Boston Acoustics SL65

[marcelo929]

Im finally putting in a sounds system on my car and went to my local audio shop, they recommended the SL65's for the front speakers, any opinions/recommendations for speakers around that price?

Here are the pics guys, nothing big but a step forward for sure.







Hope you like it
Modified by marcelo929 at 1:25 PM 8/21/2008

[AppleBonker]

At least you caught that this should be in the A/V section. We'll probably need a bit more info to give good advice on this one. Are you planning on using your stock head unit to power the speakers (or aftermarket head unit with an amp, etc)? Are you replacing only the fronts? What is your overall plan for this system? Oh yeah, and if the stock HU, Bose or not?

[marcelo929]

I wanted to use the stock HU non bose ( I would like tokeep a stock look) to power this and was planning on changing both front speakers and rears, and put in an amplifier and probably a 10" or 12" sub. My dad had some old Boston Acoustics 6x9s for the rear decks lying around from his last sound system but, they're 4 ohms so I was wondering if there was anyway I could still use those or if my best bet was buying new speakers. Any help is good, Thanks

[rjdmmfl1]

I wanted to use the stock HU non bose ( I would like tokeep a stock look) to power this and was planning on changing both front speakers and rears, and put in an amplifier and probably a 10" or 12" sub. My dad had some old Boston Acoustics 6x9s for the rear decks lying around from his last sound system but, they're 4 ohms so I was wondering if there was anyway I could still use those or if my best bet was buying new speakers. Any help is good, Thanks

OK, 1st, you're gonna need two amps, 1 4-channel(Class A/B) AMp for the front and rear speakers, and another mono(Class D or B/D)-amp for your woofer

your stock headunit could NOT properly power your BA speakers by itself... I would recommend going over to the Audio/Video Forum (which is where this discussion belongs) and looking at thevery top Sticky... there's a beautiful Q &A by Applebonker there. Afterwards, if you have more questions, then either myself or Applebonker, or both will expound!

[AppleBonker]

OK, 1st, you're gonna need two amps, 1 4-channel(Class A/B) AMp for the front and rear speakers, and another mono(Class D or B/D)-amp for your woofer

your stock headunit could NOT properly power your BA speakers by itself...

Doc is right on with this one. I've seen some excellent stereos that are running off the stock HU. However, they do have all of the gear that doc mentioned, as well as an audio processor to fine tune the system (not that you wanted to go this high-end).

One other option would be to go with one 5-channel amp (using 4 channels for the interior speakers and one channel for the sub). Either way, I would suggest looking at component speakers. The SL65's you're looking at would go in the doors, and you would be missing speakers higher in the car (either in the stock dash location or in custom A-pillar trim or whatever). You should be able to get a decent set of component speakers for around that price range and they would almost certainly sound significantly better (some of the better BA component stuff is pretty nice, but more expensive - Doc is running some so there is plenty of feedback on performance all over these forums).

[marcelo929]

Thanks for the information guys really, I probably will be buying a 5-channel amp even though I have read that two seperate amps is recommendable. I asked at the audio shop if I would need an audio processor such as the JL cleansweep, I believe, yet they said that since my car didn't come equipped with the BOSE system that they would just go with a hi/lo converter, I don't know if thats right or wrong me being new to all of this. and I definitely will look into a set of component speakers instead of the sl65s

[AppleBonker]

Thanks for the information guys really, I probably will be buying a 5-channel amp even though I have read that two seperate amps is recommendable. I asked at the audio shop if I would need an audio processor such as the JL cleansweep, I believe, yet they said that since my car didn't come equipped with the BOSE system that they would just go with a hi/lo converter, I don't know if thats right or wrong me being new to all of this. and I definitely will look into a set of component speakers instead of the sl65s

A processor will allow you to improve some of the audio quality, but it is certainly not necessary. About how much are you looking to spend on the front speakers (if you don't mind me asking)? This will help us throw out some recommendations.

