I've offered a few suggestions to people looking for affordable components and have been met with lots of doubt and downright laughter for suggesting a $10 set of components.

Really, I have no problems with anyone who doesn't want to give them a try. Really, it's fine. They're excellent speakers, but I stand to gain nothing regardless of whether or not anyone buys them. I have 20 pairs sitting in a box in my garage, and they were worth every penny I spent.

The purpose of this post was to supply some pictures and a link to the speakers, so here you go:

(Note: I hacked up one of my plates to get these pictures. If you order them from PartsExpress, they come fully assembled in a 5x7 plate with prewired FORD connectors. Yes, they're Ford speakers. Get over it.)














They are PIONEER components.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...26&scqty=2

IMO, these are the best components you can find for under $150, and I feel pretty confident that they could keep up with most component sets under $200 if utilized in a quality system (quality amplification, a good HU, etc).

Personally, my setup consists of the following, in my 2001 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer:

Headunit: Alpine CDA-7998
Front Stage: OEM 5x7 plate components, with the mids and tweets being run on separate channels of my amp
Front Stage Amp: Hifonics Gemini VI (50x4@4ohm); I was using an Arc Audio 4150CXL-R (80x4@4ohm) until I had a slight mishap and toasted one of the channels
Sub Stage: Digital Designs DD9515 15" sub (1500W RMS, 6000W Peak)
Sub Stage Amp: Arc Audio 2500CXL (1050x1@4ohm)
Sub Enclosure: Custom made 4.5cuft box, vented at 40hz



My amps before I toasted the 4150CXL-R and just before I loaded everything into my truck:



As I said, I'm not trying to 'make a sale' here. I have nothing to gain from anyone purchasing these speakers. If you don't believe that, that's fine--don't buy the speakers.

If you want to take a shot at some very quality components and throw $10 out there to give it a shot, cool. PartsExpress will hook you up. I'm not selling any of these speakers. The 20 pairs I have in my garage are mine and only mine. I'm perfectly OK with that. My goal here is to simply help those out who may not want to spend $300 on a set of components. IMO, unless you get extremely nitpicky (those of us who are willing to spend insane amounts of money on car audio), the detail of these components simply cannot be matched for under $200+.

-Jordan

 

it looks like a 10 dollar speaker and probably does sound better then $10. I only got on you as you were recomending them in applications they would not work for. They will not work as substatutions for any of the mach woofers since they are not the correct impedence. There are alot of great $10 speakers on parts express and as long as they are installed and wired correctly will sound much better then $10.

We are obviously on different ends of the audio spectrum as I am about to throw some diamond audio hex 3 ways in. I am giong with these do to the SQ but also because they are almost bullet proof. Because the car was originally owned by my mother I plan on NEVER selling it so I want something I can put in now and forget about for at least the next 10 yrs....... Being my own installer I do not like to make it more work then it has to be, do it right, do it once.....

 

You can think they wouldn't work all you want, but I've put them in several Mach systems with no issues.

I understand where you're going on it, but they work just fine. Sorry.

And if they look like $10 speakers to you, you're stoned. Just my $0.02.

-Jordan

 

BTW, how many $10 speakers do you see with (very nice) treated paper cone woofers, (CRISP) silk dome tweets, and an integrated crossover? If you can come up with even a couple, I'd be shocked.

I understand that you want to hate these speakers. I really do. That's fine. I told my friend he was nuts for weeks before finally giving in and buying some.

My point is simply that you have absolutely no idea what these speakers are, yet you're calling them garbage. If you haven't heard them, it's pretty outrageous to assume that you know anything about the speakers. Sorry, but it's true.

-Jordan

 

Oh, and how dare you assume that we're 'on different ends of the audio spectrum'. Where do you get off on assuming that I use garbage just because I'm using a $10 set of components in my truck? Are my Arc Audio amps garbage, too, sir?

FWIW, I've got my Alpine Type-X's sitting in my closet. I ordered a pair of Image Dynamics CX62 mids last night and will be nabbing some ID horns or NX30 tweets (depending on cashflow at that time). I don't use garbage. If you think I do, you're an idiot. You assume that you know everything, and I'm sorry, you don't. I don't claim to know a lot, but I do know enough about car audio to get around.

Get over yourself. You're convinced these speakers are trash, so fine. Go away and disregard the fact that you ever discussed them with me. I'm sick of arguing with you over it.

-Jordan

 

wow, give me a sec to respond to one, got you all worked up huh?

Its a treated paper speaker with a foam surround, it is nothing special man. You can see if flexing like heck in your pics and silk domes are a dime a dozen and "integrated x-over" means nothing more then a cheap capacitor and coil(which can easily fail). It is a very good looking $10 speaker I will be honest to say. You have saidin one post that it is a ford factory speaker as well as a Pioneer componant. I hate to tell you that forduses shotty speakers but they always have and pioneer makes some of the cheapest stuff that can be mass produced out of china.... I have never been a big fan of pioneer speakers myself and don't know many people that swear by them(other then the dealer tryin to sell a set).

