1st impressions on the Dayton RS tweeter

[300Z]

Well, i just got my RS tweeters today and built a passive 12dB/oct 1.6khz crossover... just finished doing some listening on it at home paired with a Vifa/JBL 4.5" mid... using only one side, other side consists of this http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=264-512 tweeter crossed at 3khz...
and this Vifa mid http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=297-305...

fired them up and the top end wasnt very extended but came alive after ~15min of play time...
after ~2hrs of listening it makes my Vifa set sounds muffled and lacking detail quite a bit...
the RS tweeter + Vifa mid sound very very accurate and detailed... they blend extremely well... it sounds more like its only a single source playing and i have them 6" away from each other... the soundstage depth is incredible... sitting only 3 feet away from the speakers they sound like they are about twice as distant...
listening to some tracks from the Focal test cds really impressed me, on some track i can clearly hear when the singer opens their mouth...
can't wait to put them in the car... i havent been such impressed with a speaker in a really long time...

Just for the record i used my ECD-415 as the transpot str8 to the amp... (only a puny 5w/ch amp, but enough power to my listening levels...)

Later
Leo

[vibrator]

8)
sounds like they would work well in a car.

[npdang]

Great review! Thanks for posting.

[300Z]

Will install them in the car tomorrow... i'll post another review about it from a car audio perspective... :)

Regards
Leo

[DocRocz]

Question on the crossover you built for these.
How did you design them and what was the cost?
I'm asking because I'd like to do the same thing.

[Weightless]

Leo,

Have you installed them in your car yet? I can't wait for the review. I'm thinking about getting a set of these but I'm not sure yet.

They look nice...

J.

[300Z]

Question on the crossover you built for these.
How did you design them and what was the cost?
I'm asking because I'd like to do the same thing.I just built a 12dB/oct passive using Solen caps and can't remeber the brand of the inductors... i had the parts laying around, so no cost there...
1.6khz 12dB/oct... :)

[300Z]

Here's my friend Raul's impressions of the tweeters installed in the car with ~4hrs of playtime...

I had a chance to listen to the new Dayton RS tweeters in Leo's car.

I must say I think I have a new favorite... just wish it wasn't so damn big.

Here are some of the things I liked that many will probably find usefull.

- It is a metal dome driver, but it has a soft roll-off in the upper end. It is like having the clarity of a metal dome without the side effects... very nice. Personally, it was more than very nice to me... I freaking loved it!

- Leo has it xOver @ 1.2khz or 1.5khz. Since his mids are low on the doors & the tweets in the dash, the range in the upper frequency he gained playing through the tweeters helped raise his stage dramtically. This is what appealed to me the most about the tweeters.

The tweeter is a perfect solution to consider with mids that have the nasty breakup as they play near the upper end of their freq response.

Leo is using a Dayton Ref 7" with the RS tweets. Highly recommend that combo for anyone wanting to go active. The speakers will only set you back $150-$200.

After some more listening, i have to say that i havent been such impressed with a speaker in a long time...

They sound very transparent , accurate, detailed... never strains...
Everythings sounds very realistic...

I still have to do some more carefull listening since i havent drove the car much for these past couple weeks...
Can't think of myself changing any speakers again... :)

Leo

[DS-21]

1.6khz 12dB/oct... :)

Is that 12dB/oct electric or acoustic?

If electric, then the acoustic slope is probably somewhere between 4th and 5th order, depending on the tweeter/chamber's Qtc.

[300Z]

Electric...

[Tempe]

RS tweeter? I didn't see any driver in my catalog with RS in it's model number... :confizzled:

[10K2HVN]

RS tweeter? I didn't see any driver in my catalog with RS in it's model number... :confizzled:
its new! just came out within the last month (or so)..

http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/dr-k-mtm/index.html

nice to see you again, Tempe! last time i saw you was the last time i was on Termpro, which was a loong time ago...

Welcome!

[newtitan]

wow thats a nice graph

http://www.partsexpress.com/pdf/275-135g.pdf

clean down to 1500 WOW

hmm im redesigning the home speakers these might be the ones

the 4ohm is nice!!!!

[demon2091tb]

What about the lack of info in the 12k + hz area....????Would that be a major concern? The rest of the spectrum looks awesome thought.

[300Z]

1.5khz that's actually where i got mine crossed at, i was looking at the crossover the other day and just noticed it...

Audible there's no lack in the upper freq's...

This tweeter sure was the best aquisition (sp?) by far... now i just need to rewire my car and go active... :p

Leo

[Weightless]

hey leo,

where do have them located in your car? I'm thinking about getting a set of these but im not sure I want to put them.

Have you tried different places, or were you limited as to where they will fit?

Thanks

Justin

[300Z]

Hi Justin, sorry for the delay...

I have them on the top of my dash firing up against the windshield... i'll try to take a picture later today... i'll post back when i get the pix...
I never tried it at different places, i just want to keep the stock looking/location... and it works very good, i just feel no need to try it elsewhere...

