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Recommendations for 3-4" Midrange

8K views 52 replies 19 participants last post by  TylorMcVey 
#1 ·
Hey all,
My semi-budget 3-way system is starting to come together, but I need some help picking out the midrange. I have a 2018 Mazda6, which has a 9"in the doors, 3.5" in the dash corners, and tweeter in the door sail panels. I would like to keep everything in stock locations for the simple fact that I have no experience with making pods/pillars, and I don't really have the workspace setup to start experimenting. Best I can do is maybe 3D printing some replacement sail panel mounts to get the tweeters more on-axis, but again, I have no experience with this. I do have access to the equipment through a local makerspace, though.

Anyway, here is what I currently have:

Tweeters: ScanSpeak Illuminator D2004/6020-00 3/4"
Midrange: TBD
Midbass: Volvo/Dynaudio MW180
Subwoofers: TBD
- I currently have a pair of Image Dynamics OEM 10s from an old build, but I am thinking of selling them and going to a single 12 or 15"

As for budget, I'm looking at $200-400. I'd prefer to stay lower in that range, but would go higher if it meant getting a significantly better speaker. I can get the Dynaudio MD140s for $400. I'm assuming they should work well with the MW180s since they're part of the same line/system, but I know there are a ton of options out there. I'm not picky on brand. I live about 45 minutes from Madisound, so I might be able to stop by and listen to some of their inventory (they didn't have a great demo setup the last time I went there several years ago, but they did have some stuff on display).

For reference, here are the Response plots for the Scans and the Dynaudios. Apologies for the image quality on the Dyns. I could only find low-res PDFs of that info.

Rectangle Slope Font Plot Parallel



MW180
Rectangle Font Parallel Slope Pattern
 
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#18 · (Edited)
I see no apparent reason not to go with 10f
IF the Scanspeak 10F will fit (it is nearly 4" diameter at 3-13/16"), I agree that it'd be a good option given the budget. But as Erin stated in his review, you would want to go with the 4-ohm Midrange version (not the Full-Range) for your purposes:




@Hintzyboy Have you checked and measured the OEM dash speaker locations to see what maximum speaker basket/frame diameter and depth will fit without modifications?

Typically there will be plastic HVAC vent tubing or other obstructions just under the dash speaker openings.

Given the budget, and regardless, I'm still a big fan of the Xcelsus XXM325 due to its price/performance ratio. Less than $200 Shipped from:



Here are my actual physical measurements of the XXM325 to check for fitment in your OEM dash locations:

Overall Diameter: 92mm or 3-9/16" outer flange.

Mounting Hole Cutout Diameter: 76mm or 2-15/16"+

Top Mounting Depth: 39mm or 1.5"

Mounting Flange Thickness: 5mm or 3/16"+

And some photos (not mine) to get an idea of their physical size:





The XXT30 Tweeters are fantastic as well (though large) and you can get about $100 OFF right now on a package XXM325/XXT30 deal from NonSoloSpeakers...

 
#3 ·
I just looked through her reviews, and picked that one out as a possibility. I'd still like to get some more opinions, though.
 
#4 · (Edited)
The problem you're going to run into is that most 4" midranges start to lobe between 1kHz and 2kHz and most 3" drivers won't reach below 300Hz so you should probably prioritize which xover point you are most interested in...

Example two 4" drivers from the same manufacturer - one for highs and one for lows:
High - W4-1337SDF
Low - W4-1720

Not that I'm recommending Tang Band - just an example of the compromise.

For a budget, middle of the road gem the Dayton RS100-4 is about as good as you can get for the money. Back to back comparison with the Morel DPC Variant revealed very little difference in performance at normal listening levels in micro monitors.
 
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#6 ·
Sorry if I'm misunderstanding, but I don't think I need the Midrange to go all that low. The Dynaudio Midbass looks like it can play up to 1 KHz before the on/off-axis response starts to differ significantly.
 
#8 ·
No, your good and that's the information you need. But running the midbass up to 400-600Hz is plenty (and maybe not that much even) but trying to find a 4" that can go to 2kHz or a 3" that goes down to 300Hz is tough without artifacts.

So even a 2" wideband in an adapter for the factory 3.5" dash corner would work from 600 and up and then you're looking at basically at only the very top end sparkle from the tweeters.

The CDT Unity series or AF GB25 would be contenders but then we have to talk about budget vs the MD140...

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
#10 ·
I read through Erin's review of the MW182s, which I believe to be similar to the Volvo drivers. She recommends crossing them at or below 500 Hz to avoid higher-frequency distortion. So something that can go ~4-500 Hz to ~3 KHz should be appropriate, no?
 
