What i mean by the title is, can we create a list of a drivers and give a short desciption and a brief analysis of what this speakers sounds like?

Now i know people are going to say it is all subjective, but the idea is to perhaps eliminate speakers that we do not need to audition. For example if someone wants a smooth, soft sound, then they can see Dynaudio is the ones to audition and maybe avoid the Alpine Type-R's.

Reason why i am asking this is because there is such a large percentage of people asking the same questions, and this could be their reference. People suggest to go have a listen, however when people do listen to them and they dont like the sound, they come back and the next response is, oh it sounds better in the car. Its pretty hard to listen to a car with the particular speakers you want, and saying this is a risk that some people are not willing to make.

It doesnt matter where you audition the speakers, just your initial thoughts of their sound. It can be off the board, in the car, and anywhere else you would of heard it.

Perhaps we can create a criteria such as:

1. Model Name and Number
2. Where you heard it? (board/car/otherwise)
3. Description of sound (1 or 2 sentances)
4. Anything else that would have affected the sound (filters etc if known)

One thing i must include is that the EQ should be set on FLAT and the analysis be done off that.


If this has been done before then please direct me to the thread as i havent been able to see it.

i'll start as an example

1. Dynaudio System 240 MKII
2. Car with sounded deadened doors
3. Smooth, Accurate, Vocals are very nice, highs could have a little more detail.
4. HPF 80Hz, -12db Slope, 200Wrms
5. Speaker positioning (just added this one) Tweeter in sails angled towards rear view mirror, mid in doors angled slightly up


1. MB Quart DSD216
2. Car
3. Midrange was reasonable, metal dome tweeter is nice for rock music, a bit metallic sounding for anything else.
4. HPF 100Hz, -12db Slope, 50Wrms
5. Midrange in stock door location, Tweeter up on dash facing upwards.

1. Crossfire BMF Cs6
2. Car
3. Sounded good on male vocals, Tweeter had some sibilance ("Ssss"), shallow mounting depth
4. HPF 100Hz, -12db Slope, 50Wrms
5. Rear Parcel Shelf



Thats a start...

mb quart pce 216
car
nice midbass, clean warm high, a little bright and lacks a detail in the midrange...
80hz hipass, ran passive
woofers in doors, tweets at the base of a pillar


good idea, its a bit raw but gives ppl atleast a kick in the right direction...

This isnt going to work, unless you seperate it into fairly specific budgets, or specific models.
Even then, its going to be a very subjective exercise, and fairly complex.
You should note. There can be a difference between the same manufacturers lines.
Soft vs Hard dome tweeters etc. Also, once you get up the higher end of speakers, the differences between two "Soft dome tweeter" splits, may be fairly subtle, and *entirely* subjective.

Unless people seperately review each driver in a component set (ie, the midbass was....the tweeter however was...) then its not going to help people seeking to mix-and-match components, for instance.

So list the drivers in the set. Sizes. Maybe WRMS handling. Dont make people go chasing model numbers, if this is supposed to be THE database

Lastly, you should stress people should only post personal experience. Not "I've heard from a lot of people that...."

If i were you, i'd let this thread go for a while, and if its successfull, complie a table or chart of everyones experiences, then post it up.

will this work? i think it could. Think of this as a database. I mean everyone makes threads asking what speaker should i get? the replies are all subjective anywyas. Watveer review of a speaker there is it will be subjective unless thorough testeing takes place eg. controlled conditions.

This is meant to be a simple straight to the point exercise. This at least gives an insight into what some of the conditions were.

correct it may not help them create an active stage with different drivers, but people can specify individual drivers as well. Its not limited to jsut splits and running passive.

and yes, personal experience only. No internet word of mouth etc. Thats why i put the criteria, to try to stop people from making an opinion without the experience.

Btw everyone, i really want this to work, i think it will be an awesome tool to have. It sure could help out the beginners section.

How about a database that people could search for their desired sound on this site....Keep the idea's flowing, i like it...

yay some support!! add something guys, 91 views and 5 replies cmoon...think of the kids

1. Jaycar CS-2329 6.5" Precision Response Kevlar Splits
2. Car
3. Sounded clear at high volumes, but an artificial sound produced. Tweeters were very bright even on -3db at the crossover. Tweeters were also very sharp even to the point of ear piercing.
4. HPF 85-90Hz, -12db, 80Wrms, Passive
5. Car was a S13 Silvia. Original midrange speaker location, Tweeters up on dash. I found facing them towards the window reduced the brightness, but imaging etc was affected.

