Speaker Specifications.. What do they mean?

[mrpayner]

G'day..

What a freaken headache.. I've been looking at speakers for a while now.. getting ideas.. prices.. checking out different places.

I've been particularly looking at the JBL GTO 5x7" and 6" replacements and also the Eclipse range in the same sizes.. What I want to know is, what do these figures mean?

JBL GTO 5x7 - Similar specs for 6" [both are 2-way]
Power Handling 60WRMS
Sensitivity 90dB
Freq. Response 50Hz - 21kHz

Eclipse Integrated Series 5x7 - Similar for 6" [both are 3-way]Which is a new feature for 2003-2004 range
Power Handling 40WRMS
Sensitivity 94dB
Freq. Response 85Hz - 40kHz


Now obviously I know what the figure means in WRMS.. but the other 2 figures I'm unsure of.. I haven't got a clue what sensitivity means.. but I was led to believe that the Frequency Response of a speaker would be better if the Hz figure was lower and the kHz figure higher..

SO.. I'm guessing the JBL 5x7 will have better bass? and the Eclipse would have better treble?

BUT!! What's the deal with Sensitivity?

I will just be running them off the Headunit which is an Alpine CDA-9813 which has 60Wx4 output.. I like listening to more acoustical music, but i do like to have a bit of a doof doof every now and again so deep & clean undistorted bass is essential as even the most acoustic tracks can have exceptionally deep bass.

I would also like to sound deaden the doors [or the whole freaken car!] to achive more quality bass..

I know there's a few questions there but hopefully it'll shead some light on the matter..

Cheerz
AP

[Dogo]

sensitivity basically means a noise threshold. higher numbers mean less distortion/hiss ... kinda

frequency response can be considered the frequency range that the speakers will cover. so in a way, ur right that the jbls will have better bass, but on the other hand, 50hz from a 5x7 isnt likely to be very loud, and theres no guarantee that just because it says it can handle lower frequencies, that it will sound better at lower frequencies than the eclipse.

imho, eclipse are awesome for accoustic-based music. I presume the 6" are for the back doors ? or the back shelf

[Cosmo Dude]

I have the 5X7 Eclipse SE8572 working in my front doors now (thanks). If you make it to the Cruise on the 28th you can give 'em a blast, although I only have the Alpine 9801 HU.

Best if you can see the graph of the frequency response for the speakers you want as it will show their strong and weak points. This is only good if know the frequency of your fav music, else take a CD to the dealer and preview them there.

Rod

[Zed]

I wouldn't pay too much attention to sensitivity ratings of speakers - for the reason that different manufacturers will rate sensitivity different to each other. Eg some will give a figure (90db) which is measured by putting 1W of power through the speakers and the sound level taken 1m from the speaker (1W/1m), others will use 2.83V at 1m, and some others again taken at 0.5m.

While sensitivity does give you a basic idea of how efficient a speaker is, I wouldn't bet my house on a speaker with 92dB sensitivity from one manufacturer being more efficient than 90dB sensitivity from another manufacturer.

In any case, try and audition first hand the speakers you're looking at getting, get the dealer you go to run them off a 9813 and then listen to see which speakers you like the sound of best. And for really deep bass... you're going to need a sub.

[mrpayner]

Mmmkay.. thanks for the help..

I know that Shads has the JBL's in the hardtop.. although I think he has the 6x9's in the back deck.. whereas I would be putting the 6" ones in the back doors..

Price wise the JBL's are something like $139 for the 5x7 and the 6" have been reduced to $99 at Strathfield.. Whereas the Eclipse are $250 a pair for both 5x7 and 6".. I could upgrade to the "point source" series of 5x7 but then I'll be paying something like $450 for just the 5x7's!

I guess it doesn't really matter what I get as long as it's an improvement over the factory speakers that are still in there at the moment...

Dave: do you have the specs for the factory speakers? Just for comparison??

Originally Posted by Zed

And for really deep bass... you're going to need a sub.

Yeh.. I wanted to stay away from this as I use my boot quite regularly.. My bro had his Pioneer 6x9's and his Focal Splits running off his headunit and it sounds pretty darn good.. Certainly enough bass for my liking [not really into the over bassiness of subs and stuff].. Would audio places actually allow auditioning in cars? Afterall, you're not going to get the full effect of what the speaker can do until it's in the car!

Cheers again!
AP

[Dogo]

u dont really see in-car speaker auditioning from shops, usually just ppl with them in the car. if ur lucky, some of the workshops that do installs may be able to screw them in quickly and give u a listen ... but u'd be lucky unless ur a common customer.

stock speakers : will look it up 4 u. U wont have anywhere near as much bass from either or those speakers compared to the focals and pioneer 6x9s. at a guess, the focals would have better bass than the pioneers too ...

[mrpayner]

Thanks mate.. that would be appreciated.

I might pop down to the higher end audio shop "Lock, Rock & Roll" here in Ballarat to ask when their updated Eclipse board is coming through.. I noticed that it had disappeared between visits. :? They also stock the Focal range so I might check them out too.. Just have to prepare my wallet :P

AP

[Dogo]

just dont think abt prices. Its much easier that day.

"How much does that cost ? A plastic card ? oh ok ! "

[SehnKhan]

hehe, and let that be the truth of the matter

[Critter]

Sound deadening the doors will certainly add more "kick" to the mid-bass. Good idea.

Broadly sensitivity should indicate that a higher figure will be louder at the same power input level.
As Zed says, it is unreliable though if properly done will be an averaged response across a speaker's operating range. Some times they just use an output @ 1kHz, so not reliable, you don't know which.

I expect those JBL's will have a better/stronger bottom end of those 2.
Poke around and listen to different things, plenty of good speakers around.

The Eclipse being a higher-end manufacturer is likely to expect a sub to partner it. 85Hz as a rated bass spec is quite high for a 6".

A 10" in a small sealed enclosure doesn't need to take much space these days and the difference is startling on almost any music, even if real big bass takes big everything....drivers, box and amps

2.83 volts btw actually is a 1 watt equivalent.

[Zed]

Hmmm, I remember reading somewhere that 2.83V is close to but not quite equal to 1 watt. Not going to make a significant difference in any case.

Have you considered any other brands in your price range? JL Audio, Boston Acoustics, Alpine, Hertz are just a few companies that offer 5x7 coaxials, would be worth checking out if you can find them.

[mrpayner]

Yeh I asked Chris about the Boston Acoustic ones a little while ago.. I didn't really want to speand a ****e load of cash. And I originall y had the Alpine 5x7's on layby with the rest of the stuff [amps and sub] but i cancelled it.

Thanks for all the help. I'll let you know how I go.

AP