PowerBass L-6502 - Fullrange System Roundup

Power Bass L-6502
MSRP: $89.95
PowerBass went the extra mile to make a set of speakers that really stands out. The first thing I noticed was my reflection in the polished black, advanced-injection Zirconium polypropylene cone. Flipping the driver over I caught an eyeful of the stamped steel basket that was brushed to look stainless and clearcoated for protection. It holds the PowerBass insignia in two of its legs, as does the rubber motor boot. Even the thick, high-gloss sticker at the rear of the motor is stylish. Impressive... so far.

The aluminum hard-dome tweeter sits on a static pole in the center of the driver. As a crossover, it uses a subpar electrolytic capacitor for a -6dB highpass while the woofer rolls off naturally. Interestingly, the woofer uses a 3-ohm voice coil, probably for efficiency reasons, so make sure your amplifier can handle the impedance if you're wiring multiples. Also be aware that the frame is of the 165mm variety so it may not drop into the factory speaker holes in some vehicles.

The manual is very thorough, but the illustrations were a little difficult to understand. The system comes with speaker grilles, wire, a cutout template, and a couple of stickers if you'd like to flaunt your PowerBass purchase.

Listening
Overall, I was rather pleased with the response of the L-6502's. Tonally, the system remained pretty linear throughout its usable frequency range, and its bass output was average. That alone is enough to satisfy most consumers. However, if you are, or aspire to be, an audiophile, there were some areas I felt could use some improvement. The pianos in Coldplay's "Clocks" seemed to upset the tweeters which would create a buzzing overtone to the notes. I also noted a bit of sibilance to Phil Collins' vocals, and less than perfect imaging. Each of these is likely related to the poor choice of tweeter crossover I mentioned prior. That being said, most of us don't fit the critical audiophile category, and I can only conclude that the PowerBass L-6502 is an excellent sounding set for the money.