Best speaker for the money?

[TangoDown]

In your opinion, what speaker is best matched for the amount spent?? I am thinking about upgrading the speakers in my car (currently running one underpowered Able2 speaker from 1996) to a dual-speaker setup. The sirenhead is a Carson SC-409 Commander.


CA-SC-409-med.jpg[/attachment:34j51o1k]

 

[TangoDown]

Also, vehicle is a 2009 Chevy Impala. Probably not the best for mounting something behind the grille, but I do have a nice Go-Rhino! Push Bumper which I could mount speakers to on the front.

 

[MPD 818]

Federal AS124. Reasonable priced, very sturdy, and loud. Have had mine mounted on 3 different vehicles and it has never given me any trouble.

 

[cajunblitz]

Federal AS124. Reasonable priced, very sturdy, and loud. Have had mine mounted on 3 different vehicles and it has never given me any trouble.

+1 This speaker will perform beautifully in your car!


The Federal Signal AS-124 will mount in that 2009 Impala with the 750501-02 kit.


Just remember to turn the driver in the housing for proper drainage since the housing goes from horizontal to vertical.


http://www.fedsig.com/products/docs/install/2562240.pdf


OR


Mount it on your pushbumper!

 

[TangoDown]

cajun - that is exactly the sort of setup I am looking for. The only thing I might change would be to switch to a dual-speaker setup, and mount both speakers to the lower bar. Leave the upper bar for the LINs which are already mounted up there.


Thank you MPD 818 and cajunblitz

 

[fireman616wfd]

cajun - that is exactly the sort of setup I am looking for. The only thing I might change would be to switch to a dual-speaker setup, and mount both speakers to the lower bar. Leave the upper bar for the LINs which are already mounted up there.

Thank you MPD 818 and cajunblitz

+1 on that... I was thinking the same thing when you said the dual speaker set-up

 

[cajunblitz]

cajun - that is exactly the sort of setup I am looking for. The only thing I might change would be to switch to a dual-speaker setup, and mount both speakers to the lower bar. Leave the upper bar for the LINs which are already mounted up there.

Thank you MPD 818 and cajunblitz

I completely whiffed on seeing the dual speaker set-up comment! In that case, looky here:





You could also mount one speaker on your pushbumper and one in the fascia like I did on this car:





There's actually a Whelen SA315 in the grille behind the AS-124, and a pair of Whelen Howler speakers in the fascia.

 

[fireman616wfd]

Cajun do you have any pictures of them mounted under the bar in the corners?

 

[cajunblitz]

Cajun do you have any pictures of them mounted under the bar in the corners?

No I sure don't and I'll tell you why...there are a couple of reasons.


1. I'm not s huge fan of how they look hanging at the bottom, so I avoid mounting them there. Kinda leaves a "looks like it's missing something in the middle" space on top to me.


2. Most of the time there isn't enough depth because the point of the fascia protrudes into the mounting area more so under the mounting plate/crossbar than over it....in other words the fascia hits the backs of the speakers and they won't mount easily or sometimes at all.


I just stay away from fighting it for that reason and mount them on top. Our local PD went from running a pair of Whelen SA314s and SA315s hanging under (not my idea and I hated mounting them there, a HUGE PIA) to a single AS124 mounted top center like I do on everything else. The single AS124 cars are louder than the twin SA315 cars. I love it!

 

[VolEms]

How could one speaker be louder then two? Loving the Rect 25 mounted next to the spkr . I hope they are high power. Cajun what do you think is the loudest spkr today. I have had a couple of fed sig Dynamax spkrs blow I like Whelen better. Ive heard some say the scoops are the loudest.

 

[cajunblitz]

How could one speaker be louder then two? Loving the Rect 25 mounted next to the spkr . I hope they are high power. Cajun what do you think is the loudest spkr today. I have had a couple of fed sig Dynamax spkrs blow I like Whelen better. Ive heard some say the scoops are the loudest.

It's all about acoustics, power and enclosure design. Using two speakers instead of one doesn't automatically make them louder, unless you're comparing all the same speaker. By design, a pair of thin line speakers with a small or no acoustical housing aren't going to perform any better than one speaker with a good acoustical housing. Think about Bose speakers......like the "Acoustic Wave" model. Know what's in there? A very small speaker mounted in a very well designed acoustic housing. It sounds louder than it should because of the enclosure.