Later
Leo

[Weightless]

Pics would be great.

About how far apart are your stock locations? I'm guessing the mids are in the lower part of the doors?
I think with the way my van is set up, i'm going to have to put them down at knee level.

Also, now that you have had the chance to really listen to them, how do you like them? Has your impression changed?

Justin


BTW, nice Corrado.

[300Z]

Pix... http://www.sounddomain.com/ride/325456/6 the tweeters are underneat those little grills on the dash...
Please excuse my really shitty looking doorpods... that's my never ending project... but it's getting closer... I'll be getting the Dayton RS 8" to replace the 7" and will build new doorpods for those... then i'll finally finish my install... :p

Well, now that i have more listening time with the tweeters i enjoy them even more... :) love the very open sound from these speakers... couldnt ask for anything else...

Oh, thanks for the compliments about my Corrado... :) the Corrado is a ton of fun... i included a few newer pictures of her too... which is how she's looking now...

Regards
Leo

[Finleyville]

300Z,

The Corrado was my favorite VW for a long time until I just got my R32! However, my 1996 Golf GTI VR6 needs some audio love as well. Unfortunately, the link you provided does not work. I would love to see those pics. Did you have to modify the stock mounting locations at all? Any info on this is much appreciated.

[Derek]

300Z,

The Corrado was my favorite VW for a long time until I just got my R32! However, my 1996 Golf GTI VR6 needs some audio love as well. Unfortunately, the link you provided does not work. I would love to see those pics. Did you have to modify the stock mounting locations at all? Any info on this is much appreciated.

just take the 6 and the slash off the end of the link....works fine then...since there is no page 6 :)

[newtitan]

how in the world did you get that huge tweter in your car lol


I used to love those corrados in high school

those were the most sought after cars :)

[racerraul]

... I just got my R32!

I don't know you & I already hate you... :wink: :wink:

Are you in Europe, or are you one of the lucky 5000 in the U.S. that will get to or already own one?

My cousin has a new Evo 8 MR, & as nice as that car is I'd rather own an R32...

[300Z]

Hi guys, i just updated the page yesterday and removed the page 6... but i put some new pictures instead...

Installing those tweeters there was a breeze, lol the stock tweeter is nearly the same size as the Dayton... :shock: not modifications needed at all... pretty cool... :)

As for the Corrado, yes the Corrado is a ton of fun, looks great considering its a 12+ years old car... now i'm mostly driving it only on the weekends, but it was my daily driver for about ~2.5 years... never had any problems with it, but i take good care of her... She still turns some heads when i'm driving her... and sometimes it surprises me how quick it is considering the power/weight ratio... handles great... 8)

Feel free to ask any questions...
Link to the page... http://www.sounddomain.com/ride/325456

Best,
Leo

[300Z]

... I just got my R32!

Are you in Europe, or are you one of the lucky 5000 in the U.S. that will get to or already own one?

The 5k R32 that came to the US have been long sold out bro... :p

The R32 really is a nice car... but now i can't wait to see the upcoming R36... 8) that's gonna be a badass ride... 3.6L VR6 humn... :twisted:

Leo

[Finleyville]

I don't know you & I already hate you... :wink: :wink:

Are you in Europe, or are you one of the lucky 5000 in the U.S. that will get to or already own one?

My cousin has a new Evo 8 MR, & as nice as that car is I'd rather own an R32...

I am one of the lucky bas!@&%s that owns a US R32. 300Z is right; they are all sold. I was hoping to install the Dayton RS tweet in the stock sail pillars, but I see now that it is too large there. However, these may replace my kick panel located old Diamond component set in my '96 GTI.

[300Z]

I think you can put them on the dash of your GTI just like mine... i helped a friend install a system on his mk3 GTI last year and we fitted some 4" mids in there without any problems, no modifications needed...

[racerraul]

The R32 really is a nice car... but now i can't wait to see the upcoming R36... 8) that's gonna be a badass ride... 3.6L VR6 humn... :twisted:

Leo

Well i hope that it isn't a limited production vehicle as well... I have about 3.5 years to pay off my truck & want either a sport bike, sport truck or anther freaking bike (closest thing to rice will be the bike)

[DS-21]

Well i hope that it isn't a limited production vehicle as well... I have about 3.5 years to pay off my truck & want either a sport bike, sport truck or anther freaking bike (closest thing to rice will be the bike)

All vehicles are limited production. The R32 was a nice car - IMO, the only one of the "rally" cars that a mature adult can drive without wearing a burqa to conceal his/her identity - but in truth it took VW a little while to sell off their Stateside allocation of R32's. Being sold out now isn't that special, when you consider that they were released here almost two years ago. A friend of mine bought a sweet blue one that had been languishing on a dealer's lot for several months last year, and paid several grand under MSRP for it. I would not be surprised if any future Supergolf is an EU-only machine.

