db6500

by Matt H, March 30, 2007

Strengths:

At lower volumes, the speakers are very nice. Relatively well priced.

Weaknesses:

As the volume went up (cuz I had 100W to use) the quality was degraded severely. Tweets are very very bright and had to be knocked down in the EQ.

Review:

To preface this review, I can only directly compare this component set with the MMC6500 Momo series from the very same Manufacturer. These were chosen when I couldn't get the MMC series on the day I wanted to get my system upgraded in my 03' Jag XK8. I had these installed, powered by a new Rockford Fosgate 100Wx4 amp, and I just didn't get the warm fuzzy feeling that I got from my Jeep Grand Cherokee, which consequently had the MMC6500s installed in it. After a week of listening to it, hoping that breaking it in would help, I decided to go with my initial choice and pull these out and replace them with the MMC6500s. And I am SO glad I did. Night and day? Pretty much, if you like it loud.

by andy moore, February 7, 2007

Strengths:

chrystal clear great for rap and metal espically korn great sound and tweeters blast out tha highs

Weaknesses:

aint got none

Review:

i really love these speakers i first heard them in my friends truck and fell in love with polk awesome quality worth the money great great speakers but i was wondering if u guys at polk could answer this why is the db6500 max wats 300 and the higher priced momo and sr series has lower wats rateing i know wattage aint everything but just wondering if u could get back to me on that i would greatly apprecite it POLK KICKS A** !!!!!! KEEP UP THA GOOD WORK U GUYS

by Dai Kobayashi, October 20, 2003

Strengths:

Plays CLEAN with or without a amplifier. I have Alpine F-340 amp hooked to my front and rear (both Polk db) that sounds perfect!!

Weaknesses:

You will going to need a subwoofer or a 4-ch amp if you want bass. Aftermarket head unit won't give you enough power to give you bass you want.

Review:

Perfect Components Speakers! They are loud and clean, just what I was looking for. I owned few different components that went on my 2000 civic si and this is the best one I had so far.

by tweet, October 14, 2003

Strengths:

They are very clear and I hear all the high and lows, the bass is off the hook.

Weaknesses:

Review:

I just got these installed last week, I love these speakers. Best decision I have ever made was getting them.

by Luke Stepniowski, October 19, 2003

Strengths:

A very good price for sound quality ratio. These speakers are marketed perfectly for what they are and they certainly deliver quality bargain sound.

Weaknesses:

The speakers do present a slight harshness in higher frequencies.

Review:

I purchased these speakers looking for bargain components for my 2004 Subaru Impreza STi. The goal for my purchase was modest system without any external amplification or use of sub woofers. The STi does not come with a OEM stereo system and I honestly was perfectly satisifed with the OEM stereo that my prevous 2002 Subaru WRX came installed with. I did need to fabricate spacers for the STi in order for these speakers to clear but this is the case for most speakers with few exceptions in the STi. The speakers are wired into my Alpine head unit w/ a built in "V-Power" 60W peak amplifier. The speakers could honestly use a little extra power with an external amplifier as the noise levels at speed in the STi are pretty high. This really only becomes an issue with the windows down at interstate speeds. The sound quaility is quite satisfactory for the price but they do seem to present a slight harness at higher frequencies at even modest sound levels. I was able to remedy this harshness to my almost complete satisifaction with the EQ features built into my Alpine head unit. I'm very happy with these and I would recommend these to anyone looking for a budget speakers.

by ivo, November 22, 2003

Strengths:

power rating price

Weaknesses:

the sound of the higher tones

Review:

i' ve listened to this one and a pair of focals 165 k, the focals where much better, they sound more naturally. but the price of the focals was much higher.

by Don Duran, March 6, 2004

Strengths:

Power handling, Awesome sound, Price

Weaknesses:

Highs tend to be a bit too harsh on some music. No tweeter attenuation adjustment at the crossover to monimize this.

Review:

Great front soundstage components for my 2002 Honda Accord. Provide crisp clear highs from tweeters and noticable midbass from woofers. Excellent power handling rms to peak.

by Pablo Aguilar, March 11, 2004

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

best speaker yet!!

by Eli, March 11, 2004

Strengths:

Amazing clarity at high volume, excellent for custom installs and mounting.

Weaknesses:

The tweater could have been a tad better designed for flush mounting.