If ppl add stuff in here, i'll make a proper thread that summarieses it all. Don't be afraid to review the same speaker twice. Roll it in fellas...

Alrighty, here goes..

1. Focal 165v2 6.5" splits
2. My Mirage :-p
3. Chose these after comparison with Alpine S & R types, and Eclipses in similar price range. Nice clear tops, without sounding brittle or too sharp to my ear (12kHz+). Well represented mids into the highs, again without being too aggressive. I was frankly startled by how low these splits go without a sub, and how clear their bass output is. Overall a clear, crisp, well rounded response without any of the fatigue my ears quickly got listening to the Alpines (R-types especially).

5. Split at my Alpine F240 amp; unsure of settings (set by Northfield guys, I haven't checked yet).

mbQuarts discus 6.5 splits(120wrms)(passive)
my oppinion varies with different styles of music played
listened to in my van
definatly needs door deadning
plays loud but needs hp filter experimentation at full crank
and maybe tweeter at -db [Edit the tweeters can be seriously earpeircing at full crank]
i like the overall sound and if i was gonna replace them , i would do shiny_cars theory and double my budget for new splits$800-$1200
When i auditioned them they sounded the best for under $500rrp.

can u be a bit more specific dood, thanks for reply but

Model: Rainbow CS265 Profi Phase Plug (120w RMS)
Link: http://car.rainbow-audio.de/products/detai...in=4&art=231111
Location: Front doors of my car (sound deadened), tweeters in pillars, facing each other.
Description: Absolutely silky smooth midrange. Tweeter's match nicely. Definately amoung the smoothest speakers I have heard. Surprisingly low bass extention, but not very strong - this is however due to my install and not the speakers themselves. Properly installed, they'd sound absolutely great. High end is soft and subtle, but the detail is there.
Bottom Line: If boston pros were a Porsche GT3, then the Rainbows would be a Lexus LS430. Never in your face or harsh: a very relaxing, pleasant cruise.

Model: Rainbow CS365 Profi Vanadium Kickbass (120w RMS)
Link: http://car.rainbow-audio.de/products/detai...in=3&art=231529
Location: Midbass in doors, mid in kicks, tweeters in pillars facing each other.
Description: Extremely strong midbass. Compared to the profi, the vanadiums use a metal dome tweeter, and aluminium cone drivers.
Bottom Line: The smoothest, sweetest car audio metal dome set I have heard - bar none. Never thought a metal dome could sound so refined.

Model: Rainbow CS275.27 Power (180w RMS)
Link: http://car.rainbow-audio.de/products/intro...n=2&pro=1&lin=5
Location: Tested in my car in smallish enclosures sitting on the floor in the footwall, witht he tweeters sitting on top... about the worst imaginable position. Now running in my room in the same enclosures.
Description: Similar styles to the profi set, but better. Smoother, more detailed, and nice off axis. Even installed in the aforementioned position, the staging with high, and very well focussed. Tweeters are smoother, more detailed then the profi (which are themselves, very nice). Same great midrange quality, but midbass is soemthign that has to be heard to be belived. A set which truly can be run without subwoofers. One look at the webpage and you wont be surprised. wopn't play quite as low as a dedicated subwoofer, but you'll be surprised...
Bottom Line: Think Profi, with a tweeter upgrade and a steroid injection.

Model: Dynaudio System 220 MKII (100w RMS)
Link: http://www.dynaudio.de/eng/auto/mobile/220mk2.php
Location: Inside a car, fully deadened and professionally installed. Tweets high in kicks, mids in doors.
Description: Smooth mids and tweeters, but seemly warm and smooth. In my opinion the rainbows are slightly softer and smoother, which you may like or dislike. Very nice midbass considering the diameter.
Bottom Line: A beautiful set, and difficult to fault. One of my personal favorites along with the rainbows.

