Has anyone heard of ADS or have a pair. I was considering changing the door speakers for these ads on my bose system. Is it worth spending the money on the ADS with the bose amp. Or should i just buy something like infiniti rather than spending the money on the ADS (aparantly it's supposed to be the best **** you can get)????????????????????????
ADS anyone?
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Just say "NO!"
Ooops, my bad. I thought you were trying to sell drugs.
Ooops, my bad. I thought you were trying to sell drugs.
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282 Posts
ADS the best???????
Must be the opinion of the sales person, right? Well if you want the competition stuff then you should really go for the following. The Q Series from MB Quartz, MB also came out with a new Q that is higher than the regular Q Series, Boston Acoustics Pro Series, and if you really want the best then if you can afford to shell out $ 8500.00 on a pair of 6.5 component sets then get the Rainbow Speaker line, and for the ultimate set up eventhough it was not meant for car use, get B&W speakers at $ 10,000.00 each speaker which was done a few years ago and this competitor just creamed everyone in the SQ category at the IASCA competitions. If you are looking for something more affordable then I highly recomend the following. Infinitis(smooth highs)Rockford Fosgate Fanatic X line(good highs with the right amount of midbass), JL Audio(good midbass punch). ADS is good but as you see not clearly the best!!!!!! What sounds good to you might sound like a tin can to others and when you audition the same sets at the store they always will sound different in a car, or for that matter each car will sound different with the same set of speakers. Good luck.
Must be the opinion of the sales person, right? Well if you want the competition stuff then you should really go for the following. The Q Series from MB Quartz, MB also came out with a new Q that is higher than the regular Q Series, Boston Acoustics Pro Series, and if you really want the best then if you can afford to shell out $ 8500.00 on a pair of 6.5 component sets then get the Rainbow Speaker line, and for the ultimate set up eventhough it was not meant for car use, get B&W speakers at $ 10,000.00 each speaker which was done a few years ago and this competitor just creamed everyone in the SQ category at the IASCA competitions. If you are looking for something more affordable then I highly recomend the following. Infinitis(smooth highs)Rockford Fosgate Fanatic X line(good highs with the right amount of midbass), JL Audio(good midbass punch). ADS is good but as you see not clearly the best!!!!!! What sounds good to you might sound like a tin can to others and when you audition the same sets at the store they always will sound different in a car, or for that matter each car will sound different with the same set of speakers. Good luck.
Some ADS speakera are fabulous, but...
ADS makes some of the smoothest sounding speakers out there - almost regardless of cost. They will not tire you out like an MB Quart will. Voices sound like someone is sitting in front of you singing to you (if installed correctly). The old 320i model is one of the best - avaialbe regularly on Ebay for $160 to $220 used.
They are reliable. I have run the same ADS speakers and amp for over 15 years in four vehicles.
Having said all that, they are not right for the Bose system for 2 reasons:
1.They require far more power than the Bose can generate (my amp puts out more than 5 times the power per channel)
2. They will cause you to hear what the Bose is really putting out - you don't want to go there.
ADS makes some of the smoothest sounding speakers out there - almost regardless of cost. They will not tire you out like an MB Quart will. Voices sound like someone is sitting in front of you singing to you (if installed correctly). The old 320i model is one of the best - avaialbe regularly on Ebay for $160 to $220 used.
They are reliable. I have run the same ADS speakers and amp for over 15 years in four vehicles.
Having said all that, they are not right for the Bose system for 2 reasons:
1.They require far more power than the Bose can generate (my amp puts out more than 5 times the power per channel)
2. They will cause you to hear what the Bose is really putting out - you don't want to go there.
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I auditioned the ADS components...
