Car Audio Buff

The RDd65cs is Phoenix Gold’s 6.5″ component set from their latest Radial SD line of products. The Radial SD line has amplifiers, subwoofers, coaxials and component sets. The RSd component sets’ features are listed below.

Mid-bass Drivers

• Injection Molded Aluminum Plated Grained Polypropylene Cone
• Butyl Rubber Surround
• Flat Linear Roll Spider
• Rigid Powder Coated Anti-Resonant Steel Frame

Tweeters

• Silk Dome Tweeters
• Protective Phase Plug
• Pivoting Tweeter
• Flush Mount or Surface Mount Capability

Crossovers

• CAE/CAD Designed
• Absolute Phase
• High Order Asymmetrical Design
• Tweeter Adjustment (0, +2dB)

RSd65cs Specs

Power Handling (Minimum RMS/Peak): 5 watts/120 watts
Impedance: 4 ohms
Frequency Response: 45 Hz – 20 kHz
Sensitivity: 91 dB @ 2.83V/1M

Review

The package includes an owner’s manual, a warranty card and a template for the woofer cutout. The woofers have multiple-bolt patterns which should fit most standard and non-standard bolt configurations. It also has an optional black grill. The soft-dome tweeters can be swivel-mounted via two differently-angled pedestals, but you can also use the bare tweeter for factory mounting or flush-mounting. The crossovers have a translucent cover wherein you can see the components neatly arranged. The speaker terminals are gold-plated.

Due to installation and car acoustics playing a very major role on how the RSd65cs can sound, we’ll try to just criticize the basics—those that we think should stand out regardless of the install (assuming at least a good standard is applied).

The bass response is really good. They had a good mix with the instruments and vocals. Almost too “just right” in fact. Bass this good from out of the box should be really easy to play with and tune.

The highs can sound a bit too bright at times especially for cymbals and high notes of wind instruments—on both crossover-tweeter settings. The set can also sometimes lose valuable detail on complex recordings like orchestras or big bands, but that is really only expected on higher priced sets.

Other than the two mentioned above, the overall performance of the RSd65cs came as a surprise. It sounded very good and very unlike its price. This really is expected for newer speakers (which is good news) because the technology (materials, etc.) can only become cheaper, while the designs have already been tested and proven.

For a list price of $159, most car audio enthusiasts would consider this set as budget to mid-priced. What’s good about this market segment however (for the consumer), is that many manufacturers are trying compete for that coveted quintessential bang-for-the-buck component—that which has the best price to performance ratio. The Phoenix Gold RSd65cs should be up your list if you are looking to save a little while having a “competitive enough” system. With the proper tuning and installation, this set can compete with the best of them.

This test on the RSD65cs was conducted in a 2003 Honda Civic running a JL Audio 300/2v2 amplifier without a subwoofer. Tweeters were surface mounted using the supplied plenums.

Lowest price found: $89.95 @ DiscountJungle

Phoenix Gold RSd65cs

The Clarion DRZ9255 is a top choice for car audio enthusiasts who want only the purest sonic performance and the most advanced and most essential signal processing capabilities every tuner needs. While we wait for the official review of the DRZ9255, let us first review the features this sonic beast offers.

• Dual 24-bit / 96 kHz Sampling Digital-to-Analog Burr-Brown Converters and DSP
• Built-In 4-Way Crossovers
• 5-Band Parametric Equalizer
• Digital Time Alignment for Each Line Level Output
• 8-Channel/4-Volt Gold Plated Oxygen-Free Copper RCA Outputs
• 0.5dB-Step Electronic Volume Adjustment Circuit
• Copper Plated Chassis
• External DC/DC Converter
• CeNET Control of Optional CD Changer, TV Tuner and iPod Interface
• Two 2-Channel AUX Inputs
• Zinc Die-Cast Faceplate
• Fiber Optic Input/Output
• Vacuum Florescent Display
• 18FM/6AM Presets

High-resolution photos

Clarion DRZ9255 1

Clarion DRZ9255 2

Review coming soon.

The Pyle PL97M4 is an AM/FM-MP4 Video Player with USB/SD Reader. It has an auxilliary input, programmable repeat, random and intro play modes, auto memory store and preset scan, 30 preset stations and USA and Europe radio compatibility. It features a fixed face panel with electronic anti-shock mechanism. Its EQ has 3 presets—pop, rock and classic, while electronic audio controls feature volume, bass, treble, balance, and fader adjustability.

The unit can bring out 320 watts of total output—4 x 80 watts, standard ISO mounting chassis, 2 audio video outputs at the back and aux in on the face panel for easy access.

Retail Price: $182.60 (1 year warranty)
Lowest Price: $62.00 (refurbished); $80.97 (new)

Pyle PL97M4

Review coming soon.

The PCX2000D is part of Soundstream’s Picasso series of amplifiers. It is a Class D amplifier that has Twin Stack Technology which allows two amplifiers to power a single load. It has an FR4 circuit board which has continuously variable low-pass and subsonic filters and up to 18 decibels of bass boost. It is stable at 1 ohm, accepts up to 16 volts of DC input and has platinum RCA and power inputs.

