Phoenix Gold Phorum

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:03 am**

Im currently running some JL XR comps and I think they're great. Im also running some other Phoenix Gold stuff (amp/ RSD12) and I think the quality for the price is just insane. As much as I love my XR's these RSD comps are looking really tempting for the price but there is nowhere within 200 miles of my house to go test them. So what are your opinions? Midbass? Loudness? SQ? Warm? Bright? Detailed? Would you compare them to anything? Explain in as much detail as possible. Thanks in advance.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:06 am**

Here's are some reviews that I copied from our old forum:

bdubs767 wrote:Well put them in today for hell of it..Tweeters floating on the dash and mids IB in doors.

WOW...impressive set for the price. Every way better then the xenons in every way and in ways very similar sound to the elites. Compared to my last set up the dyn system 340, mid range and higher freq. cant compare... dyn are in a different level, but for 2-way in their price range I think its $170 retail, Nothing I have heard compares.

The tweeter is very laid back and easy to listen too, alot like the ti elite tweeter, and the dyn md100 but not quite as deatalied as the dyn.

As for midrange this is where I feel the set lacks from my last few set up, the mid range is merely avergae.

As for the mid bass holy crap, these things rock. They simply ass rape my last mids which were the dyn mw 160 from 40hz-150hz.

Over all nice set, I woudln't use the hole set up for my self now a days, but for some one entering into car audio or looking for middle of the road set this is for them.

I can actually see this some one looking for high end sound to dump the passive, use the tweeter and mid, and add a dedicated mid range liek the dayton reference dome mid.....that woudl be one hell of a set up costing you less then $250..

bdubs767 wrote:Played with them a little more today..

I am extremly impressed by the bass those mids put out. I had them with no HP playing the 20hz range confortably, they didnt distrot that low until I had the volume above 3/4 all the way up. O by the way they are being powered via one side of the MS1000ta with the gains set to be putting out ~175 watts per channel. After playing with them that low I put them at 40hz where I felt they could comfortable play at extermly loud volumes.

Overall impression, KILLER MID BASS, avg mid range I am simply not getting that type of sound out of these that give you goose bumps liek the dyns did just lacking the dynamics(fyi I am being extremly critical and for the price range pretty damn good mid range) , and very laid back tweeter a lot like the ti elite 1m.

VW337 wrote:My $0.02

I got a chance to do some detailed listening today for the first time with good equipment in the mix and known music.

The Mids absolutely rock, the tweets are bright crisp and detailed all the while still sounding natural. In my opinion the mids drop lower without any effort, in comparison to any 6.5" I have ever heard even running IB.

I did however notice a weak point, without using a meter or anything just referencing what I thought I should be hearing vs. what I was actually hearing, I feel the response in the 300hz region was a little slow. This should be remedied with a minor break in period, since these use a nomex spider with integrated tinsle leads. A proper break in will relax the assembly and quicken the attack.

bdubs767 wrote:Ill agree with you errin I have played a more with tunnign them and I must say I still can not get over the midbass that comes out of those damn woofers.

Overall when compared to other comps sets in the price range, I dont really think any thing can compare. When comparing them directly to my last set up which was dyn system 240(had that in for a week after I sold the md 140) the tweeter is close just not quite as detail, and the RSd mid IMO is far FAR better in the low region, the midrange from them are decent and close to what the dyns were producing.

I really feel PG should design a Dome mid range (like the dyn md 140), 3-way passive, and rebadge the tweeter and mid (to make people they have better stuff so theyll but it), and sell these as the RSd competion compent set to go along with the RSd competion woofer if it ever is released. IMO a set up like that could be sold at a far better price then the likes of dyn system 340, dls idrium 6.3 ect...and have performace in the same level.

To be honest if I hadnt bought all the other high end stuff I have before I bought the RSD6.5cs set, I would have bought a dome mid to add to the set, dumped the passive and ran them active. I feel I would be very very pleased by doing that. It wouldnt cost me over $200 to do that compared to the ~$850 I put into the scan equipment.