If I an not mistaken ADS is the sister company of Rockford Fosgate. They were bought by the RF company a few years ago. I had a set of ADS speakers a few years ago, they require a bit of equalization I also auditioned them at the Monney shop, there is an improvement but still not as sweet as the other competitors. Audition the Rockford Fostgate Fanatic Q series and you will hear ADS sound except with a toned down highs, the transient response on the RF components are better than the ADS. You did not mention what type of music you listen to and how loud do you listen to it. By the way I have tried a lot of speakers through the years, even USD Waveguides and one thing is for certain you can spend $ 10,000 dollars on a pair of super exotic speaker but if you did not install it correctly a $ 300.00 speaker will still sound better if installed correctly. Speaker placement is the most important element here. On the MDX I have tried every manageable configuration. Kick panel installation was crossed out. The midbass response was nice but the highs was blocked off at your knees due to the height of the seats, this type of installation works better on a sedan or a regular low seat configuration. I was suprised that to find out that the oem door mounting produced good midbass response. I tried mounting the tweets in the oem tweeter pods, no good. I could localize the left and right seperation right away regardless where I point the tweeters. Took out the A-pillar pointed it towards each other, nope, imaged was smudged off center and too low. Pointed them towards the windshield, even after I played around with the delay, the highs still bounced off like crazy. The right channel sound would smudge towards off center to the left and vice versa on the left channel. Finally decided to point the tweets towards the rear view mirror. Wow, imaging was centered high and sounded like it extended in front of the windshield. Sorround sounds from movies stayed left and right accordingly and the when left and right channels are played at the same time it was always centered. You know when you get it right when other people ask you where the speakers are or if is it located in the center of the dashboard. Lesson learned, with time and patience speaker placement pays dividends on how your system will sound. Even though the system was designed for sorround sound duties, regular music stills sounds they way it should. Most systems are a compromise for what it was designed for, I was lucky that in my case it worked out for the best.
If I an not mistaken ADS is the sister company of Rockford Fosgate. They were bought by the RF company a few years ago. I had a set of ADS speakers a few years ago, they require a bit of equalization I also auditioned them at the Monney shop, there is an improvement but still not as sweet as the other competitors. Audition the Rockford Fostgate Fanatic Q series and you will hear ADS sound except with a toned down highs, the transient response on the RF components are better than the ADS. You did not mention what type of music you listen to and how loud do you listen to it. By the way I have tried a lot of speakers through the years, even USD Waveguides and one thing is for certain you can spend $ 10,000 dollars on a pair of super exotic speaker but if you did not install it correctly a $ 300.00 speaker will still sound better if installed correctly. Speaker placement is the most important element here. On the MDX I have tried every manageable configuration. Kick panel installation was crossed out. The midbass response was nice but the highs was blocked off at your knees due to the height of the seats, this type of installation works better on a sedan or a regular low seat configuration. I was suprised that to find out that the oem door mounting produced good midbass response. I tried mounting the tweets in the oem tweeter pods, no good. I could localize the left and right seperation right away regardless where I point the tweeters. Took out the A-pillar pointed it towards each other, nope, imaged was smudged off center and too low. Pointed them towards the windshield, even after I played around with the delay, the highs still bounced off like crazy. The right channel sound would smudge towards off center to the left and vice versa on the left channel. Finally decided to point the tweets towards the rear view mirror. Wow, imaging was centered high and sounded like it extended in front of the windshield. Sorround sounds from movies stayed left and right accordingly and the when left and right channels are played at the same time it was always centered. You know when you get it right when other people ask you where the speakers are or if is it located in the center of the dashboard. Lesson learned, with time and patience speaker placement pays dividends on how your system will sound. Even though the system was designed for sorround sound duties, regular music stills sounds they way it should. Most systems are a compromise for what it was designed for, I was lucky that in my case it worked out for the best.
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Can we talk ohms for minute? Obviously, the Bose are 2 ohms. When you audio nuts refer to speakers should you not also mention how many ohms of resistance they are? I am looking to replace the door speakers, at least, but do not want to replace the amps at this time. What are my choices of speakers for this Bose System? Will a 4 ohm speaker be ok, or not??
Thanks for the help.
Thanks for the help.
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282 Posts
Just an idea on the 2 ohm issue.......
Most likely if you will using a in line converter, you should tap into the oem deck output lines before the Bose amps. Then the 2 ohm issue should not be a problem. The head unit should just be on the regular impedence and the amps and the speakers are of the 2 ohm variety. In fact the amp might even be of the 4 ohm variety but the speakers are 2 ohm rated. I can ask the technician about it, since I had him test the specs on the oem deck already but since I bought the aftermarket unit I really did not get all the specs on it. I'll get the info this week and post it.
Most likely if you will using a in line converter, you should tap into the oem deck output lines before the Bose amps. Then the 2 ohm issue should not be a problem. The head unit should just be on the regular impedence and the amps and the speakers are of the 2 ohm variety. In fact the amp might even be of the 4 ohm variety but the speakers are 2 ohm rated. I can ask the technician about it, since I had him test the specs on the oem deck already but since I bought the aftermarket unit I really did not get all the specs on it. I'll get the info this week and post it.
4 ohm speakers will work..
You just need to make sure that you get an EFFICIENT speaker. That, plus a fairly large mid-bass size/volume is why the Infinity 652i's that were recommended here on the list work well.
Going form 2 ohms to 4 ohms requires more amp power for a given volume, but there is no electical problem. Running a 2-ohm speaker on an amp designed for 4-ohms can casue problems (like over-heating).
