Droop408

I just recently got 2 pioneer 12in ib flats 400w rms that I'm going to throw under my backseat. I already have some infinity kappa's, 6.5 in front doors and 6x9's in rear doors with no amp running off of my kenwood cd deck. I want to add a pair of tweeters and I guess a 4channel amp to this setup.

I've been out the audio game a long time so where does the crossover come to play?? Do amps now-a-days have one built in?? Do I need to look for tweeters that come with a x-over?? What wattage should I look for in tweeters so that they dont get drowned out by the subs??

Also.....any amp spec recommendations???

Thanks guys.

JoeBoost

Well you have tweeters already with the Kappa's and I assume they are coaxials given your question. Are you looking to add another set or wanting to install tweets in sail panels or pillars?

I dont know how much you know about crossovers so excuse the assumptions/remedial explanations.

All coaxials and component speaker systems have crossovers of some sort. Coaxials are usually built in or in some cases external. Component systems will typically have an external crossover.

Most decent amps will have a both filtering and crossovers.

The difference being for speaker systems the crossovers will set a fixed high pass/low pass filter and slope for both mid-woofer and tweeter with the addition of attenuation for the tweeter (sometimes select-able; -3db, 0db, +3db).

With amps you will get have high pass/low pass options for the various channels as well as adjustable filters (typically 50hz to 500hz) and on the higher end multiple slope choices (12db, 24db typically). Lower end amps will usually have a fixed slope.

Im pretty sure all car audio tweeter sets will come with their own crossover with a high pass filter in the 3Khz range.

Tweeter selection will have a lot to do with placement. Dome style tweeters will generally offer wider dispersion and will sound better off-axis as compared to a ring radiator which typically like to be on-axis due to their tighter directivity characteristics. Soft dome (silk or poly) tend to distort sooner than a hard dome metal (Ti, Al, Be) due to weight difference in the materials used. The hard domes are described as sounding more detailed and "ring" better but can be harsh whereas soft domes are described as warm and less harsh. This is entirely subjective and has nothing to do with the materials used and more to do with breakup in a given frequency range and again placement. Hard domes will typically play higher frequency ranges louder and with less breakup.

I wont get into ribbons/cones as they are not typical in car audio applications.

Tweets dont need alot of wattage to "cut through" lower frequencies. For instance, I have $18 Vifa ring radiator 1" tweets rated for 50w/4ohms that I am feeding 60w @ 4 ohms and my sub stage is 3 Pioneer 12" ibflats running off 1000w (1275w birthsheet) @ 1.3 ohms and the tweets have no problems keeping up. If you set and level gains appropriately then it shouldn't be a problem with your setup.

Too many options and opinions with amps I happen to like JL HD and XD series and Alpine PDXs. I also like Fosgate T series. Just happens to be what I have had luck with over the years.

You could run with a 5 channel or a 4 channel and monoblock for subs. Just size appropriately to your speakers RMS which is a safe method to ensure longer speaker life.

Droop408

My infinitys do have a tweetwer in them so I guess they are called 2ways. And the tweets do have that button, -3b +3b, on them. I thought that was a "loud" button. So what should that be set at?

Like I said, I have no amp running my 4 infinitys in the front/back doors but I would like to add some tweeters to the front door panels for SQ. When it comes time for me to buy an amp for my mids and highs, do I get a 4 channel amp?? Wouldn't that be considered 6 speakers? Or do I run my 6.5's and 6x9's with a 4 channel and the tweeters off of my deck??

Ya, I hella need some audio schooling.

JoeBoost

You could consider it a "loud" option. With 0db being "normal" -3 would be half as loud and +3db twice as loud. The setting is personal preference - with tweets in the doors I would use the +3db setting. See how that sounds before installing more tweeters.

If your still missing or not satisfied with your highs - rather that get into powering a second set of tweeters which would require another set of channels (yes 6) I would recommend you invest in a set of good components up front, stick with a 4 channel amp and mono for subs. Install the tweets as high in the doors as possible or optimally in the a-pillars on-axis (aimed at the driver). This is the best option for SQ, depth and width of stage.

You could feed a set of new tweets off existing channels or from HU.

IMO another set of tweeters will not do much in the way of SQ - it will be too bright, potentially harsh and fatiguing to listen too for any length of time.

WorknProgress

I agree. Often times people default to spending more money because they aren't satisfied with their sound, when a simple change in the orientation of the speaker is all that's needed; especially with tweeters.

Droop, If I were you I would amp the front speakers and tweeters and not worry about the rear-fill. With such a small cab, relatively speaking, you'll get all the sound you need out of the front comp's and tweets being amplified and let the rear coaxials run off the deck. Like Joe said, just aim the tweeters at the driver and passenger. For example the passenger side pillar should have the tweeter facing the driver, and the driver side pillar should have the tweeter facing the passenger.

As for your OP, 50 watts per tweeter should be plenty. You substage won't be too loud so you don't really have to worry. As for the crossover issue, yes they make amp's with built in crossovers allowing to run an active setup which simply means allowing you to choose the crossover points rather than sticking to the pre-determined factory points. However, seeing as your a bit rusty with car audio I would recommend buying tweeters and comps that come with the passive crossover and run that. Pretty easy stuff, you'll wire your deck to the amp, the amp to the crossover, then the crossover to the tweeter/speaker.

If you need suggestions on which products to buy, provide a budget and I'm sure we can help you out

Droop408

Thanks guys. Maybe I'll start a new thread cuz I have some stuff waiting at home plus an amp on the way. I was gonna have a shop install it but I miss these hands on projects.

I'll prolly need reminders on how to connect subs to an amp properly and which wires I'm supposed to keep separated, etc.

it's project time!!!