Model: Morel Elate Supremo 6 (200w RMS)
Link: http://www.morelhifi.com/products/mob_2way_elate.html
http://www.morelhifi.com/products/mob_comp...rs_supremo.html
Location: Inside a car, fully deadened and professionally installed. Tweets in kicks.
Description: Very, very similar to the Dynaudios. Greater detail and extention in the highs, and a slighly more aggressive sound (more attack). Still very refined though, with very little difference compared to the dyns.
Bottom Line: Dyn's with a little attitude.

i could but my lack of hearing SQ speakers will make the mbQ"s sound better or worse than i should say?
i will have a look at adding more detail to the post.

Pioneer TS-C160R
link: http://www.pioneer.com.au/car_entertainmen...160r/index.html
location: in car, woofers 6.5" kevlar, phase plug mounted on cone/dustcap, mounted in well-deadened doors, silk dome tweeters 3/4" on dash or on kicks.
description:
midbass: great bass/midbass, play well down to 50Hz. off-axis response runs out above 700Hz on-axis response runs out above 3.5kHz.
tweeters: a bit thin in the top end, tweeters don't play well below 5kHz.
crossovers: not nice, a bit muddy in the mid-range around the crossover freq.
bottom line - ok as entry level SQ, great as midbass, run active for better midrange, get better tweeters & cross-over around 2.5kHz for top SQ.
Don't get me wrong, these splits are heaps better than Pioneer's other (cheaper) ones.

Awesome guys!

Muzzy66, goddamn that was a great effort, makes me wanna try those Rainbows out now. This thread is doing exactly wat i want it to do. Keep em coming!

Model: Focal 165V2 (75w RMS)
Location: In a car, fully deadened and installed by a pro. Tweeters in kicks
Description: very clear sound, loud to the point of hurting, but no distortion at all..tweetsa attn to -3db, not bright at all, listened to nickleback, reproduced the highest notes, and cymbol clashes perfectly....as well as reproducing the highs, they go very low with little effort, reproducing the bass very efficiently

1) Rainbow Power Series
2) Installed into Lancer with deaden doors, tweeters in the kicks. ran passively.
3) As mentioned before, very smooth tweeters, not bright in the kicks. good off axis response.
unfortunately the 7 inch driver isnt much of a mid range driver. has all the features of a nice sounding speaker but just struggles to produce a nice midrange. i would've preffered to have a tweeter that plays lower with this driver. 7 inch driver is a hassel to install due to its mounting depth of 96mm

1) Rainbow 3-ways (7inch driver, profi vanadium mid and tweeters)
2) Installed into aforementioned lancer. ran actively.
3) The 7 inch driver comes to life, the vocals have great body the midrange is exceptionally detailed and the mid bass smacks you in the side. very smooth, not in your face which is similar to the power series but much more aggresive midrange and midbass. its like an old skool gangster. like al capone. not in your face but at the same time or because of it, the meaning is very aggresive. may also be due to the fact that this was ran actively whilst the power was ran passively. installation was again a hassle with the 7inch driver and the midrange also has a very large mounting depther for a mid range.

1) morel CDM54
2) Installed in aforementioned lancer, this time ran actively with profi tweeter.
3) great dome mid range, clear and detailed with a reasonable kick considering they are dome drivers. easy to install which is a huge bonus, rememeber easy installation means less compromises on speaker placement. when compared to the rainbow midrange the rainbow is the next level beyond the morel. two different worlds really.

1. Model Name and Number - Fudd's Hybrids (Oz matrix elite mid, vifa xt25 tweeter)
2. Where you heard it? - my car (no SD at the time)
3. Description of sound - very natural, lacking midbass but install diddent help
4. Anything else that would have affected the sound - old pioneer xover, soon to be replaced with p90r

will redo when it's all be fixed.

this thread was a great idea, i think we all owe slim lim a big one, specially those looking for new speakers... and this way u can all c whos running wot and maybe even get a demo off them...

cmon guys dont be shy... i no for a fact that people are running mille's and elate's with supremo's, and heaps of others... itll take u 2min to put in ur opinion however detailed it may be..

props to slim lim...

cheers caydin and i didnt even have to bribe ya..

