JBL drivers as car speakers?

[Titanium Dome]

Car audio is a different, wonderful world of its own.

My Kia Sorento is equipped with JBL 8", 6.5", and 4" drivers, as well as--wait for it--wait for it---two component Ti tweeters! All driven by JBL amps for a cool kiloW of power. Oh yeah, JBL 12" subs, too.

JBL autosound is class leading and an excellent value. The automobile is like one huge internal speaker enclosure. Think about it. If you were to sit inside your L300 and all the drivers faced inward, would it change how you think about the drivers you used and their placement?

If you want great auto sound, generally I'd recommend JBL's excellent, purpose-developed auto components. They're hard to beat.

(I will admit during leaner days to dropping a pair of L50s, enclosures and all, in the cargo area of my IH Scout. For what it was, it sounded great, but when I could afford real car gear, it was evident how bad home components were in that application.)

[JonathanKeehn]

Installing JBL drivers in your car seems like a great idea, as long as you aren't in a climate that has wide temperature swings or is near salt air. The problem I see is that having tranducers that can easily produce 105 dB to 120 dB SPL's could be a very strong driving distraction and greatly reduce one's situational awareness. I have thought about upgrading the mediocre speakers and amplifier in my BMW but have decided not to for safety reasons, especially at speed. I usually listen to the car audio at less than 90 dB SPL. At home I like to listen at 105 to 110 dB for short periods. My teenage neighbor across the street has and Audi with a killer sound system ... and has had several accidents. Something to consider.

[GordonW]

A 125A or 127H (10" as used L26, L36, L40, etc) will work quite well as a trunk-mounted "infinite baffle" woofer in a car. Qts and Vas is high enough, that they'll load up pretty well in a small-car trunk, when mounted in the rear package tray. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time getting enough enclosure volume, to avoid excessive midbass boom.

However, I'd be more inclined to use a 12" driver such as a 123A from the L100/4311. More cone area, longer excursion, higher Q. Also, the cones will hold up better in a car environment... I've heard these mounted in IB in a car, and they were pretty impressive.

Regards,
Gordon.

[Nightbrace]

Wow I really started a great line of dialouge here. Is there anything I can do to treat the cones to make them more immune to temperature changes as well as the frames? Maybe just paint them? I only have room for 10" woofers in my trunk, and hate listening to the boomy subwoofers that are sold at Circuit SHitty and Worst Buy. What 3.5"er's wil work well? FYI, I want to put these in a 1985 monte carlo.

[johnaec]

10"? You'll only need one of these, and it's specifically made for cars - JBL W10GTI:

John

[Titanium Dome]

10"? You'll only need one of these, and it's specifically made for cars - JBL W10GTI:

John

Or are you just glad to see me?

[JonathanKeehn]

I have had several car audio speaker failures over the years and if my memory is correct, each of them has been related to the flexible lead from the terminals to the voice coil opening up from corrosion - presumably from road salt used in the Chicago area during the winter driving season. I'm guessing that the salt dries and is stirred up by driving and the white cloud of salt particles corrodes the door speakers over time. I suspect that newer cars with cabin air filter elements might reduce this problem. The other problems seem to be voice coil alignment issues caused by cone and suspension warping due to heat and humidity. You might contact some high-end pro installers in your area for their thoughts and recommendations. For at least the low frequency drivers, JBL's car audio line may be the best bet, as they are designed for the hostile envionrment of mobile audio.

[jbl4435]

I agree that drivers for home use may not last in the car enviroment. But, then again, just how long do we keep most cars? In 1982 I bought some Alpine equipment and JBL auto speakers. I was suprised at the number of people that said my car system sounded better than their home system. They were truly amazed. The JBL's were not all that expensive either. Most of the money was in the Alpine units. That was however, before car audio took off.

Hugh

JBL Speaks The Truth

[morbo!]

A big assed inverter
a home amp
a set of house speakers (preferablly jbl)
That would have to push the air around a car
u might have to buy a van though