I've had Rainbow DreamLine DL C6.2 component speakers fitted in my front doors and A-Pillars, but the treble is harsh and distorts on complex music pieces, so I'm thinking about getting these JBL's to replace them:-

http://www.jbl.com/e...ularProductOnly

Does anyone have these JBL's installed in their Fabia's? The mounting depth is 78mm.

The next problem is finding someone good to fit them for me....anyone up for the job? (Wolverhampton area)

Edited 8 June, 201313 yr by FabFabFabia

before you spend any money have you tried to work out why your rainbows are distorting and sounding harsh?

Do your Rainbow's have a crossover (I'm assuming that they do). If so, you can swap the connector to -3db which will reduce the treble. I had the same problem with my Rainbow SL6.2s when I ran them from my Columbus via an Audison amplifier. They were much more pleasant to listen to afterwards and are fantastically detailed with the Kenwood head unit I now have. Definitely worth a punt if you've not already tried it. Apologies if I'm teaching grandma to suck eggs...

Thanks bigman1976 - the installer supposedly has set the crossovers to minus 3dB but I can't check because he fitted them high up above the driver's parcel shelf and fixed them down so I can't get at them. I might try again though.

My crossovers are indeed set at -3dB so I'm resigned to the fact that it's better speakers that I need. I might try the JBL MS62C (but, at 78mm deep, they might not fit the doors):-

http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/index.php/index.html/_/reviews/speakers/jbl-ms62c-two-way-component-speakers-r1172

Failing that, the Audison VOCE K6 seem to get good reviews - anyone have any opinions on these?

I'm also thinking of this active subwoofer: http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/index.php/index.html/_/reviews/subwoofers/alpine-swe-815-active-subwoofer-with-wired-remo-r1381

The Voce's are amazing. I heard a pair at the installer who fitted my speakers. Sadly, I couldn't stretch to them but would recommend them wholeheartedly!

Thanks bigman!

Are you running a amp or just from the head unit?

I have a Hertz HE2 amp

When you say they distort, how high you got the volume and where is the gain set on the amp? Also what source is the music coming from ? cd/mp3/ipod?

Also do you have the loudness button on? where have you got bass and treble? sorry for the questions but looking at the kit you got i would expect it to sound nice but not overly loud.

Kenwood DNX521DAB volume about 6/10, amp gain is on full, EQ flat apart from a little bass boost, music is DAB radio and iPod MP3 files but they sound fine and clean when listening on headphones on the iPod, but certain "busy" records with a lot of upper mids sound tiring and rough on the Rainbows, just as they did on the factory Amundsen setup before I got it replaced with the new head unit, Hertz HE2 amp, and Rainbow speakers.

Loudness off, flat EQ apart from bass boost a bit, iPod EQ off.

Why is the amp gain on full? who set it there? That will be one reason it sounds bad, Really you could do with the gain setting with a scope or at the very least back the gain down to around 1/3. You are over driving the amp which will in turn make things sound bad. Also you really should not need any bass boost on the front end.

The dumb ICE installer set it at full, thanks, so I assumed he knew what he was doing. I'll try turning it down and let you know how it sounds.

Some people seem to think the gain control is like a volume control but it is not. It is for matching the output of your head unit to the input of the amp. He prob did that to make it sound louder but all he has done is make it sound crap......To be honest in my opinion the amp is under powered for what you want.

Thanks John - if tomorrow I find it sounds better, but too quiet, can you suggest a better amp please?

Also has he connected it via phono leads or used the high level inputs?

phono leads I believe, it's under the driver's seat so I can have a good luck in the morning.

And the crossovers are both set at -3dB for tweeter level

Ok, set the gain just under 1/2 way on, Spec sheet for the amp says the gain goes 0.3 to 5 volts and your head unit looks to have 2 volt pre outs so this should give you a good start. You will need to turn your head unit volume up more though. Let me know how you get on.

Again, thank you John for your research and assistance, I'll report back tomorrow with hopefully some good news about what I'm hearing

Morning John, I've just been playing with the HE2 amp's output control and no matter how low I set it I can still hear the same unpleasant, rough sound through the tweeters, so I think I'm going to have to invest in smoother-sounding units. I remember that the upper mid frequencies sounded tiring on the original Amundsen+ head unit with the original factory speakers, so investing in the best speakers I can afford and mounting their tweeters outside of the A-pillars aimed more forward instead of directly across the windscreen should be a good start. I might then find that I need a better, more powerful amp to refine the sound even more. It's ironic that my previous car (2003 Micra) had a factory sound system to die for whereas my new top-of-the-range Fabia is such a let down in this department.

Sounds like a good idea to replace them. At the fault of the installer your tweeters are probably ******

I am a little shocked that turning the gain down has not improved things. There could be other issues but it is a tough one as i have not heard it. Keep this post updated with what you decide to buy and the outcome please.