Cap'n Morgan wrote:
So, you bought the Infinity's and did not read that the grills were attached? You also did not notice the grills do not completely cover the speakers? Seems like you could have found that out before purchase easy enough.
I could live with the relatively open aspect of the grille. At least up on the underside of the arch. Down on the sides would be a non-starter due to our 2 year old's poking fingers. But combine the grille with the non-standard drill holes and it's not worth the hassle for me. Live and learn.
Quote:
So if you buy some JL's will you buy component speakers like your Clarion's and replace the tweeter with a JL ? If not, what is your plan for the clarion installed tweeters?
I may just leave the clarion tweeters installed but disconnect them. Few other marine tweeters have the same angled pod setup. And I doubt any would have the same mounting holes. They look fine but two of them are shot.
Quote:
If this can be done, here is my suggestion. Get some speakers with "poke proof" grills, that already have a tweeter built in, then remove the Clarion tweeters from the arch, and replace there grills where the holes are, thus hiding the hole in the arch. This will create a bass reflex port in your arch, that will increase the bass output of whatever speakers you choose in the already less than ideal arch enclosure. I did something similar with mine , and it was a major difference in sound.
Two problems come to mind. The holes for the clarion tweeters are only large enough for the wire. They're mounted in pods, not as holes into the arch. The pod is screwed down on each end and then the wire runs though it. So it's two little holes for screws and a slightly larger one for the wires. No open port. The second problem would be moisture. I'm less than eager to open up the inside of the arch to a greater amount of sea air. As it stands now the arch is sealed well enough for there to be no signs of corrosion on any of the mounting bolts from stuff mounted on top. Versus seeing a fair bit of corrosion on similar fasteners in more open places (like the transom locker). Added bass fidelity is nice but not that important to me. If anything I'd rather have some more directed mid-range pointing at the helm so I could hear more of it when underway.
Quote:
I would suggest these or of course the JL's if you prefer JBL MS6200 (4 mounting holes, and semi poke proof grills) Infinity Kappa 602M, MB Quart NKF116. I do not know your mounting depth restrictions, so some of these may be too deep. My arch is 3.27" deep, so all will fit.
The JLs are listed as needing 3.5" depth. The Clarions are 2.5" and there's not a lot of extra depth there. I didn't have my tape measure handy. But there's also the problem of hardware up on the arch having bolts right above where the starboard arch speaker would go. The side arch locations are similarly rather shallow. You wouldn't think so to look at it, but it is. I may just plan on having to use spacers. Any suggestions on a source for some already in white?
Quote:
Good Luck, and have fun with it.
Eh, I don't need this kind of fun. I just wanted a drop-in replacement with at least a little better sound and durability. The Clarions are basically self-destructing garbage. I'll have to see what deals I can scrounge up for some JLs and possibly spacers.