Most all of the speakers you are asking about have multiple lines,

And while, I have not heard all the different Hertz speakers compared, but, my educated guess is that Hertz has priced their lines, by the build quality, materials quality and how good they sound.

I would think the others have done the same, the Woofer that comes in the Morel $5400 2-way set, probably sounds better than the one included in the $599 set (lol, sorry)

For Hertz here are some comparisons of RETAIL prices for a 6.5" + Tweeter & Crossovers Set:

DIECI DSK 165.3 = $230
CENTRO CK165 = $380
MILLE MPK165.3 = $600
LEGEND MLK165.3 = $1000
LEGEND MLK1650.3 = $1800

probably best to pick a price range and then compare different brands within that price range, which you can also do on Crutchfield and rear consumer reviews there...

 

I've had the legend mlk 1650.3 for a couple of years now. Absolutely amazing sounds. Only problem is that I want it louder. (I'm probably going deaf) my amp is a "match up 7dsp". Thinking of going for the helix p six ultimate. What do u think?

Cheers

 

I don't know much about the quality of other brands but the Hertz I own is fantastic. My front sub woofer is a Hertz ml2000.3. The ting is beautiful, the build quality is top notch, the way it sounds is amazing, the price was insane for a 8" subwoofer. But it holds its on on what it was designed to do.

I'm a firm believer of you get what you pay for. But there are gems out there too that will outshine some top tier stuff for less money. You don't need to spend a ton of money to get good quality. It's just finding the right driver for what you want.

May I ask why you are asking. Are you planning an upgrade?

 

I don't know much about the quality of other brands but the Hertz I own is fantastic. My front sub woofer is a Hertz ml2000.3. The ting is beautiful, the build quality is top notch, the way it sounds is amazing, the price was insane for a 8" subwoofer. But it holds its on on what it was designed to do.

I'm a firm believer of you get what you pay for. But there are gems out there too that will outshine some top tier stuff for less money. You don't need to spend a ton of money to get good quality. It's just finding the right driver for what you want.

May I ask why you are asking. Are you planning an upgrade?

I'm doing a build with Hertz Dieci 6.5 components, Hertz Dieci 87.3 for the front stage. And Hertz Dieci 6.5 coaxials in the rear. They're already in the car I haven't heard them yet. Waiting on amps and DSP.

Some people have said that they're cheap 6 dollar speakers that Hertz slapped their name on for a quick sale, that their sound is terrible, they're trash, ripoff.... You get the picture.

Not only that though, I'm trying to learn more about what makes high quality sq speakers worth the money. I've always used budget speakers and they've sounded good to my ear. Except for the punch 6 1/4s... They were really muddy. But you get the picture. What's the real difference that I'm missing?

Lewis King

 

Don't worry bout what ppl say. You already have them in, give them a chance. Hertz is a good brand I doubt that they are trash. But you won't know till you give it a go.

My advise will be learn how to tune your system. Some one just posted a dope tunning guide. Take advantage of the DSP you run. I bet you'll like the outcome.

CAT-BUG (tuning guide)

Introdicing CAT-BUG. Car Audio Tuning - Beginners Ultimate Guide. I tried to make it as silly as possiblle so that no one would take it seriously😂 Especially proffesionals or experienced people. I had this project in the making quite for a while now. I made a lot of mistakes while making YT...

www.diymobileaudio.com

Read that. Study up on how to tune so when your ready you won't be overwhelmed with it.

 

So I'm going to need a laptop after all. Or is there an Android version of rew?

 

No, you'll need a laptop to REW. You can find some refurbished ones for cheap online. I bought my daughter a refurbished Asus a while back so she can play roblox and she's had 0 issues with it. Something like this

ASUS E410 Intel Celeron N4020 4GB 64GB 14-Inch HD LED Win 10 Laptop (Star Black) https://a.co/d/d9fL2qC

Doesn't need to be fancy. Just needs to REW.

 

I've seen ppl use their phone too with one of them dayton mics and an RTA app. But REW is the business when it comes to EQing.

 

Took me over a year to actually give REW a chance. When I did give it a chance, with very limited chances it took me a few weeks. Could have done it faster but I have hardly any me time that I could have used to do this. My tune isn't the best bit it sounds good to me. My system is a lil more complicated than most too, so that didn't help.

 

I still need a head unit. And amps for the tweeters and miss. That's before a laptop so I might be a little before tuning becomes a reality.

But to get back to the original question... If I can tune budget speakers to get a precise sound.... Then why do I need $1,000 Audiofrog or Focal? Or Morel? There's an answer there I'm sure.

Anyone?

Lewis King

 

More power handling, less distortion, better quality. Things along those lines. There's different reasons to choose different drivers. It's about what your trying to achieve.

Your gonna run alot of bass power. I'd be looking for something that can get loud and still hold its composure. The GB series from audio frog can keep up just fine with the amount of bass I wanted to run and I still have gain to spare. That's one of the reasons I chose them.

