Eclipse component speaker impression

Hi everyone.  I just finished installing a very nice set of Eclipse SC8362 components in the front of my vehicle.  I'm writing because these guys have amazing mid-bass output, and I know that's something always sought in car audio.  Even with full Dynamat treatment on inner and outer door skin, the woofers in these comps vibrate the entire door.  It's the first time I've ever scrambled for the deck EQ to cut the bass to -3.  I'm thinking of adding a layer of rubber sound deadener (like that used inside the hood) on the inside of the door panels.  I am very impressed by the output from these speakers.  I have not measured the output yet, but if I had to guess I'd say these guys are reaching down to 50Hz with ease.  The silk dome tweets are very smooth and clear as a bell.  The only thing lacking on initial listen is the kind of mid-range clarity I am used to from my Seas components, but that may develop as the woofers break in a little.  In any case, I can highly recommend the Eclipse component sets (at least these 2-ways from last model year) for very nice high end with prodigious mid-bass output.  Thanks for the excellent recommendation, Rob.

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Where are the tweeters located? Are these in the outlander? Deck power or amp?

I think I saw a few of these at Good Guys yesterday at 50-60% off!

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Yes, in the new Outlander.  The tweets are in the OEM tweeter pods on the doors (rear view mirror mount location) and woofers in OEM door locations.  Eclipse crossovers screwed to inside of door and  tweeter pads defeated.  Eclipse CD5444 deck, power from McIntosh MCC204 located under the passenger seat.  Rear speakers currently removed, getting ready to install 6.5" sub in each rear door (I want a completely stealth installation.)

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DYohn] wrote:

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nbsp; Rear speakers currently removed, getting ready to install 6.5" sub in each rear door (I want a completely stealth installation.)

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What? No 15" a-bahn flame thrower woofers in a neon bandpass?

Seriously, what 6.5" subs are you going to use?

DYohn you have been tunred to an Eclipse junky! Just don't use the ESN security!

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yes tell us if they improve after break-in. im always looking for great fair priced components.     i have 4 vehicles im putting systems in. and im looking to buy another car.     i put a totally stealth system in my wifes car too.    (just dont open the trunk)

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dwarren wrote:

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What? No 15" a-bahn flame thrower woofers in a neon bandpass?

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Yea, I thought of that but I want to use the cargo area for cargo, which is why I bought the little SUV in the first place.

dwarren wrote:

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Seriously, what 6.5" subs are you going to use?

DYohn you have been turned to an Eclipse junky! Just don't use the ESN security!

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A set of Tang Band 6.5" subs.  I played around with them and they sound surprisingly good.  With 24 sqft of Dynamat Extreme on each door, it should work (wish I'd treated the front doors so liberally.)  By my calculations, the rear doors should function as a ported enclosure tuned to about 35Hz, which is just right for me.  And plenty of room so the windows will still function (which surprised me.)  I am allowing myself to be an Eclipse junky in this car because I value SQ above all else and Nakamichi's new stuff is overpriced and a pale imitation of what they used to be.

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The Tang Bands I'm sure will sound much better than the pyramid "orginals" that I had in mind...lol.  Wow 24 sqft of Dynamat should yield great results.

Unfortunate for Nak, they obviously had great stuff at the time. 

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DYohn] wrote:

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set of Tang Band 6.5" subs. I played around with them and they sound surprisingly good. With 24 sqft of Dynamat Extreme on each door, it should work (wish I'd treated the front doors so liberally.) By my calculations, the rear doors should function as a ported enclosure tuned to about 35Hz, which is just right for me. And plenty of room so the windows will still function (which surprised me.) I am allowing myself to be an Eclipse junky in this car because I value SQ above all else and Nakamichi's new stuff is overpriced and a pale imitation of what they used to be.

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The TB's a awesome little woofers. Charles (of Harman fame) looked at them and was VERY suitably impressed with them. He specifically mentioned the OBVIOUS Xmax, and he liked the efficiency numbers as well.

