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Picking a speaker, or any audio equipment for that matter is a tough job. Will it be durable? Will the sound quality be as good as I want it to be? Will the price be justifiable?
All of these and many more are common questions that go through our minds when we go out to the market.
Today, we go through all that trouble for you and bring to you one of the best 6.5-inch speakers available on the market right now that won’t leave a hole in your pocket: the Rockford Fosgate Prime R165X3. With an amazing build quality, great sound, and affordable price, there is nothing not to love in the newest Rockford product.
In this article, we will be going through and reviewing all the features of this speaker, the pros and the cons, and finally, seeing if this product is worth your time or not.
Audio specifications
- 6.5 size
- 45 watts rms
- 90 watts peak power
- 4 ohm capable (standard)
- 3-way speakers (mid range woofer, mid range tweeter and standard tweeter)
Product Dimensions
To start off, it is important to discuss the dimensions of the speakers you’re buying so that when the time comes to install them you don’t find out that they’re too big or too small for your car.
The Rockford is a 6.5-inch speaker, as mentioned, which means that it is neither too big nor too small for most cars and is going to be pretty much the same size as the speakers that came installed in your car.
The midrange has a nominal diameter of 6.5 inches and a mounting depth of 2.15 inches. The diameter of the tweeters comes in at only 0.5 inches.
The overall dimensions of the speaker are 8.3 x 16 x 4 inches, with it weighing only 4.6 lbs.
Check here For a list of valuable reviews from actual buyers
Design & Build Quality
There’s no point in having a great quality speaker if it doesn’t last you a long while, providing consistent performance that is up to the mark. For this reason, Rockford provides you with a well-built woofer, mid-range, and tweeter so that they ideally last for a long time.
- Silk Dome for Tweeter and smoother hi frequencies – To allow for great sound on high frequencies, it is essential for your speaker’s tweeters to be made of a softer material, and silk happens to be one of the softest materials that is also quite durable.
Due to this, when you play a song with higher frequencies on it on the Rockford, the production will be clear and loud and not murky or distorted.
- Vacuum Polypropylene – While the tweeters and midrange handle higher frequencies, the woofer handles the Lowe ones, and for this reason, the cone of the woofer is made of vacuum polypropylene, which is one of the best and most used materials for mid range woofers.
This material is also one of the most durable that you can buy while also providing a booming bass that will please your ear and your heart.
- Rubber Surround – It is necessary for your woofer cone to be flexible and durable during movement. It provides excellent sound and isn’t affected by heat, cold, or perspiration, so you can be sure that they will last you a long time.
Features
Here is a list of features that the Rockford Fosgate R165X3 boasts,
- Unlike most speakers which are really hard to install regardless of how good they sound, the Rockford is very easy to install and set up. Since the tweeter, midrange, and woofer for this speaker are being handled by the same driver, it is quite straightforward to install them.
The speaker also comes with its own mounting gear including screws and wires, so you won’t have to buy extra material just to set this speaker up. All you need to do is replace your current car speakers with these ones and you’re ready to go.
- The RMS wattage of these speakers is 45 watts and the Peak Power is 90 watts, both of which are great wattage’s to have. The RMS is the continuous power at which your speaker runs while the Peak Power is the highest wattage at which the speaker can run, so having a high number on both of those is essential.
Playing sounds that are above the wattage levels of the speaker can damage the voice call and give you a distorted noise permanently, so it is great that this relatively small speaker has such a high-power level.
- Component speakers are preferred by sound-junkies because they have the ability to isolate high and low frequencies but they can be quite hard to install, while on the other hand, coaxial speakers don’t have the ability to isolate high and low frequencies, they are very easy to install.
So, most listeners are stuck in the perpetual dilemma of the either-or. But the Rockford fixes this for you since it has a high pass tweeter crossover that brings together both aspects. What the speaker does is that it channels all the higher frequencies to the tweeter.
Add to this the fact that you have a 6db high pass filter, and you have for yourself a great listening experience that doesn’t confuse you half to death during installation.
Pros & Cons
Every product has both pros and cons, so here is a table of the most prominent upsides and downsides of the Rockford Fosgate R165X3.
Pros:
- Affordable and durable
- Clear mid and high-frequency
- Sounds well made
- Easy to install
- Average size so it fits most cars
- No additional equipment required (for most vehicles)
- Comes with some pretty good looking covers for custom installations
- comes with speaker terminals connected to harness for easy installation
- Recessed build for installing behind door panels that do not offer a ton of room behind them
- All mounting hardware needed included
Cons:
- Lack of extreme bass or bass boost which is normal on smaller speakers (need a subwoofer for that type of bass)
- Slight distortion on higher volumes (make sure amp is matched up well with these speakers)
- Not marine certified (no boat use or motorcycle use recommended)
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Rockford Fosgate R165X3 is a great, affordable speaker that is a good fit for anyone, from an entry-level listener to an avid sound-geek. Although it has its drawbacks, it has a lot of amazing features that overshadow its less than great components. If you are looking for a speaker that has great sound while not breaking the bank, this is the one for you.
