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 Geared up and ready to go! Our speaker listening roundtable panel. |
If you're searching for a great set of component speakers for your mobile A/V system, you know it's hard to find the "best" set by just comparing specs. Sure, you can look at frequency response, efficiency ratings, and factors like the speaker materials and construction, but that won't tell you the whole story. Finding the "best" set of speakers usually has as much to do with personal tastes in music and how we think things should sound, as it does with scientific specifications of speaker performance. To aid you in your quest to find the right set of component car speakers, we gathered together a worthy assemblage of brave knights (OK, audio writers), then put them in a room with three sets of high-performance component speakers and played a variety of music for a roundtable listening test and discussion. The opinions of our listeners may help you find the component speaker set that will work best for you.
Our merry band listened to the Kicker SS56.2, the MB Quart PCE 216, and the Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1 component speaker systems. We placed the speakers in identical enclosures, and connected them to the same amplifier and CD player through a speaker selector switch. To keep the field level, we adjusted playback volume levels by playing a full-frequency "pink noise" track and then measuring each speaker's output with an SPL meter. This ensured that no set of speakers would have an advantage because it sounded louder relative to the other models. After this the roundtable listened to our musical examples and recorded their reactions. This wasn't a "blind" test — our panel knew which speakers we were listening to, and after each musical example we stopped to discuss our thoughts on what we had heard.
What did we listen to? Each member of our panel provided a favorite CD track, ranging from the excitingly dense garage-band sound of The Mooney Suzuki's "Alive & Amplified," to Lucinda Williams' powerfully rockin' "Metal Firecracker," and onto the intimate excitement of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers classic jazz quintet cut "Moanin'." From the world of classical music we listened to the stirring First Movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "A Sea Symphony," with its goose-bump inducing mix of chorus and orchestra. Electronica was represented by the eclectic sampled sounds of Murcof's "Mir," while the gravelly voice of Tom Waits in the acoustic-flavored "Step Right Up" rounded out our selections.
What were we listening for? While we were enjoying the tunes, the roundtable examined how well the speakers performed several tasks, including imaging — how well the speakers reproduced the position of instruments and vocals; separation — whether or not individual parts and instruments came through clearly; tonal balance — whether certain frequencies "stuck out" unnecessarily, and bass response. You can read more about some of the key elements of speaker specs and construction in our Learning Center Speakers Glossary. For reference, we'll list the key specs of each speaker at the beginning of its discussion section.
Who gathered at the roundtable for the test? Since appreciation of good sound doesn't discriminate, our panel consisted of two home audio writers, Dave Bar and Ralph Graves, two car audio writers, Danae Marshall and Tim Sprinkle, plus our web product editor Charlie Pastorfield. Our roundtable look at these component speakers raised some strong opinions, and also the realization that, while all the speakers performed well, they each had specific strengths and weaknesses. In addition, a speaker that was great for one style of music wasn't necessarily great for another style. So, without further ado, let's check out what our panel had to say.
 The Kicker SS56.2 not only look great, they come packed in a spiffy carrying case. |
Kicker SS56.2
Kicker has built their SS series component speakers for the high-end market — believe it, with a price tag of nearly $800 for a set! What do you get for your money? A lot of cool construction details, for sure, like ferro-fluid cooled Tetoron dome tweeters with dual neo magnets and copper clad aluminum voice coils, and woven carbon poly woofers with butyl rubber surrounds and aluminum ribbon voice coils. Kicker claims that these elements allow the SS56.2 to play louder, with less distortion and very accurate sound. The external two-way crossover networks feature super-sharp 24 dB/octave high-pass filters and 12 dB/octave low-pass filters with tweeter attenuation circuits adjustable for 0 dB, +1.5 dB, and +3 dB. For our test we left the circuits at 0 dB. Specs wise, the speakers have a frequency range from 50 to 22,000 Hz, and an RMS power rating of 90 watts RMS.
Our crew had mixed feelings about Kicker's SS56.2 component speakers. A common comment was that the highs tended to be too crunchy or edgy. Ralph found the highs "too crisp," with "lots of edge" on The Mooney Suzuki's "Alive & Amplified." Dave seconded Ralph's concern, citing a "closed down top end" in Tom Wait's "Step Right Up." On the other hand, Charlie was a big fan. Among other things, he loved the brightness of the cymbal sound on Art Blakey's "Moanin'" and the natural sound he thought they captured.
 Crutchfield web editor Charlie Pastorfield was most impressed with the Kickers. "They sounded very natural and open to me, and they really brought out the little details in a nice way." |
The roundtable was pretty much in concert on the strengths of the Kickers. Almost all agreed that the speakers did an excellent job in separation and imaging. Typical was Tim's reaction to Lucinda Williams' "Metal Firecracker" — he was impressed by the "distinct and realistic" instrumental sounds. A common compliment also was the tightness of the bass, particularly on Murcof's "Mir." Charlie liked the "percussive" quality of the bass, which Ralph described as "crisp and responsive." The Kickers also scored high in dynamic control with the roundtable, particularly on "Moanin'." Almost all the panelists appreciated their ability to capture the excitement of the rising and falling dynamic interplay between Lee Morgan's brassily fat trumpet and Benny Golson's reedy tenor sax in this classic jazz recording.
As a group, we agreed that these speakers were well suited to music that requires a very precise playback. They excelled on electronica and jazz but did less well with more "lo-fi" cuts, like Mooney Suzuki or Tom Waits. While the bass reproduction is tight and accurate, it sometimes lacked the low-end extension we were looking for — it's probably best to use these in conjunction with a subwoofer for the best results.