Complete Specifications

Channels	1 ch. Class D
RMS Power@ 4 Ohm, 14.4V	1100
RMS Power@ 2 Ohm, 14.4V	1500
RMS Power@ 1 Ohm, 14.4V	2000
Total Harmonic Distortion (4 Ohm power)	0.50%
Frequency Response	15 – 250Hz
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (4 Ohm power)	85dB
Damping Factor (100Hz, 4 Ohm)	>200
Signal Voltage	200mV – 8V
Fusing	(5) 30
Dimensions: (2.5″h x 9.875″w)	22″
24dB/octave Low Pass Filter	50 – 150Hz
Remote Gain Control	Included
Bass Boost	0-18dB, 60Hz
Subsonic Filter (12dB/octave)	12dB, 15 – 40Hz
Phase Control	180º

Soundstream PCX2000D

Review coming soon.

Following our popular JL Audio 8W7 review, here comes the 13.5-inch monster 13W7 subwoofer from JL. The 1,500-watt 13W7 has an 8.38-inch magnet and weighs a staggering 52 lbs. This subwoofer is a beast. There are a handful of reviews out there, some done by the most respected experts so we will approach this review as a summarization of what people have been saying plus some points that we would like to add in the end, so read on.

What people are saying…

“This gives an all round performance of such high quality on every level that bettering it will be very hard to achieve. The reward for this entire endeavor comes in the audition. Bass is tight, fast and musical at whatever sound level you choose. It really does pack the punch and easily shakes the walls, but never sounds out of control. If you want quality and quantity and have the ancillaries to support it, the 13W7 or its smaller brothers will take you as close as it currently gets to ultimate bass.”

Peter Hawkins, Total Car Audio

“Listening to recordings of acoustic bass material leaves us with no wishes for improved reproduction and large organ pipe notes reveal a low bass that could not possibly be any fuller. The 13W7 reproduces rock and jazz with merciless precision, bass drums have the correct size and perfect impact, and these qualities are not diminished as volume is increased. Hard techno beat attacks really bring the 13W7’s special dynamic qualities to light, even fat, brutal synthesized bass blasts cannot exceed this woofer’s reserve capabilities.”

Cars & HiFi

“The 13W7 delivers a very impressive sense of power that’s absolutely addictive on this type of material. It’s a totally seductive and completely absorbing engulfment in bass. It has more peak-to-peak linear suspension travel than any subwoofer I’ve tested so far—more than 3 inches. The motor also has more stroke than any other subwoofer I’ve tested—26.3 mm, which is over 2 inches peak-to-peak.”

Tom Nousaine, Mobile Entertainment

Car Audio Buff

The 13W7 is a woofer which has it all. Not only are its ingenious technical solutions impressive, but also its sonic abilities which leave no desire unfulfilled. We all already know and consider the W7 series as one of the best woofers of all time, and the 13W7, the largest of the group, makes it sound like an understatement. It hammers out whatever you feed it, in a very accurate and composed manner. We failed to push the 13W7 to its limits with anything and any situation we put it in. Be it a small sedan, to a large van in a wall configuration.

We recommend wiring the 13W7 also to JL’s extraordinary 1000/1 amplifier as it will feed the perfect amount of power and the cleanest signal to the subwoofer. It can reach 150 decibels with ease, but depending on what type of bass you prefer, you can play around with the box setup. But for something this big, it would be ideal to go ported. Tune it 29.77 Hz for starters and take it from there.

The 13W7 does not come cheap considering you need to shell out another $600-$700 for an amplifier, but for this level of sound, we consider the subwoofer very appropriately priced. And, although there are other monsters out there pumping out more decibels for the true bass fanatics, the 13W7 wass made for people who cannot escape the fascination of a truly exceptional loudspeaker.

JL Audio 13W7

The Clarion DB345MP is one of the toughest entry-level CD receivers from Clarion. Manufactured in 2004, the 50 watts x 4 1-DIN headunit can play CDs & MP3s from CD-R & CD-RWs, and has a tough detatchable aluminum faceplate. It has Clarion’s Z-Enhancer and Magna Bass EX, and peaks (RMS) at 17 watts. The DB345MP has 4 line level output channels via RCA, 18 FM & 6 AM presets, a rotary volume control, and a blue negative 8-digit LCD display screen.

Review

I installed this in my car 4 years ago and it is still going strong. This thing is wonderful—it plays all my mp3 cds and never once has it given me a problem with any of the many brands of cds I have burned over the years. It was always very easy to program the time and change the equalizer settings. The detachable face plate also came in handy many times when leaving my car unattended either at the shop or in a shady neighborhood.

Manual

Download the DB345MP’s user’s manual (PDF).

Clarion DB345MP

The Infinity Reference 311A is a mono subwoofer amplifier that is rated at 116 watts RMS @ 4 ohms (312 watts RMS x 1 @ 2 ohms). Infinity’s Dynamic Bass Optimizer (DBO) circuit matches variable bass boost with a variable subsonic filter to enable low frequency fine-tuning while still providing protection for your speaker. Other features include two sets of parallel output terminals for easy connection of multiple subwoofers, and an optional remote level control.

