non marine rated 4 inch speakers

[paai1993]

Just wanting to hear from those of you who have replaced your OEM Clarion speakers with NON-Marine rated ones(Polk 4" speakers are Marine rated) I was considering Clarion 4" 2 way coaxials. They are only 22.00 a set on Amazon.com They are made of much better materials than the OEM ones. I like my music loud.....and I will just blow the OEM ones....plus I like the clarity of the tweeters in the Coaxial design. Thank You!

[KeithR]

There is a very fine screen over the stock speakers......just remove that and silicone it on the new ones. Unless you spend a lot of time in the rain I would think that will keep most of the water off the speaker cone. I have replaced mine with the 4" Pioneer speakers and don't have any trouble. Just remember there is only so much you can get out of a 4" speaker!

 

Keith

[Rick Haywood]

I just sprayed mine with a tent water repellent and it works fine. I put in some good infinity speakers and it really improved the sound what I really need is a 200 watt amp now

[GaryZ]

Just wanting to hear from those of you who have replaced your OEM Clarion speakers with NON-Marine rated ones(Polk 4" speakers are Marine rated) I was considering Clarion 4" 2 way coaxials. They are only 22.00 a set on Amazon.com They are made of much better materials than the OEM ones. I like my music loud.....and I will just blow the OEM ones....plus I like the clarity of the tweeters in the Coaxial design. Thank You!

 

You can usually improve sound quality by replacing the original speakers. Many times this is simply because the original units are wore out. Quality is better sound, not louder sound. Getting louder is probably not going to happen unless the sensitivity (efficiency) of the replacement is better than the originals (not likely). You will be connecting the same power (watts) from the stock amplifier to the new speaker and it has lower efficiency, this equals less loud. To get loud requires more power amplifier.

 

The issue of "marine rated" speakers;

There are no weather-proof speakers. Some are treated to hold up better outdoors. "Marine rated" is a marketing term. Generally these speakers have a treated woofer cone and maybe better paint to resist corrosion. To use the $22 Clarion units I recommend spraying the woofer cone with a fabric treatment (like used on car upholstery). Don't get carried away, this adds weight to the cone and affects the sound. Place a screen over the front of the speaker, I use two layers of nylon window screen. This provides protection from direct water and direct sun. Note: The sun does as much damage as the water!

[paai1993]

Thank you for your replies to my post. I do find them very helpful.

[BuddyRich]

I put some Infinitiy's in 4 years ago. They can go louder than stock. The stock will distort way before they do. I had left one in just to see and the stock would sound like crap way before the I's started to distort.