A Little Background
These speakers were installed in a 1999 Mitsubishi Galant using premium 12g speaker wire as well as premium interconnects from the head unit to the amplifiers. The head unit used is a recently installed
Sony CDX-M730 using a pair of low line
Pioneer amplifiers for power. With all these things in mind it is fair to say I can effectively judge the speakers performance without worrying about excessive coloration from the various other audio devices involved.
Install and Features
The JBL GTO605c speakers are component units meaning they feature a remotely mounted tweeter section as opposed to mounting it above the woofer. The tweeter can be mounted in a variety of location, though most people generally mount them on the dash, high in the door, or in the front window sails. The woofers were installed in the front doors as Q-Logic kick panel enclosures simply take up too much room in the foot box and considering it is a component set anyway, the added 14” won’t make as much of a difference in this app.
The speakers actually came with several trim rings not just for the woofers but a set for the tweeters as well, these greatly aided in the whole process of the install. The tweeters were very straightforward and feature not just a flush mount or raised mount option, but a socket that will work in either configuration. This socket allows the tweeter to be pivoted for optimal imaging and placement which results in much better overall clarity and ultimately less listener fatigue over long periods. Being that the woofers have a mounting depth of only slightly over two inches, clearance for the front windows was not a real concern and as such it was an easy install.
Locating the crossovers was not as easy but after several test fits I was able to locate it with proper clearance. These crossovers in this set are 2nd order (vs say the 4th order LR used by Infinity’s Perfect components). In the case of the tweeters I did not use the 12g cable I was using for the woofers simply because the leads coming off the tweeters themselves were 18g, so I used 18g as well, though it was microstrand copper cable from Radio Shack. Since it was only about four feet worth of cable, the cost was negligible, about $5. The leads off the tweeters featured ring connections, which I cut off to allow me solder the connection. The connections at the X-over were all copper rings I custom crimped. There is no tweeter gain control on the X-over as there is with Infinity Perfects or JBL GTi components, but its not too bad, the tweeters aren’t nearly as bright as I suspected they might be.
The Raw Facts
The numbers make a big difference when one is trying to match a system for ones car, not just from the standpoint of power handling, but also for finding the best match of speaker components based on response graphs (generally easily available from mfrs). For that reason I am going to include specs for this system taken directly from the instructions that came with speakers. Just as a side note that in standard Harman International fashion, the directions are clear, concise, and easy to follow. The reality here is that on the low end, when one is building a system, is often irrelevant simply because low pass / X-overs are often set much higher than the low end response of the speaker in question.
And the specs are…..
55Hz - 21kHz frequency response (very respectable)
90w RMS and 270w peak power handling for woofers (plenty for virtually everybody)
50w RMS and 150w peak power handling for tweeters (again, plenty)
92dB sensitivity for woofers @ 2.83V @ 1 meter (very good)
91dB sensitivity for tweeters @ 2.83V @ 1 meter (very good as well)
4ohm overall impedance
Most amps, if using separates, will allow the user to tune the output voltage to those levels or higher, but often the specifications given by the manufacturer represent the best of what a speaker set is capable of, as a result, testing and tuning is paramount. Just cranking the amplifiers gain is not the way to go.
Performance
These speakers have jaw dropping ability given the price. As much as I like Polk components, for the cost these speakers blow them away with hands tied. Low end response (cut at roughly 80Hz because the buyer is too lazy to figure out the head units X-over abilities) is punchy and strong with little or no hint of distortion at reasonable levels to the ear splitting. It’s not just the low end punch that counts however, from speech to bass guitar, to synthetic bass lines, to its mid level limit, the woofers provide a tremendous experience. Just for clarification, the truth here is that the “woofers” are truly mid bass drivers, but this is a niggling point that the average consumer will care less about, I mention it just for specifics.
The tweeters are remarkably clear yet docile. One problem users often complain of when it comes to tweeters is not so much that they are effective, but that they (depending on processing obviously) produce certain ranges too well, ie, they are “bright”. This certainly was the case with my Perfects before shaping, but these tweeters are not the traditional titanium offerings we’ve seen for so many years, but “Kaladex” units. I have tried very hard to find out what these actually are, information (even from friends that went to CES this year) is hard to get, but from what I can tell, it is a polymer/evaporate construction. None the less, they sound great.
The Good
These speakers sound great and even under the most minimal amplification perform well. The price simply can’t be beat although the crossovers do lack the adjustability we have come to expect from Harman. This is not a deal-breaker though, the tweeters activity will always be adjustable by even the cheapest head unit, stock or otherwise. Ultimately whether these speakers amplified by an aftermarket stereo or an elaborate amplifier set, the end result will be clear, highly defined, punchy tunes. I make this statement with the understanding that too much bass and too little amping will cause serious, even damaging, distortion. Keep it within the limits and you will be immensely happy.
The Bad
I really don’t have any disparaging things to say. These speakers perform amazingly well in 99% of all situations. Though you probably will never see them after install, they do look good to, so I can’t even fault them there. The chassis of the X-overs could be smaller, but in most installs it should be an easy hurdle to pass. Other than that, I love them and have recommended them heavily (primarily based on cost) to several buyers.
The Last Word
Outstanding performance from a very inexpensive set of speakers, If you are willing to do or pay for the extra install cost a component set will require, then this speaker set is the way to go. If you are looking at components in general and prefer fidelity over sheer SPLs but still don’t want to spend $300 , look beyond Rockford, Boston Acoustics, and ignore Polk as well as the Infinity low lines and get what does you right, JBL, the studio standard.