I've only really tried these so far so I can't really say much about other brands. But I'm sure there's plenty of folks here that have that will most likely comment.

 

More power handling, less distortion, better quality. Things along those lines. There's different reasons to choose different drivers. It's about what your trying to achieve.

Your gonna run alot of bass power. I'd be looking for something that can get loud and still hold its composure. The GB series from audio frog can keep up just fine with the amount of bass I wanted to run and I still have gain to spare. That's one of the reasons I chose them.

I've only really tried these so far so I can't really say much about other brands. But I'm sure there's plenty of folks here that have that will most likely comment.

Gotcha. So more money basically buys more precise cone control at higher power levels.

 

You can achieve quality sound with entry-level stuff if you have proper amplification, a good install and time alignment/EQ. I would say Install what you have with these things in mind and if you feel the need to upgrade Equipment after a long listen then go for it. If you can make mediocre speakers sound good than you’ll have no problem making good speakers sound even better.

 

I don't know if I can make anything do anything yet. This will be my first DSP ever and it's my first time using components instead of coaxials. And the first time trying to do a three way front stage. Which is why I tried to pick a quality speaker set that wouldn't cost a bundle.

The last 2 systems that I had did not have an EQ or DSP. And before those the last system I had was in the 90's when everyone had Clarion EQ's. I didn't really understand that DSP tech existed until I started asking a bunch of questions online.

I'm sure it's going to sound great when it's done. But it won't be the last system that I build and when I do the next one I want to understand why the higher end sq speakers are needed and what the benefits are. And be more than a rookie novice with s DSP.

Designing something that includes Helix, Morel, Mosconi, Focal, Audiofrog, Dynaudio...etc sounds like the next challenge that I want to take on. But intelligently. With all of the questions that I've asked and the things I've learned my curiosity is through the roof.

Lewis King

 

After your fist tune, you'll notice the difference. But you'll be happy even before that. I had thought to my self, damn that sounds good, to wow that sounds awesome, to holy sh!t I didn't know those sounds were in this song. 😃

 

Cant speak for build quality but the entry level hertz didn’t sound great out of the box to my ear. With good installation and tune anything will sound better. My buddy has that line I’m pretty sure in his truck and he wasn’t happy even at the price point.

 

Honestly, DSP and power are the absolute most important SQ ingredients. Even factory speakers can be made to sound pretty darn awesome with a little more power and good one-seat tune.

Start there.

When that no longer satisfies your SQ goals, spend some money on speakers.

When your personal bar moves up the next notch, upgrade your amplification (and DSP if necessary) and buy those $1000 speakers you're not sure about now.

And then when you hear someone's world class SQ system and nothing but the best will now do, take the red pill, chuck it all in the bin (the classifieds bin that is) and spend as much as you can afford, and buckle up for an addiction..

 

I've had experience selling/installing/using the Dieci line. Our Hertz rep at the time marketed them more as a factory upgrade or to power them off a aftermarket HU, rather than a speaker that should be on an amp. That being said, I absolutely sold these with amp/dsp's, but you had to be careful when setting gains/EQ'ing. Like honda said, you'd gain more power handling(which can lead to more output) by buying a more expensive set. The Dieci's didn't have the volume other sets have after EQ and time alignment was done, but that's to be expected with them being a lower end line. The power handling just wasn't there. My 2 cents... I would rock these until you find yourself wanting more. Everyone starts somewhere. My first speaker "upgrade" was to a set of kicker coaxial's and I absolutely loved them, until I heard a better system and then the rabbit hole begun.

 

Do the high end Hertz hang with the other products in that price range?

 

You're just gonna have to listen to some things yourself.
Technically speaking the higher cost gets you better sound at a louder level.
I a pair of Alpine type s comps are completely ok these days.
They sound fine. But the baskets are very cheap. Very thin stamped steel.
You can bend them with your fingers.
The housing of the tweeters are very cheap plastic.
I'm experienced. Still managed to break the same tab on both tweeter housing.
But look at 350 dollar set of gb tweeters.
You have an extravagant polished tweeter housing.
More mounting hardware than most people even know how to use. And have the ability to play low enough to match it up to almost anything.
They type s tweeter has a crossover of 8k.

 

I have my gear list in my sig. I got the db Drivew PRO6K set and....for now.....am happy with them, but like it was said before, the more you listen the more you hear little things you want to change. Personally the midranges are a bit much just off the A pillar in my driver door but the tweeters are dialed in inside the airvent (2005 mustang). I want a bit more of a warmer sound since my ears are a bit jacked from, well, jacking around with loud noises when i was younger.
If you want a component starting point that can handle power and give good detail to start your fall down the rabbit hole then i would personally suggest that kit.

PRO6K -

6.5

dbdrive.net

 

This makes me question everything you've ever said...

 

🤷‍♂️

Judge me all you want. I welcome all to come hear my system.

