Rugged construction, sound quality (after 1 mo.), price, ease of install

Break in period, limitations of coaxial design (all coaxials have the same problems.

The Polk EX602as are a pretty good value alternative for me. After installing a new head unit, subwoofer, and amp (to drive the sub), I decided that it was time to upgrade my speakers. Because I planned to add a 4-channel amp to drive the speakers in the near future, I knew that I should get speakers that were durable while still being flexible enough to run off my head unit (Nakamichi 45z – see review). Since I was a novice installer and didn’t want to spend too much on speakers, I went with coaxials over components. Because of its specs, I finally chose the Polk 602s over the Infinity Reference series speakers. I also mounted a pair of Pioneer TS-6975 6x9s in the rear locations.
After opening the box, the first thing I noticed was the speaker templates. Although I didn’t use them, it was a nice touch. I was a little surprised because the speakers barely fit in the stock 6.5 positions of my ’98 Honda Accord (the screws had to be driven in at an angle and the depth was almost too great to fit!) Otherwise mounting was surprisingly easy.
When I first listened to them, I didn’t notice a huge difference in sound quality from my OEM speakers. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. But then I remembered from other reviewers at this site that the Polks do take some time to break in. Also, I assumed that they would really sound good when I added that amp.
Well, after installing an Orion 4-channel amp and breaking in the speakers for about a month, I can say that the Polk 602s are really great sounding. They produce a surprising amount of mid-bass and the trebles are very clear. This speaker is so clean, in fact, that I recently replaced the Pioneers in the back with a pair of Polk EX692as (see review).
These speakers are not perfect, however. Because the existing locations are near the bottom of the front doors, the speakers can be blocked by the legs of the passenger and driver. Although this does not effect the bass and midrange, the tweeters are noticeably blocked. Because I didn’t want to waste these speakers, instead of replacing them with a component set, I just bought an extra set of Polk EX2500 tweeters (again-see my review) and placed them relatively high up on my dash. If I were starting from scratch, I would probably just get a component speaker set.
I will conclude by stating that the Polks are a good set of speakers for a budget audiophile. They are reasonably inexpensive, sound great (break’em in before judging), and pretty easy to install. They are ruggedly constructed and sound better when you pour more power into them. They are perfect for anyone running them through their after-market head unit (something with 40-60W peak power per channel) or with an amp. Right now they are an even better deal because the new EX3 series have just come out. You can probably pick up a set of the 602as for about $60-80.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity Reference, Kappas