Review:

I recieved these components as an Xmas present as I requested the momo version from santa. After installing them and listening to them I'm more than pleased santa did NOT bring me the Momo Components. These are by far better quality and produce better sounds at higher volume. I'm only pushing the 45 watts from my headunit through them. So far every audio shop that has heard them has requested I bring my car to their next audio competition. My sole intent was to have a system that accomidates my needs, now I blow everyone's mind with the clarity and high volume these speakers are capable of. If you want components, don't think twice GET THIS SET!!

by Rich, March 19, 2004

Strengths:

Great Power handling capability, nice small crossover which allows to be mounted in small places

Weaknesses:

Review:

I just replaced a set of USD waveguides and 6.5" mids with this speaker set. I am amazed at the sound being a horn loaded compression driver lover. The sound stage was just as full as my waveguides were, the mids don't go as low but the sub makes up for the midbass gap. I have a clean line on scope no more than a 3 dB drop between any frequency. These speakers handle the power and sound good at 85 dB and at 131 dB. Thanks Polk Audio!

by Rich, March 19, 2004

Strengths:

Great Power handling capability, nice small crossover which allows to be mounted in small places

Weaknesses:

Review:

I just replaced a set of USD waveguides and 6.5" mids with this speaker set. I am amazed at the sound being a horn loaded compression driver lover. The sound stage was just as full as my waveguides were, the mids don't go as low but the sub makes up for the midbass gap. I have a clean line on scope no more than a 3 dB drop between any frequency. These speakers handle the power and sound good at 85 dB and at 131 dB. Thanks Polk Audio!

by Jacob, April 23, 2004

Strengths:

clear sound, if you have a amp you can get some bass notes out of them

Weaknesses:

2 of 4 of my woofers went. kinda hard to turn down the highs without ruining the sound unless you spent a good deal of money on a head unit or a external equilizer.

Review:

i just bought 2 pairs or these speakers to find out that these "6.5" speakers dont fit my 6.5 factory places. then after 1 day of listening to them 2 of the woofers went on me. besides that though they sound excellent and would highly reccomend them

by rodney, July 14, 2004

Strengths:

good freq response, highs not to bright, good mids

Weaknesses:

none so far

Review:

i recently installed these in my car running off a profile california amplifier at 80w rms. after playing them for a while, these speakers sound great. highs arent to bright, and they also produce good mids. these replaced a pair of polk ex2 series 4x6s. im very happy with them so far.

by Sergio, July 14, 2004

Strengths:

none yet

Weaknesses:

none yet

Review:

i havnt installed them yet ( 2 sets of db6500 ) .. but what i heard .. and plus my 4 channel amp 801x rockford 100watts x 4 at 4ohms .. i hope i can get the speakers a little louder.. i just decided to do this review before installing them .. but after i do my installation i will do the real one .. thank you

by Nolan, October 30, 2004

Strengths:

Great sound, great tonal balance, crisp & crystal clear highs, warm & smooth mids, solid & punchy midbass, no distortion at high volume. Good price too.

Weaknesses:

None, these are the best components in their price range, maybe even the best on the market.

Review:

Polk delivers everything you could want from a component set. They sound great and can be played very loud without compromising the sound quality. I'd like to power them with an external amplifier in the future, but right now I have them hooked up to my Eclipse head-unit and they sound so good at any volume (even full volume) that I might not need to spend money on an amp. If you're adding components to your system then buy these, you won't be dissapointed. Polk audio rules.

by Jon Mitchell, January 7, 2005

Strengths:

best high volume performance from any component speaker i've ever heard, very clear and accurate sound

Weaknesses:

the highs from the 1" tweeters tend to be a bit edgy, especially if any of the vocals end in "essssssss," and at lower volume levels much of the clarity is lost

Review:

These speakers are perfect for anyone who is looking for budget-friendly speakers that sound great when cranked up. I have them hooked up to a 75w 2-ch sony amp and i can blow any of my friends away. The highs do tend to be slightly harsh, but a good head-unit, which i don't have, should be able to fix that with the proper EQ adjustments. These speakers reproduce lows extremely well for 6.5" components, and when used with a set of foam baffles get great projection. They sound the best on live acoustic music and classical, rap, and im not sure what type of music the band The Postal Service is, but that sounds pretty good on them too. If you are heavy into alternative, edgy techno, or punk, these may not be the speakers you want. Something with a smaller tweeter or silk tweeter may be more suited to those music types.

by James, January 7, 2005

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

midbass lacks a little highs tend to be not as crisp at low volumes but other than that good spkr comb. for the price

Review:

nice sounding spkrs

by Mark Garlanger, June 6, 2005

Strengths:

Excellent sound even without an amplifier. Was easier than expected to install in front doors of Honda Prelude.

