I have a set...but not for sale. How come you want them?

 

I have a set...but not for sale. How come you want them?

I'm going 3-way.

I already have a CL-61a comp set (upgraded to TW-25 tweets) and I just bought a pair of Satnet/Subnet 642 crossovers.

So I want to add the CL-4's.

 

I put the CDT CL 3-way set in my fiance's Corolla. She really likes the way they sound but there is something about the setup that bugs me every time I get in the car. At low listening levels it is very thin sounding, almost as if the midbass drivers aren't on at all. Once you get on the road and crank the volume up it sounds better but if you come to a stop light and the music is still loud, it gets a little irritating. I'm sending them 120w/ch from a bridged PPI-5440 (sub channel is powering an IDQ 10 crossed at 65Hz). Unfortunately there isn't an EQ in the car but I need to RTA it to figure out what my ears cannot pin-point. I'm also considering running the amp non-bridged and giving the midbass drivers a dedicated channel. They would only get 30w/ch but I would be able to tweak the gain and crossover points (the PPI-5440 is designed to run 3-way active out-of-the-box).

So anyway, I wouldn't consider the CL-4's as anything special so if you find something cheaper I say go for it. I also don't consider the Satnet/Subnet crossovers to be all they are cracked up to be. I need more attenuation on the tweeter and less attenuation on the midbass, but I simply can't do that. I thought installing the tweets and 4s in kicks would mean I could use the 0db setting on the crossover but they are simply way to loud with that setting.

Photos of the install:
http://www.carstereo.com/installs/photo_gallery_album.cfm?home=yes&photoid=1504&galleryid=220

 

contact Don Smith over at Island Sound in New York. Best prices on the CDT stuff, almost as good a price for brand new stuff as some try to sell for used stuff on the classifieds...

islandsound1@yahoo.com

 

I put the CDT CL 3-way set in my fiance's Corolla. She really likes the way they sound but there is something about the setup that bugs me every time I get in the car. At low listening levels it is very thin sounding, almost as if the midbass drivers aren't on at all. Once you get on the road and crank the volume up it sounds better but if you come to a stop light and the music is still loud, it gets a little irritating. I'm sending them 120w/ch from a bridged PPI-5440 (sub channel is powering an IDQ 10 crossed at 65Hz). Unfortunately there isn't an EQ in the car but I need to RTA it to figure out what my ears cannot pin-point. I'm also considering running the amp non-bridged and giving the midbass drivers a dedicated channel. They would only get 30w/ch but I would be able to tweak the gain and crossover points (the PPI-5440 is designed to run 3-way active out-of-the-box).

So anyway, I wouldn't consider the CL-4's as anything special so if you find something cheaper I say go for it. I also don't consider the Satnet/Subnet crossovers to be all they are cracked up to be. I need more attenuation on the tweeter and less attenuation on the midbass, but I simply can't do that. I thought installing the tweets and 4s in kicks would mean I could use the 0db setting on the crossover but they are simply way to loud with that setting.

Photos of the install:
http://www.carstereo.com/installs/photo_gallery_album.cfm?home=yes&photoid=1504&galleryid=220

Honestly, my ears are probably not as refined as yours. I think I'd be more than happy with the system I plan. I'm already WAY over budget on this system so I'm hoping to get things for a bargain now. But, I do thoroughly appreciate your suggestions.

Who knows, maybe someday, I'll step and buy all the high end goodies that you all use. I know my wallet won't be so happy but my ears would be!

Also, thanks for your suggestion AzGrower. It's much appreciated.

 

Well believe it or not, some of the DIY equipment is relatively cheap compared to their car audio equivalents. The only factor most people need to acount for is having a separate amplifier channel for each driver/tweeter. Once you've got that, it's all about the install.

 

Well, almost a year later my CDT CL-4s are for sale. The issue I spoke of before was actually due to broken surrounds on the midbass drivers. Guess I should have pulled the door panels off sooner to inspect. Anyway, the CL-4s and the rest of her system is up for sale if you are interested...

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9851&highlight=CL-4