[marcelo929]

Hm, around 300 maybe. My birthday was last month so finally have a decent amount to spend on my car

[AppleBonker]

Hm, around 300 maybe. My birthday was last month so finally have a decent amount to spend on my car

I love spending BDay money on audio stuff. Usually works out well. Hmm, for about that price you might be able to get into Doc's world with the BA Pro60's. I've seen sales occasionally on them that dip close to that (I think crutchfield is selling them for about 400 right now, and we all know they're not the cheapest source). Around that price-range I think those are probably the best (I'm not too keen on most of the other tweeters available in sets in that range), and Doc will probably back me up on that one.

Would you be opposed to buying used? The mobile audio community is very good about recycling gear. Buying used is a great way to get into some very high-end stuff without the high end prices. Just a thought to consider.

Also, you'll need to have your amp before buying these speakers. Anything costing more than about $75 is not going to sound good on a stock head unit (IMO). It's worth it to save up and buy everything at once if you can.

[marcelo929]

Thanks for the info AppleBonker, most definetely will shoot for those Pro60s. Crutchfield sells them on their dent and scrath store, or whatever it is, for about 330. Amp will most likely be bought today if all goes well. This will definitely be a nice first sound system for me

[AppleBonker]

Thanks for the info AppleBonker, most definetely will shoot for those Pro60s. Crutchfield sells them on their dent and scrath store, or whatever it is, for about 330. Amp will most likely be bought today if all goes well. This will definitely be a nice first sound system for me

It should sound good. What amp are you planning on going with? Also, hopefully you can get Doc to chime in with any useful info on those speakers if you go that route. He's got a bunch more experience with them than I do.

[marcelo929]

Probably go with something from JL just cause I can find most of their stuff at good prices from local shops. Not sure which one but will check that out today with the boss see what he says.

[rjdmmfl1]

It should sound good. What amp are you planning on going with? Also, hopefully you can get Doc to chime in with any useful info on those speakers if you go that route. He's got a bunch more experience with them than I do.

Finally got my Pro 60's spunding better... problem was with my amp... got it fixed now and my front sound stage sounds WAAAYYYYY better.... I don't think I'll be changing out the Pro 60's, but I am getting rid of the rear SL95's (Boston 6x9's)

[AppleBonker]

Finally got my Pro 60's spunding better... problem was with my amp... got it fixed now and my front sound stage sounds WAAAYYYYY better.... I don't think I'll be changing out the Pro 60's, but I am getting rid of the rear SL95's (Boston 6x9's)

Glad you got that tuned up a bit. Are they hitting a bit lower more cleanly now? You said you were having a tough time with the bass out of the pro 60's, so I'm hoping you got that fixed. What was the amp doing?

[stupidhead512]

I purchased my Pro60s on Ebay for $240. On top of that, I used live.com's cashback promo to get another 25% rebate that will be coming to me in about a month and a half. Here is how it works:

1. Open Internet Explorer (doesn't currently work with Firefox for whatever reason).

2. Go to http://www.live.com.

3. Do a search for some item. The items you search for to make this work varies. Currently, you can search for "boston acoustics pro 60".

4. You will see a banner ad at the top of the search results. One of them is for ebay and states "You may get 25% off with Paypal if eligible." If you don't see it, click the search button again a few times until you finally see the banner. Click that and it will take you to ebay.

5. Make sure you see the 25% back logo at the top of ebay. It is important that this shows up throughout the entire process. If it does not, THIS WILL NOT WORK.

6. Search ebay for the Boston Acoustics Pro 60. Find a seller selling them with "Buy It Now" and also accepts Paypal (most do).

7. Complete the But It Now transaction and you will receive an email in your ebay mailbox giving instructions to claim your cash back. It will be available in about 60 days.

I used this to purchase the equipment for my Altima. I purchased the Kenwood DDX-812, Boston Acoustics Pro 60 component speakers, BA SL95 6x9s, Rockford Fosgate T600-4 amp, Fosgate T1600-1bd mono amp, 2xP3D212 subs for a hair over $1500 after I get my cash back.

Best of luck with your purchase. Crutchfield is great for research, but unless their stuff is on sale for about 40-60% off, then they are over priced.

