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IF YOU WANT, BUT IT CANNOT
Acoustic systems for music lovers with limited means.
Georgy KHOKHLOV, Anatoly FOMIN
The less you know the better you sleep. Popular wisdom, as always, is right. The owner of the car without special sound requirements will be pleased with the four cheap broadband speakers installed in regular places. Those who are seriously interested in audio technology, read special literature and have a certain idea of a good car audio system, have to shell out big money. I would like to have separate low and high frequency speakers, isolation filters, amplifiers and, of course, a subwoofer.
What to do if it doesn’t matter with finances? Maybe you should try to install complete speakers with separate components first? They seem to be not very expensive (less than $ 100 per pair), and promise a good sound. Why are very popular.
Today in our test - two-component speakers with a woofer with a diameter of 5 inches (13 cm) - the most common size. Unfortunately, we were not able to check the products of JVC and Philips: during our examination, dealers simply did not have them - on the shelves such systems do not lie down.
So why should spaced component systems be better than coaxial? This is obvious: each speaker is responsible for its own frequency range, which it copes with in the best way, and a separate arrangement allows you to avoid unwanted mutual influences. However, the separate layout has a drawback - it requires a much higher qualification of the installer. Otherwise, the sound may be even worse than with coaxial speakers installed in regular places.
However, in real life, the obvious advantages of the layout are often leveled by the applied technical solutions. Speakers, which will be discussed, are among the cheapest in their class, and manufacturers allow simplification of the design in order to reduce costs. Usually, a separation filter, which is made according to a simplified scheme, becomes the victim. As a result, in the frequency response in the range of 2.5–6 kHz (where the high- and low-frequency heads work simultaneously), a series of peaks and dips occurs, which are clearly visible for the trained music lover's ear.
The most common woofer cone material in these systems is paper. This is not at all bad, because in speakers of this type it provides noticeable advantages in sound, although from the point of view of reliability and durability in a car this is far from the best material.
Immediately, we note that the gap between the leaders and outsiders of our test turned out to be very small, as well as the difference in price. This indicates a high technical level of participants.
The editors thank the company “Car Audio and MMS for the provided equipment.
RCF T130
These speakers are made in Italy and are custom fit. In Russian, this means that they are intended for installation in regular places of cars. The low-frequency head is distinguished by its heroic size with a magnet and a specially textured paper diffuser with a water-repellent coating. The suspension design provides a very large stroke of the diffuser, which theoretically should help to reduce distortion at low frequencies at high volume. Unfortunately, in practice this is not noticeable. The only filter element is a capacitor.
The characteristics of this system are not pleased. Due to its solid dimensions, installation in the door is difficult. Even the high sensitivity and the lowest price did not allow these loudspeakers to rise from the last, fifth place.
CRUNCH P5.2c
It is impossible to assert with full confidence that these speakers are made in the USA, but they are definitely intended for the American market. Crunch is a division of the American company Audio Products Incorporated (Audio Products Inc).
These speakers are also designed to be installed “from the inside” into regular places, and not to be inserted “from the outside” into the upholstery panel. Accordingly, they have a high sealing lip on the top of the rim. The paper cone of the subwoofer with a variable decreasing stiffness from the center to the edges has a special coating. This allows you to reduce shape distortion and extend the piston mode of operation. The tweeter can be rotated during installation, which allows you to change the installation angle by 20 degrees. The high-grade isolation filter is mounted in a separate housing.
Despite the almost exemplary frequency response along the radiation axis and the smallest mounting depth, the loudspeakers did not get into the lead. This is due to serious performance failures at an angle of 50 degrees and low sensitivity, coupled with a fairly high level of non-linear distortion. The result is fourth place.
CLARION SRS 1322
Made in Malaysia. The woofer with a paper diffuser and a moisture-proof coating is equipped with a very small fabric corrugation connecting the cone to the rim. Such a scheme should not contribute to the large stroke of the diffuser and its small deformation, however, it is precisely it that unconditionally leads in non-linear distortion coefficient. The woofer is well sealed when installed in the hole from the outside and is additionally pressed by the ring of the protective grille. A separation filter (capacitor) is located in the cable.
This kit does not have the most successful frequency response, although a fairly high sensitivity and the lowest level of non-linear distortion allowed it to rightfully take third place, dividing the leaders and outsiders.
PIONEER TS-C1302
Made in Japan. The appearance of the system convinces only of absolute functionality - nothing more for the sake of beauty. The woofer has a paper diffuser connected to the rim of the diffuser holder with a powerful rubber corrugation. Despite the "noble origin", the form of the joint is not perfect, the glue appeared in some places. A soft-dome tweeter is connected through a simple filter (capacitor) in the wire.
The frequency characteristics of these speakers measured by us do not make a special impression, but they are favorably distinguished by the absence of "wide", pronounced dips. All indicators are very smooth, although without a twist. Except for one - very high sensitivity. Bearing in mind that speakers of this class are usually powered by a built-in radio amplifier, in our estimation we gave more weight to the sensitivity index. This allowed the “Pioneer” to win second place.
JBL GT5.0c
These American-made speakers are made in China. The material of the low-frequency head diffuser is polypropylene textured for greater rigidity. Tweeters of the “balanced dome” type (a design where the convex membrane and the ring adjacent to it emit sound) are made of a composite material based on titanium. A mounting ring is attached to each, allowing it to be fixed at a different angle. A full-fledged first-order isolation filter is made original, and in a very logical way - the capacitor is in the high-frequency head, and the inductance is in the low-frequency one.
Despite the average level of non-linear distortion and sensitivity, these loudspeakers showed very decent frequency characteristics and confidently coped with bass. This rightfully allowed them in a bitter struggle to seize first place, albeit with a minimal advantage.
Our reference