Stock Speaker Wire Size and Clarions vs Polk

[LT206]

Anyone have any idea what size the stock speaker wire in a 03 206 ltd is? I think I saw 16 ga on the wire but it was kind of smudgy and I'm not sure if it was a 16 or 18 ga. If its 16 ga I'm not sure it's worth rewiring, any thoughts?

I took apart the speaker pods and combing pads on the port side today (thinking I'd rework the speaker wire to my stock speakers (I'm installing two new amps) and now I'm thinking I should put in new 6.5" speakers as well while I've got it apart. Are the polks really that much better than the stock clarions?

[pjdave]

RE: Stock Speaker Wire Size and Clarions vs Polk

go the polks, its worth it.

[06210rider]

You may want to consider JL Audio's new marine line. Its def built to their standards and they sound incredible.

[Mikeski]

The stock clarion speakers should be 6.5". Depending on the rest of your system you might get better bang for the buck adding/upgrading the sub? I like the Polk db675's better then my Polk MMC650's. I find the 675's to have better midrange, they are cheaper, they don't have an external crossover to deal with, and they are lighter, they are rated for marine use just like the MMC's too.

JL is good too but I don't like dealing with the seperate tweeter.

The wire should be 16ga, I left the stock speaker wires in my 1995 and 2005.

[LT206]

Thanks for the advice. Mike, I don't think the 6.75" speaker will fit in the hole in the pod that the 6.5" came out of. The overall diameter of the hole is 6-7/8" - the speaker itself may fit, but I'm not sure if the grill will go on over it in that size hole. Anyone done this retrofit in a 03 model boat with the "pods" that have the grabrail, cupholder and speaker? I guess I could just go buy one and see. If it doesn't fit, I could always return it.

I agree, the external crossover could be a pain to deal with. Wonder why they did that? It must be better, huh?

[Mikeski]

Better, not in my opinion. Just another gadget for the marketing department to write hype around. I had some db675's in my hand night before last, I should have measured the cutout diameter required... darn.

[mgswed]

I put the db650's (6 of them) in my 1994 ski nautique. I love them. They sound great. -MG

[ryanandrews]

mg-do you have pics ?............also how to you get the speaker grill to fit over the side curtain and onto the speaker?..........does that make sense?.............i have a 94 also

[mgswed]

mg-do you have pics ?............also how to you get the speaker grill to fit over the side curtain and onto the speaker?..........does that make sense?.............i have a 94 also

I do have some pics but they are at home. I'll post them this weekend. The way the speaker grill attaches to the speaker is by using the same screw that mounts the speaker itself. The screw goes through a slot on the grill, through the speaker, through your pre drilled hole and into a backing plate provided by polk. I think they look great. They were pretty cheap at circuit city when i got them (buy 2 and get another 2 50% off). You can find a lot of info from this site http://www.polkaudio.com/caraudio/products/db650/ -MG

[mgswed]

ryanandrews, I thought I had some pics on my home computer for the install but I don't. I will take some pics and post them up here when I get a chance. -MG

[06210rider]

External crossovers are the reason you pay a few more $$ for the 650's and I would say its well worth it. If you dont know what the crossover does its a simple "electric" sound filter. Alowing the lower notes to go to the woofer and the highs to go to the tweeter. Honestly if you go to a stereo store and listen to the difference.....especially when they are turned up you will appreciate the crossovers. They prevent a decent amount of distortion at higher volume levels & you can turn the BASS up a bit more lol. Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

[Mikeski]

I tend to disagree with 210rider's post. I feel the external crossovers are kind a gimmick that manufacturers use to sell speakers (or charge more $$$). The Polk db650/675's have the crossover's mounted on the speaker. There is a small inductor for the low pass crossover mounted on the speaker (6 db/octave), the tweeter has it's crossover concealed within the pole piece supporting the tweeter. True the MMC's crossovers might be slightly better but you are not going to hear that difference in a boat. The crossover on the woofer is a low-pass crossover and will not prevent/reduce distortion as 210rider claims. It's a better suspension system on the higher priced driver is reducing distortion. On a boat these frequencies are best handled by a subwoofer. Pushing lots of power in the lower frequencies to any 6.5" speaker will cause it to fail fairly quickly. Listening to speakers in a stereo showroom is almost pointless. The stuff that sounds bad in the showroom because it sounds really bright is exactly the stuff you want to put in a boat because it will sound better in an open environment with lots of wind/motor noise.

All this said I have considered swapping my Polks out for Infinity Kappa's. The Kappa's have an external crossover but that makes them less attractive to me. I like the neodymium magnets, 95db efficiency, adjustable tweeters, and light weight. If I could get these speakers with internal crossovers I would.