So, I was on my lunch break today and I went over to a local car audio place to check it out and after being in there I came back out to my Max and realized something. I realized that my GXE Auto wasn't a fast car to begin with so I saw no real point in making it faster or quicker. I'm not going to take the car to the track or have it dynoed. I'm 16 years old and I can't afford to get any speeding tickets. First off, my insurance would go up and my parents only pay what the good student discounted price is. Second, my parents take my license away for around 6 months for my first ticket. So I need to find some sorta mod that regulates my car from going over 70mph! So anyways, what I realized was that I don't want to make my car fast, but I want to customize it. I think I have found my outlet in car audio. So to make a long story short, I am looking at upgrading from my crappy Pioneer stuff. I was looking at going all the way, but on a budget, if there is such a way. So I was looking at MB Quart speakers and I don't think I want a component system because that is a pain to have installed. Basically I was wondering if anyone could elaborate on the pro's and con's of the Autobahn series, the Referenz series, and the Referenz Premium series. Feel free to add in any ideas for headunit, amps, accessories(i.e. wire, battery, cap), and subs. I know everyone has differing opinions, but I want to hear them all. Thanks.

 

Anyone have any idea on the prices of MB Quart's speakers. I didn't ask the guy at the stereo place today because I didn't want to pass out. I figure about $200 a pair?

 

All of the 4th gen Max's have components installed at the factory so replacing them with high quality components is a breeze. It is possible to create a high quality system on a budget it just takes time and patience. Time researching what products to use and how to get the best prices. Patience waiting for that time to pass and not screwing up your car during the inbetween time. I can't recommend Quart because an old friend who competed nationally used their components in the early 90's and was always replacing tweeters.

 

Thanks for the info. Now I just need a 4th gen. The guy at the store had all kinds of brochures and one was about this Memphis company. He said they had great stuff and he kept going on and on. Anyone ever heard of this company?

 

Memphis makes one good class D amp. I have never heard any of their other stuff. They are pretty new. DEI has some lower priced stuff that many people like. I know the MB Q series is around $700 a pair. Also consider the Boston Rally series. Diamond Audio makes a lower priced speaker now, I've never heard yet, the M3 series. Have you checked MB Quarts web site? They may have retail prices posted. Expect to be able to get anything for 10-20% less than retail by shopping around.

Also go to Car Sound - http://www.carsound.com
They have pretty good online reviews.

 

I checked at MB Quart's site. It just restates what is in the brochure I got. Thanks for the link.

 

MB quart are know to have really sharp tweeters. Before you spend money on a system especially speakers, make sure you like the sound. I had the "Q" series and those are $799 speakers. Wasn't that great. Now i"m running focal utopias and those are much better. Anyone need car audio hookups.. I can get real great deals.. from alpine to dynaudio to xtant.

 

I don't have MB Quart Coax's in front, but the rears are ok. . . They don't handle the midbass really well though, and you will almost definately need a sub. I have heard good things about Image Dynamics Chamelian line, they are seperates that are easily turned into Coax's. They are a little pricy though, I think around $400-$500 a set, but there are deals out there, and I have seen them as cheap as $300. They may be hard to find to try out though. . . Diamond makes good speakers also, and I would probably use them if I had to redo my system.

 

but go to http://www.zalytron.com
they have Focal (much better than MB) $99 6 1\2" Coax and $129 components. They are closing them out, that's why they're so cheap. If you can bare to be different, go for Focal. You can't go wrong.

 

"Going all the way, but on a budget".... :-) (No, not flaming ya...I just liked that comment...). Actually, there are lots of opportunities to shop carefully, and get some great stuff on closeout or clearance, such as the Focal speakers that whitemax recommends. I also am a fan of the closeouts section on Crutchfield too... Good prices from a highly reputable dealer

Personally, I like MB Quarts, but I find them to be pricey.

It does sound like you wandered into a high priced high-end store, Cincy. They won't rip you off, but the will bombard you with strong opinions, that are not always as fair or neutral as they could be. For example, you'll rarely hear a store say good things about brands they don't sell.. Guess why? Good ole capitalism...

My advice is this... Most of the electronics out there are pretty decent, once you get past the lowest entry level priced models. Put the most effort into your speakers, and consider letting the pros do the install of the speakers. For almost anyone but the very serious hobbyist (who's probably spent more than the cost of an install on his/her tool collection anyway (ha-ha), a pro will do a better sounding install.

Incidentally... the 4th Gen GXE does not come with component front speakers, just a dual cone 6.5 speaker in the doors. The SE and GLE do come with factory component speakers.

 

Actually, Unless you have the Bose system, none of the early 4th gens. have coaxs up front, my 95 SE didn't. I don't think they became standard until 97.

 

Sorry, got mine (99SE limited)with the base model system since I knew it was going in the trash. Thought that was THE base system. It's okay, there's nothing difficult about drilling(or using a utility knife)a 2 inch hole in the vynil or sail area. It really is 100% easy to do yourself.