Well hopefully if this thread keeps getting updated, hopefully there will be about 3 speakers for each brand...well thats wat i hope, then i'll sort it out and the mods can do watever they want with it. (minus deleting it) hah

1. Eclipse SP6500 6.5" 2way Coax
2. Board, but i chose the songs i wanted to play and listened for suffiicient time.
3. Best set of coaxs i have heard under $100 to date (i don't reall audtiion coaxs though). There is something missing though, and i cant exactly put my finger on it. Something was lacking in the tweeter department, a little bit lacking in detail, Midbass was great, although a little unclear at high volumes, but that maybe down to filter issues. I compared it to the SC8264 on the same board. They were actually pretty close to sounding the same, but the SC8264 filled in the gap that i thought was missing.

Rainbows are I think, like any otehr brand (Focal, Dyn, Boston, etc) an aquired taste.

My brother doesn't like them too much, and comments that they sound unnatural and lack detail. However, he owns a set of brightish sounding home theatre oriented home audio speakers, and has jaycars notoriously bright metal domes in his car (attenuated, but bright still) and so it's difficult to explain to him that hearing every ping sharp and loud doesn't necesarilly mean there is more detail - just exhaggerated detail.

The rainbows tweeters definately have detail, but it just doesnt "jump in your face" the way something like a focal or boston tweeter may. It sounds smooth, laid back and effortless. The impression I have gotten from any rainbow speakers ive heard, is that they never sound like they are struggling. It takes seriously high volume levels before they start to show signs of harshness.

Just a bit of advice to everyone, audition before you buy. Some people want every little detail to hit them square in the face. For these people, you may want to steer away from rainbow, dynaudio, morel, diamond and other such brands and look toward brands like focal and boston.

Another important thing. Brightness is an effect of crossover and attenuation settings. Smoothness, warmth, dryness and harshness are characteristics of a particular speaker.
From my experiences playing with settings will modify tonal ballance and crossover smoothness, but will not change a speakers style of sound. That is something you have to live with.

Sound like the debate I had with a friend yesterday between Focal K2p and Seas Lotus Reference, I personally prefer Seas Reference beacause they are dynamic, detail and smooth while he prefer K2p because they are dyanamic, detail and bright (his word, I actually called it harsh).

bump

Upon request, here's a copy/paste from my SQ thread. I'd hardly call any of these good reviews, merely discussing whether they suit my own personal needs. Anyway:

RAINBOW:
- Germanium 6": Meh, nothing special. Very shallow gutless sound. Not impressed.
- Power Line 6": Better than the above, but didn't have that mid-bass KICK I'm after.

ALPINE:
- Type S 6": Not bad however a little tinny and distorted too soon for my tastes
- Type R 6": Very similar to the Type S' however seemed to have less midbass but didnt distort as early

BOSTON:
- SL60 6": Made for RnB, a lot of trebly and clarity but no guts down low. Beautiful for classical i imagine.
- S60 6": Not as much treble and clarity as the SL's and slightly more midbass, but still reasonably gutless.

ROCKFORD FOSGATE:
- P162S 6": Wow, talk about kick. Not the best I've heard but definately snappy and tight. It didnt have the treble and clarity that some other speakers did, but for heavy metal these speakers rock.
- T162S 6": Sounded a lot like the SL60's to me just not as clear.

SOUNDSTREAM:
- XSC.6: None too shabby especially for the money. A nice combination of clarity and punch, however not what Im looking for as I didnt feel like I'd been kicked in the chest when I was in front of them
- Van Gough: The most painful experience thus far in listening to car audio. I felt like my ear drums were being gouged with a screwdriver. So much treble and screech it was like nails on a chalkboard. ARGH!

ECLIPSE:
- SC8264: One of my faves. Beautiufl and clear yet plenty of punch. When I cranked these I could actually feel the midbass in my chest, and that was in a board. The only thing I didnt like was that the bass and treble didnt seem a distinct and separate as it does in other speakers. If it wasnt for that, they'd be on par with K2P's. Mind you, theyre also $300 cheaper.

FOCAL:
- K2P: Beautiful, and powerful. Plenty of kick and ultra clear. A lot clearer than the eclipse, however didn't have their rib cracking midbass. So far I'd say these and the eclipse are the most serious contenders for my cash.
- Polyglass V2: Nice for the money, however nowhere near as clear and punchy as the K2P's.

You forgot the template, remember to list where you heard each set, and under what conditions.

Also be more specific with your models.