Weaknesses:

With just an aftermarket receiver (no amp), the bass sound a little weaker than the stock Honda Speakers. After only replacing the blown woofer, I was able to do a side-by-side comparison of the new speaker and old speaker.

Review:

I listen to many different speakers and these were among the best. I even liked the sound of these over the more expensive mmc6500. Deciding factor was price and the fact that it supports the 3 hole mounts to match my car. I installed the db6500 into a '97 Honda Prelude, replacing a the front door speakers. After upgrading the stock reciever to a Kenwood KDC-X579, the extra power (50W/ch) blew one of the stock (15W) woofers. No aftermarket speakers were a direct fit, but this seemed like it would fit with minimal changes. For the woofers, I had to cut out some of the plastic backing. Since the backing already had holes in it, I don't think the cut-out affects the sound.. To secure the tweeters, I was able to bend the existing metal bracket along with the 'flush mount' cup and a screw to place it behind the door panel. The crossovers fit in the door behind the panel. I screwed it into the extra metal midway in the door. It took a little while to determine exactly where it would fit without causing problems reattaching the door panel. Except for the superior sound, there is no sign of modification.

by JMS, July 15, 2005

Strengths:

Everything about these speakers makes them good. The look, the sound quality, mounting depth and of course the price.

Weaknesses:

Not really a weakness, more a consideration for buyers; the treble from these is quite bright and might not suit some people's music tastes. That said, it can always be adjusted to suit.

Review:

I was pretty restricted in the space I had available for splits, and spent some considerable time looking for a suitable set of splits. Price was also a concern when making my selection, and even though some other brands come highly recommended, their price often makes them unrealistic. After reading through the other reviews here, my decision was pretty much made. I had installed them today and after setting up my deck to get the sound I liked, I have to say I'm very impressed with the result. Excellent bass, beautiful crisp sound; i think I'm actually hearing instruments I'd never heard in various songs before. And boy, do they go loud. For the price, these babies are the perfect choice, as long as you can handle the bright tweeters.

by Thomas, August 29, 2005

Strengths:

They look good

Weaknesses:

I just plain don't like them

Review:

I dont really like them at all. I was really mad actually when I heard them. It sounds like all the music is coming out of a glass jar. The highs are way to high, the mids are too low and the bass is almost not there.

Polk Response:

That sure sounds like the speakers are wired out of phase. Check the wiring all the way back to your amp to make sure + is wired to + and - to -.

by Shawn McCann, September 14, 2005

Strengths:

Impressive looking woofers and crossover boxes with cool 'db' logo.

Weaknesses:

Harsh treble and anemic midrange, resulting in unpleasant hollow/nasal sound.

Review:

I am also very unhappy with the sound of these speakers. My experience is similar to the reviewer from 8/29. I have checked, double checked, and triple checked the wiring to make sure everything is in phase. If it's a phase problem, then either the crossovers' internal wiring is wrong or its terminals are mislabeled.

by Dayton, October 4, 2005

Strengths:

Very clear sounds in highs midrange and lows.

Weaknesses:

I can see how the quality, clarity and power of the tweeter combined with the crossover may make people think the speakers sound like they have too much high end. I suggest listening to different types of music and you will see a difference, I did.

Review:

I just put these in my 2005 Jonda S2000 last night and they sound great. The install when great, only 2 hours with 3+ people helping. The rest of the audio system is stock, so I am not using these speakers to there full potential (no amp yet). But, they are so much clearer and crisper at high volumes where the OEM speakers started to weaken. I did not notice and speakers in glass jar types of sounds.

by josh, October 9, 2005

Strengths:

they look go and there good for more vocal music not music with bass

Weaknesses:

the highs are way to higfh and the lows are to low but theres no bass at all to them

Review:

over all im not the impressed with the speakers i have them in my 1997 nissan pickup they sounded like crap i replaced them with a set of bose compnent's they sound way way better than these do there more clear and there not to low or to high but im really dissapointed with these speskers

Polk Response:

No bass sounds like either the speakers are wired out of phase or the door panel is not well sealed. Either way contact Polk Customer Service for assistance 800-377-7655 or email polkcs@polkaudio.com.

by Brian, November 5, 2005

Strengths:

Relatively inexpensive; look great; excellent sound - wonderful for vocals and guitar; amazing sensitivity.

