Which is a better set of components for the money? the polk db6500 or elemental design edi6000? anyone had a chance to listen to both of them? they both seem to be priced aroud $125. will i need a 3/4 mdf ring for the edi6000s? they say they mount in most applications.what do u guys think?

 

eDi 6500s are $350. the eDi 6000s are $125

 

good call, i slipped up, anyone?

 

What type of music are you going to play through these? Also, how much power will you have for the comps?

Personally, I prefer the sound of the eD's. They have a very laid back, yet realistic sound to them imo. The polks are a little more "in your face" which can be a good thing depending on your listening preferences.

If you can, try to audition a pair of CDT comps that are similarly priced to the eD's. That should give you an idea as to how the eD's will sound. Also, try to audition the polks.

 

g35audioman- they will play a variety of music from hiphop to alternative even slow jams, but mainly hiphop. i am going to be running them off a jl 300/4. im not concerned about the bass output from these components, because i am running 2 10s in the back. i never even considered cdt's. I was pretty set on the polks because of the good reviews they have been getting on the forums lately. I just want these components to be clean and crisp at high volume, but i do not want ear piercing highs.

 

I have listened to both sets. However, each set was in a different vehicle and powered by a different amp, making it hard to directly compare. Both the comp sets were powered with about 100 watts rms though. The polks were powered off of a zapco amp and the eDi's were powered off of a TRU amp, so the power being fed to the comps were very clean.

Keeping that in mind, i found the eDi's to be very smooth, but lacking slightly in midbass. The eDi's played the music (usher, 2pac, no doubt) very accurately. The highs were crisp and the midbass was sufficient, but not great. However, the comps were overall extremely enjoyable to listen to, without being harsh on the ears.

The polks were also good comps. They were more "in your face" so to speak. They were not as laid back as the eDi's for the most part. Some songs sound very slightly exaggerated and the sound was not as "smooth" as the eDi's. However, these comps were excellent in the midbass department. Also, the midrange performance was excellent. My guess would be that the crossover setting for the tweeters was a bit too high, causing the sound to be less "smooth." It almost seemed as if there was a frequency gap between the mids and tweets due to an incorrect crossover point. Tough to say for sure though.

If you like a more in your face type of sound, then go with the polks. They were a very good comp set regardless of the negatives mentioned above. They really did sound good overall, but I am probably a little pickier than others when it comes to sound quality.

The eDi's are going to give you a more laid back sound. The music will sound more accurate, but it will lack the midbass of the polk set. Of course, if you were to seal the doors up pretty good, you might be able to improve the midbass performance slightly.

I'd pick the eDi's. However, some people mistake the laid back sound to be "less musical" which is not necessarily the case. It really is a matter of preference. To be honest, you cant go wrong either way, but considering you are looking for excellent sound quality, especially at loud volumes, it seems the eDi's would be the smoother, more accurate comp set you are looking for.

Hope that helps you out a bit.

 

I also thought i would add that since both sets feature silk dome tweeters, you generally dont need to worry much about "piercing highs." It's the metal dome tweets that generally sound harsh. This doesnt apply to every install and every comp set, but in general, this is what most people believe.

The MB Quart QSD's use a metal dome, but I actually love the sound of those. Then again, they are about $1500 retail...

 

g35audioman- i went to go listen to some component sets today, but couldnt find anyone who carried polk or cdt. Anyways i heard the zapco RB 16.2's and liked those alot, along witht the more expensive zapco competition series with the paper woofer. Are you familiar with zapco, which of the polk, cdt, and edi sound like these? I was not a fan of the mb quart ref. at all. And i have to say i was impressed with the alpine type R's.

 

The zapco speaks are brand spanking new and don't have much of a track record...

 

Sorry to Jack the thread...what about the POLK AUDIO MMC6500 6-1/2"...they seem to be about 60 bucks more than the db6500's...would those be better for the small price difference?

 

Those are what I have in front, and for fill in the back, I have the DB650 coax, and I am really happy with them.

Dave

 

Yup. Not really nuch about them yet. However, car audio mag recently did a review on a high end set of zapco comps (cant remember the model number off the top of my head), but they cost over a grand for the set. In any case, he said they were among the top 5 best comps he had ever tested. These also featured the paper cone. If their speakers are as good as their amps, which is seems they might be, then zapco will get a pretty nice share of the market there.

 

I havent personally heard the zapco comps yet, so i cant compare their sound to the other brands.

The MB Quart refs aren't a great setup. I mean, they have a nice midrange, but im not a fan of the tweeters in that setup. They can be a bit harsh at times, even when properly installed/tuned, etc. I love the QSD's, but the refs sound very different.

The alpine type R's are an interesting speaker. I have always liked the way they sound in a sound room of an audio store. However, i have yet to hear them sound good in an actual car environment. Of course all speakers sound different in a car as opposed to on a sound wall of a store, but even properly setup in a few different cars, i never liked the way they sounded. I prefer a realistic sound, but it seems the type r's are a bit artificial in their reproduction. Then again, a lot of factors could contribute to this so it is a bit unfair for me to make a judgement based on this. Just thought i would mention it though since this is what i have found out thus far.

In any case, trust your ears. If the alpines sounded good to you, then give them a shot.