Replace blown MM651's...
 

Like many others on the forum here, I've fried a set of Polk MM651's in less that a year (probably only 3-4 months of riding).

Now I am looking at a viable replacement speaker for them. Basic info: HU is a Sony DSX-S210 and Amp is a RF PBR300x2.

I am considering three different speakers at this point. The Biketronics Titan II's in the 6.5" or 7.1" or the Infinity Kappa 62.11i.

What are the pros/cons of each? What would be the best speaker for my current setup?

I am open to any ideas/comments/suggestions/criticisms. Thanks for your help and input!

I had a bad set of polks too. Replaced with these, http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/K...IC13-40CS674-N and paid $68 with the make an offer. To me, they sound better than the polks did. I'm glad I saved the money this time.

Stick with the Polk mm651.
Don't let the problems of a few speakers ruin the whole lot of them. I am running 8 Polk mm series speakers and have been for almost 2 years. I push a lot of power to them and I ride a lot and it is always cranked up near max volume.
I have had one single speaker fail but it was not for the reason others had fail. Mine just plain blew from usage and too much power. I was probably feeding it a little distortion and the voice coil started to fail.
When I say fail, I mean the speaker plays fine at high volume but at low volume it crackles or doesnt play at all untill it gets enough juice to it.

My advice is to stick with the Polk. You will not find a better speaker in this price range. There are better choices but you are going to pay for it.

IMO, if you are putting a speaker in a violent environment like a motorcycle? You are best buying rugged components that are ablle to take a beating, weather proof and cheap enough that once they do fail, and they will all fail eventually, they are affordable.

I don't care how high a quality speaker you use, if you put it outside in the weather, it will eventually fail.

This applies to bikes that actually get ridden regularly. For the guys who only ride in fair weather and only ride a couple thousand miles a year? Then high $$ components may be the ticket if you are spending a lot of time and money on a system.

As for me? I have a high quality, high power system and I chose the Polks in part because I do ride and I do ride in all weather conditions. And I ride a lot when I can. My bike is a daily commuter to work when I don't need my truck.

When I just purchased another set of speakers, I really wanted to give the Titan II's a try but in the end, I knew the Polks would suit my application better and I swear by them.
If you could hear my system, it would change your mind about Polk and sound quality.

Any speaker needs proper power to sound the way it is designed. And the Polk mm6501, mm651 and the mm691 speakers require at least 125 watts each to reach full potential IMO.
I am feeding each of my Polk speakers about 175 watts each at full power. They probably see 125 watts constantly and 3/4 of the time they see 150 watts or better.

Listen to Ultranuts about the Polks. He knows they quality issues of the bad batches but he is still a Polk fan too.
That says a lot if you ask me.

No cons to any of the speakers your are considering . . . .Ran them all except the 7.1's and I have a buddy who has the 7.1's and they sound dam good! All those speakers are a beast given the correct amount of power!! Thinking about getting those 7.1's myself. Just waiting on Biketronics to develop 7.1 pods for the lower fairing . . I like all my speakers to match.

Is this in the works ????

Lol, Not sure GP. I'm only speculating their next move from a marketing standpoint. As popular as the 7.1's are why wouldn't you invest capital in a project to double your bottom line? Makes sense from a business standpoint and they appear to be pretty business savy. I know the demand is there. . . It would probably take you or Nutz to plant the seed. :)

Of course you're not having any problems with your Polk's. You are running the component versions. The problem with the 651's is the tweeter stalk, which yours doesn't have.

Not correct. I have 4 Polk mm691's and they have the tweeter stalk that comes thru the woofer, much like the mm651.

Different speaker altogether. That would be like comparing a compact car to a pickup because they both have ICE's.

Very true. . When I had my polk system I had the MM691's in the lids. Never had one issue out of the 6 x 9's. Went through 9 sets of the MM651's. (replaced the uppers,lowers and pods three times) Lucky for me Sonic sent me new speakers each time. The problem was definately with the 6.5 inch speaker.