Eclipse SP6510
MSRP: $169.99
Eclipse, a brand we all know for head units and top-notch nav systems, has been trying for years to garner respect for its speaker-building abilities, primarily its subs. Now it looks as if the Japanese company is striving to do the same with the rest of its speaker line. Since factory replacement speakers are always a hit, the introduction of the SP6510 seems a good start.
Removal of the insipid plastic trimmed/metal mesh speaker grille will give you an eyeful of wonderful, big-weave carbon fiber that makes up the cone. On the backside of the carbon fiber is what looks like black denim, and indeed it is. The combination is said to lower distortion, which could hold some truth as it appears highly damped.
While continuing its good looks, the 25mm tweeter is sunk to nearly the base of the cone indicating that Eclipse is striving for sound quality by making the SP6510 a point source speaker, not a phase-challenged coaxial. Added details, such as the arced metal mesh smothering the tweeter's silk dome provide the requisite synergy to make this speaker appear high end.
Filtering out the low frequencies before they disrupt the tweeter is a -12dB crossover comprised of reasonable components. However, these components are glued to the outside of the stamped-steel frame leaving them susceptible to damage in potentially moist conditions (e.g., a car door).
Eclipse is one of the few Japanese brands that provides a real manual, and the SP6510's is extremely helpful at that; it's chock-full of illustrations and installation advice. A supplementary insert explains the system's one-year warranty.
Exile XT65
MSRP: $300
Based in Oregon, Exile is a young company with decades of experience behind it. A quick look at the XT65 convertibles (speakers that can be installed as a coaxial or component) confirms this. The woofer uses a proprietary cast-aluminum basket patterned after the company logo. The frame is seriously heavy-duty at 6.75 inches and well thought-out, featuring multiple bolt patterns to fit a variety of vehicles and built-in stand-offs for the spring-loaded +/- binding posts. Its satin gray finish is also shared with the tweeter cup and painted ferrite magnet. Raised ridges along the legs of the frame are die-cut while metal bars protecting the 25mm silk-dome tweeter are tinned to match. The finishing touch is a black injection-molded woofer cone with butyl-rubber surround. Two speaker grille styles are provided for either a sophisticated or sporty, high-end look.
Equally impressive is what I found inside the crossover of the XT65. Removing the translucent black crossover cover reveals 17 active components, not including the barrier strip where the connections are made. The manual states the filters for both the tweeter and woofer are -24dB "acoustical." A deeper investigation revealed the crossover components actually create -18dB slopes, but are positioned at the natural roll-off (-6dB/octave) of each driver for a combined -24dB slope.
The additional components on the board make up an impedance compensation network (flattens the speaker systems impedance, i.e., easier on the amp while contouring the response) whereas a pair of switches enable users to choose single or bi-amplification, and select tweeter levels between +3/0/-3dB. But the most unique aspect of the crossover is the tweeter-protection circuit consisting of two lightbulbs and a poly-protection switch. Called Force Technology, this circuit is a redundant protection system that the company claims will not degrade the tweeter's performance while protecting it from excessive power and DC current.
Listening
Prepping for listening, I came across a potential problem-size. The mounting diameter is such that it wouldn't fit any of my pre-cut baffles for this diameter speaker, so I had to make one specifically for this driver.