Introduction: Sony® Xplōd Full Range Speakers
Speakers are literally the voice of the audio system and even subtle improvements make big differences to your ears. Sony engineers put relentless efforts into speaker designs throughout the entire Sony Mobile line up, focusing on sound quality, durability, and cosmetic design. The use of strong, light materials like HOP and Aluminum helped them achieve their goals. Throughout the design process, they even paid special attention to the potentially harmful effects of UV rays and used materials that prevent premature mechanical failures from material breakdown in the sun. Add to that aggressive cosmetics, increased power handling capability over previous models, and flexible mounting options and the Sony Xplōd® full range speakers make the perfect compliment to any mobile audio system.
Whether it’s upgrading speakers in factory locations or placement of new speakers in new locations, the Sony Xplōd® line of full range speakers will certainly be up to the task.
Highlight: Special Application Speakers
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Many people don’t realize that there are vehicles in which a special application speaker of an odd size or mounting configuration is required. Not to worry, Sony Mobile has you covered! The “V” and “W” Series special application speakers come in the sizes you need with the flexibility of factory matched mounting holes for ease of installation. This allows you to get the sound you want without compromise by utilizing the locations already existing in the vehicle. In addition to the V and W series special application speakers, the XS-GT5725A is a 5x7"/6x8" replacement size speaker intended for many Ford, Mazda, and other vehicles. Since these speakers are all intended to reside in factory locations, speaker grille assemblies aren’t included. Instead, these have all of the necessary mounting plates or hole patterns (per application) that are needed for seamless installation behind the original speaker grilles in the vehicle. With the combined benefits of factory matched mounting patterns and Sony’s speaker engineering, your ears will tell the difference in sound even if the eyes are fooled by the factory location! |
Top Reasons To Buy The Sony® Xplōd Full Range Speakers
Performance
HOP and Polypropylene woofer cones provide lower distortion, increased power handling, and superior linearity. Aluminum and HDLD Dome and
Balanced Dome tweeters make sure the highs sound just right.
Durability
Santoprene rubber surrounds offer superior resistance against the elements, while avoiding the stretch and deterioration typical of standard
butyl rubber surrounds. HOP, Aluminum, HDLD and Polypropylene are all materials that are resistant to the rigors of 24/7 life in a vehicle.
Cosmetic Design
The Xplōd cosmetic designs really stand out form the crowd. Obviously, this is much more important with installations where the speakers and grills will show, or even be highlighted.
Installation Flexibility
Shallow mounting depths and low-profile tweeter protrusions mean these speakers will fit comfortably in a majority of vehicles. They can be
top or bottom mounted, with or without grilles, for rear decks and in-door applications. V and W series speakers, as well as the GT5725A are
available in all the popular sizes that fit most vehicles on the road today!
Features And Benefits Of The Sony® Xplōd Full Range Speakers
| Feature | Benefit |
| HOP (Highly Oriented Polyolefin) Woofer Cones | HOP, or Highly Oriented Polyolefin, is Sony’s proprietary speaker cone material used in the V, S, and GT series speakers. During the manufacturing process, the polyolefin polymer strands are aligned, resulting in the perfect balance between strength, weight, and damping. The result is a speaker that provides a realistic sound usually reserved for higher-priced speakers. |
| Polypropylene Woofer Cones | Polypropylene is used in the W series speakers (and the XS-V4642A). Polypropylene is a particularly well damped, rigid plastic compound that is light enough to ensure a good sensitivity on even the smallest cone. This translates to minimal cone flex and maximum sound output, even where the factory location is behind a grille. |
| Santoprene Rubber Surrounds | More durable than even butyl rubber surrounds, Santoprene rubber surrounds resist stretching and loss of elasticity, ensuring continued quality through out the life of the speaker. |
| Stroke Stabilizer Surrounds | Sony engineers developed the Stroke Stabilizer to take advantage of the quick transient response and low weight of a thin surround, along with the superior back-pressure resistance of a thick surround. By adding radial ridges of thicker surround material along the surround, the inner side handles the detailed strokes, while the whole surround comes into play during higher power passages. The perfect balance between transient response and back-pressure resistance is achieved, resulting in a speaker that offers high power handling, accuracy over that entire power range, and low distortion. |
| High Sensitivity | By utilizing light and rigid cones, along with powerful magnet structures suitable for the application, these speakers are particularly good in the sensitivity department. This means for a given amount of input power, they will play louder than other, less sensitive speakers. That’s bang for the buck! |
| Low Profile Construction | Shallow mounting depth and low profile tweeter/midrange bridges ensure a perfect fit in many factory speaker locations, with or without grilles, top or bottom mount. |
| High Power Handling | Xplōd® speakers can handle a lot of power, with clarity, presence, and accuracy. Proprietary Sony speaker
technologies ensure low distortion and efficient reproduction of even the most demanding sources.