This brings us back to a pair of thin line SA series Whelen speakers versus one FedSig AS124 (in a larger acoustic housing). I believe the SA124 will outperform those thin speakers every time with the same siren amp because it's in a better designed larger housing.


The FedSig Dynamax speakers did have some design problems....the smaller driver coils could not handle the lower siren frequencies and would cause the speaker to fail. Enter the redesigned ES-100......larger coil in a larger field serviceable replaceable driver but still mounted in a slim line housing. You will see the failure rate of the ES-100 go way down versus the MS-100 due to its redesign.


The loudest speakers I've heard are actually some Cast Products housings made to fit under chassis on a Tahoe. We built a 99 year model Tahoe several years ago with those Cast Products speakers for the guy that now drives that Black BatMobile Tahoe I built in the installs forum. We had a speaker mounted in front of each front tire and one in the middle under the front bumper, and actually had 3 Omega 90 amplifiers on them, one for each speaker. Theoretically running 300 watts, that truck with those Cast Products speakers was louder than his current truck, which is running a pair of Omega 90s on 4 AS124s (theoretically 400 watts). It was those Cast Product speakers that made the difference.


Those RECT25s are always Low Current (6 diode) versions when I mount them like that or externally. The only time I use Standard or High Power RECT series LEDs are when they are mounted in a filtered (through glass or tint or both) application. The LC versions are plenty bright when utilized like that with no filter.

 

[Henry455]

As Cajunblitz said, all depends on the design of the speaker housing. With todays compact speakers to meet db specs, the siren manufs. are having to use high pitch signals to get the required db output and the db output can will vary with tone frequencies. Look at these two Atlas Sound siren speakers. They both use the same driver but db output can vary significantly based on tone frequency and housing design. Scroll down to look at the frequency/amplitude graph of both speakers to see what I am saying. Wish other speaker makers would provide this information.


TS 100 type speaker


http://www.atlassound.com/FileDownload/ ... _ID807.PDF


Concealed scoop speaker


http://www.atlassound.com/FileDownload/ ... _ID810.PDF


The Whelen Xecutor speaker/amp combo, although only practical for large vehicles, can produce 136 db @1 meter (126 db @ 10 feet) using only 100 watts. That almost twice the SPL output of most 200 watt siren/speaker combinations.

 

[HPD84]

Whelen SA315P,Its Compact,Versatile and Priced right

 

[VolEms]

The only company who makes a 200watt spkr is Fed Signal. They use them on Fire Trucks. I think they are too big for POV's .

 

[unlisted]

The only company who makes a 200watt spkr is Fed Signal. They use them on Fire Trucks. I think they are too big for POV's .

Uh, okay than..


Back more on topic, since I don't want to search for the other "200 watt drivers" How does a BP100 speaker measure up to others in this discussion?

 

[Klein]

Either an AS124 or Dynamax ES100. I have two ES100s on my truck and they are hella loud. I used to have dual Whelen SA315 and they were just not loud. I thought one SA314 was louder than two SA315. AS124 is great for a budget but if you have the money, the ES100. I believe the drivers are the same in the two speakers, though, which is nice just different size housings.

 

[MPD 818]

BP100 was a good speaker, we still have some older patrol cars at work that use them. They weigh a lot more than most speakers. Both speakers are great, would go with the 124 just because it weighs less.

 

[Henry455]

The only company who makes a 200watt spkr is Fed Signal. They use them on Fire Trucks. I think they are too big for POV's .

The Federal 200 watt speaker, BP200, is 2 100 watt drivers mounted facing each other in a very small housing (5.5" X 8" X 8'), just a few inches bigger than a BP100 100 watt speaker. Hard to believe how effective that can be.

 

[EL1998P71]

I have a few BP 100's.


Decently loud, but a very heavy speaker.


I've recently changed to a SA315 speaker and haven't notice any change in volume.


(using a smart siren air horn tone only, so I only use it for short bursts and not long wail/yelp tones)


At work the MS-100 used on DPD and other local dept failed alot.


And the coating came off after a year.


I've only installed a few ES-100's and haven't seen them in for repair.


Same goes for the AS-124. But that speaker has a larger mounting footprint than a BP100 but not as heavy.


The older SA314 on DPD cars came in alot for failed drivers.