I will be more then happy to demo my diamond system for you as it will be done hopefully shortly(you can't dictate innovation) aginst yourcar in an A-B comparison for you, your friends and anyone you want with cofindence that I will make that $10 speaker sound like $10.

I don't read magazines opinions, and I willNEVER listen to anyone that has 20 of something amazing for $10 each in his garage, can you blame me? I have formed my opinions of what sounds good and bad after I sat, and listened to them. After installing for 15 yrs I have installed, sat and listened to many speakers but not yours. I don't think I have really saidmuchabout your speakers other then I would expect $10 sound, maybe a little more. You can call me an audio idiot if you want but I am not the one pitchin a $10 speaker to save the world.

Now, take a step back, breath in and out and take a little break. I like your opinion(even though it is wrong) and welcome it in here. I am not attacking you or trying to be an azz I consider this more of a debate(that nobody will win).

 

dude relax, it was not a cut down. What I meant was that I am confident that my speakers will work in the next decade, are you? No, you don't care because it is a $10 speaker to replace and you havea stockpile. See the difference? I have never used or installed arc, and also never heard a bad thing about them. Alpine speakers are not bad but not my favorite and I have installed more of them then any speaker to make that opinion.

ID I love, can't go wrong. I would not really recommend horns unless you are going to do something with at least a 1/3 octive EQ or they can really overpower most systems with as sensitive as they are. But great stuff none the less.

 

Ok, I already qualified early on that I had to PRY the speakers out of the adapter plate to get these pictures. Any flexing, bends, or damage to either speaker is from me prying them away from the damn plate.

FWIW, I don't like Pioneer. I, for the most part, refuse to use anything from Pioneer.

No offense, but I'd put my friends' SQ setups up against your "OMGDIAMONDCOMPONENTS!!!!" install and we'd probably _at least_ come out with a draw. I'm not saying your install isn't good, I'm just saying I highly doubt it's the greatest thing in the world.

I'm not going to make a claim that my current configuration is at all in comparison with ANY "SQ" install, let alone yours. I'm using an SPL sub in an SPL box, in a frickin' huge SUV and I have a front stage consisting of a 5.25" mid and a 1" tweet. I'm not going to be winning any SQ setups with this configuration, nor do I claim I would.

Furthermore, you apparently ignored the point I made when I said that these speakers would keep up with any component set under or around $200. Your Diamond components are clearly more expensive than $200 and are also a 3way set. That's not even a fair comparison.

Finally, to answer your question: yes, you got me worked up a bit because you're making a claim that my install is garbage (whether you're going to come out and say it up front or not) and that I don't know anything about sound quality.

I don't have a problem with you, I just think you're trying to put words in my mouth and make it sound like I'm making these components out to be world-beaters that would stomp the likes of SEAS, Dynaudio, et al. They're solid components, but let's be serious, they're not Dynaudio.

Your turn for a rebuttal.

-Jordan

 

If and when I get horns, I'll be running a very nice EQ setup--probably an Alpine H701, but maybe ID31's..I'm not sure yet. That's a ways out.

And why does the fact that I bought 25 pairs of these speakers speak anything about the longevity of the speakers? I bought 25 pairs because the price was cut in half and I wanted to have lots on hand to help some friends out, as well as to outfit four of my own vehicles.

-Jordan

 

"Ok, I already qualified early on that I had to PRY the speakers out of the adapter plate to get these pictures. Any flexing, bends, or damage to either speaker is from me prying them away from the damn plate. " - I was talking about the flexing your woofer is doing with your finger behind it. It is thin, probably because it is more expensive if they make them thicker?


"Furthermore, you apparently ignored the point I made when I said that these speakers would keep up with any component set under or around $200. Your Diamond components are clearly more expensive than $200 and are also a 3way set. That's not even a fair comparison. " I will give you this one as I have honestly not give a listen to a compnant speaker under $200. At that point in the market from what I have seen you start to see a difference in quality. The baskets are stamped, the speakers are thin, cheap magnets and surroundsand the SQ is nothing better then a $200 componant that could easily be outdone by a $10 speaker. That is not to say that allcomponants under $200 are crap as there are some good ones out there but I am not snotty enough to say that I have better tastes then a $200 componant can give.

I worked at a shop that did ID years ago and it was by far the top of the scale then. I have done many systems with them and happily sent away all of the customers. One day our rep came in and had a new componant set under his arm for us to listen to. We taped up the tweets to the sound board, mounted the woofers with one or two screws each and sat back and listend to the best sounding speaker I had ever heard. They simlpy did not compair to the best that ID had, care to guess the name of the brand?

After this many years in the biz I will tell you the disignation that is given(not only by me but by the industry) is a ****tpaper speaker. That is what is meant by a disposable speaker. A $10 speaker with treater ****tpaper that one does not mind tearing up and destroying, just to prove a point? They are a cheap and easily disposable and replacable speaker PERIOD! They may sound many many many times better then what they cost but until me and everyone on here listens to them and confirms what you say they are what they are man and nothin more, a $10 speaker.....