polk DB6502 speaker kit

[waninae39]

I bought the polk DB6502 kit to replace the cheap one sin my 2017 sport 22FB

it comes with a woofer and a tweeter plus the cross over kit

35Hz - 23kHz and 92 dB sensitivity

The woofer fits the same hole as the old ones

pics later after i install them

[waninae39]

here are before and after shots

the new Polk DB6502 woofer and tweeter set

NOTE: beware of amazon sellers. The one I used is not an official seller thus i get no guarantee from POLK USA/CAN. One of the cross overs was bad, the seller would not replace it. $$ out of my pocket

[wulfraat]

Nicely done!

[SilverHouseDreams]

I actually have a pair of DB6502s that have been in my garage for years that I had bought for a car I no longer own, I am intrigued by your install. I have a 2011 Sport 22FB, but it only has 5.25" speakers.

Does the 2017 come with 6.5" speakers from the factory or did the Polk speakers fit the smaller rings?
Did you have to enlarge the hole in the aluminum for the magnets to clear?
Where did you put the cross over box, just slide it between the layers of the skin? Did you attach it with double-sided foam tape or anything?

The speakers on my '11 are entirely horrible, perhaps the worst "mobile" audio speakers I have ever heard. I am a bit nervous that it just opens a can of worms, because then I would "need" to upgrade the receiver too. And run input wiring from the TV to the receiver. Oh, and then I might as well upgrade to an even better receiver and maybe add more speakers so that the bedroom has sound too. For now we are just using a portable speaker.

I have been trying to find new spacer rings so that I could fit 6.5" speakers, as they are way better than 5.25"...but so far it seems hit or miss on if those rings actually fit a 6.5" speaker, as many only fit 6" or 5.25" even advertised for 6.5".

[waninae39]

i used the white ring from the AS supplied speaker between the polk and the metal ceiling. you can see it behind the pol in my picture

i did have to make a small hole for the tweater

the crossover is in the ceiling between the metal skins

[Hextra]

and the sound quality? Greatly improved?

[waninae39]

yes, much better

though if you wan the best sound, put some good 2-way bookshelf speakers in the AS

My SO, wont let me do that

[waninae39]

IF you cant find SPACER
and
IF you a ARE handy in the workshop
make your own spacer from wood or plywood and paint it white
that way it can be as thick as you want so that the 6.5" base fits into the 5.25" hole

not very hard

[waninae39]

WARNING

i had to get my money back from amazon.
The firm that sold me the polk speakers was a FRAUD and sent me FAKE POLK speakers, that looked ok.

Local dealer confirmed they were fake,.

I bought these from a local dealer after the amazon cleared and approved my refund

http://dbdrive.net/product/s3-60v2-2/

$100 per pair

BEWARE of sellers

[GMFL]

So how do they sound. Sorry for the amazon problems. Something to watch out for.
Thanks

[waninae39]

much better

the polks were tinny

borrowed a spectrum analyzer and flat noise,

no bass under 120 hz

took it to a polk dealer, he told me they were fake clones

told amazon , 3 days later $$$ refunded

[waninae39]

i spoke to a good audio/music guy at work. He said for my applications, a speaker baffle is a MUST.



without it, you only get high and the lows will be lost

that's exactly what the default AS speakers sound like.

i went to his house and he showed me what it sounds like with and without a baffle.

i could not find ones in town for my weekend install
thus i made my own out of paper mache. My friend that is is fine as long as its solid, no air leaks and has some flexibility.

my paper mach mold meets those conditions. I just found a plastic round Tupperware container, wrapped it in tinfoil, tun the strips of newspaper and made the paper mach paste. a i added a bit ow white glue and salt(to prevent mould)

[waninae39]

i could not find any local supplier for the rear baffles. online did not meet my install date of today. i made my own baffle

very simple.

• i found a round rubber made container close to the size i wanted
• i cut wood shims to adjust the shape and size.
• i wrapped it in tin foil, and eased it out to form a trailing edge away from the mold
• made a paper mache mix(2:1 water to flour , bit of white glue and salt) and cut strips of newspaper.
• made it about 1/8" thick and let it dry
• too ensure air does not leak through ( this causes whistle sounds- not good), i added Tuck tape house air sealer to the rear.
• i coated the interior with Varathan and let it dry
• cot the mold to shape with scissors so that it is just a bit smaller that the trim piece
• wrap the edge in tuck tape

it cost less than $1 and I made it in one day
now its ready for installation

[wulfraat]

Have you noticed a difference with the base / frequency response in the airstream?

[waninae39]

installed today

what a difference the rear baffle makes! no noise or whistle.

much more base that the AS OEM or the fake POLKs from amazon

as these are 6.5" and the OEM is 5.5" , be sure to save the spacer. it is needed to get the larger speaker away from the edge to ensure nothing touches

the top is metal, thus a paint it white

here is what is looks like now

[YippieKiYa]

Crutchfield has been a great source of unique products for mobile audio for many years. They have the baffles in stock, and sell several varieties of speakers, amps, headpieces, etc. https://www.crutchfield.com