There are different styles of car speakers. Some are
coaxial, but for the best sound we turn to components. Component speakers have the tweeter mounted
separately from the midrange/midbass driver. They also come with a passive
crossover network. Manufacturers will add their own twist on the design to
improve the sound, and Kenwood has done the same with their Kenwood Excelon
XR-1800P 7" Component Speaker System.Features and specs:
Counter Drive Magnetic Circuit
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-
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Image Enhancer 4
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Diamond Array Pattern Diaphragm
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Woofer
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- Woofer Size
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7 in (180mm)
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- Woofer Diaphragm
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Advanced Hybrid Pulp
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- Surround
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Rubber
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- Basket
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Steel (Black)
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- Magnet
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Ferrite
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Mid-Range
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- Mid-Range Size
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-
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- Mid-Range Diaphragm
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-
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Tweeter
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- Tweeter Size
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13/16 in (20mm)
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- Tweeter Diaphragm
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Soft Dome
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Super Tweeter
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- Size
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-
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- Diaphragm
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-
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Dimensions (without grill)
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- Width
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6-15/16 in (176)
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- Height
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6-15/16 in (176mm)
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- Depth
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2-3/4 in (69.5mm)
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- Mounting Depth
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2-7/16 in (62mm)
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Warranty
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2-Year
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Nominal Impedance
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4 Ω
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Maximum Peak Power
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330 W
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Rated Input Power (RMS)
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110 W
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Sensitivity
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86 dB/W at 1m
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Frequency Response
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57Hz - 20kHz
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Crossover Frequency
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-
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The Kenwood Excelon XR-1800P component system came shipped
in the standard attractive looking color printed box. It had pictures of the
product along with its specs. Opening the box yielded a Styrofoam box. Taking
off the top piece revealed that the two Styrofoam pieces were custom molded
with grooves to hold the various components. I could see that the various components were
very well protected.
The material used in the construction was of good quality.
The materials were mostly metal with some plastic. The tweeter appeared well
put together, with good fit and finish. The midrange/midbass driver was also
well put together, with good fit and finish. The basket was a standard stamped
steel basket. It wasn’t fancy but was sufficient to secure the driver. I prefer
the fancier spring loaded push style connector terminals, but the standard
speaker wire terminals worked well enough. All of the other components, such as
the spider, cone, and surround, seemed all well put together and solidly glued
in place. The passive crossovers also had an excellent fit & finish.
Kenwood used some advanced technology in the design of the
Excelon XR-1800P. Popular cone materials are paper, polypropelyne, and more
exotics such as Kevlar. The goal usually is for a stiff cone. The stiffer the
cone the better midbass , with a cleaner sound. The Kenwood Excelon XR-1800P uses
a cone that consists of hemp, glass fiber, and paper. This gives a stiff cone. If
a cone isn't sufficiently stiff, it will flex with the bass, and produce
distortion. The 7” cone is larger than
most making it easier to flex when the wrong materials are used. So a stiff cone is needed even more for that
clean sound. The wider tweeter also gave
a wider frequency response for the tweeter.
When it came to musical performance, the Excelon XR-1800P
performed in amazingly. They do not have the flair in regards to looks like some
manufactures provide. And I will admit
that I do like a beefy cast surround, and spring terminals. But more than likely they will be hidden in a
door, so the look of a cast surround is pointless. After all it is the sound
that matters most, and that is where Kenwood put the R&D money in, and it
paid off.
I threw a slew of my trusty tracks at it. Cymbals and
percussion was very crisp and clean. Vocals were extremely natural sounding
with very good timbre and texture. The design of the midbass driver worked. The
stiff cone produced very good, clean midbass. It didn’t sound deeper than a
midbass, since after all it is not a subwoofer. But it did have better than average
output. I ended up going from track to track and got lost in the music. I had
to remind myself to stay on task with my note taking. And I think that is one
of the best complements I could give. The passive crossovers did an excellent
job with dividing the signal. The imaging was right on, and they threw a nice
big and deep soundstage. I loved the harmonics, and they proved to be very
musical!
The Kenwood Excelon XR-1800P 7" Component Speaker
System hit their mark. They provided a clean crisp sound in the highs, with natural
and fairly smooth mids, and a nice midbass output. They provided great
resolution and through a large soundstage and provided very good imaging as
well. With a MSRP of $340, they are priced well for their performance. Based on
their design, features, quality, and performance, they have earned our Highly
Recommended Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at
www.kenwoodusa.com.
