I appreciated most of the replies made...exception of the obvious. I guess I'll take some time and experience the differences in speakers for myself. It will be difficult...to be honest....it sounds as if many of you are highly experienced or have an extreme amount of knowledge with audio. I, myself, probably won't be able to recognize a speaker as "bright" or "flat". I'm actually very new to the world of car audio, but very eager to learn.

I had already purchased a Q-Series Audiobahn 12" (don't know specifics at the moment) and plan to install that as well.

Any quick tips or links that offer some information on the details and specifics?

I'm also planning on purchasing an Eclipse HU before the MB-Quartz. I actually was interested in the Eclipse 8053 CD-player, but when I recently visited www.eclipse-web.com and they no longer show that model in their products page.

 

eclipse is only offering what is left in stock. they are no longer producing the unit, but some eclipse dealers might still have some in stock. great unit, depending on your application of course.

have you heard the Q series for yourself?

 

no, actually i haven't. I've heard plenty of systems growing up, but they were all systems that they put together with the sole intention of squeezing out the most power they could of it. I haven't met one person who thoroughly and carefully put together a sound system for perfection.

 

Im sure this post was real helpful in his descision making....

And why are they "garbage?"

 

The new head units, from what I see on the web, make me sad. Eclipse gets a big from me for taking the 84XX's down the glitzy Alpine path and then no longer offering an audiophile deck (or a high-end deck with legible numbers in sunlight.. grr). I can't say I didn't see it coming though when the model that replaced the CD 8053, then was officially lower than CD 8053 (top of the line for multiple years), had a slot for a Sony Memory Stick. Also, all the decks are back to 50 watts x 4. Who buys a $500 headunit and doesn't use an external amp?

If you can find one, the CD 8053 is likely still the cleanest head unit you can get. On paper, it's a sizable step up from the nav units they offer now and the lesser, but more readble, 5XXX series.

At least Eclipse is offering HD radio and Sirius satellite radio now. I sometimes wish I had that option on my HU.

 

please, please -- listen to anything before you buy, especially speakers.

the differences between bright, flat, boomy, warm, etc. are all pretty irrelevant at the end of the day. what IS important is that you LIKE the way a speaker sounds.

to give you an idea of what they mean though, this is the rough meaning...
a bright speaker will be tonally unbalanced to highs. meaning, the highs will sound relatively louder than the mids and bass. cymbals, high vocals, high frequency guitar rifts, rhythms, etc. all will sound louder. this is often favored by electronica or rock types, and often pop types too.
a flat speaker means that they should all sound roughly the same volume (less pleasant than most people realize - i tend to favor this more vs less). many people feel this is a lifeless sound, but in reality, it's least tainted by the speakers... however, flat speakers will generally sound worse at low volumes, and quite good at high volumes. (your ears are more sensitive to midrange, so a flat speaker will sound weak on highs and lows at lower volumes). this is often favored by classical and opera fans, with spoken word fans mixed in. also, some music purists will fall in here too.
warm generally means that the midrange and mid bass is a bit stronger than the highs or deep lows, enhancing vocals, and most midrange instruments. it also can make music seem a bit smoother, like a jazz club or small room performance. i fall in here. people who generally like jazz, folk, some alternative, and accoustic stuff fall in here.
boomy is the 'bright' equivalent, but in bass. highs are lost, crispness is lost... but the bass is typically strong, and sometimes prefered to be sloppy. this is often your rap and R&B fans, with some rock and pop mixed in.

(the stereotypes ARE stereotypes... so they aren't going to match anyone, or even most people... it's just my typical experience. like me? i like typical 'warm' sounding music, but i'm a big fan of heavy rock, and i like a lot of electronica... warm just appeals to me overall.)

the average American likes their music w/ boomy bass and bright highs. it gives a solid 'rock' feel to the music, and can be often heard refered to as 'punchy'. you'll find most rock lovers, country lovers, and pop lovers in here.

hope this helps.




this is about as worthless as you claim the MB Quarts to be.... heck, i said close to the same thing (even more insulting since my kids banging spoons on pots is pretty bad, and on the same level as i'd rank Bose), but at least creditential this w/ it being your opinion, not as some pathetic absolute or fact. also, you can say it in a much nicer fashion, WHILE stating it's your opinion. PLUS, you can actually EXPLAIN why you feel this way, instead of coming off like someone in the 2nd quartile below average intelligence.

thanks for the meaningless contribution to the thread.

 

That was great help. I appreciate the input greatly.

Any online dealers for Eclipse HU?

 

^ Look, someone else has made the "keep an eye on me because I post useless info" list Good call buddy.

 

personal prefrence. But if you are the kind of person that wants audio fatigue then thats on you. I find them to be too bright, not enough lows, barely decent amount of midrange and quite frankly, at the price theyre asking, you can do much better. After doing a number of systems with mb quartz in a wide range of vehicles and theyre all lacking in the same way, i imagine its safe to say that theyre garbage. But hey, onto each his own.

Darkknight how is that useless information? just because you're a mb quartz groupie doesnt mean theyre the best. Theyre not, deal with it. What i posted is my own opinion. I laugh at people who jump on the mb quartz bandwagon the same way i laugh at people who swear up and down that JL audio W7 is the best sub out there.

 

useful.

useless.




see? now, was that so hard?