I'm considering going active 2 way in my Legacy....

I've got a PPI DCX-730 just sitting around doing nothing, along with some PE RS180 7'' drivers, I would just need to find some decent tweeters...

I'm wondering who else out there is running a custom active settup, and what drivers did you choose ?? and why ?


why did you initialy go Active over your previous passive settup ? did you notice an improvment ??? would u go back ??

is it worth all the hassel ?


the other side of me says to just sell the RS180 s and buy a decent component settup or coaxes that will run off my stock headunit...

It's mostly a matter of preference. What kind of music do you listen to? Do you want screaming loud, or a little more moderate?

I run active, but my components are matched and are designed to be powered that way through the existing crossover, so gains and time alignment are all I need for the tweeter, and of course high-pass for the midrange.

You're better off buying a set of matched components, the component tweeters alone can cost aboot as much as a full set, and it's not worth the hassle if you want to keep things simple. hell, you can buy a component set like some MB Quart Reference components (NOT the RVF, the RCE) you can still run active if only for the purpose of time alignment.

I would agree with you Audiosavvy on car audio components except the home audio market is just brimming with drivers that are EXCELLENT for car use at insanely cheap prices.

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=45_229_270_324&products_id=541

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=45_229_270_324&products_id=1466

The second link is the home audio version of the actual tweeters I run with just slightly different specifications. Also, they will play down to 2k or so with authority as long as you give them a steep slope like 18 dB or so.

In fact I plan on doing an install in a Forester with those tweeters and a decent set of mids on an active budget setup.

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=45_229_270_324&products_id=1466


I love these, I've tried quite a few different tweeters and still keep coming back to the Seas Neo. I have them in the A-pillars, about 4" above the dash. The LPGs are really nice if you have a mid that can play up to 3500hz or higher. They won't go down low like the Seas will.

For mids, I really like the Pioneer PRS mids from the 720PRS component set. The problem is you have to buy the whole set. The PRS tweeters were pretty nice, but I prefer the Seas personally. Other mids I've used and liked are the Phass MW160, which are kind of hard to find, and the MB Quart QSD 216 mids, which I have installed right now.

What's your depth restriction in the Legacy? There are quite a few nice mids that are right at 3" deep that I can't fit in my car without more modification. If you have the depth, the Seas ER18RNX and P18RNX, and the Peerless Exclusive are really nice drivers. If you end up using the RS180, you'll need a tweeter that can go down to at least 2500hz, they have a pretty noticeable breakup that is hard to get rid of.

How low have you crossed the Neo's? I have had my RT27F's down to 2k with an 18dB slope with no issues which would be great if he crossed the 180's at 1.4 to 1.6k with both running an 18dB slope...possibly a 12 dB slope on the 180.

awesome, yeah I have heard nothing but good things regarding the seas 27TFFNC.




I am actualy about to start a home theater speaker project, and might be using those in my home as well :) http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=13154&page=1&pp=35


http://mysite.verizon.net/res6vgmm/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/modula-mts.jpg

apparently they compare with the likes of the Dayton rs28A, which is sapposed to be one of the best (affordable) tweeters available :)

How low have you crossed the Neo's? I have had my RT27F's down to 2k with an 18dB slope with no issues which would be great if he crossed the 180's at 1.4 to 1.6k with both running an 18dB slope...possibly a 12 dB slope on the 180.

Lowest I've needed to cross them is 2K 12db. With most mids that I've used the sweet spot seems to be 2.5K though, and a 2K lowpass on the mids. You could probably get away with 1.6K at 18 or 24db, depending on your preferred listening volume.

Cool. More info for my brain to file :D

Lowest I've needed to cross them is 2K 12db. With most mids that I've used the sweet spot seems to be 2.5K though, and a 2K lowpass on the mids. You could probably get away with 1.6K at 18 or 24db, depending on your preferred listening volume.

sounds good, If I don't end up just going with a basic coax settup to tide me over... I will check them out.

Dude, they're like $60 for the pair :lol: just buy them.

Dude, they're like $60 for the pair :lol: just buy them.

ya I know :alien: I've just got WAY to many projects going at the moment...

I'm doing all the bodywork on my Legacy(new fender and door and RS hoodscoop ) and prepping her to go in for paint...

Not to mention I'm putting my RS all back together and ready to go on the road for the summer :D

the daily driver audio system kind of gets put on the back burner .

now a set of coaxs just thrown in the stock location would take me 1/100th of the time and could be boom,bang,done right away :)

not to mention I really DON'T listen to music all that loud in my legacy...

AND I wouldn't have to buy another amp...

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=45_229_270_324&products_id=1466

What kind of crossovers would you recommend with these?

none...since he was talking about running active. The processor is your crossover and slope determiner. If you were to build your own passive crossover network you'd have to do a lot of trial and error to get the correct cutoff points and slopes and it would depend completely on your mid selection and install position.

Daishi's is a good suggestion, If you want to swing another 20 bucks you can look at these:
http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=138&products_id=541

First link I gave :lol: the LPG's are good, but they can't play nearly as low as the Seas and cut out a bit more in the higher end.

I have found, for my own listening tastes, that all active gives me more control & more latitude than any passive set up can.

ie: time aligning individual drivers in the car, not just "channels".. also, even on the best of the best provided passive networks (Alpine old SPX & F#1 status), there are always limitations. you have to utilize whatever the engineer thought were real world applications, which may not match your application & definitely won't match your install exactly.

Pro: control. depth. clarity. headroom.
Con: processor (added chain in the signal path), more amplifier channels required (more $$, weight & more space). More tweaking time to get it dialed in.

worth it. Only 2 of my cars have "minimalist" systems running passive networks. because i wanted (1) 5-channel amp to save weight, space & complexity.

the only car I ever competed with that was a passive system (with any success) had over 300 hours in listening & building the passive network & about $1,000 in parts to make the passive network from the best components. Packaged passive networks are a compromise situation. Plain & simple.

Rob

ps: anyone interested in passive networks should visit here: http://www.northcreekmusic.com/ this guy is amazing...