www.iFourWinns.com

Well, the one time the wife wasn't on the boat - we got a little crazy.

Those Sony speakers (the 1620's) - just can't take much of T-Pain and his world famous "I'm on a boat".

I popped a speaker in my arch...

So... when the wife and I took off last weekend, she heard the buzz from one of them and said "what's that". The gig was up.

So, now I have a real reason to start doing the audio upgrade...

Still toying with the JL stuff... but with a month off in Europe less than 8 months away - I'm not sure I could bend her far enough to spend 1500-2k on the upgrades 'the right way'.

Coincidentally, I can get Kicker at some special 'accommodation' pricing... And let's just say that a set of kicker marine components are less than the Newegg special I posted.

But - I haven't heard them... has anyone?

http://www.kicker.com

I have had their car stuff in the past and been happy.... but do we think it's a better upgrade for the $ than Polk?

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Cougarcruiser you are da man - speaker man!!!

I was just getting sold on the polks and now you throw this out there. My son has kickers this and kickers that. Now I'm confused. Polks or kickers?????

Let's settle on some speakers and go for it!

P.S. - I was thinking of blowing my speakers too so the wife would understand the upgrade!!! Good move!

coincidentally, i will looked into wetsounds and the dealers here that carry them aren't worth a $hit.

that would explain why i have yet to see a pair here.

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Cougar, interesting info on the speakers, I blew the starboard speaker low on the arch about three weeks ago. I chose for the time being to have it replaced under warranty. But I can't wait for an up grade.

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2008 318 Vista "Ka-wai-ola"
350 MPI/BravoIII DTS Seacore
2006 1500 Key West -70 Yamaha
Previous Boats
Key West 2300CC
Pacemaker 270 Sport Fish
290 Sea Ray

Anybody who reads my posts (all 3 of you) knows that I'm not a big audio-in-the-boat nut. However, I take audio at home a bit more seriously.

So, while I can't comment about Kicker from any personal experience, I can tell you that the recent deals on DB651's were too much for me to hold back on. I've got 4 on the way. I know of some boaters way more experienced than me (by decades) who will have nothing but Polk on their boats.

I guess that doesn't answer the question, but maybe it's another data point. Justin, I think you already know there's a right way and a wrong way to do things .



IMO, Polk.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Cougar - like I have said before...Kicker in car audio is awesome.....

In marine stuff, I really have no clue. I know there are a lot of JL and Polk fans out there (I am one of them obviously), but I have to think that Kicker is right up there in that realm. The biggest concern, especially when it comes to looking at amps, is how efficient they are. I still stand by my Treo stuff (that nobody has heard of) and my local audio shop was right...they are super efficient, small footprint, and they rock. Lets not forget I am running 2 JL 10W3's on one amp...and it doesnt even get warm!!!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

I couldn't stand it so I ordered 2 sets of polks!!! Free shipping from Amazon! Can't wait for delivery!

The power of suggestion is just too strong......

I've been tracking my DB651s via UPS and so far they've made it from Phoenix to Anaheim (as of this morning). So...hopefully tomorrow.

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

Mike, You might have seen these pics before but this is how your db651's will look on your h240. http://s579.photobucket.com/albums/ss232/fourwinnsh240/

Love the Polk sound!!!

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2008 240 Horizon, 5.7GXI VP DP

2009 Chrysler Aspen 5.7 Hemi

I don't have any experience with Polk or Kicker marine products. I do have all Polk speakers in my home entertainment setup and I can say that they are awesome for that application. It's been a while since I've tinkered with car audio, but Kicker has always had a strong reputation in that area.

I know you hate to hear this, but I was on Cincy Aquaholic's old 260 with the JL stuff and it really was UNBELIEVABLE! Yes, it's an easy $2K, but if you're looking for the best, IMHO, that's it.

With that said, as so many have pointed out, boats are flat out crappy when it comes to acoustic, so you're probably not going to notice too much quality difference for your 1,200 or so bucks difference. And...."I'm on a Boat" sounds good no what you play it on!

8 weeks in Europe?! That's sweet. How long do you think it's going to take you to sail that 318 across the pond?

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2006 Vista 258
2007 Yukon Denali

ooops....1 month in Europe that is 8 months away. Still very sweet, but you are going to have to cruise pretty fast to have any meaningful time to spend. Did I mention that I boat sit?

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2006 Vista 258
2007 Yukon Denali

I can't find any details on the kicker speakers... I'm sure they are just fine, but it leaves me a beat leary about going that way.

I must say - the admiral had a good idea...
"why don't you start with the Polk's because you know they won't suck and they are super cheap. Then, when we are back from Europe, you can have your toys and move the Polk's into the cabin".

DOH! I think we have a winner.

Now, I wish i would have pulled the trigger on that Newegg sale!

Amazon is great... but I have sales tax here in Washington (and I HATE sales tax). Anybody know who might price match? I tried Crutchfield, but they said no!

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

I replaced all the stock sony stuff with JL marine audio.
4 6.5 inch 2 ways, then added a JL 600 Amp and a 10 inch sub. The boat sounds awesome now.
While it is a little more expensive the JL marine is top notch, both in sound and workmanship.

This winter I am going to add another sub, amp and 2 more speakers to the front of the boat.

I also added a perko switch and a Kinetic 2400 battery to run everything.

Thanks, that helps! The problem I'm going to have is that I'll have the separate Clarion tweeters still there, which I could leave disconnected but they still won't look right next to the silver Polks. I'd actually prefer to just put the Clarion grilles on the Polk speakers, but I read somewhere that they won't fit. That leaves the option of removing the Clarion tweeters - but that will leave screw holes. So this is going to be a challenge.



Yeah - just get a transistor radio. (Anyone else old enough to remember those?)

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Personally, I would choose the Kickers. Probably a little biased since they are just an hour down the road from me. I've done some work with their promotional/marketing department and used their marine stuff in UTV applications. Absolutely fantastic equipment (especially for the price)

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H210SS 6.2
F150 Platinum