Picking an efficient speaker system that sounds good and can handle lots of power is no easy feat. The mobile audio experts at ARC Audio in Modesto, California, created the new CX69 6×9-inch speaker to fill this void. Whether you want great sound from the saddlebags of your Harley-Davidson, a door speaker that can keep up with a crazy subwoofer system or a solution for your side-by-side or boat, the CX69 does it all. Let’s look at what makes these speakers a great choice when you want your music loud and clear!

ARC Audio CX69 Features and Design Elements

ARC Audio’s in-house design team designed the CX69 speakers around a heavy-gauge stamped-steel frame. The frame has four curved spokes with rolled edges for added rigidity. Large vents at the base of the basket allow hot air to escape from the voice coil and prevent pressurization at high drive levels. At the bottom of the frame is a powerful motor assembly that features a high-quality Y35A-grade ferrite magnet. Unlike neodymium, ferrite magnets maintain their magnetic field strength better in high-heat conditions. Furthermore, their size acts as a heatsink for the voice coil to help keep it cool. The result is louder playback with better power handling.

The woofer cone is a carbon-doped polypropylene design that offers an outstanding balance of rigidity, mass and damping to prevent unwanted resonances and distortion. The carbon also improves thermal stability, so the cone doesn’t deform or flex after being driven for hours at high power levels when exposed to direct sunlight or operated in high-heat areas. The outer edge of the cone is attached to the mounting flange using an inverted rubber surround. The inverted design provides more clearance around the edges of the driver, keeping moving parts away from grilles and mounting hardware.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that the ARC Audio CX69 uses a large dust cap in the center of the driver rather than a post for the tweeter. This design dramatically increases the cone area to improve the speaker’s efficiency. The added mass of the dust cap also enhances midbass performance compared with the typical motorcycle audio speaker.

In terms of power handling, the ARC Audio CX69 features a monster 1.45-inch glass fiber and Kapton voice coil former and an oxygen-free copper voice coil winding. Compared with drivers using a 1-inch voice coil, the voice coil assembly in the CX69 has 45% more area from which heat can dissipate. This directly translates into improved power handling and reduced power compression – so your music will sound great at high volume levels for longer than competing products.

The woofer features a progressive-roll Nomex spider that prevents the cone assembly from bottoming out at extreme power levels. The spider, voice coil former and cone are stagger-step bonded together using an adhesive that is rated for 446 degrees Fahrenheit (230 degrees Celsius). This temperature is much higher than that of typical adhesives to ensure that the speaker functions reliably.

ARC Audio tooled a rigid stamped steel frame to suspend the 1-inch Norseal PVC-damped PEI tweeter above the woofer cone. The tweeter features a 25 mm voice coil, enabling it to function just as reliably as the woofer assembly. Like the bond between the woofer’s voice coil former, spider and the cone, the tweeter uses high-temperature, step-cured adhesives so that the components remain solid when driven hard for long periods. A high-quality metallized polypropylene capacitor is used for filtering to ensure that the tweeter delivers smooth and detailed high-frequency sound.

Speaker Specifications

By way of specifications, ARC Audio rates the CX69 as having an efficiency of 95 dB SPL, making it several times louder than the typical car audio speaker. Power handling is rated conservatively at 125 watts continuous and 300 watts peak, making this driver a perfect match for the Moto 720 amplifier or any of the X2 series. The required mounting depth is 3.25 inches.

ARC Audio knows speakers designed for outdoor applications must withstand dust, rain and debris. The woofer cone on the CX69 has been treated with a UV-resistant coating to ensure that it won’t crack, fade or dry out like other designs. With the tweeter suspended above the woofer, there’s no way for water to get into the speaker, making it virtually waterproof.