Bfowler wrote:installed ANOTHER set of rsd6cs' on saturday. this is my 5th i have installed, but this time i was very impressed.

3 the other sets have been powered of an rsd500.4 one of a xs2200 and this final one of the fronts of a ti500.5

it might be the car acoustics....input voltage...many other variables....but this set of the ti amp sounded way better than it seemed like it should. in fact, they sounded damn good. (i still prefer my elites, but these at their price point would almost make me think twice)

soooooo out of all the setups, the ones powered of of rsd amps were my least favorite. what gives? they should have the most power.

two of the cars were VERY similar, one was a 99 Subaru legacy wagon, and the ti one was a 06 legacy. (pretty similar door panels) both had the mid lower in the door, and tweet below the sail panel in the door.) and the 06 one BLEW the 99 away.

also, the 06 was using a kenwood x590....which might have a big hand in it, as the other setups had so-so decks. the one with a xs2200 had a higher end new alpine for source and was my second favorite out of the bunch.

anyways i wasnt trying to bash the rsd amps, i wanted to say

1 - there really is something magic in the ti500.4's
2 - the rsd comps are no joke and if pg ever gets their act together with marketing....they will be seriously turning some heads again

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:55 am**

I'll throw a huge "HELL YES" out there for the RSD comps. For the money, they are hands down the best speakers I have ever heard. Midbass is phenomenal, midrange is great, and the treble is smooth and detailed. Midrange is the only place where speaker sets of double the price are a TINY bit better, however I have yet to find such a detailed set that is as capable at midbass as the RSDs. The only setups I have heard that sound better are 3-way, with tweeter, midrange, and a large midbass. The RSDs produce a similar sound for a fraction of the cost.

Fuzzysnuggleduck and I installed the RSDs in his 4runner in some kickpanels over the last month. Right now I have them playing full range.. not crossed over at all... and I have yet to hear them distort. It's amazing. I hope he will give you a full review as well.

Pretty much, the RSD's are all-around awesome. They play the midbass "just right", the midrange "just right", and the treble "just right". As you know, the RSD subwoofers play "just right" as well. Not too aggressive, not too laid back, but detailed, clear, and accurate.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:28 am**

rsd speakers ROCK for what they are.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:31 am**

I initially reviewed the RSDs too hastily in my install thread. I said that my 6" set didn't really have the midbass that everyone was raving about but I was wrong. They just needed to be broken in like a good set of boots.

These things POUND and I'm not feeding them that much power, just 40-50 of the cleanest, sexiest watts I've personally experienced from an amp (which actually says very little, hehe).

My review of them was still very positive but the midbass and mids didn't really "come out" until after I'd broken them in.

I'm a drummer and I appreciate nothing more than clean and tight drum recordings where everything has it's own "space" in the recording... that said, the RSDs are perfect for me. They bring the drums up into the windshield when the drivers are actually in the kicks... well, I suppose I have the kicks to thanks for that, too

Anyways, I should be writing an updated review here soon. There are currently some pictures of the 6" component set right after being unboxed too if you want to take a look.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:42 am**

so who has the better set up you are tom? since they are very close to being similar....

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:05 pm**

I think mine sounds "better"

I'm also biased

Well, not with everything but the SQ is cleaner in my truck if that makes any sense. I'm pretty sure the kicks are making the real difference, not the drivers or the amp that much... the imaging of kicks vs door is pretty dramatic, at least when comparing the Saab install to the 4Runner install.

Tom's going to be fiberglassing this summer though, so that will change a lot about the sound in his Saab, hopefully improving the front stage response and imaging (not that it isn't already very good in general terms).

Tom's IDMax is freaking insane though. My Xmax doesn't even come close to doing what that thing does...

I'll have to let Tom chime in on this, I don't want to flap my mouth for him.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:12 pm**

Then I can't wait until WE install that M100 in your truck.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:20 pm**

Yep, his sounds better. I told him last night that it's all-round the best install I've ever heard. That's not saying much in this area, because everyone else with a stereo in our city is a complete douchebag. I've heard some decent setups, but this one really blows them away, which is hilarious considering the cost was about half of my first install.

