Best Midbass you've heard

Need help with your car stereo system? Have a technical question? Post here.
User avatar
ShockTherapy
Posts: 693
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:06 am
Location: University Place

Post by ShockTherapy »

The search is over. I was wanting to go Scanspeak but alas, just the mids and midbass speakers would set me back $700 used. I've decided to go with the Focal Utopia 6W3 3-way component set. After many reviews and my expreience listening to them in friend's vehicles i feel they'll do the trick. The 4" Utopia mid in general is right up my alley when it comes to imaging and transparency. I'll be running them fully active from the SS Reference 300 amps and the DRZ9255. I will update when I get them installed. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.
Clarion DRZ-9255
JL HD 900/5
Zapco Z300
JBL MS-8
Dynaudio MW160 (midbass)
Audible Physics XR3m (mid)
Morel MT23 (high)
Morel 5c (Rearfill)
Morel Ultimo SC12
User avatar
stipud
Voltage Ohms
Posts: 14719
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 1983 4:00 am
Location: Burnaby, BC
Contact:

Post by stipud »

Always seems to be a bit of a weird approach to me, when people buy a really expensive component set designed around a very high tech passive crossover, only to discard the passive.

I would rather spend the money on a bunch of better loose drivers, rather than discard all of the engineering that went into making lesser drivers sound good. Really that is where all of the value in high end component sets lie... the passive crossovers have lots of various notch filtration, phase adjustments, etc., which were set up by acoustical engineers in order to make the set sound good together. The Utopia crossovers definitely fit this bill... it would be wasteful not to use them IMO.

Similarily I have tried running my Ti Elites actively, but I have found it is impossible to replicate the sound of the passive. It just doesn't blend as well, and there are many harsh resonance peaks and other uncontrolled distortions and harmonics that just weren't present with the passive. No amount of EQ can cure that. I have EQed both setups to flat, and they both sounded totally different.
User avatar
ShockTherapy
Posts: 693
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:06 am
Location: University Place

Post by ShockTherapy »

I ran the Eurosports active and they sounded Waaay better without the passives. and the Utopias I'm paying $400 for without crossovers. i am buying the package this way because im going active. the DRZ9255 will do all my filtering for me. ive heard these active and was VERY impressed.
Clarion DRZ-9255
JL HD 900/5
Zapco Z300
JBL MS-8
Dynaudio MW160 (midbass)
Audible Physics XR3m (mid)
Morel MT23 (high)
Morel 5c (Rearfill)
Morel Ultimo SC12
Jerome
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:11 am

Post by Jerome »

are you taking the old utopias? than the 165W3 kit? with 6w1, 4w(xxx) (idk) and tn52? for me the 6w1 are the best midwoofer i've ever heard. they cannot go to high, need a "heavy" door and some real power, but they are amazing!!

i bought 2 pair of 6w1 a while ago (i wanted to run 2x 6w1 focal, per door, on a zx450 bridged on 2 ohm (a channel per door) with a 165 k2p from focal as mid / high, but 3 x 6.5" per door on a 92" civic was to much work... so i sold the package and bought the KRX3 kit.), and $400 for the kit is a fair price. i paid in 2008, 350€ for the 4 6w1.
User avatar
ShockTherapy
Posts: 693
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:06 am
Location: University Place

Post by ShockTherapy »

Jerome wrote:are you taking the old utopias? than the 165W3 kit? with 6w1, 4w(xxx) (idk) and tn52? for me the 6w1 are the best midwoofer i've ever heard. they cannot go to high, need a "heavy" door and some real power, but they are amazing!!

i bought 2 pair of 6w1 a while ago (i wanted to run 2x 6w1 focal, per door, on a zx450 bridged on 2 ohm (a channel per door) with a 165 k2p from focal as mid / high, but 3 x 6.5" per door on a 92" civic was to much work... so i sold the package and bought the KRX3 kit.), and $400 for the kit is a fair price. i paid in 2008, 350€ for the 4 6w1.
It's the 165w3 set. a few years old. Can't wait to get things going. havent sealed the deal yet... I'm having them tested as we speak before i drop any doe.
Clarion DRZ-9255
JL HD 900/5
Zapco Z300
JBL MS-8
Dynaudio MW160 (midbass)
Audible Physics XR3m (mid)
Morel MT23 (high)
Morel 5c (Rearfill)
Morel Ultimo SC12
User avatar
kg1961
Got wood?
Posts: 9051
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:31 pm
Location: Calgary

Post by kg1961 »

i loved my k2 focal i sold thunderdome other than that i love the jl xr for strong clean mid with good mid bass.