IMO, the new (A5) Golf/GTI - which I've seen plenty of, but people without fairly recent passport stamps haven't yet - is an aesthetic leap back from the beautiful A4 Golf/GTI, just as the A4 Jetta was a much prettier car than the Corolla-with-a-chrome-bib VW is selling as the Jetta now. I've heard that the A5 is a nicer handler, though, and since VW stole the guy who finalized the sublime suspension of the Ford Focus ST170 (SVT in the US) those rumors are probably true.

[300Z]

Raul bro, by that time the R36 may be on sell... ;)

And as much as i agree about that the new mk5 Jetta look just like a toyota i think the Golf/GTI doesnt look bad, i actually like it... and it certainly is a nice/better car than the mk4... did i mention the basic model comes with a 5cyl engine that is the half of the Lambo Gallardo... :twisted:
Too bad that here in US we have such shitty gas, or we could have had the true FSI tech here as well, but unfortunately only the Euro market will get the true FSI... overall the mk5 is a better car than the mk4 in almost everyway...

Leo

[Finleyville]

...so what does this have to do with the Dayton RS tweeter? :wink:





































Just kidding... :D

[Weightless]

It has everything to do with the tweeter. The car is just a very big baffle for the tweeter. :)

Hey Leo,

what kind of music do you listen to? I was just wondering becaus ei listen to a wide variety of music and I need a tweet that can sound good with every genre.

I kinda have my mind made up already, but I'm just curious.

Justin

[300Z]

I mostly listen to Techno, freestyle, classic and alternative rock... and my SQ material as well...

[sheepdog]

Oh, thanks for the compliments about my Corrado... :) the Corrado is a ton of fun... i included a few newer pictures of her too... which is how she's looking now...

Is it ok to vote "I didn't like it" for the car out of pure jealousy? What an awesome vehicle! Loved those VWs
8)

[300Z]

Oh, thanks for the compliments about my Corrado... :) the Corrado is a ton of fun... i included a few newer pictures of her too... which is how she's looking now...

Is it ok to vote "I didn't like it" for the car out of pure jealousy? What an awesome vehicle! Loved those VWs
8)hahaha... don't bother me... You still can find some really nice ones but usually they arent cheap...

Leo

[Derek]

any idea how low i could cross this over with a 24 db/octave slope?

[300Z]

I've heard that it can crossed as low as 1.2khz with the apropriate crossover slope... but i have not tried it myself...

[racerraul]

Oh, thanks for the compliments about my Corrado... :) the Corrado is a ton of fun... i included a few newer pictures of her too... which is how she's looking now...

Is it ok to vote "I didn't like it" for the car out of pure jealousy? What an awesome vehicle! Loved those VWs
8)

Go ahead... i did :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[werewolf]

hey guys probably worth pointing out that there are 2 versions of this dandy tweeter :

shielded : http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=275-135

unshielded : http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=275-130

Note that the Fs of the shielded is a respectable 800Hz, whereas the unshielded Fs is an incredibly low 600Hz (!). Using the old rule of thumb that you can cross a tweet as low as 2xFs (with at least 2nd order electrical), it may well be that you can use this tweet as low as 1.2kHz.

Note also that the unshielded is a couple bux cheaper :D

[tokyofist]

i just dropped these in to the stock dash locations in a 94 jetta. crossed at 1.5k, 12dB/oct. thoughts after a quick first listen: soundstage has come waaaay up, compared to tweets mounted lower down on the doors. very, very smooth for metal domes, esp. with no EQ whatsoever. can't wait to drive to work tomorrow for more listening time. so far these look to offer an incredible degree of performance for the money. good find, 300Z!

also, kudos to dayton for putting some nice beefy terminals on these things. i't's so unfortunate that so many drivers made for car use inevitably have the most flimsy terminals, leaving me terrified of installing/removing them for fear of snapping them off.

[Finleyville]

toykofist,

What are you using for midrange/bass drivers? How do they blend with the Daytons?

[tokyofist]

right now, koda 6 mids crossed @1.5k 12db/o. i was actually really surprised how well they blend together. it is a noticeable improvement over the adire aca1 tweet crossed with the stock passives and mounted directly above the mids :D

[300Z]

Glad you like them... :) and yes the build quality is really very nice...

[racerraul]

very, very smooth for metal domes, esp. with no EQ whatsoever.

This is very much the case in my truck as well... I found that I needed no EQ if I put them on the dash or the kicks...

[newtitan]

to those that have these, can that face plate ring be trimmed/ i didnt know it it was metal or plastic?

or can i just remove it?// as i see the allens

the face is about 1' too large for my stock tweet locations


i want to order a pair of the unshielded version

[300Z]

The faceplate is metal but i think it could be trimmed... not sure about running it without the faceplate tho... probably not a good idea...