Rainbow have two sets of Power splits, the CMX and the CS. The CS (which i have in use in my house atm) cost around three times that of the CMX Power set.

Also, the cheaper CMX Power range are avaliable as either standard or kickbass models (which are designed for stronger midbass).

If you can let us know the price or exact model so we know which Power splits you mean, as I have heard the higher end Powers, and have heard some of rainbows' kick-bass models, and both have a very, very strong midbass. The powers are actually a 96mm deep, 7" midbass unit which is pracically a small subwoofer, so I'm assumign you dont mean these.

Dude I didnt post it here for me, I posted this stuff here because I was asked to, so to be honest with you, I didnt forget a thing
All splits were auditioned in demo boards using the following tracks

Slipknot - Heretic Anthem (live)
In Flames - Trigger
Alter Bridge - Metalingus
HIM - Funeral of Hearts

I think it may have been the 'dream line' I listened to and not the 'power line' but I can't be sure.

And the following stores were where I did my auditoning:

- Precision Installations
- Soundtalk
- Fairfield Car Radio
- St Marys Car Audio Excellence
- Automotiv
- The Lifestyle Store

Quote from beginnign of thread:


Reason is, we are trying to give a realistic idea of the sound to people who may be looking for a set of speakers. No point in telling them what a speaker sounded like, if they dont know how/where it was installed, and the exact model of speaker. If little details like sound deadening, mountign angles etc availiable then even better

If it was the CSX line you heard, then these are much cheaper then the power line (almost half the price). From memory they are rainbows entry level (i.e. cheapest) compenent set.

I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, just remember Rainbow build some of the worlds best car audio speakers (their reference line are arguable the best component set in the world) and if you get an opportunity perhaps you should ask to hear one of precision's demo cars rather to a plain old demo board?

I'm sure they'd be able to provide one to give you a good idea of a true experience.

Cheers

wot people must understand is that BlakeyBoyr was simply stating midbass responce, all where listned to in demo boards, all were listened to for thier midbass responce...

slimlim asked him to cut and paste it all here, maybe blakeyboy could edit the original post to say that it was only midbass resonce that was being criticised...

charlie

Thought it's about time I put in my comments
Note: most of these speakers were bought on special

1. Pioneer TS-A6981S (6x9) $200
2. In a van bolted to 12mm particleboard cargo barrier running free air
3. Loud. Broad range of frequencies but typical 6x9 distortion
4. Wired to head unit no amp
5. Positioned in cargo barrier behind headrest

1. Pioneer TS-D161S (6" 2-way coaxial 60Wrms Kevlar) $250
2. Van with sound deadened doors in solid timber pods. Holes in doors not blocked
3. Warm and fairly detailed. Very nice sounding speaker but not loud enough for me
4. 60Wrms
5. High in doors close to dash

1. Pioneer TS-D691S (6x9 2-way 80Wrms Kevlar) $300
2. In a van bolted to 12mm particleboard cargo barrier in 8.5 Litre enclosures at times (not sure if thats good)
3. Does not draw front stage back too much with deep punchy bass. Can almost substitute for a sub. Very good speaker
4. No amp at first then 75Wrms
5. Positioned in cargo barrier low behind seat

1. Focal K2P (6.5" splits 100Wrms ) $785
2. Van with sound deadened doors in solid timber pods. All holes blocked
3. Warm, smooth and accurate with excellent midrange and good mid-bass. Tweeter is a bit bright and harsh.
4. HPF 80Hz, -12db Slope, 75Wrms
5. High in doors slightly angled up and towards rear. Tweeters in pillars just above dash facing straight at each other

1. Pioneer TSSW124D shallow subwoofer (12" 300Wrms) $289
2. In van in 22.64L enclosure
3. Reasonable performance but can't go too loud
4. LPF 50Hz, 1000W (Max)
5. Between seats facing slightly upwards

Can now mimick SCorpions result with my own.

Recently added the vanadium midrange in with both the Profi set and Power set.

Due to instalation limitations, the speakers were listened to in my house in prebuilt sealed enclosures rather then in my car. Important to note is that the midrange unit should be sealed off, but because i had nothing to mount it in it was run free air. This took away a little from the midrange 'weight', but it still sounded fantastic regardless. The speakers were connected up to my Logitech Z-560 computer sub/amp which provided neither the best crossover points, nor the highest quality of amplification. Source was a creative X-fi Platinum sound card.

