Crisp doesn't always mean bright.
Written: Jan 16 '04 (Updated Jan 16 '04)
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Pros: Very excellent midbass. Highs are detailed and mild.
Cons: Tweeter installation is a nightmare. Crossovers require at least an intermediate knowledge of audio.
The Bottom Line: Since I'm not a professional installer, I'll give the ease of installation the benefit of the doubt. I'm very happy with their performance.
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| invaliduser's Full Review: Alpine SPX-F17M Car Component System |
First off, I think it's important to share what speakers I have used prior to using these. As far as separate components go, I have used the JL Audio XR and VR lines as well as the CDT CL line. So, I'm not exactly a connoisseur of high-end speakers; but, after using the SPX-F17M from Alpine, I don't think I'll be using anything else at least until they break.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll move into my review of the SPX-F17M 6.5" component speaker set from Alpine.
The SPX-F17M is the "flagship" set from Alpine. This does not, however, mean that this is their most upper-level set, which would be the $3000 F#1 series. So, in this context, I believe "flagship" is to be defined as that which is most upper-level, yet which is not to be confused with lavish and eccentric.
Like the F#1 set, the SPX-F17M is not sold in left/right pairs. Each side is sold separately. So, in a single box, you would find a single midwoofer, tweeter, and crossover. This means, depending on where you buy yours from, you would have to buy 2 SPX-F17M sets to have a complete pair. I bought mine from Ebay as a complete pair, so, when the package arrived, there were two boxes inside of it.
The crossovers are huge. They remind me of those big MB Quart crossovers for the premium and even the Q series. In fact, I would say the size of these crossovers is probably very close to the MB Quart Q series. Exactly what slopes the crossover uses is something I can't seem to find anywhere, including in the manual and at the Alpine website.
So, here's where the nightmare begins. The tweeters don't have the usual positive and negative wires running from them. I'm not saying that all tweeters do or should. But, I've always found it very convenient to have the wires right there to crimp to the wires from the amplifier. These instead have extra thin and flimsy prong terminals like those you would see on most coaxial speakers and midwoofers. So, I thought it would be no problem, provided that Alpine provided the proper crimp terminals to fit over them. These are after all not your usual size of prong either. These are far too small for a standard crimp to fit over. You might expect Alpine to supply the properly fitting terminals with their "flagship" set that retails at $700, right? WRONG.
So, if you're not ready to whip out the soldering iron to solder the wires to the tweeter, be ready to go out and buy some small crimps before even opening the box, except to read the manual perhaps. After wiggling the terminals just a few times, they broke in half. As I was saying, they are incredibly cheap. The negative terminals on my $35 kenwoods are sturdier than these.
Next up on the chopping block are the tweeter cups. There are two cups: An angled flush mount cup and an angled surface mount cup, the shape of which resembles a salt shaker. Both mounts have extreme angles. For non-angled flush mounting, alpine expects you to use the tweeter itself and use a rubber "slip-on" for the back of the tweeter as a protective housing. This means that if you already have pre-cut holes in your interior from your last 1" tweeter and its respective mounting cup, they're now too big for non-angled flush mounting of this tweeter.
Make note, however, that the tweeters are a bit larger than 1", but the cups still fit into a hole which was cut for a standard cup for 1" tweeters. Also worth mentioning here is that the stabilization brackets for the angled flush-mounting cups are off-centered on the cup, which makes it more difficult than ever to angle the cups exactly the way you want it. And, in the event that you were wondering, the tweeters do not swivel in the cup.
Where the tweeters lack in ease of installation, the woofers easily make up for it. Spring loaded terminals are just the beginning. Two mounting adapters including an OEM adapter, a roll of mounting tape, and all the necessary screws are included. Woofer installation was too easy.
The crossovers pose an interesting challenge. According to the manual, there are up to 160 different jumper configurations in the crossovers to accommodate a variety of phase and axis response problems. The manual even offers 4 different example scenarios with their appropriate jumper configurations. But, that's as far as I go in terms of understanding what is really going on there.
I read the manual front to back, and I am still relatively in the dark about just how each jumper functions in relation to woofer and tweeter location. However, I did spend some time using trial and error and did manage to find a very satisfying configuration. Although it may be that your woofer and tweeter set-up is similar to one of the example configurations in the manual, every vehicle is different; so, be prepared to spend some time getting hands on with the crossovers in order to find the tuning that you think is best.
I installed the tweeters with an angled flush mount in the mid-door area, approximately 4-6 inches away from the woofers. The woofers are located in the lower door area. I have roughly three layers of brown bread sounddeaner on doors, which has in the past squeezed surprisingly decent midbass from even the cheapest speakers, given that they're getting enough power.
On these particular speakers, I'm using an Alpine MRV t420, which is roughly 110 RMS x2. I switched off the hi-pass on the amp, and I instead use the 18db/octave hi-pass from an audiocontrol EQL.
These are by far the best speakers I have ever used in my car. The highs are an incredible blend of crisp as well as smooth, warm highs. I have yet to experience "fatigue" from overbearing treble or midrange. The midbass is enough to validate every penny I spent on this set; it is tight, accurate, and very prominent in the soundstage. This set makes my front stage everything I would like it to be.
And that sums up my review. My tastes in car audio aren't too sophisticated. I only ask for a "full" sounding front stage with fairly decent imaging and non-fatiguing, yet detailed highs. If you are expecting a list of specs, go to alpine1.com and do your homework. If you want something more objective, a professional review of these speakers can be found at pasmag.com.
This review serves the purpose of conveying my observations as they relate to my personal experiences and opinions, which can't be found in other resources. Pulling specs from the manual is worthless filler.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 325
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