It's time for me to replace my Polk EX-3 Components - I blew a midwoofer.

I'm a cheap dutchman, so I do not want to pay much money. So I've been looking around e-bay at infinity comps etc. However, A local shop has Kaption components on for half price: Kaption CL 605 for $149.

Ideally, I would prefer to buy from a shop over e-bay. But I don't know much about Kaption and the shop does not have these pieces on a listening board.

Any opinions about Infinity 602 comps verses the Kaption comps?

Thanks

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Nostalgia just isn't what it used to be.

You could save a bit of money by just buying a new set of mids. Mostly likely the polk crossover is a textbook butterworth which will work with a lot of drivers.

I like Kaption. Usually overpriced in Canada, but well made. Sound good.
I had a set a couple cars ago. First, they were stolen but replaced. Then one of my kids twisted the swivel tweeter right off it's post, (Never did admit to it).

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PAC SWI-ALP

The crossover i have no doubt is easily interchangable. They are a standard 12 db/octave low pass and 12db/octave high pass @ 4Khz. I'm quite certain these crossovers can be thown into nearly any system.

I have considered picking up a pair of mids for e-bay, especially considering most people won't pay much for an incomplete comp set, I could get them really cheap.
However, what I wonder about is how well the polk tweeters would blend with a different mid. Any thoughts on blending?

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Nostalgia just isn't what it used to be.

I'm not sure what you mean by "blending". If you liked the tonality of the tweeter when matched up with the Polk driver, then the tweeter is not the issue.

In terms of matching up a mid to your existing tweeter and crossover...if the passive is indeed 12 dB/octave @ 4KHz, just make sure that you choose a midrange/midbass driver that can easily extend up to 4KHz without breakup and try to choose a driver with a similar efficiency to the Polk driver, ~ 88-89dB.

When I say blending, I suppose I was referring to matching.
Tweeters have different sounds - some are "brighter," others may be classified as "smooth."
Accordingly, I was not sure if the woofer would need to have similar characteristics in order to produce a natural, balanced sound.

If Crossover point is the only thing to consider that is good to know. The owners manual indicates that the crossover point is at 4kHz @ 12db/oct. So I can match these tweeters with any woofer that is designed to reach 4kHz and I won't be disappointed with the overall cound of the pair?

[edit] How can I really match the spl? Polk rates these speakers at 92 db - which I'm pretty sure is not accurate for 1w @ 4ohms, perhaps that is a rating for 1w @ 8ohms. And so, with so many different companies rating their speakers in different ways, how do I know that I've found a true spl match? [/edit]
Thanks

__________________
Nostalgia just isn't what it used to be.

92dB is the whole component set...no attenuation on the tweeter.

In all honesty, most car audio speakers have similar efficiencies, ~89dB. But if you're going to DIY route, be careful to observe the SPL of the drivers. Some of the DIY driver are much less or much more efficient.

What's your budget? Size driver? Any depth restrictions?

Budget - not sure yet I haven't talked it over with my wife yet - $150 max, but under $100 would be better.

Size - Either 5.25 or 6.5 I currently have 5.25 but am seriously considering cutting the doors to make 6.5 fit

Depth - 2.5"

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Nostalgia just isn't what it used to be.

A 6.5 would be a significant improvement in midbass. Though most 5.25's extend higher than 6.5's. The 2.5" depth pretty much rules out all DIY-type drivers. If something comes to mind, I'll let you know.

These Focals should be pretty sweet...although the aluminium cone might possibly have some break up issues near 4Khz.

eBay: Focal JM Labs 5" midbass units pair L@@K!!! (item 250134970128 end time Jun-24-07 17:03:39 PDT)