im back to mb not huge in the mid bass but have always loved there sound since 96
most of my gear is gone :liar:
2020 honda accord sport
User avatar
ShockTherapy
Posts: 693
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:06 am
Location: University Place

Post by ShockTherapy »

kg1961 wrote:i loved my k2 focal i sold thunderdome other than that i love the jl xr for strong clean mid with good mid bass.

im back to mb not huge in the mid bass but have always loved there sound since 96
Yeh.. i've always loved the quart sound as well. What made you choose the Discus set? just FYI. the premium set that I have for sale in the buy and sell section is a HUGE step up if you're interested. The mids are in great shape and it will include CNC machined baffles to go with them. the tweeters function fine but have some glue on the casing.... nothing that effects performance in any way. if you had a mounting cup you'd never see it. The premium tweeters sound fantastic!

as for the Focals here are a few pics...
Attachments
006 (800x600).jpg
006 (800x600).jpg (326.56 KiB) Viewed 4094 times
!B9TpG4wBGk~$(KGrHqMOKooEy+jC0cQWBM5YpTMZN!~~_12.jpg
!B9TpG4wBGk~$(KGrHqMOKooEy+jC0cQWBM5YpTMZN!~~_12.jpg (29.33 KiB) Viewed 4138 times
!B9ToZ0QCGk~$(KGrHqMOKjEEzOUkh9SvBM5YoOiew!~~_12.jpg
!B9ToZ0QCGk~$(KGrHqMOKjEEzOUkh9SvBM5YoOiew!~~_12.jpg (24.96 KiB) Viewed 4145 times
!B9ToqjQEGk~$(KGrHqEOKpYEy+jCy34,BM5YooZPNQ~~_12.jpg
!B9ToqjQEGk~$(KGrHqEOKpYEy+jCy34,BM5YooZPNQ~~_12.jpg (24.35 KiB) Viewed 4145 times
!B9Toh5!B2k~$(KGrHqIOKnEEy0W-ZP43BM5YobJCtQ~~_12.jpg
!B9Toh5!B2k~$(KGrHqIOKnEEy0W-ZP43BM5YobJCtQ~~_12.jpg (25.88 KiB) Viewed 4145 times
!B9To9l!CWk~$(KGrHqMOKpQEy+jC46+JBM5YpFGnQQ~~_12.jpg
!B9To9l!CWk~$(KGrHqMOKpQEy+jC46+JBM5YpFGnQQ~~_12.jpg (26.16 KiB) Viewed 4145 times
!B9To0ow!mk~$(KGrHqUOKjkEzK6NtPcLBM5Yo3h+uw~~_12.jpg
!B9To0ow!mk~$(KGrHqUOKjkEzK6NtPcLBM5Yo3h+uw~~_12.jpg (25.05 KiB) Viewed 4145 times
Last edited by ShockTherapy on Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:33 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Clarion DRZ-9255
JL HD 900/5
Zapco Z300
JBL MS-8
Dynaudio MW160 (midbass)
Audible Physics XR3m (mid)
Morel MT23 (high)
Morel 5c (Rearfill)
Morel Ultimo SC12
User avatar
brenzbmr@sb
Booty Connoisseur
Posts: 1610
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:49 pm
Location: as ziggy marley said" on a beach in hawaii"

Post by brenzbmr@sb »

the hybrids are friken sweet.

my partner has a set of legatia 6s and the se tweeters

really nice, i am gonna it scott up when i get some extra cash but i really want a

alienware m17x right now..

so i will have some of my pg stuff ready for sell soon

sry for hijacking thread.

back on topic though is the fact that the legatias are really
nice

see if scott still has his buy your old mids program.
You may have subs in your car........but my doors sound better!
User avatar
ShockTherapy
Posts: 693
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:06 am
Location: University Place

Post by ShockTherapy »

brenzbmr@sb wrote:the hybrids are friken sweet.

my partner has a set of legatia 6s and the se tweeters

really nice, i am gonna it scott up when i get some extra cash but i really want a

alienware m17x right now..

so i will have some of my pg stuff ready for sell soon

sry for hijacking thread.

back on topic though is the fact that the legatias are really


see if scott still has his buy your old mids program.


Yeh he does have that program. I already have my Legatia L4 mids. I will of course give them a listen before selling them. They sell fast on DIYMA. I'm going to test them against the Utopia 4" mid. I'm curious to see which one will sound and perform better to my ears.
Clarion DRZ-9255
JL HD 900/5
Zapco Z300
JBL MS-8
Dynaudio MW160 (midbass)
Audible Physics XR3m (mid)
Morel MT23 (high)
Morel 5c (Rearfill)
Morel Ultimo SC12
Post Reply