Which speakers to go with?

[heferaton]

Going to change out the Rockford Fosgate speakers in my boat. Looking at these options JL Audio MX650,
Kicker KM654 or Polk MM651 UM. Keeping the 2 12" RF subs and the Amps. Would like to know who runs these speakers and what are your thoughts? Would love to hear some feedback from HB nation.

[jordy]

Going to change out the Rockford Fosgate speakers in my boat. Looking at these options JL Audio MX650,
Kicker KM654 or Polk MM651 UM. Keeping the 2 12" RF subs and the Amps. Would like to know who runs these speakers and what are your thoughts? Would love to hear some feedback from HB nation.

I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them. Everything in my scooter is Rockford Fosgate, and it is loud and sounds amazing with a pair of 6 1/2's and a pair of 6x9's being pushed with a little Rockford amp that fits under the fairing, is no wider than the head unit, and puts out over 150W per channel. I'm a huge fan of their product and it seems to be getting better on a regular basis.

I've run Kicker in my truck with 2 pairs of components, 2 amps, and 4 10's that Wired for Sound put in for me 12 years ago now. I rock that thing when I'm in it as most of my time seems to be spent in a company vehicle with stock sound. Never had an issue with Kicker and don't think you can go wrong there. Lots of bang for the buck.

I'm also a huge fan of Polkaudio. My entire home theater is Polk and I had 2 pairs of components and a 10" sub in my SXS and they took a beating and never let me down.

My buddy runs JL in his boat and they've held up well over the years. At the end of the day I suppose it comes down to what your ears listen for and what kind of music you're listening to. I believe they've all got a similar price point so it's hard to make that a deciding factor. It's not like you're comparing a $100 pair of Polk's with a $500 pair of Focals as that becomes an easier decision. Crutchfield has been a great source of home and mobile audio for me over the years and seem to have some pretty good prices and even better sales.

Lots of help I know! :biggrin:

[HB Vic]

I'm not a big fax of marine anything to be honest. Just don't seem to have the same sound as regular subs.

I have 12W6's in my bow and the rest is Focal. Sounds decent but not great because the subs are so far under the deck. But with my boat I don't have many other options.

Honestly, I'd rather hear the blower whine :D

[jordy]

I'm not a big fax of marine anything to be honest. Just don't seem to have the same sound as regular subs.

I have 12W6's in my bow and the rest is Focal. Sounds decent but not great because the subs are so far under the deck. But with my boat I don't have many other options.

Honestly, I'd rather hear the blower whine :D

I had Focals in my Spectre with a single 13W7 under the bow, and that was it. Essentially just a big box. Standing on the bow with the stereo cranked would make your teeth rattle and eyes go fuzzy. The girls liked the bow rail that ran down the center for some reason. ;-)

[HB Vic]

I had Focals in my Spectre with a single 13W7 under the bow, and that was it. Essentially just a big box. Standing on the bow with the stereo cranked would make your teeth rattle and eyes go fuzzy. The girls liked the bow rail that ran down the center for some reason. ;-)

I have a 13W7 in a ported box in my garage. If you pay for a forklift and shipping, you can have it LOL

[jordy]

I have a 13W7 in a ported box in my garage. If you pay for a forklift and shipping, you can have it LOL

What am I going to do, put it in the bed of my truck? Maybe in high school. :bananadance:

[HB Vic]

What am I going to do, put it in the bed of my truck? Maybe in high school. :bananadance:

Maybe use it as a coffee table base on date night LOL


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[jordy]

Maybe use it as a coffee table base on date night LOL


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I'll just wire some audio feeds into my welder to run it while I'm at it. My God those things need a bunch of power to sound good. :punch:

[HB Vic]

I'll just wire some audio feeds into my welder to run it while I'm at it. My God those things need a bunch of power to sound good. :punch:

Yeah stupid power for sure


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[HB Vic]

What about amps these days?? I've heard of some super small digital amps that are stupid powerful. But I haven't updated any of my stuff for awhile. I want to say my toon had 5 JL's, but I don't remember what they were. Pretty small though.

