Hey guys. Quick question, pretty much SQ related, however may be moved to general at mods request.

Thinking about going three way, and tossing up a few different options. Now, unfortunality im not willing to cut up my kicks. Ive been researching some dome mids that are sealed, and they seem to be quite a good idea. However, how would a cone sound with no enclosure behind it ?

Depends on the driver. I've heard some Home Audio drivers that are nothing short of stunning when playing IB. Hell, I've heard some that play Open Baffle and leave me gobsmacked. And yet there are others I wouldn't dream of playing without a good enclosure.

I wouldn't recommend Open Baffle in a car, simply because its success rests upon successful phasing of the front/rear waves. Infinite Baffle would mean the rear cone would need to vent somewhere not in the listening space. For competition winning cars, this involves venting to the rails (take a look at any one of the many award winning Hybrid Audio vehicles. Most of them are IB) or venting into the dash.

Its not easy by any stretch of the imagination, and requires a lot of modifications anyhow. The results though, are meant to be nothing short of amazing. You will lose out on low end extension however.

from my experience, dome mids will not play well below 600Hz, and they tend to be 'beamy' in the dispersion pattern. cone mids would be ok, but you will lose low end if they're open - maybe 400Hz or so would be ok on a small baffle board (or sealed into the dash/kick panel).

My 100KP 4" Midrange plays strongly to around 250hz before it starts to roll off, in around 0.5 Litres sealed.

In a larger box (like 3-4 litres) 120 - 150hz would be possible before roll off, but as a 4" driver it's volume of air it can move is limited, so for freqs up to 250-300hz a 6"-8" driver is generally more suitable.

Depending on where you need to mount the 4" driver,
and what your expectations of it are, a sealed enclosure may be more suitable.

if you are going to Infinite baffle it, make sure your not doing it into the door cavity where a Bass speaker is also playing, this would be less than ideal as the 4" driver would be effected by the larger driver on the same baffle within the same enclosure. Leaving performance to be less than admirable.

Juls