alpine 52.1i 2-Way, IMQ Woofer, Ceramic Tweeter

Price Paid:  $200.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 1990 Honda Accord

Summary:
I was limited to the space I could use for a speaker unless I wanted to get into serious metal frame displacement. I purchased these Kappas 2 1/2 years ago and I have been completely satisfied with them. Using the right setup in the car you can get a pleasurable listening experience. If you want it loud, these speakers can handle it to the point you usually turn down the volume after 20 minutes or so because your ears begin to throb. Great investment for those looking for speakers to place in those smaller factory holes and you don't want to get into major cutting. Along with 2 10" subwoofers to handle the bass line, I usually had the Kappas set to negative bass and full treble to really bring out the highs and clarity of music. That's just my listening preference. I am looking at 2 sets of 6 x 9 Kappas now only because I just got a new car and the 5 1/4's will not fit. Besides, if the 5 1/4's were good, the 6 x 9 will be fantastic. Just boys and their toys!

Strengths:
Fantastic clarity. Great value for the price. Clean and concise output.

Weaknesses:
Unless you are willing to spend money on a very good amp, you will not get the most out of these speakers. I am using a Phoenix Gold QX4150 amp to power the 4 speakers. If you are looking for a speaker to handle a lot of bass look elsewhere, these Kappas provide adequate bass for the regular listener, but the hard core listener will not be satisfied.

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer, Sony. Kappa were better than any of these.

Price Paid:  $85.00

Summary:
i would only reccomend this product if you want highs.. this really doesnt have any mid bass. maybe cause i have bass caps on mine but if you mix a good sub with good enough amps it souunds good.

Strengths:
When you have a amp running to these kappas they sound nice!!! with soaring highs that hurts your ears...!!!

Weaknesses:
Hmm.. on 2nd pair now... even with bass caps.. my first pair blew... cost me 110 for those.. Without the bass caps.. the kapps bass is not tight it is not really solid.

Similar Products Used:
have had pioneer they.. sux...

Year / Model Reviewed:
 '89 Corolla

Summary:
Got mine for $99 on sale, normally $149. I have these in the rear deck on my SR-5 coupe, which is actually a pretty tight install. There is a lot of metal in the rear deck that gets in the way of the magnets. They sounded great initially, but I think my leaky trunk has gotten the best of them. When it rains, moisture accumulates in my trunk, which is where the backside of the speakers reside. After 2+ years of use, my cones are no longer cones, but have distorted.

These speakers will chew up whatever power up to 50W you want to send them without losing sound quality. The tweeters aren't as bright as the reference series, and sound better for it. Bass is reasonable, but not surprisingly good or great. Recommended once again to the old of ear who need more highs. My next system will have JL and Eclipse speakers, but that will have to wait for my new car (sigh).

Strengths:
Detailed highs without excessive brightness

Weaknesses:
Not enough bass, cones not as weather-resistant as I'd like (see below)

Similar Products Used:
Sony 5.25" were muddier, but probably a better value.

Year / Model Reviewed:
 '97?

Summary:
Paid $110/pr. for 2 pairs. These speakers sound pretty good, extremely clear and detailed, but they somehow lack mid-range dynamism. I listen to mostly loud rock'n'roll, (Stones, ZZTop, Cult, ACDC, etc), and I had the hardest time getting the guitars to be loud enough. I went through 3 amps, (Hafler 22wx4, Sony 50wx4, Soundstream 35wx4), before getting a Cadence with 75wx4 that finally got me close to where I wanted the sound. It would be hard to overpower these speakers, but get yourself a serious amp if you like your music loud.

Strengths:
Handle a lot of power, very detailed, nice sound

Weaknesses:
Need a lot of power, still just not very loud, not much bass handling

Similar Products Used:
Just factory speakers on cars, Ultimate Sound full range truck boxes in Pick-up.