Infinity Reference vs. Kappa vs. Polk MOMO

[InfamousD3]

I could use some advice on deciding which set of speakers to purchase. First some facts:


My vehicle is a soft top "05 Jeep Wrangler
I am replacing stock 4x6 with 4x6 plates
I am replacing 5.25 roll bars with either aftermarket 5.25 or 6.50
Head unit will be Alpine 9847
Amp will be either JL e4300, JL 300/4 or Polk 300.4
2-10" subs will be added (Infinity Perfect 10.1d)


The speakers in question are:

Polk MOMO MMC 460 (plates) and the Polk MOMO MMC 525 or 650
Infinity Reference 6412cfp (plates) and the Infinity Reference 5012i or 6012i
Infinity Kappa 462.7cfp (plates) and Infinity Kappa 52.7i or 62.7i


The reason i havent decided between the 5.25 and 6.50 is because i havent determine how easy a mod will be to increase the stock 5.25 to 6.50. If it is painless, than i will go with the 6.50.

Anyhow, here is my dilemma. The Polk's would be my first choice, but they have lower sensitivity (est. 88db) than either of the Infinity's (est. 91db for reference & est. 94db for Kappa's). Will I notice a significant difference given my vehicle and choice of amps? In addition, the rollbar speakers require an external crossover.

I like the Infinity's, mainly because they offer pivoting tweeters, whereas the only Polk models to offer such require an external crossover. Good for sq, but bad for space. Has anyone had experience with placing the external crossovers in the rollbar compartment?

If I were to go with the Infinity's, what is the tradeoff between the silk tweeters and 4 ohms of the Reference series compared to the metal tweeters and 2 ohms of the Kappa series?

I appreciate any feedback you can provide in regards to the better system, and any of the modifications mentioned above.

[Darth Audio]

I would recommend the Reference out of those three. There is really not a trade off between silk and metal tweeters just more of a personal preference. I personally like silk better than metal. I find the metal tweets a litlte hard on the ears. I have used both Kappas and Reference in the past and I liked the Reference much better. I have not heard the Momo plates but have heard a 5.25 comp set and I wasn't impressed.

As far as putting the x-over up in the rollbar it pretty tight up there, I'd look at putting them somewhere else.

[XtrmAudioCncpts]

polk momo they sound pretty good

[InfamousD3]

I have used both Kappas and Reference in the past and I liked the Reference much better.

I'm curious, is this strictly because of the harshness/brightness of the metal tweeter on the Kappa's, or is there another aspect with the reference that you like? If i were to use an external eq, to control the tweeter sound, would that influence your opinion, or would you still choose the reference?


polk momo they sound pretty good

Would you care to elaborate?

Perhaps a better question at this point is whether or not the three speakers mentioned are consider to be in the same category, i.e. entry-level, mid-level, etc. Does it just come down to personal preference at this point, or does one speaker clearly have an advantage over the other, technology wise, that i havent considered?

I can get the Reference set for $120 delivered, and the other two for about $165. Shoud that affect my decision?

[Ignatowski]

Polk>Infinty

[negativezeroz]

Kappa's.

[analogkid]

ive had kappa 6x9 and reference 5.25. ive also had dx 12"subs, ex 5.25 and db 6.5 components. polk all the way for me.

[PatFitz9]

i have always liked infinity speakers. i haven't heard the polks but i had references and they were sweet. not anything super special, but for the money you can't go wrong.

[InfamousD3]

Yeah, I think i'm leaning towards the Infinity Reference. I'm just not sure i will gain anything with the Polk's in an open top Wrangler. Plus the Polk's have a huge, "please steal me" grill, which can lead to prying eyes in other areas. Mainly I want something that wont distort at high volumes. I think the Reference, low cost, high sensitivity, and directional silk tweeters will meet my needs.