Lightning Audio Strike S1.62C
www.lightningaudio.com

Installation flexibility is where the Lightning Audio's latest speaker system shines.

The S1.62C's are 6.5-inch component speaker systems with an unusual twist; they're convertible. In addition to the typical flush, surface, and angle mounts, these systems include hardware that allows the creation of a coaxial unit. The 0.75-inch soft-dome tweeters can be mounted on a small riser that fits snugly down the center of the midrange driver's voice coil. The mid driver features an injection-molded cone with a foam surround. External passive crossovers are also provided.

SUBJECTIVE
Since the other speaker systems in this issue are coaxials, and I tend to prefer coaxials (in theory if not every application), it shouldn't be too hard to guess which convertible option got the nod for this test session.

Assembling the S1.62C's in their coaxial configuration turned out to be a breeze - just snap the tweeter into the surface-mount cup, attach the cup to the riser, and screw the riser into the threaded hole that's located in the top plate of the mid driver's motor structure. The tweeter's signal leads are routed through the center of the riser and midrange driver, exiting through a hole that resembles a very small pole piece vent. Once installed, the tweeters can be aimed to optimize imaging thanks to the eyeball swivel action provided by all of the tweeter housings.

Sound quality from the S1.62C's was quite good in the bottom end of their range. Both low frequency extension and output seem above average for 6.5-inch drivers. The midrange isn't quite as impressive as the bottom end, but it still seems relatively smooth. My favorite midrange test tracks were reproduced with a fair degree of accuracy, revealing only small tonal differences when compared to our reference studio monitors. As is typical with automotive speaker systems, things are pretty hot on the high frequency end. The range between 5 kHz and 10 kHz seems somewhat subdued, but, from there up, it's all screaming high end - theres are some serious speakers for the hip-hop and rock crowd.

The impression that I'm left with is one of a speaker system that's a bit bright but sounds pretty good overall. Installation flexibility is where the S1.62C's really shine though, if you can't find a suitable tweeter arrangement with these systems, it may be time to re-visit the planning stage.

OBJECTIVE
Impedance measurements for these systems show a maximum of 24 ohms at 94 Hz and a minimum of 3.3 ohms at 16 kHz. Average impedance measured 6 ohms between 100 Hz and 20 kHz. One watt at one-meter sensitivity measured 86.7 dB with 200 Hz to 5 kHz band-limited pink noise. RTA measurements show a relatively smooth response that fits within a window of about 12 dB over the systems usable range. The increased resolution of our semi-anechoic measurements reveals a somewhat more jagged response that fits within a window of about 17 dB.

Price & Contact: Call for pricing.; 480-966-8278, www.lightningaudio.com.