Upgrade Your Motorcycle Audio System with ARC Audio Moto Amplifiers and Speakers

ARC Audio put a lot of thought into the design of the CX69 and its little brother, the CX6 speaker. They wanted to give consumers a product that would sound great and stand the test of time. If you want an audio system upgrade for your Harley-Davidson or are looking for a high-performance 6×9 speaker solution for your automotive, marine or UTV application, drop by a local authorized ARC Audio retailer and ask about their Moto series of products. We think you’ll be impressed by their performance and value. You can find an authorized retailer using the Dealer Locator on their website. Also, be sure to follow ARC Audio on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to be the first to learn about their new solutions.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

The team at ARC Audio in Modesto, California, has a solution for those who want big bass from compact enclosures. The ARC Audio A-Series shallow-mount subwoofers are available in both 10- and 12-inch sizes with your choice of dual 2- or 4-ohm voice coils. Most importantly, they can dish out impressively articulate and detailed bass from applications where conventional full-size subwoofers simply won’t fit. If you’ve been lucky enough to hear ARC Audio’s Ford Flex with three of the A10s in a 1.3-cubic-foot enclosure, we’re sure you’ll agree! Let’s check them out.

ARC Audio A-Series Subwoofer Features

The A-Series subwoofers are available in both 10- and 12-inch diameter in dual 2- and dual 4-ohm voice coil configurations. The subwoofers are based on heavy-gauge, deep-draw, stamped-steel chassis that are finished with a fine-textured Dark Charcoal Grey Powder Coat paint. The frame has four large open windows and four sets of twin spokes. All the opening edges are rolled over to add strength to the design and give it a cast-basket appearance. A custom-tooled, fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic frame bolted to the rear of the basket provides a mounting surface for the twisted-pile polycotton and Nomex progressive spider. As this is a custom part, the driver can use a flat spider rather than a cupped design that might introduce unwanted linearity issues. This spacer also features the mounts for the pair of chrome-plated, spring-loaded terminals on opposing sides.

The bottom plate with its integrated T-yoke and massive cooling vent, along with a large-diameter ceramic magnet and the 9.8-mm-thick top plate, are bolted to the center of the assembly to form the motor structure. All of these components, along with the proprietary spider spacer, are secured with high-strength, high-temperature adhesives and mechanical fasteners, so there’s no concern over anything ever working loose.

In terms of soft parts (a term given to those components that move forward and rearward to produce sound), the A-Series subwoofers start with a spun-laced Nomex former surrounded by a Totoku triple-insulated copper voice coil winding. The ARC Audio transducer design team is passionate about its products meeting (and exceeding) thermal power handling specifications, so they always overdo things in this department – hence the premium shielded copper conductors. It’s also worth noting that the A12 drivers use a 3-inch diameter voice coil, with the A10 having a 2.5-inch one. This explains the difference in power handling between the 10s and 12s.

The voice coil assembly drives a progressive-taper, poly-injected, pulp paper cone that’s impressively rigid and well-damped for its weight. A reinforced polypropylene dust cap with the ARC Audio and A-Series logos on the front serves as the visible face of the drivers. The surround is made from UV-treated polyether to provide a flexible connection that will resist drying out or being damaged by humidity. It’s worth noting that polyether’s compliance doesn’t vary with temperature changes as much as other materials. If you live somewhere where it gets cold in the winter, you’ll still be able to enjoy your music.

A factor that many companies overlook in developing and constructing subwoofers and speakers is the application of adhesives. ARC Audio cleans and laser-etches all surfaces onto which adhesives will be applied to ensure a solid bond. Further, the assembly facility is temperature- and, crucially, humidity-controlled so that the application and curing process will result in the best adhesion and reliability possible. Yes, a manufacturer can have speakers constructed for a lot less money in a hot, humid and dusty warehouse, but guaranteeing that the products assembled there will stay together is a risky proposition.

A-Series Shallow Subwoofer Specifications

The A-Series subwoofers offer impressive output and efficiency from minimal amounts of power. The 10-inch drivers are rated for 250 watts of continuous power and 500 watts maximum. The 12-inch drivers bump those numbers to 300 and 600 watts, respectively.

From a Thiele/Small parameter perspective, the A-Series subwoofers are designed with a very low resonant frequency (around 25 to 26 Hz, depending on the model) and a very compliant (soft) suspension. The Qts values are mid-pack between low and high, so the drivers produce a natural bump in their response when used in small, sealed enclosures. The drivers work amazingly well in moderately sized vented enclosures if you have the room and want more low-frequency output.