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 The emphasis is on performance, not looks, with the MB Quart Premium PCE 216. |
MB Quart PCE 216
MB Quart's Premium component speakers are deceiving at first look. There's none of the heft associated with many high-end speakers, weighted down by heavy cast-metal baskets and large magnets. Instead, the PCE 216 have baskets made from an innovative polyamide ABS composite material reinforced with short glass fibers. The result is a light, but vibration-resistant platform for the woofer. Mounted in the basket is a rather plain-looking polypropylene cone with a titanium wet-powder coating. Benefit? The woofer has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. The payoff is a speaker that was markedly more efficient than the other models in the test. A 1" titanium dome tweeter covers the highs. Specs-wise, the PCE216 comes on strong with an RMS power rating of 130 watts, and a frequency response of 38 to 32,000 Hz. The external crosssovers have a 12 dB/octave slope, crossed over at 2500 Hz, with tweeter level settings of -6 dB, -4.5 dB, -3 dB, -1.5 dB, and 0 dB. As with the Kickers, we ran them at 0 dB attenuation.
Of the three speakers we listened to, the PCE 216 brought out the strongest reactions, both pro and con. Our roundtable panel agreed that they had the strongest midbass response, but disagreed on whether or not that was a good thing!
Danae came down firmly on the pro side. On "Step Right Up" she liked the "tight" upright acoustic bass sound, and thought the sound was "full and round" on the first movement of Vaughan Williams' "Sea Symphony." On the con side, Tim bemoaned the lack of separation, fuzzy instrumental characteristics, and compressed sound he heard, particularly on jazz cuts like "Moanin,'" as well as a lack of details in the Lucinda Williams track.
 The MB Quart PCE 216 were clearly the best to Danae. "Their midrange was resoundingly clear and open, while their soaring highs and thudding lows tied the whole package together." |
As a panel, we did agree that the PCE 216 speakers were a good choice for music that benefits from a more "blended" output. Large orchestral works, like the Vaughan Williams' "A Sea Symphony," and the dense garage-band sound of The Mooney Suzuki sounded great on the MB Quart set, while their slightly less clear-cut output was a bit of liability in reproducing the finer details in jazz and acoustic tracks. The tweeter of the PCE 216 got some special notice along the way from several panel members. Dave singled the tweeter out for praise several times, noting that it did a nice job of producing extended highs without being overly bright, an impressive feat, since titanium tweeters are often criticized for being overly harsh or metallic-sounding. The rest of the panel agreed with him on this point.
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 Infinity's Kappa Perfect 6.1 got the most high marks from our panel. |
Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1
Kappa Perfect speakers are at the top of Infinity's mobile audio lineup. You believe it when you pick them up — with a heavy cast basket and hefty magnet, these speakers feel like they're good! Infinity uses anodized aluminum for both the woofer and tweeter, with a thick butyl rubber surround suspending the woofer. Infinity rates the Perfect components as able to handle 100 watts RMS power, with a frequency response of 75 to 23,000 Hz. The external crossovers feature jumpers so you can attenuate or boost the tweeter's output to either ?4 dB, 0 dB, or 5 dB. For our test, we ran the system at 0 dB. While Infinity rates the sensitivity of the Kappa Perfects at 90 dB, we actually found them to be the least efficient of the three speaker sets in our round table listening test.
While declaring a clear-cut winner of "Best Speaker" in our roundtable discussion wasn't our goal, the Infinity Perfect 6.1 component set consistently ranked highly with the panel. In fact, three out of five chose the Perfect 6.1s as their favorite overall speakers.
Being the best all-around didn't mean they did everything the best, though. Most of the roundtable was a bit disappointed in their reproduction of the massive orchestra and chorus of the Vaughan Williams' "Sea Symphony." Ralph thought the separation of parts was poor, and the bass was lacking. Charlie thought the sound "a bit dull," and the sound of the massed chorus thin. Danae seconded Ralph's concern about the bass, categorizing it as "a bit weak."
 Tim, Ralph and Dave all agreed that they liked the Infinitys best for overall performance. Dave (center) liked the "excellent overall imaging and tonal balance," Tim (left) appreciated how they "brought out the subtleties in the jazz and classical examples," while Ralph (right) thought they "performed best overall, consistently delivering a clean sound throughout a wide range of musical genres." |
On the other tracks, the Infinitys came through with flying colors. They received praise from the roundtable in capturing the energy of Blakey's Jazz Messengers in "Moanin'." Tim cited the "nice separation," "realistic instrument tones," and the "warm" trumpet and upright bass, while Dave summed it up pretty clearly — "best overall." If you're looking for the most versatile component speaker system, one that can handle a wide variety of music, you won't go wrong with the Kappa Perfects.
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Summing up
As you can see, experienced audio listeners can disagree on what the "best" speakers are. In addition, they may find one set of speakers sounds best on one style of music, while another sounds best for a different style. Our panel was often surprised with how much they disagreed about which speakers they liked the best!
What are the best speakers for you? Take a look at what our panel had to say about each set. As you compare the roundtable's comments, think about the kind of music you like. Although we didn't always agree on which we thought was best, we did agree that each set of component speakers had its own strengths and weaknesses when reproducing different types of music. Check out the comments of our roundtable, compare them to your music listening preferences and get a feel for which component speaker set matches up to your needs. Then get started building your own great car audio system!