Here are my conclusions:

Setup 1: Profi Tweeter, Vanadium mid, Profi Phase Plug midbass
Overall impresions - Great overall sound. The detail is outstanding in that you tend to hear everything in the music. Not as soft or boring as many would probably expect - the set really sounds very lively. Midbass seemed nice. Overall its a very, very nice speaker set, but it's hard to write alot about them when youve heard the second setup below - the latter just has so many interesting factor to dicuss!

Setup 2: Power Tweeter, Vanadium mid, Power Midbass
Wow is all I can say. The first thing you notice is the midbass - it's just increadible. After listening to these and going back to the profis, they sounded tiny and thin in comparison. I've never heard a midbass speaker with this much impact before, and it really does add an increadible amount to overall character of the sound. Everything from rock, to rnb, to dance just sounds much more solid and 'full'. Particularly noticable is the weight behind kickdrums that are so solid you can practically 'feel' them, and deep male vocals that come out so deep it sends a shiver down your spine. Everything just sounds so 'real'.

The character if the midrange from the Power unit is great. It is an extremely refined driver, and vocals sound to me to be smoother and more natural then they do out of the Profi midbass - but unfortunately and understandably they just dont extend as high. There is a noticable gap between the midbass unit and the tweeter that is too high for the midbass to reach, and too low for the tweeters to get to. This proves to be the one single accosutic weakness of the Power 2-way set, and when adding in the vanadium mid I noticed this immediately.

With the Midrange to fill in the gap, suddenlly music that wasnt even there was coming out in full force. All of those subtle little details that the big 7 incher just couldn't seem to quite reach. The combination is an absolute match made in heaven (and even match visually!) and really makes me wonder why rainbow didnt make a three way power set from the factory.

Onto the tweeter. Comparing the two, they are surprisingly quite different in character. The Power tweet is softer, warmer and smoother which not surprisingly matches it well with the characteristics of the 7" midbass unit. The Profi tweeter in comparison seemed more 'dry' sounding, and perhaps a tad scratchy in comparison. However, the Profi tweeter extends further, while the power tends to drop of a little earlier and ultimately doesn't have the outright top end etension and detail of the profi. It's a 50-50 situation where neither is clearly better, it's dependant purely on what you like. If you prefer refinement above overall extention then the Power tweeter is IMO a clearly better option. A tad of top end EQ tends to bring it out great. If you a more of a fan of outright detail and extension there you would prefer the Profi.

Off axis response favours the Power tweet. I don't know whether it's because of the larger dome, or the basket characteristics or what, but when mounted off axis the Power tweeter seems to lose alot less detail then the Profi. While the power becomes only slightly toned down off axis, the profi seems more of an 'on off switch'. When mounted off axis (i'm talking like, 90 degrees off axis) the Profi loses alot of it's top end extension, and alot of the finer details seem to dissapear. It's not bad, still just as good as alot of other tweeters i've heard, but it just doesn't hold itself quite as effectively as the Power tweeter when it's mouted off axis. I noticed the the most when I at one stage had both sets down in the kicks, 90 degrees off axis. The Power tweet was hitting higher notes that weren't there on the profi - yet when mounted on axis the Profi clearly has the better top end extension. Quite unusual how the Power just doesn't seem to loose all that much when mounted off axis.

As far as tonal ballance goes, I find the power tweeter to be more laid back and to just sound more natural. The profi to me sounds a tad more forceful (but only when compared to the Power). In my brief chance to hear a Rainbow Platinum tweeter, I'd say the style of sound of the power is very similar to the Platinum, although the Platinum is a little more detailed and smoother again.

On the Platinums now..very nice. A very smooth laid back tweeter, but they do an amazing job of bringing out female vocals with increadible presence. I heard them off axis, so it was hard to guage what their overall top end exnention was like, but id say it would probably be quite similar to that of the profi. Was a very natural and very pleasant tweeter to listen to, and I would absolutely die to hear the Power midbass and vanadium mid running as a three way with Platinum tweeters - a direction im seriously considering taking. The Platinums were listened to in a car (not in my house) and run back to back with Profi vanadium tweeters. My best description would be similar extension to the Vanadium, but an overall smoother, more natural and more refined output.