What seems to matter most to those looking at shallow-mount subwoofer specifications are the driver’s cone excursion values. We were told that both the A10 and A12 subwoofers have an Xmax spec of 15.2 mm. The subwoofers are a little taller than some in their class, with a 3.77-inch mounting depth requirement for either size. As a side note, your installer will also want to leave some room behind the sizeable cooling vent in the center of the T-yoke to prevent pressure build-up under the dust cap.

If you’re shopping for a shallow-mount subwoofer system that will make listening to music exponentially more enjoyable, drop by your local authorized ARC Audio retailer and ask about the new A-Series subwoofers. You can find a retailer near you by using the Dealer Locator on the ARC Audio website. Be sure to keep up with the latest news from the lads and lasses from Modesto by liking their Facebook page, Instagram feed and the ARCtv YouTube channel.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

ARC Audio has offered class-leading amplifier and speaker upgrade solutions for Harley-Davidson touring motorcycles for more than a decade. Their experience and obsession with sound quality have led them to create a new generation of high-performance speakers that balance output capability and efficiency, bass extension and accuracy. The latest evolution of their motorcycle and powersports speaker line is the new MOTO CX6 6.5-inch coaxial-style speaker set. Based on a totally reimagined design, these new speakers sound better, handle more power and shrug off water, dust and debris better than their predecessors. If that seems like too much to ask, you might be in for a surprise.

ARC Audio MOTO CX6 Basket and Motor Features

The MOTO CX6 is technically a component speaker set with the tweeter mounted on a bridge above the woofer. The benefit of this design is a significant increase in woofer cone area that improves efficiency and enhances low-frequency output capabilities. The elimination of the second weather-resistant surround around a coaxial pole piece provides an additional improvement in sound quality.

The CX6 speakers are based on a custom-tooled, die-cast aluminum chassis design. The thick four-spoke basket features eight large cooling vents under the spider mounting plateau to help heat from the voice coil escape. The spider plateau was designed at the correct height above the top plate to eliminate the need for a cupped spider that would be detrimental to the speaker’s performance.

The speaker chassis includes four mounting holes, and thick foam gaskets are included on the rear of the basket to seal against the speaker pods found in newer Harley-Davidson Road Glide and Street Glide motorcycles. It’s worth noting, the significant excursion capability of the new woofer design, combined with the heavy-duty steel tweeter bridge, requires the use of Boom 2 bumped grilles or the forthcoming MOTO SG2014+ replacement grille kit.

The motor is based around a Y35A-grade ferrite magnet, and the top plate is CNC-cut hot rolled steel. The T-yoke features an integrated shorting ring. Most listeners will perceive this upgrade as delivering a smoother and more accurate midrange response. For those who are technically minded, the shorting ring helps prevent the current flowing through the voice coil from creating a secondary magnetic field in the motor that opposes the magnetic field created by the magnet. Did you follow that? Either way, it’s an important feature and one that offers audible performance benefits.

Cone and Suspension Components

The woofer cones are based on an injection-molded polypropylene doped with carbon to increase thermal stability and improve the damping characteristics. The upper edge of the cone is attached to the basket with an inverted low-shore rubber surround. A large dust cap covers the bond between the cone and the 1.25-inch glass fiber voice coil former. The large diameter of the voice coil helps to improve thermal power handling by increasing its total surface area. Likewise, the choice of a ferrite magnet allows it to act as a large-mass thermal heat sink to wick heat away from the voice coil assembly. The result is a speaker design that can easily handle eight hours at its full rated 110-watt power level.

The spider is made of Nomex and features a constant wave progressive design that prevents the assembly from bottoming out at extreme power levels. The spider, coil former and cone are bonded together with a high-temperature adhesive rated for over 230 degrees C (440+ F) to ensure reliability.

High-Performance Tweeter Delivers Amazing Clarity

The tweeter suspended above the woofer is based around a polyetherimide (PEI) and mylar dome damped with Norseal PVC mesh. This unique composite dome design is popular in pro audio compression drivers as it combines strength and damping with heat- and weather-resistance. The tweeter uses a copper voice coil wrapped around a composite Kapton mesh former, and a neodymium slug in the center of the voice coil serves as the motor. The effective diameter of the tweeter is 1 inch, and a hexagonal mesh grille protects it. A high-performance mylar capacitor affixed to the rear of the woofer basket serves as the crossover for the tweeter.

