Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have been into car audio for years. With a new car and some old Alpine V12s and a 10 inch sub kicking around, I decided to 'recycle' parts of an old system into the car. I have never used Polk audio before, but remembered them as having a typically laid back sound. I was pining for Focal Access, but decided to just save the money, since theft is an issue in my area, and cars provide overall lousy audio environments compared to others.
My usual listening these days is on a pair of Sennheiser HD 595s (fantastic), so I was surprised when I fired up the Polks to hear that they are overall very balanced sounding and controlled. There were no immediately discernible problem frequencies unlike nearly every other set of car speakers I've ever had. I mounted the midwoofer to an MDF baffle in the factory location, and ended up sawing my A-Pillars for the tweeters to flush mount. This is a fairly ideal set up for the car world, though I typically prefer to keep the mid and tweeter as close together as possible. Because of the baffle however, there just was not quite enough room for the tweeter as well, which would have been partially blocked anyway. I should have noted that these speakers are being fed about 100 watts from an Alpine MRV T707. These speakers would likely make sound from a stock deck, but I personally would not try to run them with less than 50 watts, I'm willing to bet 50 would get you close to loud, 75-100 will get you to 'way too loud.' : )
After several hours of listening, I decided to cut the tweeters to the -3Db position, bumped the EQ up 2 notches at 60 and 200 hz (I like having slightly overemphasized bass), and finally experimented with wiring them out of phase. Mad cancellation when out-of-phase, back to in phase, and all was well. As I have adjusted to them, I have noticed some sibilance in male vocals, though vocals overall tend to sound airy and spot on. Somewhat uneven pitch when hearing piano chords on certain recordings occurs, and very complex recordings can start to sound compressed at higher volumes. Cymbals and other metals sound splashy and crisp, strings sound great, electric guitars crunch and go right through you, acoustic sounds are delicate and clear as a winter night. The midwoofer seems to have no problem delivering bass lines - I have them crossed at a low 40 hz and they don't blink. The sound overall nudges on the bright side, which I happen to prefer, though I would like a little more 'attack' from the midbass. They are probably slightly muffled by the stock speaker grilles - I didn't notice the 'weak' attack when I demoed with the door panels off. They blend almost perfectly with my audiomobile 10, which I crossed at a much higher than normal 120 hz. Overall, these speakers reward placement and experimentation, and their overall quality vastly exceeds the low price tag. I find the Focal Access series (which I also have now demoed) to be brighter, and better overall (much more aggressive but still very accurate and controlled sound) but not nearly warranting the extra 150 bucks. I am very impressed with these speakers, and that says a lot, considering how ridiculously picky I am about audio.
Pros:
Big, accurate, uncolored, sound, Small Price
comes with ample speaker wire to use in your doors
flush or surface mounts are literally a 'snap'
crossover allows +3, 0, or -3 Db settings so you can get closer to that perfect balance
Good power handling, they don't break a sweat on the daily grind
will likely please listeners that ALSO listen to jazz, classical, rock, and not just todays oversampled R and B, Rap, and Pop genres.
Cons:
Good power handling also necessitates a fairly beefy amp to run them well
No included angle mount for the tweeter - I found that irritating. Luckily, off-axis response seems great.
Overall build quality of the crossover seems pretty budget minded for sure - we'll see how it lasts
Not a fan of putting screws through my door and the crossovers PCB, be extra careful with that, or get some velcro
General lack of helpful mounting bits and pieces, comes with lots of 1 inch and longer screws, not a problem for me, but this may create issues for others
Installation manual is pretty spartan and generally not too helpful for the inexperienced installer (see the Focal site for a better one).
Click Here to see more reviews about: Polk Audio DB5251 5.25-Inch 2-Way Component System (Single, Silver)
The Polk Audio db5251 5.25" 2-Way Component System with External Crossover brings you superior looks and sound at a price that makes high performance affordable to everyone.This system includes a 5.25" polymer/mica composite mineral filled cone that is stiff yet lightweight, bringing you big sound with little distortion.A 25mm liquid-cooled silk-polymer composite dome tweeter with neodymium magnet creates clear, detailed highs.Its flush and surface mount swivel cups give you increased placement flexibility and soundstage optimization.The 2nd-order Butterworth Outboard Crossover provides fiddle-free high-quality sound.Additionally, the vented crossover housing gives you a choice of hidden wire channels for easier, more professional-looking installs.A multi-hole mounting pattern makes for easy drop-in installations in practically any car on the road.Polk db Series speakers are built tough to withstand the harshest environments, so they are perfect for use in boats of all types.The db Series delivers classic Polk Audio performance and durability like never before.
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