 

[MikeD]

I've used a ton of different speakers over the years & by far the Federal BP100's were the best.


Either out on grill guards or mounted under bumpers, they never gave me any trouble especially


in the winter with snow & icing. I'm getting ready to install mine on their 3rd (yes 3rd) vehicle!

 

[Silent But Deadly]

I've had them all: BP100, ms-100, AS-124, SA314, and the new SOS speaker. For what it's worth, I just finished my own install and went back with the BP100. I still love that speaker - rugged, heavy duty with a great sound. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them mentioned here as long as it is mounted properly. Go with what you can afford!

 

[crescentstar69]

Gall's has their slim speakers on sale $50 off right now, making them $99 bucks. Don't know if they are any good, but they offer a 5 year warranty. I've returned things before with no hassles, so I assume their warranty is good.

 

[JimRockford]

It's all about acoustics, power and enclosure design. Using two speakers instead of one doesn't automatically make them louder, unless you're comparing all the same speaker. By design, a pair of thin line speakers with a small or no acoustical housing aren't going to perform any better than one speaker with a good acoustical housing. Think about Bose speakers......like the "Acoustic Wave" model. Know what's in there? A very small speaker mounted in a very well designed acoustic housing. It sounds louder than it should because of the enclosure.


This brings us back to a pair of thin line SA series Whelen speakers versus one FedSig AS124 (in a larger acoustic housing). I believe the SA124 will outperform those thin speakers every time with the same siren amp because it's in a better designed larger housing.


The FedSig Dynamax speakers did have some design problems....the smaller driver coils could not handle the lower siren frequencies and would cause the speaker to fail. Enter the redesigned ES-100......larger coil in a larger field serviceable replaceable driver but still mounted in a slim line housing. You will see the failure rate of the ES-100 go way down versus the MS-100 due to its redesign.


The loudest speakers I've heard are actually some Cast Products housings made to fit under chassis on a Tahoe. We built a 99 year model Tahoe several years ago with those Cast Products speakers for the guy that now drives that Black BatMobile Tahoe I built in the installs forum. We had a speaker mounted in front of each front tire and one in the middle under the front bumper, and actually had 3 Omega 90 amplifiers on them, one for each speaker. Theoretically running 300 watts, that truck with those Cast Products speakers was louder than his current truck, which is running a pair of Omega 90s on 4 AS124s (theoretically 400 watts). It was those Cast Product speakers that made the difference.


Those RECT25s are always Low Current (6 diode) versions when I mount them like that or externally. The only time I use Standard or High Power RECT series LEDs are when they are mounted in a filtered (through glass or tint or both) application. The LC versions are plenty bright when utilized like that with no filter.

I realize this is an old thread, so I apologize if replying to it is frowned upon here. Different boards have different takes on that.

I was hoping to PM cajunblitz on this question, but can't do so, probably because my account is too new. I'm replying here in hopes that he sees my question.

I have an application where we need to install speakers on a UC Tahoe. The speakers cannot show at all, and space on this truck is highly limited. The one spot I can find is to drop the splash guard behind the front bumper and I have room to mount two speakers on top of the cross member where the rear end of the splash guard bolts.

I was leaning toward two Federal AS124 speakers, but came across your post above regarding the Cast Product speakers that were much louder on a Tahoe application. Do you recall which speakers you used?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tony P]

@JimRockford , cajun hasn't been online since 2021. Hopefully someone else will be able to assist you.

 

[JimRockford]

I was afraid of that, but had to take a shot. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[RL1]

I realize this is an old thread, so I apologize if replying to it is frowned upon here. Different boards have different takes on that.

I was hoping to PM cajunblitz on this question, but can't do so, probably because my account is too new. I'm replying here in hopes that he sees my question.

I have an application where we need to install speakers on a UC Tahoe. The speakers cannot show at all, and space on this truck is highly limited. The one spot I can find is to drop the splash guard behind the front bumper and I have room to mount two speakers on top of the cross member where the rear end of the splash guard bolts.

I was leaning toward two Federal AS124 speakers, but came across your post above regarding the Cast Product speakers that were much louder on a Tahoe application. Do you recall which speakers you used?

Thanks in advance.

I think he is active on Facebook (LRC Wireless I believe).

 

[JimRockford]

I think he is active on Facebook (LRC Wireless I believe).

Thanks. I really appreciate the info. Happy New Year!