being an inch or two recessed - this muffles the high-frequency response of the driver, isnce there's a kind of chamber in front of it formed by the back of the door panel and the front of the inner door skin. Since the Focal tweet does not play very low, the HF response of the mid driver is even more important in that case... especially since it's off-axis response on the high end starts to "flashlight" forwards... you don't want a dip around 3500-4500 Hz.

I personally find the Focals good, but not incredible - to me they sound dry and a little flat in the upper mid and highs. They are detailed, and I think they are better than the MB Quart metal brightness, but I'm a bit disappointed at how they render female vocals and horns... but they are not bad speakers at all.

derrick, I think there's a Car Toys and a Magnolia HiFi in Spokane. I thought there was a tweaky high-end car shop in Lewiston too, can't remember. I am friends with the guy who was responsible for the a/d/s/ speakers at Magnolia, and while they are NOT the company they used to be, I would check out the a/d/s/ 3-series, as that new tweeter is bold on the lower end and goes down to about 2300 (the focals are crossed over at the 4K range) and if you are using the TSX OEM speaker locations that would make a huge differne (IMO).

DerrickM

ou_sig-- are you saying your front speakers are mounted Directly to the door metal? I didn't think ANYTHING would fit without a spacer. My current mids are 2.125" deep, and I have 3/4" spacers. Wonder how much extra room there is when the window closes...


Maybe I need to take the door apart again and remeasure--maybe 2.75" really would fit...

PS - It's a TL, not a TSX.

elduderino

SO which generation and where are the tweets going?

Scott P

it depends on how creative you want to get with the doors, but here is the deal with them: The trick is to use a spacer 7/8" thick. the extra eighth of an inch doesn't sound like much but it comes in handy. the next tip is to trim the openning in the metal of the door. I wouldn't suggest doing this yourself unless are fairly surehanded (I assume most people are if they are patient enough, as it is slow going the first time you try).

In doing these two things you are able to fit most all after market speakers into a 2 gen TL. I've so far fit everything i've tried (Quart, Memphis, Alpine, Pioneer, Orion, PG, etc)

As for tweets, depending on the size, and your willingness to cut things you can put them anywhere. Right now i have mine flushed into the sails on the door, although i like the style OU has his mounted.

BEETROOT

I have the infinity perfect 12 vq. best sub I've ever had... and dollar for dollar I think the best sub on the market.

DerrickM

My existing tweets are flush- mounted forward of the door release handle. So, if the new tweets are smaller, I'll have to fabricate a spacer ring.

I don't have a problem gluing an extra 1/8th inch piece of MDF to the existing spacers to get to 7/8", and I have bimetal blades for my jigsaw that I use for 1/4" sheet aluminum--so they'll cut the doors easily.

Okay, I'm doing it. Part of the reason I selected the speakers I have is because they were so shallow. I'm waiting to hear back from onlinecarstereo about those alpines to see if that price is for two channels or one. I don't think the crossovers will fit--but I'll check.

If that doesn't pan out, I'll keep looking for what I can afford.

Probably a bad idea, but what does everybody think of my just replacing the mids? I know the silk tweeters are good, the crossovers are HQ 12dB/oct @ 4k--what if I just bought some Morel 6.5" mids? (Or, I could just take two hundred dollar bills and flush them...)

DerrickM

beetroot: are you using your perfect VQ in sealed or ported mode? I looked at that one too before I went with the non-adjustable version.

DerrickM

I forgot to ask: what does everybody think of the MB Quart QSD216s? They're only 2.54" deep, and the crossover looks to be the exact same size as what's mounted in my car now.

BEETROOT

sealed.

I have yet to use the adjustabililty, just picked up this model because I got a good deal on it.

wakeboardfusion

where in idaho do you live? because i live in spokane washington

DerrickM

Boise