JustinID

I'm in the planning stages of setting up a new stereo system and I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for front and sail panel speakers. One of the problems I run into is that there just aren't a lot of stereo shops in Idaho, so I can't "test drive" most of the better speakers. I can listen to all the junk that Best Buy and Circuit City have...

From what I've been reading in this forum and in a lot of other reviews, the MB Quart speakers are coming up as some top pick speakers. I'm a little worried as I've never actually heard them, but I've also not come across any complaints.

I'm looking at the PCE 216s right now. I'll be driving them with a 111w/channel amp so their 130w RMS rating seemed to put me in the right ball park. So my questions... How well do these work for putting out mid-bass and for replacing the "subs" that the Monsoon system uses?

Also, I'm wondering if it makes more sense to mix these with another good, but different, set of speakers so that I can adjust the sound I'm in the mood for by tweaking the fade. Or will it sound better just having a matched set of 4? Will these speakers handle everything from the hightest highs to a good level of mid-bass?

To put things in a bit of perspective, because the build I'm looking at doing keeps going farther and farther over budget, I'm going to break it up into two phases. In the first phase, I'm replacing the head unit, front and sail panel speakers, adding a 4 channel amp, and adding an amp rack. In the second phase, I'm adding a single channel amp, a 10" sub, a stealth box, and an adapter for the steering wheel controls. It could be up to 2-3 months between the phases depending on how my budget goes, and that's why I'm concerned about how the 4 speakers are going to sound with out a sub at lest for a short while.

My current parts lists includes:
HU: Pioneer Premier DEH-P880PRS
Front Speakers: MB Quart PCE 216s
Sail Speakers: MB Quart PCE 216s
Sub: Alpine SWR-1042D (Type R)
4 Channel Amp: Infinity 7541a (111w/channel RMS @ 4 Ohms)
Mono Amp: Alpine MRP-M650 (600w RMS @ 2 Ohms)
Misc:
-PAC SWI-PS steering wheel control adapter
-Sub Thump stealth enclosure
-Sub Thump Rear Wall Rack

Nothing is set in stone except for the Infinity amp, but even that could be changed out if I find a really compelling reason.

Thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

JustinID

Another bit of perspective - I don't want my ears to bleed, I just want it loud enough so that it still sounds good doing 75 with the T-Tops off. I'm also a lot more concenred about SQ than volume.

dragonrage

A system is never going to sound good at 75 with t-tops off, and for it to have sufficient volume, it will need to be able to make your ears bleed when you're not going 75.

JustinID

Ok... bad goal then.

I do want to emphasize SQ over volume. I don't want ear bleed loud, but I'd like to turn it up once in a while and still have really good sound characteristics.

dragonrage

Hmm, I just noticed that you want to put component speakers in your sail panels... I suggest not doing that. Don't use the sail panel locations at all when you use a subwoofer.

Check out the link in my sig as far as subs go, and go for like Hifonics for a sub amp as the value is better. Alpine amps are overpriced... Just make sure to go Class D for the sub amp (Hifonics has both Class AB and Class D monoblock/sub amps, as do many other companies)

As for speaker sound, do you mind things a little bright? MB Quart is only just trailing Infinity a bit for brightness. I had MBQ speakers in my last car and they were too bright for my ears, and listening for more than 20-30 minutes would begin to hurt my ears (known as listening fatigue). If you like that, fine. If you don't like it or you don't know if you like it, I suggest you go for a different brand. Maybe consider Rainbow SLC265 or Pioneer TS-C720PRS?

JustinID

I think I might might be misunderstanding something... Aren't the sail panels the two upright panels right behind the front seats? I was already planning to delete the hatch speakers, dropping me to a 4 speaker system, but I can't see going to a 2 speaker setup.

One of the reasons I'm considering the MBQs for the spots behind the seats is because that model (the PCE 216) allows for mounting the tweeters coaxially. Obviously it is still using a cross over, so my understanding is it should give the component quality sound, but be in a coax style mounting.

I'm not a big fan of overly bright speakers (I haven't liked the Infinities I've heard so far, but again I've only been able to hear the cheaper ones) so I'll do some research on the ones you've suggested (as well as the amps). Pioneer speakers are easy enough to find, but I've never even heard of Rainbow other than in some of your other posts. Who sells them? I can't find them at Sonic Electronix nor at Crutchfield...

And thanks for the input.

JustinID

Taking a quick look at the Hifonics amps, I'd have to go with a 300W @ 2 Ohms($170) or a 900W @ 2 Ohms($240). The sub I've picked is 500W RMS, so it seems to me that the Alpine with 600W @ 2 Ohms for $200 is the best fit for power and price. If I were going with a higher power setup, I think the Hifonics would be a better fit, but at 500W, I'm just in a sweet spot for the Alpine.

Also worth noting, that link about the subs (including the discussion that followed your post) is a lot of my motivating factor to pick the sub that I did.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

No, you're not misunderstanding. The sail panels are the panels next to the rear seat. Several "audiophiles" in this forum insist that the only proper way to set up speakers is to have everything (except subs) in the front. The idea being that it provides a "concert like" front sound stage. Bass frequencies are pretty much non-directional so it doesn't matter that the subs are behind you.

On the other hand, many of us like the "surround" sound imaging created by having speakers front and rear. It's a matter of personal taste - so if you want sail panel speakers, by all means install them.

Besides, I've never been able to figure out why a front sound stage is so important yet most will say the best sound is achieved with a set of quality headphones. Perhaps somebody can explain that one.

dragonrage

Huh? Even the 1200W Hifonics BXi1206D is under $200 on Ebay.

JDubs

I think you are right on with this statement. I like the MB Quarts and the crossover lets you tone down the tweets if they seem bright.

JustinID

Thanks, I thought I was losing my mind.

I've heard convincing arguements about headphones giving the best sound reproduction (although they seem to usually lack in bass), and I don't really care for concerts, so I'll stick with 4 speakers. I've noticed I tend to have a hard time judging if sound is coming from ahead or behind in general, so I'd prefer to focus on overall quality and not stage direction.

I found a good review of one of their reference line speakers here. It's posted on MB's website so I was a little doubtful of how biased it might be, but the author is from an audio/electronics magazine. He mentioned the same thing you did in that you can just adjust the crossover to decrease the brightness.