Percy,

I have a 2001 GS430 with the Premium System and read your recommendation on upgrading to Dynaudios as follows:

Front / Dynaudio MW160 & MD100
Rear / Dynaudio MW160
Subwoofer / JL Audio JL10W0

My question is will the Pioneer headunit have enough power to sufficiently drive the F&R speakers? I think you mentioned possibly getting a separate amp for the sub. Doesn't the stock unit produce only 96 watts for all 7 speakers? Also, how will the rear speakers sound without a tweeter? Did I miss anything else?

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks,

W0's
 

GSM - I know this Percy's Dyn area but I'd stay away from the JL W0 series. Won't stand up to much power but then again, if U R planning on running the whole system on the Pioneer deck, then it just might be the perfect woofer for ya. My .02 - I'd opt for a larger muti-channel amp but since I don't have Master P's experience with Dynaudio, I yield to the SQ king!! :D ( Big bow to P! )

Thanks for the tip Mean Gene. I was probably going to run a separate amp for the sub.

The stock head unit will drive the speakers, in fact, they actually sound louder than the stockers. More than likely due to the added cone surface area of the 6.5 inch speakers. And it all depends on how loud you listen to the system. If it's anything past the 12 o clock position on the head unit, then you need an outboard amp.

I'd follow Master Gene's recommendation on the JL sub. If I remember correctly, W3's were recommended since they're more durable.

How loud do you listen to your system?

Percy

Percy,
Don't listen too loud, though I usually crank it higher at highway speeds due to Potenza RE030 tire/road noise. Who makes the W3? I think the stock sub is 10", can I fit a 12" in the same opening? How are the MacDaddy subs?

Here are a couple more questions on the Dyns:

When you installed your Dyns, did you seal the enclosures in the door and use dynamat? Do you have any pics of your install?

Did you use a tweeter for the rear door?

Thanks,

JL Audio makes the W3. I've never heard of MacDaddy subs....sounds like a cheapo entry level piece.

The enclosures/baffles were sealed with some strip caulk. Pics of my install can be found at the old forum as there is tons of info there. And no, I didn't use tweets in the rear section.

Percy

MacDaddy Subs
 

GS & P - The MacDaddy line of subs is made by Diamond Audio. However, those R designed to be a pure SPL woofer so I don't think it fits you needs, GS. In fact, the local Diamond rep also sells RF & he wants me to swap out my HX2's for a pair of the MD's - might do it just for giggles, although I DON'T look forward to pulling out that d** heavy box!! Can't actually praise Diamond's subs as I haven't heard anything larger than my 8's but those R some of the most impressive midbasses I've ever heard. If U want to try the Diamond subs, drop down to the HEX series - basically the same sub as the MacDaddy but with a little less excursion as it has a slightly smaller magnet ( but the same sized voice coils ). Still, I like the JL 10W3 or 12W3 for an SQ woofer if U can't find the Velos. BTW - JL is due to release their new woofer that's a semi-copy of the servo-controlled Velodyne in late July. They're calling it an "SQPL woofer" as it is designed to handle both SQ & SPL - THIS I gotta hear!! Now we all know it can't be an exact copy due to copyright infringement ( & therefore not as good ) but it follows much of the same technology that Velodyne pioneered so it may be worth a look. Gonna see if I can squeeze 2 of them in my box - they're 13" sized with ( supposedly ) the excursion of their own 15W3/6 series. Here we go again with odd sizes - just like Focal!! Hard as H*** to get any info from JL about power handling; recommended enclosure size; etc. I'm afraid the cost will scare me off as well but I'll let ya'll know if I come up with anything!!:D

Gene,

The only info that I saw on the new JL subs was a bunch of technobabble about their magnet structure and their suspension. IMO, they're abusing the term "servo controlled" like many other companies in the home audio realm did at one time. Now I must try to convert you over to Velodyne! You might need 4 of these for some ultra clean/spl though. How about a switcher array? One for a pair of SPL subs and the other for a pair of Vel subs? ;)

Percy

Stop Using Those Big Words!!
 

Technobabble - that's just about the right word for it!! Lost respect for JL with all this secret stuff - it's not anything totally new as Velodyne has had it for awhile & even Kicker's trying to capitalize on the term "servo-controlled" with those prototype L7's in Eldridge's 4-Runner ( & let's don't get me started on the L7's again, even though Justin assures me that Kicker's working on their build quality ). Gonna shoot JL an E-beam to see if I can get any more info outta them but I don't figure it's gonna happen. Now a dual woofer system IS an interesting thought. Even Mark uses 1 L7 in the SQ portion of competition but where in the H*** would I be able to put a dual-chambered box large enough to hold 4 woofers? Still, if I win the lottery, anything's possible!! :D