Wanna question me even more 😈

I have NO deadener in my car either
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

I'm not questioning that it sounds good to you.
That's all matters. Until you hear something that sounds better

 

Only if i take out the pipe caps 🤣🤣

 

I get my warm sounds from my heated seats. To each their own 😃

 

Ya'll making me wonder if i'm the only person that's stuck speakers in an airvent.....

Start at post #64

'05 mustang install

Well, its about that time when i'll be making REAL headway on my install so i figure i'll do my build log. Gear so far: JVC KW-350BT db audio pro6k (components) Kicker KS693 (6x9) Diamond Audio TDX10D4 (wired at 2ohm) Soundstream RN4.1400D Kenwood Excelon XR600-1 db link 10ga OFC speaker wire

www.diymobileaudio.com

 

Aaaahh. The internet needs to get better at conveying tone 🤦‍♂️

I haven't heard better, yet. Yet.

But

I've actually been looking at trying either a gb10/40/60 setup or just dipping my toe into the bigger brands with these

CLEARANCE Morel KW-1 6" Damped Poly Cone Woofer 4 Ohm

Morel KW-1 6" Damped Poly Cone Woofer 4 OhmAvailable exclusively from Parts Express, the KW-1 6" damped polymer composite cone woofer from Morel combines particularly smooth response with low distortion to produce high performance output for an unbeatable value. Featuring Morel's lightweight 3"...

www.parts-express.com

 

I've actually been looking at trying either a gb10/25/60 setup or just dipping my toe into the bigger brands with these
https://www.parts-express.com/Morel-KW-1-6-Damped-Poly-Cone-Woofer-4-Ohm-297-016?quantity=1

I fixed it☝ 😃 the 40 is not needed in a 3 way. Unless your mudbasses are under your seats. 😉

 

My Kicker RT67 mudbasses are in my rear deck 😱

But i'm more than willing to swap around stuff once i get another job 😅

 

I think @BMW 1M is spot on: a DSP to get a good frequency response and decent stage and enough amplification to get satisfying output can make even inexpensive speakers sound pretty good. And @ItsonlyaHONDA is right to point out that a measurement microphone will be the best way to get a good tune.

Even if you don't have "trained" ears, you will still be able to discriminate between a good sounding stereo and a crummy sounding one. It's immediately obvious. Maybe even more obvious in a car than in a home because most car stereos sound bad, but a good car stereo sounds fantastic.

As far as moving up the line, what you should be getting for more money is 1) smoother frequency response, 2) more power handling, 3) better breakup mode control, 4) lower distortion
All of those things make tuning easier and let you get higher output for more headroom (impact). You also often get better made or designed installation bits which minimize the amount of time you would have to spend faffing with fabricating stuff. Now whether the car specific features are worth as much of a premium that manufacturers levy versus drivers from Scanspeak, Seas, SB, etc is kind of an open debate where the fashion on this forum seems to change every couple of years.

Anecdotally, I just sold some Revel M16s to a local enthusiast. I plugged them in and he asked to listen to his reference Santana track (ugh). His impression was immediately positive "wow these sound great for their size" and he agreed to purchase them. I then plugged back in my M106s and he asked to listen to them. His face fell as he said "holy **** these are good sounding speakers." These two speakers have very similar spinoramas and predicted in room responses, but the M106s have better directivity matching between the woofer and tweeter, and have significantly lower distortion across the board as well as more power handling.

The differences are audible, but IMO not worth worrying about until the fundamentals (smooth direct and reflected frequency response, proper crossover summing, proper time alignment and level matching, sufficient sound treatment, reliable install) have been sorted, which is difficult in a car.

 

Well I'll know next week. DSP is getting delivered today and the amps at the end of next week. Between then and now I need to build an enclosure for my subs.

 

So this arrived:

When I opened it a chorus of angels descended from the skies (Sounded great because they were from the SQ Gods).

A light shone down from above, which I turned off to save electricity. But it's nice.

My buddy said it was refurbished but it's actually looks brand new. And the BT adapter was in there too.

So I messaged him and my other buddy thanks. He replies hey I need a system for my Avalanche can you recommend something in the $1500 budget range? I wanna upgrade everything and add a box.

So I message him back dude you want the Steve Meade $140 install that's why the DSP is here and he laughed.

It's cool though I'm gonna design and install it and do my second build log. I would say he won this round but it's a real win win. Plus I've known him like 18 years ago it's no sweat.

But we have DSP. I feel like I've graduated to another level of car audio. Didn't really hit me until I had it in my hands.

 

This thing is pretty nice.

The parametric EQ is wide open there's access to everything. You can set your preferred 10 frequencies and edit however you want. It's super sensitive on a phone though so it'll take some time getting used to.

Grouping is super helpful.

Time alignment is pretty simple. Pretty much all you need to do is measure correctly.

The independent volume per channel is something I forgot about but I can see the need for it.

I created a practice file. I'm gonna load the info for all of the speakers based on what the Hertz manual recommended for bandwidth and see how it looks.

Now that I have it in hand, any suggestions?

Lewis King