Kenwood KFC-X688C Coaxials
www.kenwoodusa.com

Kenwood offers a factory replacement speaker that’s sure to please.

The KFC-X688C’s are two-way, 6x8-inch coaxial speaker systems that are designed to replace the factory drivers in Fords, Mazdas, and Nissans. The systems utilize stamped baskets, 10-oz magnets, PBO advanced fiber cones with rubber surrounds, and 1-3/16-inch PEI film dome tweeters.

Subjective
If you can tolerate the stock speaker locations in most Fords, Mazdas, and Nissans, then these systems will surely fit the bill. As with most stock replacement-type drivers, the KFC-X688Cs sounded somewhat top heavy in our smallish test enclosures. However, the systems seem better balanced overall than many that we’ve seen. The 688Cs sound as if their response exhibits a relatively smooth tilt towards the high end rather than the sharp rise from the midrange up that results from your typical blaring tweeter. They seem to sound a bit more natural from off-axis listening positions, not unlike the positions caused by stock speaker locations, so they should perform quite well in their intended application.

Actually, it’s kind of nice to have a good quality replacement that’s an upgrade for the stock speakers. While I don’t know how they compare in price to the “original genuine equipment” I’ll take bets they are actually a little less than what they are intended to replace. How often can you get a bargain and a performance upgrade in the same package?

The only point that raises an eyebrow with these systems is the construction of the PBO fiber cones. While on the surface, this woven cone material appears to be pretty cool stuff — flipping to the rear of the speaker reveals a cone material that looks a lot like paper. Don’t get me wrong, paper is one of the better cone materials. That’s why, after better than a hundred years of speaker building, you still see an awful lot of paper cones.

The biggest problem with untreated paper in a mobile application is that it’s sensitive to water. The woven and treated front surface of the 688C appears to have a very high resistance to water — it simply beads and rolls off. Conversely, the reverse side of the cone readily wicks up moisture. In a stock automotive speaker location, one would assume that the rear of the speaker cone would be the most likely to encounter liquids and/or high humidity.

All in all, I can understand and won’t begrudge the use of paper backing. This isn’t exactly a super high-end speaker and manufacturing speaker cones purely from woven fabric and a liquid polymer is not a trivial task. Starting with a thin paper cone and adding a composite layer is likely a far more cost effective route that brings a less expensive speaker to the masses. However, just a quick shot of sealant across the back of the cone sure would be nice.

Objective
Impedance measurements on the KFC-X688Cs show a maximum of 17 ohms at 94 Hz and a minimum of 3.9 ohms at 254 Hz. Average impedance measured 5.5 ohms between 100 Hz and 20 kHz. One watt at one-meter sensitivity measured 89.5 dB SPL with 200 Hz to 5 kHz band limited pink noise. In both RTA and semi-anechoic measurements, the KFC-X688C’s show a general high frequency rise and a response that fits within a window of about 11 dB over the vast majority of the system’s usable range.

Price & Contact: $200; 310-639-9000, www.kenwoodusa.com.