B

Thanks for the info AppleBonker, most definetely will shoot for those Pro60s. Crutchfield sells them on their dent and scrath store, or whatever it is, for about 330. Amp will most likely be bought today if all goes well. This will definitely be a nice first sound system for me

[rjdmmfl1]

Ohhh, you're running 2 P3's off of the T1500-1bd? you got the Dual 2 ohms subs, so my guess is you're running them at a 2 ohm load... congratulations, you've just found a way to blow your subs...

You will need to keep the gain wayyy down on that amp, and even then, you'll be giving those P3's all they can handle plus some... the T1500-1bd will most likely be doing about 1100-1200 RMS @ 2 ohms (not the 1000 that is states)... the P3's are comfortable @ 400 RMS, they will begin to distort @ 500 RMS, and @ 600 RMS you will literally be smelling the coils burning on the P3's when you have your system cranked @ high volumes...

I've heard 2x P3's driven by a T1500-1BD, and I could smell the coils burning with the rear seat down and the system cranked up.

Be very careful with this setup, you can easily blow those P3's up with that amp! These are not JL woofers, so you MUST go easy on them for the first 2-3 weeks and let them break in! Good luck!!

I purchased my Pro60s on Ebay for $240. On top of that, I used live.com's cashback promo to get another 25% rebate that will be coming to me in about a month and a half. Here is how it works:

1. Open Internet Explorer (doesn't currently work with Firefox for whatever reason).

2. Go to http://www.live.com.

3. Do a search for some item. The items you search for to make this work varies. Currently, you can search for "boston acoustics pro 60".

4. You will see a banner ad at the top of the search results. One of them is for ebay and states "You may get 25% off with Paypal if eligible." If you don't see it, click the search button again a few times until you finally see the banner. Click that and it will take you to ebay.

5. Make sure you see the 25% back logo at the top of ebay. It is important that this shows up throughout the entire process. If it does not, THIS WILL NOT WORK.

6. Search ebay for the Boston Acoustics Pro 60. Find a seller selling them with "Buy It Now" and also accepts Paypal (most do).

7. Complete the But It Now transaction and you will receive an email in your ebay mailbox giving instructions to claim your cash back. It will be available in about 60 days.

I used this to purchase the equipment for my Altima. I purchased the Kenwood DDX-812, Boston Acoustics Pro 60 component speakers, BA SL95 6x9s, Rockford Fosgate T600-4 amp, Fosgate T1600-1bd mono amp, 2xP3D212 subs for a hair over $1500 after I get my cash back.

Best of luck with your purchase. Crutchfield is great for research, but unless their stuff is on sale for about 40-60% off, then they are over priced.

B

[AppleBonker]

Ohhh, you're running 2 P3's off of the T1500-1bd? you got the Dual 2 ohms subs, so my guess is you're running them at a 2 ohm load... congratulations, you've just found a way to blow your subs...

You will need to keep the gain wayyy down on that amp, and even then, you'll be giving those P3's all they can handle plus some... the T1500-1bd will most likely be doing about 1100-1200 RMS @ 2 ohms (not the 1000 that is states)... the P3's are comfortable @ 400 RMS, they will begin to distort @ 500 RMS, and @ 600 RMS you will literally be smelling the coils burning on the P3's when you have your system cranked @ high volumes...

I've heard 2x P3's driven by a T1500-1BD, and I could smell the coils burning with the rear seat down and the system cranked up.

Be very careful with this setup, you can easily blow those P3's up with that amp! These are not JL woofers, so you MUST go easy on them for the first 2-3 weeks and let them break in! Good luck!!

Doc is right about this one. Make sure you read the FAQ sticky on gain setting. You will need to use the max power handling of the subs, not the amp. This will keep the gain turned down to an acceptable level. Powering subs with an amp that can blow them is usually a good thing (it keeps the amp far from clipping and will provide clean power to the subs). The only caveat to that is the need to keep the gain turned down so you don't overpower the subs. Some subs can handle far more than they're rated for, but testing this on your own would be a bad idea. Again, I can't stress the gain setting tutorial enough in this case! Follow that, and you'll be ok.