Upgrade Your Motorcycle or Powersports Vehicle with the ARC Audio MOTO CX6 Today!

As the first of their next-generation products, the MOTO CX6 replaces the current MOTO 602v2 product. While the 602s were great, the new technologies in the CX6 are worth the change. If you’re searching for a motorcycle speaker that sounds realistic and offers impressive midbass performance while still getting loud, drop by your local authorized ARC Audio retailer and ask about the new MOTO CX6. Be sure to keep up with the latest product releases from ARC Audio by visiting their website, Facebook page, Instagram page and YouTube channel.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Known best for their world-class amplifier solutions, ARC Audio’s new X2-Series subwoofers deliver amazing output and low-frequency extension at surprisingly accessible price points. Available in 10- and 12-inch sizes with your choice of dual 2- or 4-ohm voice coil configurations, these impressive woofers can handle up to 400 watts of power to ensure that your music sounds fantastic, even with the volume cranked.

ARC Audio X2 Subwoofer Features

The X2-Series subwoofers are based on stamped-steel four-spoke baskets that feature double compound curves. This curved shape adds rigidity and strength to ensure adequate support for the double-stacked magnets. The basket includes cooling vents under the spider mounting plateau that work with the vented pole piece to allow hot air to escape from both sides of the voice coil. Speaking of the voice coil, these subwoofers feature high-temperature Kapton formers with a 2-inch diameter. Low-mass copper-clad aluminum windings are wrapped around the formers, then anodized with a black coating to increase heat dissipation and reduce the potential for power compression. The combination of these lightweight materials helps the subwoofers offer excellent upper bass response so their output blends seamlessly with the midbass drivers in your vehicle.

In terms of visible moving parts, the woofer cones are formed from fiber reinforced pulp paper for an excellent balance of mass, rigidity and damping. ARC Audio adds a moisture-resistant laminated coating so the cones won’t absorb water vapor in high-humidity environments. The top plate to voice coil gap is protected from debris by a large-diameter polypropylene dust cap that has the ARC Audio logo embossed into it.

Large-roll rubber surrounds enable the drivers to deliver more than an inch of excursion while providing longevity that foam surrounds simply can’t deliver. The base of the cone is centered by a large-roll treated Conex spider. Electrical connections to the voice coils are handled by heavy-duty spring terminals with oversized tinsel leads. The leads are sewn to the spider to ensure they remain reliable and operate silently at high excursion levels. As you can see, many of the features in these drivers are borrowed from the audiophile-grade Black Series subwoofers.

Subwoofer Application Flexibility

ARC Audio knows that different vehicles require different enclosures. For those who want the most efficiency and extension from their bass upgrade, a moderately sized bass-reflex (vented) enclosure is a great choice. When combined with proper tuning using a digital signal processor like the PS8 Pro, this enclosure style delivers an impressive balance of extension and low-distortion operation. The X2 12 woofers will work optimally in designs as small as 1.15 cubic foot (net), and for more low-frequency output, a 1.6 cubic foot enclosure will play below 25 Hz in your vehicle effortlessly. The X2 10 woofers need a minimum of 0.9 cubic feet and will sound amazing in 1.2 cubic feet.

If space is a premium, then your technician can construct a small sealed enclosure. You will sacrifice some low-frequency efficiency, but the design requires a lot less space. The X2 12’s need only 0.75 cubic feet, and the X2 10’s work fine in 0.5 to 0.7 cubic feet. Of course, your retailer can combine multiple subwoofers in a single enclosure to increase the output capabilities of the system.

Transform Your Car Audio System with ARC Audio Subwoofers

If you are an avid reader of BestCarAudio.com, then you already know that adding a subwoofer is one of the best upgrades you can make to your car stereo. Not only does it improve the system’s ability to reproduce low-frequency information, but it can also improve the clarity and detail of the system while allowing it to play louder. When the relatively small speakers in your car or truck don’t need to play bass frequencies, they won’t have to work as hard and will sound much more precise.

If you want a great subwoofer that won’t break the bank, drop by your local authorized ARC Audio dealer and ask about the X2-Series subwoofers today. You can keep up with the latest offerings from ARC Audio by visiting their website, their Facebook page, their Instagram feed or their YouTube channel.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.