Regarding ADS, no they are not and have not been related to Rockford Fosgate in any way. RF built good amps many years ago, but then went "consumer" and cheapened up everything. ADS's parent DID acquire PPI and Orion - but my understanding is that ADS obstinately refuses to go "mass-market" and was spun off recently and is again fully independent. In my srongly held opinion, no RF speaker can touch the better ADS units.
For a cheap price on the Inifinity 652i, look here:
http://thezeb.com/caraudio/infinity.html
This company seems to have a good rep.
You just need to make sure that you get an EFFICIENT speaker. That, plus a fairly large mid-bass size/volume is why the Infinity 652i's that were recommended here on the list work well.
Going form 2 ohms to 4 ohms requires more amp power for a given volume, but there is no electical problem. Running a 2-ohm speaker on an amp designed for 4-ohms can casue problems (like over-heating).
Regarding ADS, no they are not and have not been related to Rockford Fosgate in any way. RF built good amps many years ago, but then went "consumer" and cheapened up everything. ADS's parent DID acquire PPI and Orion - but my understanding is that ADS obstinately refuses to go "mass-market" and was spun off recently and is again fully independent. In my srongly held opinion, no RF speaker can touch the better ADS units.
For a cheap price on the Inifinity 652i, look here:
http://thezeb.com/caraudio/infinity.html
This company seems to have a good rep.
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92 Posts
Infinity Kappa Series
Hey Xtreme/Dec/Jan....question
Will Infinity's Kappa series be compatible in the MDX? I am indecisive as to which series of infinity to go with...I was leaning towards the Kappa series but not sure. Any feedback would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Hey Xtreme/Dec/Jan....question
Will Infinity's Kappa series be compatible in the MDX? I am indecisive as to which series of infinity to go with...I was leaning towards the Kappa series but not sure. Any feedback would be great.
Thanks in advance.
May be model-dependent
My comments about the reference 652i was directed the Bose system in Touring model.
Although it is a lower part of Infinitty's line, I belive it is more efficent than the kappas. The 652i is also at least as good as the rest of the Bose system. Getting theoretically better-sounding speakers may not get you much since they would be held back by the rest of the system.
I would save my money and just spend the $60 on the 652i unless you are thinking of completely changing the system (what I ended up doing in my TL - just added the Infiinity's to my wife's MDX)
My comments about the reference 652i was directed the Bose system in Touring model.
Although it is a lower part of Infinitty's line, I belive it is more efficent than the kappas. The 652i is also at least as good as the rest of the Bose system. Getting theoretically better-sounding speakers may not get you much since they would be held back by the rest of the system.
I would save my money and just spend the $60 on the 652i unless you are thinking of completely changing the system (what I ended up doing in my TL - just added the Infiinity's to my wife's MDX)
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Speakers are a matter of opinion, so............................
Kappa's are great speakers, but are designed for high power installations. They are less efficient than 652 reference series, and will not enough power, so may not sound as good. Ref 652s are the way to go unless you plan to upgrade amps now, or in at least near future. Will also save a few dollars.
Believe the difference in efficiency is about 2 db (90 vs 92). A 3 db difference says twice as much power to get same sound level...........
Dec/Jan, I agree that the stock system is not the BEST (I have the base vice "Bose) but understand Alpine makes both. The unit is pretty good, the amps are just a little weak (and the Bose is optimized for 2 ohm load). While not the best system by far, changing the speakers made a huge difference. In place of flat sound, I know have pretty good sound. And I screwed up and went with Pioneers in place of Infinity, even though I have the Infinitys in other cars I believe the speaker upgrade was well worth it.............
Kappa's are great speakers, but are designed for high power installations. They are less efficient than 652 reference series, and will not enough power, so may not sound as good. Ref 652s are the way to go unless you plan to upgrade amps now, or in at least near future. Will also save a few dollars.
Believe the difference in efficiency is about 2 db (90 vs 92). A 3 db difference says twice as much power to get same sound level...........
Dec/Jan, I agree that the stock system is not the BEST (I have the base vice "Bose) but understand Alpine makes both. The unit is pretty good, the amps are just a little weak (and the Bose is optimized for 2 ohm load). While not the best system by far, changing the speakers made a huge difference. In place of flat sound, I know have pretty good sound. And I screwed up and went with Pioneers in place of Infinity, even though I have the Infinitys in other cars
I believe the speaker upgrade was well worth it.............
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92 Posts
Thanks for the feedback DEC/JAN....
