HU: Stock or aftermarket (and which one)
Amp: Stock or aftermarket (and which one)
Wiring: Stock or custom pulled
Sub: No or Yes (and which one)
And most importantly:
Impressions of the speakers (and what you are comparing against).
Would you buy them again if you were starting over.
I am a demanding bastard, aren't I?
HU: Kenwood DNX7120
AMP: Alpine MRP-F300 bridged at 150Wx2
Wiring: Custom pulled 16 AWG
Sub: JL 10w3v3 4ohm in a Wicked CAS enclosure powered by an Alpine MRP-M500 for 300W
So the only thing I have to compare this set to is the stock system. So, take my opinions or leave it.
Build quality: Since I don't have too much experience with aftermarket speakers I will limit my comment to this: The terminals on the 8" driver are a bit flimsyand could stand to be beefed up.
Ease of install: As others have said this set is NOT plug'n'play. The wiring included in the kit is not complete. Though the tweeters include adapters, the leads are too short making it impossible to hook into the stock harness without modification. There are no adapters for the mid and the terminals are not even marked for polarity. Though I did figure it out by comparing them with the pictures in the instruction booklet (in German).
The speakers themselves drop right in with the included brackets. Though the screws they included to mount the woofer were garbage as they didn't bite into the plastic bracket at all. I ended up using 1/2" #8 screws from home depot.
Sound: Like I said I can only compare this to the stock system. After playing with the crossover settings a bit, (at least this part of the instructions was in English) I think they sound great! The highs are nice and smooth not harsh like the stock tweeter. The mid is super clear. I have the mid bass and sub crossed at 60 Hz and the mid bass really thumps!
All in all I feel that this set is definitely worth the money. Could you piece together a better system? Sure. But they would not be so easy to install. Could Rainbow have made this set more plug'n'play? Yes. But they took care of the hard stuff and it really isn't that difficult to wire into the stock harness if that what you wanted to do. I chose to run my own wire because I was using an amp, which is necessary to get the full effect from this set anyway.
I plan on amping with an Alpine MRP-F250 installed under the passenger seat (which I need help with) and I would like to use the stock wiring (I have a harness) from behind the HU. I will also be adding a 10" JL sub in the trunk amped with a MRP-M350.
That MRP-F250 should be fine to power the 3-ways. Though, I'm using an MRP-F300 set to supply about 100Wx2 and it is running pretty hot. Too hot to touch even.
In my opinion you are going to want more than that MRP-M350 for the sub. At least 300W. If I were to turn up the gains to supply 150W to each door I think I would need more sub power as I am pushing that 300W already. Keep in mind, I like a lot of low end. Time to switch to a 2 Ohm sub....