[stupidhead512]

As usual, thanks for the feedback gentlemen. I guess that is what I get for assuming the RMS on the ratings are accurate. :-)

[AppleBonker]

As usual, thanks for the feedback gentlemen. I guess that is what I get for assuming the RMS on the ratings are accurate. :-)

As you get more into higher-end amps, they are generally underrated somewhat. This is a good thing as it gives the amp more headroom. It will keep the amp further from clipping when being used at it's maximum rated capacity. Make sure you still set gains based on the rated efficiency.

[rjdmmfl1]

As usual, thanks for the feedback gentlemen. I guess that is what I get for assuming the RMS on the ratings are accurate. :-)

Its not your fault dude, I've been following RF for over 10 years, and I've witnessed the ups, downs, and ups again for the company!

The P3 subs are comparable to the old Punch HE2 subs... those things were rated @ 400 Watts RMS, the new T1's are comparable to the Punch HX2 subs, and those were rated @ 500 watts RMS, and the new T2 subs are comparable to the old POWER HX2 subs, and those were rated @ 1000 Watts RMS...

For marketing reasons (JL being a big competitor) they released the specs of the 12" P3 subs taking a nominal 500 Watts RMS... However this is at the UPPER end of what the P3 can handle ,RMS wise.

If you look at the Shallow 12" P3 and the regular 10" P3, they both have the more accurate 400 watts RMS power handling!

So, long story short, you will be applying ~ 550 - 600 watts RMS to a speaker that really only wants ~ 400 watts RMS... Again, not your fault, but you should ALWAYS do a lot of research on your stereo systems before buying them... and not bragging at all, but it would be hard pressed finding someone that really knows the ins and outs and history of Rockford's AMPS and SUBS
Modified by rjdmmfl1 at 12:14 PM 8/6/2008

[stupidhead512]

It isn't bragging when it is the truth!

I REALLY wanted the T2 subs to put in my trunk but based on the size of the enclosures I'm having built the Punch subs made much more sense (at least for my budget). If I had more money to spend I definitely would have gone with the JL W6 subs. If I had more space, I definitely would have gone with the T2 subs.

Sorry to hijack your thread, Marcelo!

Its not your fault dude, I've been following RF for over 10 years, and I've witnessed the ups, downs, and ups again for the company!

The P3 subs are comparable to the old Punch HE2 subs... those things were rated @ 400 Watts RMS, the new T1's are comparable to the Punch HX2 subs, and those were rated @ 500 watts RMS, and the new T2 subs are comparable to the old POWER HX2 subs, and those were rated @ 1000 Watts RMS...

For marketing reasons (JL being a big competitor) they released the specs of the 12" P3 subs taking a nominal 500 Watts RMS... However this is at the UPPER end of what the P3 can handle ,RMS wise.

If you look at the Shallow 12" P3 and the regular 10" P3, they both have the more accurate 400 watts RMS power handling!

So, long story short, you will be applying ~ 550 - 600 watts RMS to a speaker that really only wants ~ 400 watts RMS... Again, not your fault, but you should ALWAYS do a lot of research on your stereo systems before buying them... and not bragging at all, but it would be hard pressed finding someone that really knows the ins and outs and history of Rockford's AMPS and SUBS

Modified by rjdmmfl1 at 12:14 PM 8/6/2008

[marcelo929]

Hey if its helping a fellow NICO member why not

[AppleBonker]

Hey if its helping a fellow NICO member why not

If a thread lasts long enough, it will always get derailed. Anyway, do you have any better idea of what amp you're going to try to get? I know that determination wasn't made previously.