I am planning on overhauling the entire system. I am thinking about upgrading the speakers with the Kappa series, with the exception of changing the 10" woofer to the suggested pioneer 10". Then add an enclosed 12" woofer and place RF amps to power the speakers.
Will the Kappa series speakers fit in the oem slots? Or will I need to modify and cut to make them fit?
I am looking to do all the work on replacing the speakers and just have my local a/v dealer install the video, head unit and any extensive wiring/installation work.
mcclendons, your right it seems to be coming down to a matter of opinions with the speakers and I will soon need to just make a choice. But I want to be sure and pick the right speaker that will sound decent with given the proper amperage.
Thanks for the feedback gentlemen.
I am planning on overhauling the entire system. I am thinking about upgrading the speakers with the Kappa series, with the exception of changing the 10" woofer to the suggested pioneer 10". Then add an enclosed 12" woofer and place RF amps to power the speakers.
Will the Kappa series speakers fit in the oem slots? Or will I need to modify and cut to make them fit?
I am looking to do all the work on replacing the speakers and just have my local a/v dealer install the video, head unit and any extensive wiring/installation work.
mcclendons, your right it seems to be coming down to a matter of opinions with the speakers and I will soon need to just make a choice. But I want to be sure and pick the right speaker that will sound decent with given the proper amperage.
Thanks for the feedback gentlemen.
What do you mean by "total"
MDXplosion,
A word to the wise: Things get complicated if you try to replace the Bose (Touring) amps and speakers and keep the head unit.
I would recommend either the quick fix of the cheaper Infinity's or replacing the head unit along with the rest.
I put a 6-channel 300 watt ADS amp and 4 ADS speakers plus a sub behind my TL head unit and could never get it right in two years. The equalizaition is just too freaky to get consistent sound. I finally replaced the head unit also and now have the best system I ever have.
I think that part of the problem is that the stock amp/speakers are so poor at reproducing the high end that the head unit is set up to overempahsize the highs (and the boomy part of the bass (100-200), so that comes through too strongly when you put in better amps and speakers. It woul dhelp to stick with a silk (at least, non-metallic) tweeter.
I don't fine the Infinity speakers to be true top-end, but they do not suffer form the over-bright sound of some others. Pretty good for the bucks ( actually, very good for the bucks for the 652).
MDXplosion,
A word to the wise: Things get complicated if you try to replace the Bose (Touring) amps and speakers and keep the head unit.
I would recommend either the quick fix of the cheaper Infinity's or replacing the head unit along with the rest.
I put a 6-channel 300 watt ADS amp and 4 ADS speakers plus a sub behind my TL head unit and could never get it right in two years. The equalizaition is just too freaky to get consistent sound. I finally replaced the head unit also and now have the best system I ever have.
I think that part of the problem is that the stock amp/speakers are so poor at reproducing the high end that the head unit is set up to overempahsize the highs (and the boomy part of the bass (100-200), so that comes through too strongly when you put in better amps and speakers. It woul dhelp to stick with a silk (at least, non-metallic) tweeter.
I don't fine the Infinity speakers to be true top-end, but they do not suffer form the over-bright sound of some others. Pretty good for the bucks ( actually, very good for the bucks for the 652).
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I would recommend.....
I agree with you...sorry about that I forgot to mention that I am also replacing the head unit....as a matter of fact that is the only thing I have in my garage thus far, the rest still needs to be ordered. But yeah the head unit as well will be replaced by the Panasonic dvd/cd/cd-rw player which I got at a bargain from sounddomain.com thanks to XtremeMDX.
But yeah I am planning to have everything replaced and that is why I was thinking the Kappa series since they would handle the new amps better than the references. My questionis do the Kappa sereis fit in the oem slot?
Some are mentioning that MBQuarts is the way to go....at this point I am not sure and I think even more confused.....I guess I just have to do a bit more homework before making my final decision....I am new to a/v installations and just wanted to find a medium between a nice/decent sounds system and not having it be too costly. Somewhere in between would be just fine.
Thanks for your inout.
I agree with you...sorry about that I forgot to mention that I am also replacing the head unit....as a matter of fact that is the only thing I have in my garage thus far, the rest still needs to be ordered. But yeah the head unit as well will be replaced by the Panasonic dvd/cd/cd-rw player which I got at a bargain from sounddomain.com thanks to XtremeMDX.
But yeah I am planning to have everything replaced and that is why I was thinking the Kappa series since they would handle the new amps better than the references. My questionis do the Kappa sereis fit in the oem slot?
Some are mentioning that MBQuarts is the way to go....at this point I am not sure and I think even more confused.....I guess I just have to do a bit more homework before making my final decision....I am new to a/v installations and just wanted to find a medium between a nice/decent sounds system and not having it be too costly. Somewhere in between would be just fine.