The results for the Profis and Powers were the results i got when mounted up in the house, so there were no incar issues (resonances, refletions etc) to alter the tonal qualities of the tweeters. Likewise, when I briefly isntalled the power midbass units into a car door without sound deadening, the midbass was even more impressive then it was in the house (probably due to the home amp's high crossover points). I can only imagine how impressive it will be in a properly designed and deadened door installation.

There's my 2c!

P.s. I forgot to comment on build quality. Bottom line? Faultless pretty much. The little 'rainbow' tag fell off my Power tweeter, but the unit itself is heavy, sturdy and extremely solid. The Profi tweeter is also stunningly well built, with a strong solid basket, vented magnet and the 'Profi' name etched into the metal. No problems with the Rainbow tags on the Profi tweeters, they are on solid like a brick and I couldn't possibly fall off without quite abit of provocation. The profi tweet comes with more mounting options, with a bunch of brackets and sets, but the larger Power tweeter doesnt need these as much because it has crew holes around the basket for a direct mount.

I have had numerous people comment on how heavy and solid both tweeters feel. As for the Platinum - absolutely flawless. Beautiful silver finish with a grille that can be unscrewed to reveal the tweeter (although Id recommend it to stay on). Biggest thing I noticed was the size of the Platinum - it looks like a siimple little 1" tweeter from the picture on the website, but for a compact dome it's pretty bloody big and very heavy and solid for what it is. Has special screw-down terminals on the back so that you can run into it your own wire, rather then having to use the cable that is supplied.

Onto the midrange unit. Again, flawless build. Unlike a lot of brands who tend to go with small dome midranges, the Rainbow midrange looks more like a 4" midbass unit. It actually looks exactly like a Vanadium midbass unit in that it has the same type of magnet, basket, motor structure, cone, surround and wiring terminals - all just scaled down to 4" sizes. Vented magnet with a sexy alluminium cone and proper chrome screw down terminals, and a chunky ass magnet. The 48mm mounting depth is almost as deep as some slim design 6" units, so definately not a 'weak' mid.

Not much to say about the profi midbass, as its mostly a bit version of the mid. Differences being mine is a Profi line with a natural fibre cone and machined alluminium phase plug. Otherwise, more of the same high standard of build here.

Onto the Power midbass - what can I say? Much like the Platinum tweeter, the Power 7" midbass is flawlessly built. For a good idea, check out the 7" Vanadium subwoofer on Rainbows website, as visually they are practically identical, except the midbass only has the one venting hole in the middle of the magnet, not the other 8 little holes surrounding it on the sub. To my knowledge the magnet is exactly the same as the one found on the 7" an d8" subwoofers. It's a massive double stacked affair, with chrome finishes alla round it. Basket is also the same as the sub I believe, and is as solid as a rock. You could wack the thing with a sledgehammer and it probably woldnt dent. Teminals a screw down similar to the profi's, but ith slightly larder terminals. The surround is huge for a midbass, probably double the size of the profi surround - and this is what makes up the 7" diameter. The actual cone area is actually similar to that of the 6.5" accordign to rainbows specs. Overall impression is that this is one big, strong, heavy duty unit and you would be forgiven for mistaking it for an 8" sub at first glance.

The profi crossovers are quite nice, but this is another area where the Power set eclipses them. While the profi crossovers are around the size of dynaudio ones, the Power crossovers are huge - at least 1.5 times the size of the Profi ones, and easy double the size of my old Morel Pulse crossovers. Both crossovers have a tweeter protection warning light which lights up if you are pushing them abit too hard, and this is a nice protection features. Profi has tweeter selection for either +0dB or +3db from memory, while the Power has a choice of either -3dB, 0dB or +6dB. The power crossover also has a jumper to selection either 18dB or 24dB per octave crossover slope. The profi has a silver finish on the crossover, with the Power having a sexy clear see through cover that allows you to see all of the chunky components within, and the cover on the power crossover is secured by four allen head screws, which is comforting to know. Both use chrome plated screwd own terminals, with the powers a little larger from memory.

The midrange runs off a 'piggy back' type crossover which connects through the standard two way crossover, and also has different attenuation settings for the midrange (although i can't remember these off the top of my head - I think 0dB and +3dB).