Weaknesses:

Crossover doesn't have a tweeter attenuation capability. Ditto all the other reviews - Highs are very "full," if that term can be applied. I wouldn't say that they're "harsh," but I do advise backing these up with 6x9's (if you're on a budget) and/or a 10" woofer to fill out the lower mid-bass and add bass. Also, rather than shelling out for a high-power amp, go with a decent 50W/ch and invest in some sound deadening for your doors.

Review:

This is a nice, inexpensive component set. I purchased these to put in a Civic that I will sell in about a year-and-a-half; I didn't want to put in high-priced speakers that I'll lose with the car. I was pleasantly surprised by the db6500's - I'm running them off a Polk/MOMO C400.1 (75W/ch) fed by a Sony head unit and was actually startled when the CD started playing for the first time. I generally start a system after installation with the volume turned way down. Even so, I had to jump for the controls and lower the volume; with the windows down I can't turn the head unit up past 1/3 volume. Polk isn't kidding about the sensitivity - these would probably run very well off of a good head unit alone or a 50W amp.

by Steven, December 29, 2005

Strengths:

Crystal clear all the way to the end

Weaknesses:

S's are drug out and can become annoying on certain songs but can be fixed reduced when settings are changed

Review:

This is the best component set ive ever heard i have friends who can nowheres come near as clear and as hard as this system

by Joseph Pugliese, March 28, 2006

Strengths:

The overall frequency imaging between the tweeter and the mid. Overall sound quality as well.

Weaknesses:

This product bears no weaknesses.

Review:

I purchased these speakers to replace a set of older Polk 4x6's in the front of my car after fabbing up an adapter plate. Purchasing Polk product is usually a knee jerk reaction to me but just to be certain I wasn't missing anything I did a ton of research on comparably priced systems. I compared numbers and efficency with alot of other companies, none compared within the respective price range and I did a lot of listening to these speakers as well as others, once again nothing compared to the quality. So with peace of mind I purchased these speakers and as soon as I was done with the install I was blown away with the sound. The highs are beautiful and articulate and the mid bass is solid and bears good range. I have these paired up with DB690's in the rear deck and the overall sound is phenomenal. I would recommend this product to anybody, in this price range there simply is nothing better, to my ears anyway.

by Craig, March 29, 2006

Strengths:

Looks, mids & highs

Weaknesses:

Bass is great for 6" but not equal to high output.

Review:

Beautiful clarity. I have 2 sets in a Civic, drivers in lower door & rear deck with tweeters at dash level all around and the sound stage presence is perfect with fader set to 1 forward. Just as much bass as expected from a good 6" so they're backed up with a 10" sub. I am very pleased. I here things I never heard before.

by Danny, March 29, 2006

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

Great sound sound extremely well with rock

by Erik, April 10, 2006

Strengths:

Great full sound

Weaknesses:

Full bass lacking

Review:

I'm no expert in car audio, I picked these based on the in-store examples and the salesman's recommendation. I have a Toyota Prerunner and put the DB570's in the back (maybe a mistake) so the 6500's in the front seamed a logical next step. For my use, this set up sounds great....like other reviews for both speakers, the bass has to be tweaked a bit but the sound is crisp, clear and impressive

by Robert Gnage, June 10, 2006

Strengths:

Tweaters are awsome, and the woofers are good but don't expect to get earth shattering bass from them. however, that is what you get a sub for.

Weaknesses:

I did not like how the cover for the crossover fit. I was installing in a tight space and I just could not get the wires to go through the cover and screw down the crossover in that tight space (I ended up not using the cover).

Review:

I just recently purchased these speakers to replace the factory speakers in my 99 Honda Prelude. Thanks to another reviewer who said that they would fit, and they did with only slight modifications. The tweaters are great and sound way better then my stock ones. The woofers are a slight improvement over my stock ones, which I was a little surprised that they were not a little better. I still think that these are really great speakers and would reccomend them to anyone who can use a component set in their car, and especially any one with a 97-01 prelude because there are not many outh there that fit. I was considering the MMC6500 set, but when I noticed the increased mounting depth i knew they would not fit in my doors.

by John, June 26, 2006

Strengths:

In there price range they are probably one of the best you can get but will need an amp!

Weaknesses:

Highs tend to be to high pitch like on "sssss" or you can call it a raspy sound. But after ajusting the frequency response they were fine. Again midbass lacking even with amp.

