Come on. Nobody knows anything? Surely somebody knows car audio more than me.

 

What's the impedance rating on the Polks? Factory speakers were 4 ohm if I remember correctly. If you somehow have 6 or even 8 ohm speakers now, that would explain why they're not as loud.

 

This is only a guess, but are the replacements the same impedance value? Speakers were generally 4 or 8 ohm impedance values. Impedance is the speaker coils measured value in ohms. Impedance is a resistance to an alternating current (the actual sound waves in this case). So if they are different in value that could explain the lowered sound. But as stated earlier, this is only a guess.

 

Here are the specs on the Polks from Crutchfield's site.
Specifications
Sensitivity 92 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response 50 - 22k Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) 6-55
Peak Power Handling (Watts) 165
Impedance (Ohms) 4
Top-mount Depth (Inches) 2
Bottom-mount Depth (Inches) 2 5/16
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) 4 15/16

 

The very first spec is the reason you have slightly reduced output. The Polks have a heavier cone, stiffer rubber surround, stiffer motor assembly, more powerful magnet, and greater cone travel. All of that adds up to a speaker with higher power requirements, so naturally it suffers a little in sensitivity & results in reduced output when the power isnt increased also.

 

Audiophyle, thank you. Exactly what I was looking for. So moving forward, my best option would be amplification? Do you happen to know the sensitivity spec on the factory speaker?

On a semi-related note, I'm planning on replacing the tweeters in the A-pillar. Do you have a recommendation as far as what will fit the existing space and sound good?

 

The biggest thing to look at is the RMS power requirements of the factory speakers versus the Polk. It's a combination of RMS and impedance. Since both sets are 4 ohm, then it's just a question of wattage.

Anybody know the wattage requirements of the factory speakers? Mcdirtymetal, I'm assuming that you have the 7 speaker system, right?

Wayne

 

Just seeing this thread now...

For speaker performance, it's mostly subjective. If you're wanting more out of the Polks, you'll need to provide them with more power for them to hit their sweet spots (i.e. around 55 watts per channel). An amplifier would do this trick. And then you're opening up a can of worms and your wallet, since the sky is the limit from this point on. Tons of options out there.

In contrast, the factory system only puts out about twenty-some watts per channel, RMS.

For tweeters: I have JBL GTO 18Ts installed in my A-pillars. Others (search the thread 'speakers that will fit in the element') have used other brands. Might as well see what Polk has to offer if you're looking for a clean match of speaker brands in your car. Generally speaking, it's a matter of using a dremel (or equivalent) to provide a cut-out in the plastic mesh of the factory A-pillar speaker cover.

 

If you have tweeters on the front speakers, you do not want to add more in the A pillar, way too much treble unless you unhook the tweeters on the speakers in the door.

Sensitivity of OEM speakers is probably closer to 95-96% because they are designed to be very efficient with little power at the sacrifice of sound quality & output. A little more power will make the Polks sound better, but so will turning the volume up louder, its just a matter of what keeps you happy. lol

 

Yeah, I'll be honest here. I wasn't really looking to go crazy and try to package and wire an amp up; I was just looking to improve the sound quality. Which the Polks did. I can hear things in the music I didn't notice before.
If I did get new A-pillar tweeters, and had some in the door speakers, wouldn't I be able to EQ some of the treble out of the mix?

 

As Audiphyle said, there's no point in having tweeters in the front door speakers and more tweeters in the A-pillar. Yes, you could EQ out the brightness, but why add more tweeters if you're just gonna EQ them away?

If you can run the power intended to go to the A-pillar tweeters to the front door instead, you might be able to get a more appropriate amount of power to those Polks. Underpowering speakers will ruin them just as bad as overpowering...

Wayne

 

You cannot bridge the power from your tweeters and door speakers.
Also, underpowering is a myth. If it were real, you would be damaging your speakers when you turned your volume down.

 

Good point Wayne. Let me ask you guys this: what would be a good replacement speaker for the front doors for somebody who just wants better sound quality? I have no problem replacing these Polks I just bought if there's something else out there that will do a better job. I'm down to replace all the speakers(not the sub), but I'm not interested in getting an amp.

 

Since you're not interested in getting an amp, you've made a fine choice in the Polks. Lower sensitivity is a trade off for higher power handling.

 

Bitterdale and I will have to agree to disagree about the power, but no biggie. All I can give are my two cents...

If I were you, I'd have speakers in that are closer to the wattage output of your amp. Someone mention 20 something watts per channel RMS, I believe at 4 ohms. 25-30W RMS speakers at 4 ohms would be good.

Another problem with underpowering comes from how hard your amp has to push just to get decent volume from the higher wattage speakers. The amp gets maxed out all the time, and the noise floor pushes into unacceptable levels. Plus, working the amp at max levels often usually leads to shorter life. Speakers needing less power=less amp stress to get proper volume (longer life), and more headroom/less noise.

Sorry, I can't recommend specific speakers though. I work in the pro audio field, but not car audio. I don't know what's out there in that sector.

For what it's worth,

Wayne

 

The Polks are a great entry level speaker, if you dont want the hassles of aftermarket amplifiers then they should suit you nicely. Anything better will require more power.

Aftemarket radio (with an internal amplifier) will sound cleaner & more powerful than the oem amp in the Element, if you are looking for a little more from the system I think that should be your next direction, and bypassing the oem amp to use the new radio's amp. (Keep oem amp to run the oem sub still)

Bitterdale and I will have to agree to disagree about the power, but no biggie. All I can give are my two cents...

Bitterdale isnt the only one you'll be disagreeing with, you may work with pro audio but your understanding of electricity & amplifiers is flawed.

 

cheap great sound

I have a kenwood deck, fosgate 6.5 speaker, on factory amp it is very loud and clean sounding, added a small amp and 2 12s in rear, small box just big enough for speakers to fit in facing down. Ive built many set ups in other cars this is the cheapest set up ive ever built and damn near the best sounding.

 

I have a kenwood deck, fosgate 6.5 speaker, on factory amp it is very loud and clean sounding, added a small amp and 2 12s in rear, small box just big enough for speakers to fit in facing down. Ive built many set ups in other cars this is the cheapest set up ive ever built and damn near the best sounding.

Nice! Can you share which model of deck and Fosgate speakers you're using?