 

I've been wondering...which is better Diamond Audio HEX 6.5 components (with silk tweeter)or Focal 6.5 components? I love how the Focal looks, but have never heard them. I'm more into sound quality and imaging. Anyone heard them both?

 

Diamonds are nice speakers, but depending one which Focal line you look at, they will blow Diamonds out of the water...
If you ever get the chance to hear Focal your Dynaudio, do so. You won't regret it. (Of course it may give you a bad case of woofer envy!)

 

Comparing Diamond Audio HEX (S600S) series, which series Focals would match it, and which Focals beat it? Man, I can't find a local Focal dealer to test...

(in search of quality)

 

So I was doing my research on prices for the top brands and I stumbled across http://www.thezeb.com They sell products over the internet, such as JL subs, even though that voids the warranty. They seem to have real cheap prices, but the whole place looks a little fishy to me. Anyone ever done any business with the place?

 

Just wondering if the Utopia line is really worth the money or if the 3 Poly lines are just as good. Is there any real noticable difference. There are no Focal dealers in my state so I can't really hear these speakers.

 

Depending on how critical a listener you are. Focal's Utopia line is carried over from their JL Labs Utopia speaker systems for the home. Very expensive, and utterly breathtaking sound. I had the pleasure of listening to the $75,000 Grand Utopias and was blown away.It's my understaning that very similar speakers are used for the Utopia car line. Talk to Peter Lufrano at http://www.theautophile.com . He will help you build the system of your dreams. He also have good prices on Focal, Dynaudio and the like. He's very helpful, and will even recommend equipment he doesn't carry if he thinks it's what your looking for.

 

I compared to the mystral and could not audibly tell that the focal was better. That combined with much shallower mounting depth for the DA HEX is why I chose the DA.

 

If you want a set of focal utopias.. I have a set for 750 bucks. I know it's kind of steep but you're paying for proably the best 2 way speaker around.

 

They better sound a hell of a lot better than the Mystral. You must think we are made of money - $750 to a stranger for speakers we can't hear through our phone lines. Tell you what, mail them to me. I'll hook them up for 30 days and if I don't like the SQ/$ ratio I'll mail them back. If I do like them I'll email my CC#.

 

Those are the Grand Utopias. $75,000 a pair. The quality and sound of of Focal is unmatched by any other speaker(well, exept Dynaudio ) Yes $750 is a steap price, but if you figure spending $300 on another brand (MB lets say), you then, if you want the best SQ, you'll need to buy an EQ to level it off. EQ's go for anywhere from $150 on up. By the time your done, you've crossed over what you would have spent on lets say the Focal or Dynaudio. And it still may not sound as good.I know what you mean about buying a set of speakers without hearing them first. I was VERY concerned of whether or not Dynas were worth $760 a pair. Peter Lufrano took a fair amount of time with me on the phone, listening to me as to what I wanted out of a system, my budget, and my listening tastes. Then he recommended the equipment I have now. And he also recommended equipment that he doesn't carry, but would help my system sound better. In the end, I now have a system, that I will never get tired of, that will still turn heads without breaking windshields, and that it was a system done right the first time. No regrets, no changes.

 

Obviously you don't know much about speakers so before you go on blasting about how steep the price is, why don't you go out and hear them for yourself at any high end store. If you can't hang.. go with something cheaper like image dynamics.

 

Sorry, the Utopia's aren't sold in VA. In fact, the only dealer in VA which sold Focal in the past year quit selling them because the owner did not believe the sound quality was up to snuff. He replaced with Dynaudio. I have heard the Mystral, and as I said before, the Utopia better be a hell of a lot better sounding. I am not looking for the highest priced stereo, simply the best sounding.

 

ok.. but how do you measure the best sounding? Different people have different tastes. If you base it solely on numbers, then the MB quart are the speakers that win the most awards, IASCA blah blah. But IMO MB quart are over hyped speakers w/ tweeters that will blow your ears out. Focal Utopias are one of the best speakers money can by. The dyn 2 ways go for about 750 so the prices are about the same. In the end.. it all comes down to preference. I have never heard of the mystral so I don't have an opinion about that.

 

Maybe that's the European model classification for the KX series. Their top of the line last year with the kevlar/polykevlar cones. They are world famous as are numerous other manufacturers models. You are correct about best sounding being subjective so neither of us can be wrong. As I have 5 pairs of Diamond components installed and several pairs still in boxes I am not in the immediate market for anything new as it would mean replaceing a total of . . . 8 pairs of components(2 tweets, 3 mids, 3 mid base) and three subs.

 

I have owned the MB Quart's, Diamond Audio Hex's and Focal Polykevlar's . I have to say that the Focal's beat out the other two. Focal woofers put out midbass that the others cannot touch. All while keeping a natural sound. They have a flat EQ which makes them adaptable to any type of music, whereas I found that the Quarts only begin to sound good if you are playing light jazz. I've heard the Utopia's as well, and they put out a remarkable sound that is a tad clearer than the polykevlars, but extremely hard to notice. I did note that they are not as efficient as the Polykevlars, so they require a lot more power to play at the same volume.