Review:

There in a 2000 Trans Am, which is hard to get great sound quality with the t-tops off. After i installed them and spent almost 2 hours tuning the amp,eq, and setting on deck i took it for a ride with the t-tops off. Man did they impress me. Expect the lack of midbass.Which in my car was very difficult to have a sub to space restrictions. Ended up building custom box for one ten and now its a complete sound. Expect the highs can be raspey at times.

by Jay Rutherford, July 15, 2006

Strengths:

Power handling abilities, loudness and clarity

Weaknesses:

none that I have found yet

Review:

Awesome set of components. Paired these up with the db525's in my dodge ram standard cab hooked up to a punch 450.4 and this setup rocks. It is very clean and is very capable. These speakers actually surprised me at the power they can handle. I got the amp running 4 ohms stereo at a factory tested 101 watts by 4 and they sound excellent. By the way they also look great too.

by MaD, August 6, 2006

Strengths:

crispy tweeter, great mids and great lows

Weaknesses:

crossover has no tweeter attenuation... it is the only thing i didn't like.

Review:

excelent speakers... i had before MB QUART DSE 216. changes: the tweeters are more agressive, clean, and sometimes can hurt. need to cut the trebble. the mids are excelent bass is great too

by Coconut, August 9, 2006

Strengths:

Looks cool, over all sound quality is pretty good.

Weaknesses:

Bit of distortion at high volumes, crossover is a pain in the butt

Review:

I've had these installed for about 2 months now and they're fairly decent. They were replacing the stock infinity system and added quite a bit of bass and a bit more clarity in comparison. however, the woofer does tend to get a bit distorted at high volume with certain bass notes. this could also be the P.O.S. sony 4 ch amp i've got running it, however the momo 6x9's sound beautiful in the back, so maybe not...

by Low Roller, September 4, 2006

Strengths:

Price. Efficiency.

Weaknesses:

Polks are infamous for blowing out tweeters according to all the audioshop techs I've spoke too. I hate the white colored cones.

Review:

Exceptional speakers for the price. The key to these are to keep them powered at 40-50w RMS for the most efficient sounds and reliability. I listend to the JL's, MB's, Diamond's, and MoMo's, and felt little to no difference amongst them. Don't fall for the stereo guys trick when you test them. 99% of people will pick the speakers that sound the loudest. Listen to them at the same volume in the same placement with the same test song if possible to make a truly honest distinction.

by chris Calarco, December 6, 2006

Strengths:

great customer service

Weaknesses:

tweeter too bright in sound

Review:

Good response for rock&roll music.

by robert krause, December 17, 2006

Strengths:

chrystal clear no distortion. look great

Weaknesses:

good luck finding one

Review:

I just installed these in my 86 ford f250. I powerd them with a 50wx2 rms amp which is only half the rms power these will take and let me tell this is the best sounding speaker set Ive heard at this kind of price well done polk well done indeed. I can only imagine how much loader and cleare they would be with a high quality 100 w rms amp might have to buy one soon to find out

by Kenneth Jones, March 28, 2007

Strengths:

what,s great about these speakers is that i am running them with just my pioneer head unit, and it still sounds loud and clean.

Weaknesses:

The grill is crap.

Review:

The DB6500 is one of the best component speakers i ever heard. the highs are clear and the lows are also good, maybe the frequency respones could have been alittle wider but over all its great.

by Jason Carmichael, June 3, 2007

Strengths:

Outstanding sound and performance from a relatively low power source.(20w RMS, 40w max)

Weaknesses:

Takes a little volumn to get them sound their best. Use a high power H/U or an amp to make them really shine.

Review:

Medium to low power, exceptional quality sound. After using several coaxial desings the component design sounds soooo much better. Rock solid performance. Great for "leaky" doors that most cars have since these are good for marine environments! It rained the day I did the install. When I opened up the door panel, the inside was pretty wet to my surprise. This was one a 2006 GMC truck with only 3000 miles! Not some old clunker!

by Jim Fortune, August 28, 2007

Strengths:

Awesome tweeters, they are silk so there is no harsh high notes. And Mid Bass is absolutely perfect. It does justice to my ears and the competition.

Weaknesses:

I didn't get them for free.

Review:

I've ran a lot of different types of sound systems in vehicles and nothing performs like these components. Time and time again when people ask for my recommendations I refer them to these speakers when used with an amp. And to boot these are certified for Marine too.