Unboxing the 311A, you’ll see accessories such as a patch cord, a power cable, a fuse, a grounding cable and a turn-on lead. In fact, the only thing not included are the speaker wires itself.

The 311A powered (with ease) almost everything that we paired it with—2 Rockford Fosgate 10″ Stage 1s and 2 12″ P3s, a Kenwood 10″ in a ported box, and a Kicker 10″ CompVR. Most of the time our gain was only set to -3 and it already rattled the mirrors. We could not even get the clip light to blink when we cranked it up. We noticed that this amplifier is efficient in delivering volume with less power.

As this is a semi-old model, the sound is actually still up par with today’s current amplifiers. RTA analysis measured lows of 19 Hz and highs of up to 280 Hz. This is a Reference series so this used to be on top of Infinity’s line-up.

Installation was a breeze, so long as you have some experience with amps and subs.

Other Specifications

Frequency Response	17 Hz – 302 Hz
Signal to Noise Ratio	81 dB
THD @ RMS Power	1%
Input Voltage	14.4 v
Amplifier Class	AB
Bass Boost	12 dB
Bass Boost Frequency	20 – 80 Hz
Width	12″
Depth	11.44″
Height	2.69″

Infinity Reference 311A top

Infinity Reference 311A right

Infinity Reference 311A left

Sirius Satellite Radio Tuner/Receiver

The SR04 is actually Blaupunkt’s first Sirius radio, and, while most satellite radio tuners nowadays come built-in to the radio tuner itself, we look back at a time when satellite radio (ergo, and Howard Stern) actually mattered.

The America SR04 then listed for $160 but you would have to pay a $12.99 monthly subscription to Sirius. The small albeit aggressively-sized radio measures 4.75″ wide, 3.2″ high and is 1.2″ deep. Back then it was small, but not as small as the XM Roady2. Up to this point, you might still be wondering what the SR04 is doing in a car audio blog, but it came with a car kit so it’s the closest thing you could get to enjoying satellite radio in your car. By the way, it also comes with a “home kit.”

Navigation through the SR04 either by its small remote or via the faceplate itself was somewhat a pain. Besides not being user-friendly, the touch mechanism was too sensitive for its own good, so you really need to press just right. But like all car audio devices, once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature to you.

Because satellite radio is a new technology, it is supposed to sound good. Its high bandwidth means of transferring data to your device translates to cd-like (or mp3-like) sound quality. And the Blaupunkt did a good job in this area. Of course, much of this depends on what kind of equipment you have plugged in its analog audio output. But, since the digital signal is converted within the unit itself, the SR04 affects the sound more than you’d think.

Additional Features

The America SR04 has a 6-line display, built-in wireless FM modulator, 30 station presets and a 10 artist and song memory. The car kit includes a docking cradle, a 12v DC power cord, line out jack and cable and a magnetic car antenna.

Blaupunkt SR04

Blaupunkt München RDM 169

The Blaupunkt Munchen RDM 169 is a 1-DIN head unit which features flip-down faceplate, steering wheel-mounted remote, digital parametric equalizer, and has four preamp outputs, subwoofer output, and is rated at 40 watts x 4.

What people are saying

Maximum undistorted preamp output measured 3.2 volts and output impedance is a relatively low 101 ohms. Dynamic range measured in excess of –100 dB, which usually indicates some type of zero-bit gate.

The München’s user interface is surprisingly good considering the vast number of functions that the unit possesses. Overall, the München is a very slick, if somewhat complex, package.

Awesome sound quality. DPE is an awesome addition to an otherwise great head unit. Radio reception is of the quality i have come to expect from brands like Kenwood, and Pioneer.

I highly recommend this unit for anyone, especially if installing it in a european car, which it is designed to fit. The radio reception is unbelievable, and there are such a plethora of settings to adjust radio reception. This is a must for anyone that spend a lot of time listening to the radio, especially if you live in an area that has poor radio reception.

Blaupunkt RDM 169

Remember that one-of-a-kind subwoofer Clarion released a couple of years ago? See photo below.

Clarion SRV303

Yes, that is a subwoofer. The SRV303 is a powered subwoofer that combines a 3″ speaker with a built-in 65-watt amplifier. All is a super-compact ported enclosure. You can place it under the seat of your small car, in the glove compartment for up-front bass, or any place that can fit a 330mm by 230mm and 72.5 mm thick box. Heck, that’s smaller than most car amplifiers.

But…

For something as fresh a concept as it is, you either make it and set a trend or forget about it. Most review of the SRV303 have been less than stellar to say the least. In other words, it does what it is supposed to do, but unless really do not have the room fit a real subwoofer and amplifier in your system, the SRV303 is a good option to consider.

Clarion’s description of “Just want to add a little punch to your bass without a lot of booming and shaking?” tells the whole story. Try it in your wife’s car or your “unofficial” second system. Try it for the heck of it.

Update

The SRV303 has since been replaced by the SRV314, which is a smaller 6.6″ version of the SRV303.