[marcelo929]

Update is that on the 14th of this month, my parents will give me 300 dollars and I can pretty much buy whatever I want I just have to pay for the rest. Trying to keep it anywhere between 350-500 maybe. At the moment i'll probably play it safe with a T-400 from RF or anybody have any idea if the new JL G series is any good? I just saw the G4500 so maybe that. Went to a local audio shop and they seem to do pretty much any installation with DB drive amps but haven't read anything about them lately so more than probably not the best choice. Still got time to think about it

[AppleBonker]

Update is that on the 14th of this month, my parents will give me 300 dollars and I can pretty much buy whatever I want I just have to pay for the rest. Trying to keep it anywhere between 350-500 maybe. At the moment i'll probably play it safe with a T-400 from RF or anybody have any idea if the new JL G series is any good? I just saw the G4500 so maybe that. Went to a local audio shop and they seem to do pretty much any installation with DB drive amps but haven't read anything about them lately so more than probably not the best choice. Still got time to think about it

Hmm, not too familiar with JL amps. I've heard mostly only there subs and sub amps. There decent products, but I feel (obviously this is just my opinion) that they tend to be a touch overpriced. That being said, I've been very happy with my Sundown amp. They do have a 4-channel amp around the price of the JL you mentioned but it has more power. You can find it here from and authorized retailer. Just another option as long as I hear what you're saying correctly. Are you looking to spend 350-500 on the amp? Or is that amp and speakers combined? Are you still planning on the BA Pro 60's and putting your old BA 6x9s in the rear deck? If so, an amp like the sundown would do wonders.

[marcelo929]

Spending 350 on the amp by itself is pretty much what i'll end up doing, sounds the most reasonable to me. The BA Pro 60's are on hold for now, dad isn't convinced I need them , but the 6x9's are already hooked up, for now im only using my front speakers till I get that amp installed. I'll probably go with that JL amp, just cause i'll find it here instead of ordering online. Time goes by so slowly all of a sudden, I want my amp noww

[AppleBonker]

Spending 350 on the amp by itself is pretty much what i'll end up doing, sounds the most reasonable to me. The BA Pro 60's are on hold for now, dad isn't convinced I need them , but the 6x9's are already hooked up, for now im only using my front speakers till I get that amp installed. I'll probably go with that JL amp, just cause i'll find it here instead of ordering online. Time goes by so slowly all of a sudden, I want my amp noww

Ha, my parents always thought I was spending too much money on my toys. In the end, it came down to the fact that it was my money. And, if you get the amp first, everything will be ready when you move forward on the Pro 60's.

For what it's worth, you're in Mission and there's an authorized Sundown retailer in your area in Edinburg:

NuStyle Performance & Sound- Edinburg, TX- (956) 929-9884

Might want to check them out just for the fun of it. If they sell Sundown, they probably also have some other nice gear.

[marcelo929]

Ha, my parents always thought I was spending too much money on my toys. In the end, it came down to the fact that it was my money. And, if you get the amp first, everything will be ready when you move forward on the Pro 60's.

For what it's worth, you're in Mission and there's an authorized Sundown retailer in your area in Edinburg:

NuStyle Performance & Sound- Edinburg, TX- (956) 929-9884

Might want to check them out just for the fun of it. If they sell Sundown, they probably also have some other nice gear.

Amazingly I didnt search for an authorized retailer around my area, thanks! I'll go check them out sometime next week for sure

[AppleBonker]

I've been reading into those amps a bit more. It seems a lot of people compare them favorably to my Alpine PDX-4.150. The Sundown SAX-4.100 is consistently said to be underrated and will likely put out near 125 watts RMS into four channels. It's a bit cheaper than my Alpine (which you can find for possibly under $400 on eBay - though this would not be an authorized retailer). I'm not sure what my amp would run from an authorized retailer currently. But, the more I look at it, the more I really like that Sundown amp. I love my mono amp, so I'm sure their multichannel amps are pretty good as well. Let me know what you think when you go check it out.

[rjdmmfl1]

I've heard really good things about the sundown amps, haven't used or listened to them myself though

also, my T600-4 Rockford Power amp is producing really nice power. The birth sheet states its doing 125 watts RMS @ 4 ohms, and 196 watts RMS @ 2 ohms.... this thing is powerful enough to cleanly power pretty much any component system out there...