#15 ·
My bad. I've spent my whole life correcting people (my name is Aaron), and I don't know that I've ever met a man named Erin. Just sort of assumed.
 
#13 ·
Do I need to worry at all about power handling matching up with the other drivers? Dyns should be rated at somewhere between 150w (MW172) and 180w (MW182). The Illuminator tweeters are rated at 50w. The 10f is only rated for 10w. I obviously don't have to use full power, but I don't want to handicap the other drivers, either. Are the 10f that sensitive that they'd be able to keep up on such little power?
 
#24 ·
No - not a concern unless you plan to try and run 30 Second SPL Contests.

The Substage takes most of the system power with the midbass taking, maybe 1/3 or 1/4 of the same power while the midrange and tweeters take only a tiny percentage. The human ear is so much more sensitive in the 500Hz-5kHz range that it doesn't take much and 5kHz up is simply such a small diaphragm and movement that it precludes much power requirement at all. My system has 3kW Substage with 150W midbasses and while the mids and tweets have 80-90W amplifiers their sensitivity is turned all the way down and they have no problem keeping up.

So something that can go ~4-500 Hz to ~3 KHz should be appropriate, no?
That's the theory.
 
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#14 ·
I've found the Stereo Integrity M3 to work well between my 7" midbass & tweeters. I've been running the M3 between 400Hz & 3,200 Hz /24db. No beaming at these frequencies.
 
#22 ·
Not that I know of. I've been wanting to get a pair sent to Erin for this purpose and just because I'm curious, but I've been pleased enough with the performance of the XXM325 to not really care. :p

After receiving my first pair of XXM325 from Steven Head and comparing them to my Focal 3.5WM, I sold a pair of my Focal 3.5WM to Ge0 (RIP) and used the proceeds and difference in price to fund a pair of BlieSMa T25B-6 tweeters. I'm still not disappointed with that move, but I also use the 3.5WM in another system.
 
#40 ·
where’s these reviews? All I’ve seen is mostly noobs on their Facebook page and we all know how awesome our new speakers or amps sound when we get them 😜.

I have actually heard them at slamology in one of the competing sq cars.
 
#25 ·
How do previous suggestions compare to the Hybrid Audio Legatia 4s? I see someone has a pair of those for sale in the classifieds.

I also see that NonSolo has the Gladen Aerospace 80s on sale. Less than $500 shipped to the US. I've seen a lot of people use these in high-end installs around here. Are they worth stretching the budget for vs some of the other options?
 
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#27 ·
#32 ·
I would advise you to measure the actual in car response of your midbass before making a decision.

There are a ton of great midranges but a lot of them will not play super low if required. If you have a large null near the top of your midbass passband and buy mids that can't play low enough to fill that you're gonna have a bad time.

You're probably fine given your door locations but it would be good to know for sure.
 
#33 ·
I mean, that's probably the right way to do it. But I don't know that I can go that long without sound in my car, lol. I don't think anyone would accuse me of being a patient man.
 
#35 ·
I think I'm going to bite the bullet on the Gladens. I got a discount code because I left them in the cart for a couple of days, so they're less than $450 shipped.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Pay in Euros and should be even less! I stand corrected. They must’ve fixed it because about three weeks ago I ordered something from them and it was about $150 difference between euros and dollars. This was on $1200 though
White Product Font Line Screenshot

Font Line Material property Screenshot Rectangle
 
#41 ·
I have a pair of xxm325 & xxt30 that I've been going back & forth on putting up for sale.
If you're interested, send me a PM
PM sent. Waffling a bit on the Gladens, just because I started adding up all the other stuff I need.

The SI Carbon mids show a very similar frequency response to the Aerospace 80s, and are about $170 less even with the NSS sale price. I looked at the XXM325s, but it looks like they are temporarily out of stock there and I am not finding them anywhere near that price elsewhere. They were just in stock the other day, so hopefully it's a short-term thing. But, you know, supply chain...

Anyone know of another source for the XXMs?
 
#42 ·
Anybody have experience with the SI Carbon Mids? I see that the Xcelsus drivers have good reviews, but I can't find any info on the frequency response. The SIs look to be quite flat across a pretty substantial range.
 
#43 ·
I have the carbon mids. They replaced the highly regarded Erin mids which I liked a lot. And I'm happy I made the switch. I don't think you can go wrong especially at their price point
 
#44 ·
I also have M3 Carbons and I'm happy with them. They're generally considered a solid option in the price range. I've also used the Morel CCWR254, which I liked a lot, but the M3 can play a bit lower, which was helpful in my setup.
 
#52 ·
Any info on where to find these? Closest dealer to me is a couple hours away, which would add about $50 onto whatever the selling price is.
 
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