Dynaudio Esotar 430.
I've used this midrange in my past 5 vehicles (2 of them were BMW).

The only mid that ever came close to the Esotar was a ScanSpeak 11M.
It's not the most attractive speaker... but sound is fantastic.

 

did you mean the 11m/4631g05?? Thats a great deal at 600 bucks new if they work in the doors..

 

yes.

11M/4631G05 Gold Series 4.5" midrange

11M/4631G05 Gold Series 4.5" midrange

www.madisoundspeakerstore.com

They are hideous to look at... but an incredibly nice sounding speaker.

However, your original post said that price is irrelevant... and if that truly is the case, then don't mess around. Just buy the Esotar 430's and be done with it. You'll never look back.

 

Remember Ge0 couldn’t stand their color lol. I think they look… distinguished.

 

Esotar 430 is considered the best last I heard. Unless accuton or purifi have 4 inch offerings.

Annddddd…. Good news - they do. Well purifi does:

Purifi Audio PTT4.0X08-NFC-01 4.5" Mid-Woofer-8 ohm

Purifi Audio PTT4.0X08-NFC-01 4.5" Mid-Woofer-8 ohm

www.madisoundspeakerstore.com

Accuton has a 3 inch and a 5 inch, no 4 inch driver.

 

Esotar 430 is considered the best last I heard. Unless accuton or purifi have 4 inch offerings.

Annddddd…. Good news - they do. Well purifi does:

Purifi Audio PTT4.0X08-NFC-01 4.5" Mid-Woofer-8 ohm

Purifi Audio PTT4.0X08-NFC-01 4.5" Mid-Woofer-8 ohm

www.madisoundspeakerstore.com

Accuton has a 3 inch and a 5 inch, no 4 inch driver.

That's a big ol' booty. Will that fit in a BMW door?

Edit: OP, isn't this your thread from just a few months ago? Seems more efficient to continue that one. bmw and 4s.

 

For accuton automotive the midrange is a 3.5 inch

 

I use an audiofrog gb40 in the center and have 0 complaints. Very well rounded and powerful driver.

 

my issue is 2200.00 for the dynaudio vs 600.00 for the scans, will i hear 1600 worth of difference,, i doubt it.. thats why i say price is no object.. iam leaning heavily towards the scans. unless someone can enlighten me as a dollar per sq value is better spent on another driver.. The A.F. are very nice but i noticed almost zero difference when placed back to back in my last bmw with the css 4 inch... Here is where all the experience of this forum comes into play... Nick has done alot of bmws with a lot of different 4 inch drivers.. He will have a good idea what sounds good, better best.. Also, Bill Fitz is an engineer, he knows the specs on what should work in that door and want wont.. Also just because an excellent home driver sounds great in the home dosent mean it sounds great in a car.. So many variables.. Just wanted 2 and 3 opinons..

 

my issue is 2200.00 for the dynaudio vs 600.00 for the scans, will i hear 1600 worth of difference,, i doubt it.. thats why i say price is no object.. iam leaning heavily towards the scans. unless someone can enlighten me as a dollar per sq value is better spent on another driver.. The A.F. are very nice but i noticed almost zero difference when placed back to back in my last bmw with the css 4 inch...

I've had a couple BMW's... and a lot of different drivers.

• I've had the AudioFrog GB40's - they were pretty good, but nothing that I got all hot over. I know AudioFrog is the DIYMA forum boner... but I never thought they were that great (I've owned the GB10, GB25, GB40, and GB60). The only one that impressed me was the GB60. I sold them all off. Threw the GB10's in the garbage...
• I've had the Scan 11M's - they were very good. I'd say they are the best bang for the buck. If you don't want to spend for the Dyns (and are hiding them behind the door grille), then get these.
• I've had (and still have) the Dyn E430 - yes they are expensive. Yes they definitely sound better than the Scans. No they don't sound 3 times better... but they absolutely sound better, especially at high volume.
• I'd love to try a set of Accutons... but if you're sweating over the price of the Dyn's, then these aren't an option (they're considerably more than the Dyns).

 

I don't know what their availability is like, but Xcelsus Audio has a new 4". Its smaller sibling (the 3" XXM325) is well-regarded here, excellent performance at a not-too-crazy price. The XXM425 also has a spiderless design, seems like an interesting driver. Steve Head gushes about it, but I think he's also sponsored by them so might need to take it with a grain of salt...
XXM425 – XCELSUS AUDIO

 

Hey guy, I just blew my Focal Elite K2 Power 4. I hope to still use the focal tweeters. I would love an update about great 4 inch speakers(off axis), will be in top of doors

 

1

 

Understood. I'm integrating these into a three-way system, alongside high-quality 6.5-inch drivers. The 4-inch speakers will be mounted higher up on the door panel, and I plan to set their crossover between 200/300Hz-1800 with a steep 24dB/octave slope. Each of these speakers costs $328. I'm using a Musway DSP and ensuring clean power is delivered to all drivers. Do you believe upgrading to the 12MU will significantly improve the sound quality, considering their price point vs either Audio Frog option?
Audiofrog GB40
GB Series 4" midrange car speakers (pair)
is 599
and the
Audiofrog GS40
GS Series 4" midrange car speakers (pair)
is 260.

 

Understood. I'm integrating these into a three-way system, alongside high-quality 6.5-inch drivers. The 4-inch speakers will be mounted higher up on the door panel, and I plan to set their crossover between 200/300Hz-1800 with a steep 24dB/octave slope. Each of these speakers costs $328. I'm using a Musway DSP and ensuring clean power is delivered to all drivers. Do you believe upgrading to the 12MU will significantly improve the sound quality, considering their price point vs either Audio Frog option?
Audiofrog GB40
GB Series 4" midrange car speakers (pair)
is 599
and the
Audiofrog GS40
GS Series 4" midrange car speakers (pair)
is 260.

My comment was aimed at the person who started this thread, but I’m sure they’d work great for you. There’s some 12ms and some xxm425s in the classifieds for a bit cheaper right now too. Why don’t you pm me or start a thread about your specific gear so we can find you a good fit. However if you just blew a focal, you might want to get the issue figured out before buying more expensive speakers. I don’t want to derail this guys thread and confuse everyone.

 

Not a 4" but great sounding driver from everything I read.

Focal 3.5WM

Utopia M Series 3-1/2" midrange driver

www.crutchfield.com

 

@[B]kaijerke[/B] I cant DM you. I probably have not posted enough.

 

ok i just sold the scans as they dont perform as i would like.. i think i will try the xxx 4 inch drivers... I dont think any 4 inch driver is going to sound good in a bmw door.. here is the car.. I really never drive with the top up so unless iam in my garage there really is no difference..

 

The F8x isn’t a great base for audio, between exhaust and tire noise there a substantial amount of background noise. A door depth to glass stops the use of deep basket drivers with a higher cone excursion. I think the dayton rs driver with its 4 mm xmax is about it from drivers that will fit when spaced. May not have the clarity your after.

This was the background noise on my f80 which you can see isn’t great for woofers and lower mids. You’ll want a 4 inch that is reasonably efficient with a good SPL to bring it above the noise floor.

 

Is your driver sealed to the grill opening with a car ring as well? It’s not as important for the lows but since you have a midrange in a door it might help a lot with sq. There’s basically a big resonant cavity right in front of the speaker and I wouldn’t expect it to sound good unless you fix that. Those scanspeak 4424 have a lot of distortion in the upper midrange but the 8414 are a lot cleaner at the expense of a bit of sensitivity. If you can’t get the doors to work well, I’ve had great luck with 4” on my a pillars and it’s very easy if you have someone 3d print them.