///M5

I didn't read your description saying that the size of the 4" is fine...but you forgot one other thing. The 4" driver will take a WAY bigger enclosure. My W4's are in an enclosure that is 14" x 12" x 6"

You said you can't fit a 4" driver....the W4 you linked is a great driver. I am listening to a pair of them right now, but they are far from trivial to tame full range with a crossover. The breakup and overtones are rough. Once done though they are stellar. I built mine as on axis near field ported monitors and supplement them with a 10" passive radiator sub and they seriously kick butt as an office setup. As for worrying about the ER in the door. Don't. It is an amazing driver and for around $50 THE choice if I were to be generic in recommending things for a 2 way setup. They are a little bit thinner on the midbass than the CA version, but make up for it in the midrange. That all being said if you are doing a 3 way the midrange benefits are useless and you could use more on the bottom end. An XBL based mid will do better for you in that regard. One other thing, you can read too much on the internet. Just because Jim Holtz (no disrespect to him at all here) likes them mated with two completely different drivers, in a completely different alignment than you are using basically means jack shit. What you should be interested in are only designs that are run full range. Normally like I have in my office this would mean a ported enclosure or supplemented with a sub (or both) but you are looking for on axis mid range performance. Even then recommendations may be weak since you are in a very reflective environment and not truly 100% on axis due to these reflections. Much more of a mess in a car than any other listening environment.

A single note fart cannon and a box for music are two distinctly opposite designs.

Same but different

No magic in them. Generally they sound way worse than a comparable ported enclosure. The lemmings that build the BP's now are just like in the 90's, they have no idea what they are doing. There are a few exceptions but they are few and far between.

If they would have put an upscale interior in the SS I'd have one. The non descript look on the outside is a huge bonus IMO although it does look like a fwd rental. Holden badges and grill do help that a ton though.

This is what I wear

Biggest problem with a full face helmet is fogging. I will make you breath heavy too.

The TC9 is a bit lackluster, I have no experience with the 830986 but assume it is just fine. As you also stated the 88 on axis won't require a tweet. That could simplify your processing and amplification...

Again, depends on the box. Yours sounds like you aren't optimizing for either which means it will be a crap shoot.

Can't complain about the LS. The Esky took to boost really well. Kills X5M's...

And a shit load of meat, lol

Nothing off the smoker here but made some good eats. Pan roasted pork tenderloin, fresh salad greens from the farm and a vinagrette, butternut squash, sliced kohlrabi, freshly picked grape tomatoes, herbed olives, cucumber salad. Boys devoured the table. Amazing what appetites do when starches are removed. We aren't at all starch free, but have a heavy vegetable diet.

Ever listened to a good set? Lacking is a strange way of describing them to me.

Acceptable? They can be entirely different. Damn reflections in your space almost require it.

No, a 4th order describes the slope of the mechanical filter of the box. In other words a standard ported enclosure is a 4th order, a 4th order bandpass is a 4th order, etc.

ie, the setup that will be louder will be in the better box.

So 100% completely useless for deadening. Ok. Don't use that.

Off axis will probably be preferred, but the baffles you made will allow you to test.

Umm, no. People are lemmings. The name should give it away for you: Bandpass. By definition (verbatim from Websters lol) :a filter that transmits only frequencies within a selected band. In other words, the box in this case becomes a filter and reduces the low frequency & high frequency output. Wider range is laughably stupid as it is the exact opposite. There is only 1 logical use for a 4th order BP and that is when you have the port fire into a cabin instead of the box into the trunk. Some cars are bass traps and you need to do that. Other than that, one could argue if you had no processing that you can use the mechanical filtering of the box to improve your overall sound but in the modern headunit there is always sub processing so that reason seems pretty ridiculous.

Windows look great dude!

I wear a motorcycle helmet....although it is a Motocross one. I have extra gear, but not sure you can get into it. As for being warm in board shorts, that can be the case on a 20F degree day but if we go out at -10f you need some layers. I wear really a goretex/eVent layer and a wool shirt and a polarfleece sweater at -20F. My riding buddies at that point have 3 jackets on.

Challenging me for the bird leg award then now?

and indeed the rears are pointless. I have an Escalade and even in that huge ass vehicle they do nothing positive.

Much smaller than when we met? I am about 4lbs heavier than you....and 6'7"