Hertz Audio ESK 165L.5 6.5" Energy 2-Way Component System

I have been installing high end home audio video systems for 20 years. I have developed a pretty good ear for good sound. I bought these speakers based off of some reviews. I had never even heard of the brand before. I figured I’d take a gamble and I am very glad I did. These are the best door speakers I have ever owned. I’ve had JL, Diamond Audio, Alpine and a few others. I am powering them with an older Phoenix Gold amp running about 50-75 Watts to them with the crossover set down to 75 hz! I’ve never heard door speakers produce this kind of low end sound and the highs are crystal clear and not too tinny. I hope this review helps someone make their decision on these. You will not be disappointed. There is a decent sized magnet on the back so be aware of your depth. I had to make a spacer to get better clearance.

100 watt rms amp powering these and they sound great! They replaced mb quart 6.5 that were not even close to these in quality of sound. As a matter of fact most speakers will sound like toys at the price point. I wish it had mid range db control. The tweeters over power the woofer untill you turn it up. They will require modifications to door panel/installation kit. My door panel needed interior panel trimming no mods to exposed parts. 2015 tundra

Most days, these speakers are really good, but one of the woofers buzzes and sounds muffled when it's cold (not freezing). Anyway, I sent a message to the seller about this right after I got these installed and observed the problem, asking about warranty coverage, and have had no response from them.

A-MAZING SPEAKERS!

I was using Focal K2 Power component speakers prior to buying these speakers but was not quite satisfied with the way they sounded. Although Focals are also really good speakers but I felt them too fatiguing and on the brighter side as far as the tweeters are concerned. I tried using at -6db setting but still was not quite there. Second problem I had was the magnet was too large so just about fitted in the door panel, leaving me wondering if the lack of mid bass was due to imperfect install. I wanted to go back to the Pioneer TSE-171 and visited a good Audio shop to finally purchase since I had been really happy with those (find my review on Amazon) but the boy at the shop let me audition entry level Hertz DSK 165.3. To my surprise it sounded much balanced across the sound spectrum without emphasizing any of the frequencies too much. In fact guitar notes sounded little laid back and the vocals more realistic while the mid bass was very pleasing and precise. I then wanted to audition the ESK 165 but it was not on display so I ordered the 165L version after having read a few good reviews. I was not expecting a lot and was ready for a few trade-offs since I was kind of down-grading from Focal K2 Power which is twice the price of Hertz ESK speakers. I knew I had to do a proper install to get the most out of these so I also ordered a mid-priced door deadening material from ebay. Amped these with 4 Ch-Alpine Class D rated at modest 55WrmsX4, bridged at the rears for a JBL 12” subwoofer. To make sure the installation is proper and perfect I first sound deadened the doors and installed the Hertz speakers with tweeter placed on the dash board. They sounded much more moderate on the highs without being too harsh to the ear at 0dB tweeters settings at the crossover. However what really surprised me was the punchy bass these produced despite being smaller driver to the Focals. I must admit that Focal has better frequency separation and impressive detail to offer, however I find that while I appreciated that for a while, in fact could not listen to it for more than 20 minutes due to the tweeters being so bright and piercing for my taste. Whereas I have been listening to the Herts ESK165L.3 for the last 5 days now and the sound is opening up and getting better by the hour without causing any listening fatigue. I must admit that it requires a bit of trial and error to position the tweeters just right and I have moved mine around from the door panels to next to the A Pillars and then finally on opposite corners just below the front windscreen. Right tweeter is toed-in to the centre of the car and the left is toed in slightly more aggressively toward me so that sound is reflected off the screen for better sound stage. Don’t get me wrong these sound quite good no matter where you place these with a lot of clarity and detail, but the kind of soundstage and imaging I was after does require a bit of experimenting. I listened these crossed at 63Hz for first few days but I find that these sound better crossed at 80Hz, from the head unit but may be it is just my car acoustics with my 12” Sub driven by a class D of pure clean Alpine power so covering broader low range frequencies. I will like to cross these at 70ish Hz using my Amp’s crossover as I think these resonate at lower than 80Hz for sure. Well, cut the story short these are very capable speakers worth Loads and loads of potential, but like always these also need to be installed correctly and tuned to personal taste to sound as beautiful as they can. I will happily put these against the Focals in the same price range and even higher. As per my liking and taste in how speakers should sound Hertz are definitely the game and a Great value for money!

Wer Hertz kennt braucht nichts zu lesen. Wie immer perfekt

Let me provide background on vehicle and stereo that was installed before I added these speakers: Vehicle: VW Polo 9n 2002 Hatch Stereo: Parrot Asteroid Classic Speakers: OEM When I was purchasing these I was worried that I woul need an amp as the speakers power rating were above what the Parrot could provide, but due to money shortages I decided to install them anyway and if I needed an amp get it at a later date. First of there are about 3 different HSK ESK 165.5 speakers. I chose the 'L' series as they are designed to have a punchier bass, according to the manufactures website. Before installing them I lined the inside of car doors with silent coat 4mm damping mat (could notice the difference in terms of sound quality with oem speakers) When I installed the speaker, boy was I in for a ride, Huge improvement. It has everything from the bass to the the treble to the highs. I listen to a wide variety of music from hip hop to soul to jazz and even classical, and I could not fault these speakers one time. Surprisingly the parrot had an easier time powering these speakers (lower volume level for same loudness as oem) which meant no need for an amp :) Best buy ever for my car

Echt geil

Fitted in a Mazda MX-5, very clear with nice punchy bass. No Amp needed, but would sound even better with one. Works well with my underseat sub too. Very happy!