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| Full Range Capability | High sensitivity or power handling means nothing if the speaker doesn’t sound good or if it can’t cover the frequencies evenly. Sony full range speakers have frequency responses below 60Hz on the low side and up beyond 20kHz on the high side. This means that the 20Hz-20kHz full range of sound is right there, nearly all in one speaker. Combine these with Sony Xplōd® subwoofers to play the lowest bass notes and you have a speaker system that is going to impress your ears and your senses. |
Who Buys The Sony® Xplōd Full Range Speakers & Why
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GT Series Speakers (SPPG: $59-$79) GT Series speakers feature HOP (Highly Oriented Polyolefine) woofer cones and H.D.LD (High Density Layered Diaphrams for accurate sound reproduction. Affordable, and great sounding. Available in 6x9", 6-1/2", 5-1/4" and 5x7" sizes. |
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High Performance Speakers (SPPG: $99) These feature HOP woofers and aluminum dome tweeters. We’ve added our Stroke Stabilizer surround with thin areas for better transient response and “ridges” for greater stability. They have higher power handling than the GT Series, and are available in 6x9", 6-1/2" and 6x8"! |
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CX Series Speakers (SPPG: $129) CX Series is for those looking for sound quality. They have HOP woofer cones and Stroke Stabilizer surrounds like our HP line, but add an aluminum dome tweeter with wide-roll surround. This surround produces a longer stroke which results in lower extension to frequency response. Overall CX Series speakers have a smoother extended frequency response and lower harmonic distortion. Available in 6x9", 6-1/2" and 6x8"! |
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Special Applications Speakers (SPPG: $59-$99) If the application call for something other than a standard 6x9", 5x7/6x8", or 61/2" round speaker, the Special Apps speakers can fill the bill. Available in 4X10", 4x6", 4", and 3½" sizes. |
Key Feature: Aluminum Dome Tweeter
 Aluminum Dome Tweeter |
Sony’s aluminum dome tweeter combines the wide dispersion characteristics and superior off-axis response of the dome shaped tweeter with the unyielding, exceptionally stiff, yet surprisingly lightweight aluminum diaphragm material. The aluminum dome tweeter in the V Series speakers features low distortion, flat frequency response and smooth acoustic dispersion. Aluminum exhibits an exceptional stiffness to weight ratio, allowing for an extremely light weight, yet rigid cone. The low weight of the dome allows for extremely quick reactions to the input signal. That translates to transient response specifications difficult to approach by any other material. In the past, light weight cones often meant high distortion because the cone material would flex under the strain of the high frequency motion. Aluminum changed that by adding very high strength to a light weight material, able to retain its structural integrity over a wide range of frequencies and power bands. As a result, the aluminum dome tweeter is said to produce a fluid yet accurate sound field, with pin-point imaging, and an accuracy that reveals a higher level of detail and texture unattainable with softer materials. |
Extras For Sony® Xplōd Full Range Speakers
 XM-4S Four Channel Amplifier  XM-1252GTR Two Channel Amplifier |
XM-4S and XM-1252GTR Amplifiers The CEA-2006 power output ratings are 50W RMS x 4 into 4 Ohms for the XM-4S, and 125W x 2 into 4 Ohms for the XM-1252GTR, making them ideally suited for this application. Not too much power, yet enough to give dynamics to the audio system performance. Those looking to upgrade their factory system will appreciate the XM-4S and XM-1252GTR high level power sensing inputs for automatic amplifier turn on and easy integration into existing, OEM speaker wiring. This allows for a simpler installation, since the only new wire to be run through the vehicle is the amp’s positive battery wire. “Tapping into” the rear speaker wires privides the amp’s audio signal, and since the turn-on circuit is triggered automatically from the audio, no turn-on wire is needed. So, these amps can be easily added to an OEM system without having to touch the head unit. |
Key Feature: Mounting Clearance
 1. Mounting Depth 2. Grille Clearance |
Q: How do I know that the special application “factory replacement” speaker will not only fit the hole, but it will have the right clearance for the magnet on the back (mounting depth) and the tweeter in the front (tweeter protrusion for speaker grille clearance)?
A: A speaker’s mounting depth and tweeter protrusion can make or break a sale — if it doesn’t fit, no sale. All of these models have less than 1" of tweeter protrusion, enabling a perfect fit in most existing factory speaker locations. The mounting depths on the door mount speakers are less than 2.5", also ensuring a virtually universal application. *Non-metric measurements are approximate and may vary. |
Summary Of The Sony® Xplōd Full Range Speakers
If you’re looking for accurate sound expression, look no further than the Sony Xplōd® full range speakers. Proprietary cone technology ensures clarity, accuracy, and durability, while minimizing distortion. The new Xplōd® mounting designs virtually ensure that there’s an Xplōd® speaker that will fit in your vehicle, no matter what you drive. The aggressive cosmetics of the full range speakers are excellent for installations where you can see the speaker. Also, with such a variety of special applications that can fit into today’s vehicles (with or without the grilles), it is just another way Sony Mobile is thinking for fit and finish in just about any type of vehicle.
Key Feature: Damping And Linearity
Damping
The high internal loss (damping) of HOP cones allows the material to absorb unwanted secondary harmonics throughout play. This means the speaker will
produce a particular frequency and damp the unwanted harmonic, then continue playing and producing the next frequency and so on. This damping is what
makes the overall imaging and soundstage of the music seamless.
Linearity
Accurate sound in V series speakers is achieved from the flat midrange frequency response and the high internal loss realized by using HOP cones. HOP
cone speakers play at extended ranges enabling the crossover points where the cone “hands off” to the integrated midrange and tweeter
to be raised. This allows the upper midrange and tweeters to play in the band they are best suited for due to the size of their voice coils.