Thanks for your inout.
I had bad luck with the MB Quarts
In fact, I have a pair of 6.5" Quart components in may garage that you can buy at half price if you want them. Used 1 month and pulled. In original box. Just haven't gotten around to Ebay-ing them.
Don't do it, though, IMO. They are harsh, as you may find the kappas, once you put some decent juice to them are also. Don't take my word, go through the discussions at elitecaraudio.com or the reviews at carreviews.com and see what folks say.
Remember, the speaker is going to sound more harsh in the car due to the near-field experience.
If you want to spend half or less and get sligthly better speakers, go over to ebay and buy these today:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1317810715
Anything under $125 for those is a steal.
Any of these component systems should fit with little or no modification. There is a whole lot of room in these doors.
Get good amps and good speakers will sound great.
You can email me at [email protected] if you like.
In fact, I have a pair of 6.5" Quart components in may garage that you can buy at half price if you want them. Used 1 month and pulled. In original box. Just haven't gotten around to Ebay-ing them.
Don't do it, though, IMO. They are harsh, as you may find the kappas, once you put some decent juice to them are also. Don't take my word, go through the discussions at elitecaraudio.com or the reviews at carreviews.com and see what folks say.
Remember, the speaker is going to sound more harsh in the car due to the near-field experience.
If you want to spend half or less and get sligthly better speakers, go over to ebay and buy these today:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1317810715
Anything under $125 for those is a steal.
Any of these component systems should fit with little or no modification. There is a whole lot of room in these doors.
Get good amps and good speakers will sound great.
You can email me at [email protected] if you like.
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250 Posts
Replace both front door and rear door speakers????
I have been following the audio upgrade threads for awhile now,
but I have a question.
To those who are replacing your speakers with the Infinity 652
or the Pioneer speakers, are you replacing the speakers in both
the front and rear doors? Seems to me I read several comments
about replacing only the front speakers. For those who have
replaced all 4, is there a marginal difference in the sound?
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences...
I have been following the audio upgrade threads for awhile now,
but I have a question.
To those who are replacing your speakers with the Infinity 652
or the Pioneer speakers, are you replacing the speakers in both
the front and rear doors? Seems to me I read several comments
about replacing only the front speakers. For those who have
replaced all 4, is there a marginal difference in the sound?
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences...
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217 Posts
VA,
With a stock system, the fronts make a big difference. Start there. The rears make an incremental difference, not as big, but given the low cost/effort are worth doing IMO. I did a all 4. After that, a sub changes makes a minor improvement for again small $$$s. Would follow that order....start with the fronts and if you are happy stop there.
You mentioned the Pioneers, they are good speakers but I would go Infinity. They have a little better efficiency, better bass (IMO), and a directional/adjustable tweeter. To me, my Pioneers are a little on the bright side and lack a little punch. Have the Infinity in a Miata and love them. I may do a change for the fronts
With a stock system, the fronts make a big difference. Start there. The rears make an incremental difference, not as big, but given the low cost/effort are worth doing IMO. I did a all 4. After that, a sub changes makes a minor improvement for again small $$$s. Would follow that order....start with the fronts and if you are happy stop there.
You mentioned the Pioneers, they are good speakers but I would go Infinity. They have a little better efficiency, better bass (IMO), and a directional/adjustable tweeter. To me, my Pioneers are a little on the bright side and lack a little punch. Have the Infinity in a Miata and love them. I may do a change for the fronts
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250 Posts
Thanks mcclendons for your advice...
Did you also use the dynamat?. Again, I have read most of the threads
about this, but do not remember all the facts. I am not exactly sure how
to deal with the dynamat. Any hints or suggestions would be great.
Did you also use the dynamat?. Again, I have read most of the threads
about this, but do not remember all the facts. I am not exactly sure how
to deal with the dynamat. Any hints or suggestions would be great.
I have the Bose system and am disappointed every time I turn it on. My wife has a Harmon Karden 200w system in her 9-5 Saab that rocks. Anyway. I'm going to go with the Infinity 652s in the front and wait to see about the rear. Has anyone installed the Infinity's in the rear & if so, how much more difficult than the front job? Also, I haven't seen much in the audio threads on anyone replacing the tweeters up front. The BWW 540 I replaced with the MDX had great crystal clear crisp tweeters, nothing like those in the Bose system. Has anyone replaced their tweeters (Is it necessary with the directionbal tweeters in the Infinity's)? If so, what kind? How does the grill come off the tweeter?
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