Looking to upgrade to components from my Infinity coaxials and would like to ask ya'll about subtle preferences among the components- Focal vs MB Quart vs Infinity or others. I have a four channel US acoustic -65 RMS/Ch and a US Acoustic 220w powering a 10 Infinity Sub. I listen to Rock(classsic and otherwise) and country. I enjoy the Steely Dan clarity(a fan of fanatically well mixed studio music). e.g. Tommy James and the Shondells 70's albums. I prefer quality reproduction vs sonic volume. Any suggestions on front components would be welcomed!

Ricksta

 

The most important question in mobile audio...how much do you want to spend?

 

Deus,
$200 to $250 for a pair. Since I have some mid and upper freq. hearing loss, It's hard for me to justify spending much more than this. Like some, I'm interested in finding the "sweet spot" i.e . the most accurate speakers in this price range. Thanks for the reply.

Ricksta

 

Ricksta,

I think the typical added brightness you get with the Quarts would probably help with you upper freak hearing loss and actually sound more smooth and responsive to your ear. The Focals are awesome there is no doubt about it but what it comes down to is you are going to need to boost the upper end considerably to get what you are looking for and although it may sound "bright" to others I think you will find them quite nice.

Anyway, both are great component sets and you really should try to listen to them to truly compare but from what you have said thus far you need to look to the component setups that some people sensitive to upper freaks find a tad harsh or too bright. Oh, I forgot totally!!! Check out the Dynaudio they are great sounding as well but again they tend to be a little bright for some.

 

Don't know about recommending speakers to a guy with hearing loss, but I guess there's gotta be a first time for everything. I listen to a lot of Jazz and have found the Boston Acoustic Pro series 6.5" components to be pretty hard to beat as far as clarity and accuracy. They need a lot of clean power to sound their best. I run both them and a pair of Boston Acoustic Pro 6.5" coaxes in the back off a JL Audio 300/4 amp bridged to 150w x 2 @ 2 ohm. Again, I don't listen to my music super loud, but I do expect it to be absolutely clear. And it is.

-Mike-

 

I appreciate the replies ! I'm 46 y/o(fart) and have had several high risk hearing loss professions and proclivities. Anyone who listens to amplified music above 100-125 db WILL have hearing loss ! The only way to find out how much you have is to get tested. It has helped me understand what I need to do when tweaking my system and what to avoid. We all will be deaf(ie sig. hearing loss) if we live long enough, esp. those in the mobile audio community ! We accept these risk gladly. I'm grateful for all the informed info on how to best enjoy the spectrum of freqs I have left.
P.S. I'm investing heavily in Belltone stock !

Ricksta

 

Let us not forget that the most unfriendly frequencies to our ears are the high octave ones. Bass will also cause loss but the shrill highs will do so even more quickly. One of the best reasons to be careful how you listen and to wear ear protection for things like cutting your grass and running the weed eater. No need to lose any hearing due to noise.

 

I too am an older fella (54) and listen to the oldie rock classics and I agree on the SQ rather than SPL......... Steely Dan is also an excellent "test" for clarity and Sq of a system too. For years now, I have always added extra tweets to my systems for those high end sounds........ Tommy James and the Shondells "Crimson and Clover" is one of those old classics that really sound good on a GOOD system..........

My personal setup in my "ride around" truck is:

Clarion 9375 HU/ 9300 EQ
sending sat sig to:
Rockford Fosgate 4x75
which drives:
Diamond Audio Hex S500 (5.25 mid and silk tweets) fronts
Rockford Fosgate 6" midrange (rear) with extra silk tweets added up behind the rear seat........

Sub sig going to:

Rockford Fosgate Power 500.2
driving:
JLAudio 12W3.......1.25 CF vented.....
I have my eq set so that the upper midrange and highs are exagerated and sharp....... 80HZ crossover with 12db/octave slope..... I vary the sub between 50HZ to 80HZ crossover and 12-18 db/octave slope according to volume and music playing.

Lets face it, older Rock sometimes is a little muddy and I have certainly presets on my eq just for this stuff and also presets just for those "sharpies" like Steely Dan etc......... I like it clean, clear and strong...........

The extra silk tweets have been a nice addition for ambience and better imagine of those frequencies.... Nice and smooth too without the "ringing" that you may get with metal tweets.

I do believe the addition of the upper end EQ did more for my SQ than anything as it allowed me to shape the sound to what I wanted more than anything else........