I will be fiberglassing my door pods so that they are sealed. I just practiced building an LCD screen into my friend's dash, so this should be a cakewalk by comparison.

Unfortunately with the tweets on the dash the imaging will still suck a bit, plus I suffer more from reflections than he does. Strangely enough, my car doesn't have kickpanels at all, so that's not really an option... plus I prefer to stay stealth and use the stock locations.

Of course you know the rule of thumb... quality of sound comes from 90% quality of install, 10% equipment. My equipment blows his away, but his sounds better just because he can install it more ideally.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:27 pm**

stipud wrote:My equipment blows his away, but his sounds better just because he can install it more ideally.

Wouldnt say all of it....he does have an up on you in the source department and amp IMO are dead even.

Your speakers tho and SUB IMO are better....but as you said INSTALL snd tunning IS EVERYTHING.

FUZZY NAB a eq215ix will make us very happy...

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:29 pm**

fuzzysnuggleduck wrote:Tom's IDMax is freaking insane though. My Xmax doesn't even come close to doing what that thing does.

Max is a fun woofer....get more power on it and bigger enclosure and you'll see what it really can do

But fuzzy pick up a RSd 12" if you want to upgrade basically the same in performance when I a/b ed them

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:34 pm**

brandon, you are determined to blow his budget

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:38 pm**

bdubs767 wrote:he does have an up on you in the source department and amp IMO are dead even.

How's that? I run an 8 volt balanced system, and his is 2 volt single-ended. His Alpine deck is just a cheapie... Don't tell me the 1-bit dac in his Alpine deck sounds better than the 1-bit Dac in my stock Pioneer HU

. There are minor improvements to be had with multiple 24-bit DACs, but for the most part, a CD player is a CD player.

I've got a good extra 30 watts on the front stage, and at least 100 more on the sub as well. SQ wise the amps are dead even though.

But yeah, I second that you should get an RSD 12. You can have my box too, once I get the RSD 10 in. Right now there is a overlap between the sub and mids... unfortunately we can only cross the amp over at 75Hz, so an EQ215ix with adjustable crossover would be a killer investment as well.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:40 pm**

it will be like getting a lego set!

im really exicted for you to get that package. i hope it goes well

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:41 pm**

I am stoked as well. Just gotta figure out how I'll be dressing up the box now. Maybe I'll get some of the nastiest purple shag from a fabric store or something.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:43 pm**

stipud wrote:SQ wise the amps are dead even though.

thats What I was refferign too...

As for the deck Im guessing you had the upgraded stock version? Not just some cheapo stock thang?

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:44 pm**

Bfowler wrote:brandon, you are determined to blow his budget

Car audio is a sickness....we all know this far to well.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:47 pm**

bdubs767 wrote:As for the deck Im guessing you had the upgraded stock version? Not just some cheapo stock thang?

You know how I roll.

I'm not the kind of guy that puts an LOC on a GM tapedeck and thinks it sounds great. I would have never kept my stock deck unless there was reason to... balanced outputs, for example.

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2007 8:24 pm**

Anyone try out the 5.25" set?

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:07 pm**

yep, i installed a set in 3 series. not quite the midbass as the 6, but still quite impressive. im constintly amazed by the abuse they can take

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:11 pm**

Would you reccomend them over Diamond Audio Hex S500s?

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:52 pm**

I would.

Posted: **Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:41 am**

So if i used the PHOENIX GOLD RSD-65CS in place of my stock speakers in a 09 ford escape with a kicker amp and no sub will it make a big differance?

Posted: **Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:11 am**

hell yes!!

Posted: **Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:13 am**

my stock 6x8 has pretty good bass so these puppies will have no problem suplying the bass.?

Phoenix Gold Phorum

RSD 65CS Anyone Try em??

RSD 65CS Anyone Try em??

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