Ok, maybe some of you guys can give me some hints as to why I am not
satisfied with the new front speakers in my 1997 Jeep Wrangler.

Let me start from the beginning.   Several months ago I installed a new  HU,
the Alpine 9857.   This set is rated at 18 watts per channel, but many folks
consider that a very conservative rating on this particular HU.  I am not
running an amp.

I purchased an adaptor so that I could replace the front 4 X 6  speakers
with the   Polk Audio DB5250, which is a   5  1/4 inch speaker with a
separate tweeter and crossover unit.     Before choosing this speaker, I
read  **many**  reviews that rated these speakers very very highly.   Yes,
the reviews pointed out that this size speaker doesn't produce  HUGE  bass,
but of course that couldn't be expected from any speaker this size.   But,
every review that I read said that these speakers perform way beyond their
size, and are fantastic.

I also installed polyfill in the front dash, in the area above, below,
behind, and all sides of these front speakers.   Many folks reported that
this improves the bass response.

RESULTS--   these speakers really seem dull, and dead.  I don't know any
better way to explain it.   To be more specific, they seem to have  **almost
no** bass response.  Once again, I know that they cannot have huge bass, but
I have heard other speakers of this size that have three times the bass
response.

Equally puzzling, the tweeters themselves actually distort the music.   When
I say distorted, I mean fairly strong distortion, on some music passages.
They don't seem to distort all the time, but they are significantly
distorted.   ( some users say these tweeters are a bit too "bright", and I
have cut down on the treble to account for this).

I have double-checked the hookup wiring, including the phasing, etc etc.
As far as I can tell, I have everything right,  left and right.   (The two
sides seem to perform the same).

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I guess there are several possibilities:

1. Bad HU, causing distortion in the highs.

2. Bad crossovers.

3.  Bad tweeters on these brand new speakers.

4.  Too much polyfill, not allowing speakers to push enough air, thus
restricting the bass.

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The speakers in the rollbar are very old , and basically "blown."   I plan
to order new speakers for them soon.  I know that if I had speakers in the
rollbar, I could make some comparisons.  Yet, I hate to choose speakers for
them until I get better satisfaction out of the front Polks.   I had thought
of similar Polks for the rollbar.

Can you guys give me some advice, and/or comments ?     Any other
possibilities other than the 4 items that I have listed above ?

Yes, I know that any good speaker system will sound better with an amp.
But, nearly all of the user-reviews that I have read, indicate that these
speakers will do a fine job with  18 watts per channel.     Also, I think
that the improvement from an amp would be mainly in the bass and mids/   but
not sound from the tweeters, right ?

Thank you very much for any additional thoughts or ideas.  I want decent,
good-quality sound, that I can play medium-loud.  I am an older gent, and
don't listen to rap , rock, or other extremely loud music.   But, I do know
decent sound when I hear it, and at this point, these speakers don't even
come near what I had hoped for.

--James--