I had them sitting RIGHT next to a pair of the Extremis woofers, (sorry, Steven) and he liked them very much, noticing very similar motor structures. Personally, from my previous experiences with both of these woofers, the TB will do a better job down low, but the mid-range quality of the Extremis will beat the CRAP out of the TB's. I think you'll be happy with those TB's in a "subwoofer" application. Surprising output for such a small woofer!

I am curious to know, though, why did dwarren say to not use the Eclipse ESN...??? You no likey?

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

I agree, the TBs sound very good.  Surprisingly powerful for a $40 7" driver.  I've got some level matching and crossover tweaking to do tomorrow, but initial impression is positive.  I've got the TBs low-passed at 100Hz and it's more than enough IMO.  They have several versions of this speaker now, including a 5-1/4" and two different 6.5's.  Also a new 8" but it uses a different motor, and an odd duck at 8" X 12" that might be interesting to play around with. 

I would not put these in the same category as the Extremis, however, as they are limited to woofer duty and won't play much higher than 700Hz.  I have several Extremii in my HT setup now, all playing up to 3KHz.  Their midrange sound quality is outstanding to say the least.

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haemphyst wrote:

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I am curious to know, though, why did dwarren say to not use the Eclipse ESN...??? You no likey?

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No sir, not as of yesterday. I did some battery wiring work which led to the removal of the battery terminal, so loss of constant. At the time I had my ESN security activated. When I was finished, I went to go use my radio and unfortunately it went into security. Fine no big deal, but it was more than just putting my security CD in. It involved three phone calls to Eclipse. I eventually asked the tech if the radio would do this w/o the ESN activated and the answer was no. So my positive feelings about ESN have decreased. It seems more like a gimmick for sales (reassuring the customer) than a real useable feature.

I also spoke to a friend who was once an Eclipse dealer and he said that on every Monday, some sap would come back complaining the radio wouldn't work after a dead battery.

My alternartive, I put in an alarm.

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that's it dyohn, they are going to sell like mad. everything you reccomend sells - your like operah lol.

What made you switch out your seas?

The Tang Bands are great little woofers for people like me who want good overall frequency response and low-end reinforcement, but not for someone who wants the typical "boom" sound.  For that, nothing replaces large diaphrams, large enclosures and high power.

New car.  The Seas Lotus set is in a different car.

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DYohn, did you install port tubes in the rear doors?  And when you said you defeated the pads in the tweeters, was that by setting the jumper to +3 or something different?

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Yea, I estimated the volume inside the door at 2.75 cuft and ported with a 3" flared port tube 3.75" long.  The OEM crossovers have a built-in L-pad and a "defeat" switch.  I tuned by ear and decided the tweets did not need attenuation.  I may decide later that they do.

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Good to hear that you are that impressed David, I have used the various incarnations of these speakers for years. They are a set of Vifa speakers in disguise for those that did not know. That chrome flame blue led grill that you wanted is in the mail to you....expect it next week.

Now about ESN......your complaining because the unit did it's job? Next time remember to have no cd in the unit or have the correct key cd in the unit before you unplug the power from it...... I get about 2 people a week that this has happened to, in some cases it is the same people over and over and over again.  Yes they know all about ESN but what can you do about stupidity, it seems to come to some people naturally. I think that you just forgot about how particular it really is. If you remove power to the unit in any way and there is a cd  in the unit, it will automatically source that cd 5 times until the unit locks up due to the wrong cd being inserted. This is the root cause of more people coming in the door from the car dealers no matter how many times I tell the service guys what they need to do. Jeepers.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

Ah, thanks for the info, Rob.  The woofers DO look a lot like Vifa PL18W woofers.  Interesting! 

FWIW, the ESN in my HU is activated.  And I also have an alarm.

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DYohn] wrote:

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C8362 components

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are these last years model components or the new ones? im really not too fond of their new set as the highs are too much with the metal dome tweeter they are using. im eventually switching back to the 6 1/2 set that i had in my last car and selling the new style 5 1/4 set i have in there now. id rather the sound of the soft dome since it adds more warmth. well, least it does to me. oh yeah, and welcome to the eclipse junky club. :)

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