[riverrunner1984]

I had 2 10w6 and they killed my batteries. Needless to say I took them out. What do you guys use to power your systems? I hear some people install one of those quiet Honda generators to power their systems. That sounds like the best way to go.


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[jordy]

What about amps these days?? I've heard of some super small digital amps that are stupid powerful. But I haven't updated any of my stuff for awhile. I want to say my toon had 5 JL's, but I don't remember what they were. Pretty small though.

The one that is in my bike is unreal. It's Rockford Fosgate and is about the width of a single din head unit and about half the depth. Putting out about 150W per channel and it's a 4 channel amp. Prior to that I had a "300W" amp in there and it was putting out over 100W per channel as a 4 channel amp. I'm kind of the field testing guy for the bike audio as if it can be broken, I'm the guy to do it as I actually ride the shit out of my bike. Talking with the Rockford guys at Bike Week and we were laughing about the size of amp you used to need to get the power they're getting out of something not much bigger than the average sized smart phone these days.

[jordy]

I had 2 10w6 and they killed my batteries. Needless to say I took them out. What do you guys use to power your systems? I hear some people install one of those quiet Honda generators to power their systems. That sounds like the best way to go.


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I had 3 optima blue tops in my Spectre when I first got it. They'd make it through most of the day before starting to clip due to voltage drop. I'd have to go home and put them on the charger overnight so they'd be ready for the next day. A few months into doing that I changed out those 3 batteries and put in 2 6V trojan golf cart batteries and they'd run the stereo for the weekend.

Phat Matt had his E Ticket setup with the Honda generator plumbed into the engine compartment with an overboard for the exhaust and it would run all week, or until the generator ran out of gas. Lots of debate over the years of the legality in doing that between the USCG, UL and a what coverage may be exempted by the insurance companies should the boat burn to the ground, etc. Lots of what if's, but I've never heard of anyone having an actual problem.

[jordy]

Here's the amp in my scooter currently. Again, it sits on top of the head unit and behind the fairing. Not much room in there to begin with.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t400x4ad

[riverrunner1984]

Phat Matt had his E Ticket setup with the Honda generator plumbed into the engine compartment with an overboard for the exhaust and it would run all week, or until the generator ran out of gas. Lots of debate over the years of the legality in doing that between the USCG, UL and a what coverage may be exempted by the insurance companies should the boat burn to the ground, etc. Lots of what if's, but I've never heard of anyone having an actual problem.

This seems like the best option IMO....
I would hate to take out batteries and charge them at night....Then again, if I had a bigger boat with better access, maybe it wouldn't be so bad lol

[jordy]

This seems like the best option IMO....
I would hate to take out batteries and charge them at night....Then again, if I had a bigger boat with better access, maybe it wouldn't be so bad lol

My charger has cables that are long enough to sit on the trailer fender and reach the batteries. The other option, which is what you'd do with a generator on board, is a built in charger/tender that you would plug into the generator when you're on the water, and the wall when it's back in the garage.

[HB Vic]

Here's the amp in my scooter currently. Again, it sits on top of the head unit and behind the fairing. Not much room in there to begin with.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t400x4ad

Looks pretty small. Unfortunately I won't have to worry about putting anything in my bike until its no longer a hostage LOL

[jordy]

Looks pretty small. Unfortunately I won't have to worry about putting anything in my bike until its no longer a hostage LOL

Let me know when that day comes as I do have some pull and get dealer pricing. :airplane:

[HB Vic]

Let me know when that day comes as I do have some pull and get dealer pricing. :airplane:

Hopefully sooner than later. I'm dying to ride again. Thank you I will [emoji106]🏼


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[heferaton]

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah they are all pretty similar the price tag goes way up with the JL MX's though. Leaning towards the Polk. I have 8 speakers to replace, so not a small ticket item regardless.

[jordy]

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah they are all pretty similar the price tag goes way up with the JL MX's though. Leaning towards the Polk. I have 8 speakers to replace, so not a small ticket item regardless.

8 speakers, meaning 4 pairs I'm assuming? That's not terrible by any stretch. I think you'll be happy with the Polks. Glad you waded through all the small talk to get what you needed. :goodluck: