Head unit and remote done, next up speakers......

[cbaarestad]

So I got the to big things I wanted to get done on my boat over the winter done before the snow even started flying here in Northern MN! Now I'm thinking I'm just going to finish up the audio upgrade this off season by doing the speakers now too! What does everyone think about the Polk Db651s? I'm staying away from tower speakers since I'm not to big of a fan of them! Just looking for great cabin speakers. I will be installing a 12" Kicker in the next few weeks here when I get a box built. I'll post pics when I get her all done and cleaned up for the folks looking for Ideas because I really appreciated it when I was trying to figure out what I was going to do. It's alot easier seeing someone elses successful endevour and building off their ideas!!!! Durable cabin speakers are my quandry!!!! what do you all think???


So Far accomplished/Installed>>>>>>>

***Kenwood KMR-700U
***Kenwood KCA-107 remote

[04OUTBACK]

Db651s are nice. Look @ the momos too.
Check out exiles. I have exiles impending my tower and they sounded great. The factory kickers in my cockpit sound good too. Make sure you amp all 6 with plenty of power based on ratings

[jmvotto]

brad nailed it.

polk db are good bang for the buck and with 50 to 75 watt power . if you want to step up power on both then look are the momo then exiles. just power them properly. i think my db do a great job on the cabin powered by tbe jl 6600m good clean power.

[cbaarestad]

Are exiles cream of the crop for marine speakers? I've heard wetsounds are pretty awesome too.......

[04OUTBACK]

Wet sounds are definitely solid. What are your goals?
Wet sounds make great hlcd tower speakers.
For cockpit 6.5" exiles would be great As stated above, you'll be more pleased with momos over dbs.

Exile amps are quite Solid. whatever you do for cockpit speakers, just run plenty of power and you'll be happier.

[EarmarkMarine]

After hearing and using just about every in-boat speaker there is, we have the following five marine speakers on display with plenty of power and in perfectly equal positioning.
JL Audio, Polk Audio MM, Wetsounds, Kicker and Exile.
The upgrade Kicker (NOT the version factory uses) is warm and smooth. Its a major departure from the entry marine model.
JL Audio uses a coated soft dome tweeter that sounds exactly like a Vifa or Seas euro tweeter. Very smooth and detailed but without any false emphasis. Second order crossover versus first order. Vocals are the best and the midbass is outstanding. Most transparent speaker in the mix.
The Polk MM is a serious upgrade over the Polk dB series. It deserves more power but when correctly powered it is definitely worth it. It also has a smooth and natural response similar to the JL Audio MX series.
The Wetsounds, the upgrade model, is a serious ROCK and ROLL speaker. Not quite as linear as some but loud and clean! Very punchy midbass with a touch of extra sizzle on the top end.
The Exile in the newer version with the grill-mounted tweeter is an upgrade over the previous version with the post-mounted tweeter because it has slightly improved midbass over the old model. Its tilted on the bright side and there is good detail in that tweeter. I would say its competitive.
The Wetsounds, Kicker, Polk Audio MM (not the dB series) and JL Audio are true marine construction in every aspect. Synthetic non-linen spiders, cast polymer baskets (versus stamped steel) and more.

David
Earmark Marine

[you da man]

Don't forget Bullet HP 650 speakers. Checkout Earmark Marines "package deals" and in-boat speaker section. Can't beat the prices and it's winter season so I'm sure David will throw us a bone so to speak to temp us into throwing more money into our money pits...lol. I know I'm going for some RGB lights all around my boat.

[KG's Supra24]

David pretty much laid it out. In a simple format this is how I see it:

Class 1: Factory setup whether it be kicker, roswell, or mb
Class 2: Polk DB series (seems to be the accepted bang for the buck swap)
Class 3: Polk MM series, Bullet HP, Wetsounds, Exile, JL, Kicker high end line

In the class 3, there may be some difference, as David was pointing out, but imo the way you pick between the class 3 ones is based on what the rest of your setup looks like. Might as well match the speakers or get the look you want. Yea I said it, pick the pretty one!

[EarmarkMarine]

YDM,
Sorry, but the Bullet HollowPoint in-boat speaker is temporarily out of production. With that larger soft dome tweeter, 2nd order highpass crossover and carbon fiber midbass cone, it was one of my absolute favorites.
They are working on a replacement model for next season.

David
Earmark Marine

[jmvotto]

earmark does have some great promo packages on their website as YDM stated.

Best overall comprehensive marine audio gear anyplace i have seen.

[KG's Supra24]

And a great install gallery of customer boats. I know I used it as one of my primary resources for pics when coming up with ideas.

[cbaarestad]

Thanks David and the rest yall for the priceless advice and expertise you have in audio.... I guess I got a bit more research to do to figure out what I want. The playlist in my boat is majority country when my sisters have control, but for me its classic rock and some hip hop!!!! Just looking for a set of cabins that will make every genre of music in my boat concert like!!!! If ya know what I mean!!!!