I recently picked up a set of Zapco i-Force i5.2 5.25 inch 2 way components speakers from Tom at 12 volt Electronics. The plan was to throw together a cheap simple system for my E30. I was going to use an extra sub, HU, and amps I had laying around. Nothing terrific. When I got the speakers I was immediately impressed with the build quality
I installed the Zapcos woofers in the stock location, adding a dynamat type product to the inside along with a small sheet of fiber fill used in some subwoofer boxes. Then I put the Zapco tweeters in the stock sails. Everything fit very well and no modifications were needed. i then put in a Kenwood excelon X-891(5 volt preout) HU. Wired it all up to the trunk using some KnuKonceptz Krystal RCAs i had. BTW these are excellent cables at a great price. I knocked out the ski pass.Then I put in the sub box that I quickly made from a larger box I took apart and threw in a 10inch Kicker Comp CVR in. Wired the amps (Zapco Ref, and JBL 1200.1) up and was set.
HOLY CRAP this system sounds good. Almost pisses me off how close it comes to my big system in my e34. Definitely not as good but still. I was amazed how good the Zapco speakers sounded. I was only looking for components in the $100 to $200 dollar range and wasn't expecting much. But I can't say enough good things about these Zapcos. Granted they are entry level budget minded speakers, but my god they sound good. These are as good as you'll get for under $200.
I was worried that phasing may be an issue because the tweets are so far away from the midrange. Not a problem. A little noticeable, but nothing to write home about. I was also very impressed with tightness and accuracy of the midrange. The 5.25 actually produces decent midbass considering it is a 5.25 and a budget speaker. The tweeters highs are also, accurate and not too harsh. Their smoothness shines with cymbal reproduction. The speakers only really show there price point in some Rock songs. At times the frequencies blur together during guitar riffs. They show very little flaws in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Alternative, and most Rock songs. All and all these speakers are very impressive. Zapco has always made some of the best amps IMO, but I may look their way for speakers if I need any in the future. I really think it will be impossible to beat these speakers for what they are. So if you are looking for a set of cheap components, here they are!
here are some shitty camera phone shots. Don't mind the dirty car, still haven't detailed it since I bought it.
I installed the Zapcos woofers in the stock location, adding a dynamat type product to the inside along with a small sheet of fiber fill used in some subwoofer boxes. Then I put the Zapco tweeters in the stock sails. Everything fit very well and no modifications were needed. i then put in a Kenwood excelon X-891(5 volt preout) HU. Wired it all up to the trunk using some KnuKonceptz Krystal RCAs i had. BTW these are excellent cables at a great price. I knocked out the ski pass.Then I put in the sub box that I quickly made from a larger box I took apart and threw in a 10inch Kicker Comp CVR in. Wired the amps (Zapco Ref, and JBL 1200.1) up and was set.
HOLY CRAP this system sounds good. Almost pisses me off how close it comes to my big system in my e34. Definitely not as good but still. I was amazed how good the Zapco speakers sounded. I was only looking for components in the $100 to $200 dollar range and wasn't expecting much. But I can't say enough good things about these Zapcos. Granted they are entry level budget minded speakers, but my god they sound good. These are as good as you'll get for under $200.
I was worried that phasing may be an issue because the tweets are so far away from the midrange. Not a problem. A little noticeable, but nothing to write home about. I was also very impressed with tightness and accuracy of the midrange. The 5.25 actually produces decent midbass considering it is a 5.25 and a budget speaker. The tweeters highs are also, accurate and not too harsh. Their smoothness shines with cymbal reproduction. The speakers only really show there price point in some Rock songs. At times the frequencies blur together during guitar riffs. They show very little flaws in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Alternative, and most Rock songs. All and all these speakers are very impressive. Zapco has always made some of the best amps IMO, but I may look their way for speakers if I need any in the future. I really think it will be impossible to beat these speakers for what they are. So if you are looking for a set of cheap components, here they are!
here are some shitty camera phone shots. Don't mind the dirty car, still haven't detailed it since I bought it.