Thats about as much as i can remember!

- focal 130vslim 5.25"
- 2002 bmw e46 318i, mounted in stock bmw location, sound deadened speaker area
- strong and clear highs but not too harsh, kind of "in ur face" sound, pretty detailed sound for the price
- ran from audison srx3, not sure bout the settings. set by my installer guy, havent got the chance to play with it yet

goddamn at that writeup muzzy, must of had a lot of time on ur hands that day lol

Boston Z6's

Installed 2 pairs in my car, ran off a measured 345wrms each driver (DLS Ultimate A4) Dynamat, Dynaxorb

EXTREMELY natural sound, incredible staging. Very soft sound despite aluminium tweeters, really needs power to shine. Alot of midbass in my setup so I cross them over a little higher.

These would suit the Product Reviews & Opinions forum really well!

That particular forum hasn't been used much to date and is in danger of being removed.

I PM'd Marc and asked him this question.
What do you guys think.

I plan to write a web based Database where CAA members can post speaker TS specs, opinions and enclosuer designs.
I will make the data available to all CAA members only.
I am happy to spend the the time writing the application and will host it myself.
If you think this could become a good resource for CAA members let me know and I'll start writing the code.
{I do think I need Marc's OK though because the database will be hosted else where}
Cheers

its been attempted before proclass, and it's a lot of work.
I considered it myself a while ago, and emailed a few manufacturers to see if they'd mind.
The response was, in some cases, a *very* firm NO..followed by "we're glad you asked, instead of us just finding it".

You misunderstood.
CAA members will contribute the data. Offer thier opinions and perhaps add enclosure designs they have built.
I undertsnad how large a task collecting data is but I figure lets all of the CAA menbership build the data around what we use.
This thread has some good info in it. Over time the records could become a great resource for CAA members.
With respect to manufacturers supporting it. I think it will be the smart ones who do.
Cheers

I don't see how they could object; perhaps only if there are links to it from a website they sponsor. Then again, only those with something to hide could possibly be concerned. I think this would actually be beneficial to a lot of companies as recommendations are frequently made on what people have heard are good, not on what they have actually listened to themselves.

Leigh

good one proclass...

youve got my backing...

if you want a rough write up of my personal experiences, pm me...

its a good idea and tool ProClass but it is a hell of a lot of work. Also progrmas like WINISD has a database for majority of the drivers out there. Just something to consider before u commit.

Edit: databse of specs only that is

Absolutely, with you all the way.

Sounds like an excellent idea, if you are willing to put in the effort.

Would be excellent for people who have heard multiple lines of speakers to give an overall impression of how they think they compare. Once enough people have done this, some consistency will probably start to come out, and people will be able to piece together a rough idea of waht each speaker sounds like.

I actually bought my initial set of Rainbows (Powers) at a risk because specs wise they seemed to be the only speaker that did everything I wanted, and because Rainbow's reputation was exceptional. It went well because I loved the speakers, and so I bought aother set (Profi's) afterwards.

Was abit of a risky way to spend over a grand though, that could have gone either way.

For those people who aren't fortunate enough to be close to a place where they can easilly audiition gear, a large database of personal opinions from experienced enthusiasts would have to be the next best thing.

Check out the new thread on this concept guys.
http://www.caraudioaustralia.com/forums/in...c=70668&hl=

meh, i might aswell contribute:

soundstream xsc6 (run by jaycar 2x150, 80hpf -12db, setup in car with midbass in stock position and tweeters down low in kicks)
for the price it is very impressive comparing it to other components around ~250$ mark
average midbass with a very bright tweeter. i found it hard to tune to what i was looking for.
imo, a very nice looking set of speakers with amazing bfyb!

dali a6 (run by alpine mrv f340, 80hpf -12db, setup in car with midbass in stock position and tweeters on dash facing towards rear mirror)
at first glance, i was very impressed with the tweeter but the midbass has never won me over. i find the midbass is very weak and lacks detail whereas the tweeter is much more detailed and accurate. < this could be because of poor install as i have no dynamat etc. just a very simple install.
imo, nice set of speakers, but wouldnt pay a RRP of $1000 for a set. very small xovers which can be easily hidden in glove box or alike.