Opinons on 6 X 9's

Going to upgrade my stock speakers in my quad cab, not sure if I want to do the sub thing yet. Thinking on replacing the stock head unit with a Alpine iDA-X303. I want some good base, but don't neccessarily need to shake my fillings loose.

Any suggestions???

 

Well, without knowing your budget or if you intend to amp the 6x9s...it's kinda hard to say.

Best 6x9 option that I'm aware of is the Image Dynamics xs69 components.

You step down from there... I'd recommend going the component route rather than with coaxials. I think Eclipse makes a cheaper 6x9 component set that I've heard some good things about. Google for it. There aren't many 6x9 component options to choose from.

If you aren't going to add an amp for them, then you'll have to pick from the usual suspects who make the lower end 6x9 coaxials with lower power requirements.

Either way you'll need to pick up or make some mounting baffles. Mr. Marv is the man if you buy them.

 

get a sub and some nice components. I love my sound system at low volumes but when we hang out very nice to be able to turn it up!

 

Yeah this is tough question. If you dont want subs, how much bass do you want with your music.

For Sound quality- go for 6" or 6.5"

For SQ w/ Bass- Get 6x9's or 6x8's

However, I would recomend amping whichever way you go, get better and cleaner power. Either way, the jump from stock to aftermarket speakers is HUGE, the Sq will be way better.

Again, stick with the mainstream brands unless you know of speakers that you really like.

Alpine
Pioneer
MtX
Rockford Fosgate
Jl Audio
Kenwood

These are your "safest" bet.
^Im an MtX guy myself. So thats my vote

 

I have 6x9 type and 6.5 type Alpine Type R's. I love em. If you're not going to install subs these are a great choice because they produce a good amount of bass w/o distortion. If you go that route I recommend amplifying them with a 2 channel that pumps out around 150-200w rms. Good luck with your system! trash those shitty stock speakers! You will be surprised of how low quality they are when you take them out! haha

 

Well said, this guy is correct. Stock=crap

 

What about all the buzz around the mini 6.5" subs? I really just want some good sound quality and some crisp base that doesn't shake the earth.

 

I wouldn't go with a smaller sub just b/c you don't want "earth shaking" bass. Subwoofers are larger for a reason . . . to accurately reproduce those frequencies in the 20 - 100 Hz range. If you are looking for a budget sub solution . . . I'd go with a single 10" sub in a sealed enclosure, which you could build yourself to save some dough. My recommendation . . . a JL 10W1V2. I have a lot of experience with JL subs (put one in my old 1990 Chevy truck back in the day), and they've never disappointed.

Trust me . . . I used to be an IASCA judge. You can have a real nice sounding "complete" system with just a single 10" or 12" sub. A 6" driver just cannot reproduce the low frequencies faithfully . . . no matter how strong it is or how much power you drive it with. Just my $0.02

Oh . . .my opinion on 6X9's -- avoid them . . . along with any other oval speaker. If you can find a 6 X 9 plate speaker (which would have 2 separate ROUND drivers on a plate measuring approx. 6" X 9"), then OK, other wise go with a 6 or 6.5" speaker . . . preferably components, but even a coaxial would do better than an oval speaker . . . just physics.

If you want more recommendations, we need to know 1) your audio goals, 2) your budget, and 3) your experience / skills in this area.

 

Installing it is not a problem, fairly competent installed 4-8's with home made enclosures and an amp in a Chevy truck I had, I would like to stay in the $500-$700 range. Not big on carving up the truck but than again if its disclosed it really doesn't matter all that much. What about 1-8" ??

 

I'd go with a 10" or 12". A 10" would be fine, though. A single 8" is a little small. It really depends on the rest of the setup. If you went with a 4" midrange, a 3/4" tweeter, then an 8" sub might be OK, depending on how you EQ, but the 8" won't do the 20Hz to 50Hz too well. Above 50Hz, the 8" could hang.

 

With a budget of $500 to $700, here's how I'd break it down:

First, with that budget, you're not going to be able to externally amp component speakers. You'll likely have to budget a sub amp and sub, and then power your door speakers off the headunits MOSFETs. So, here's how I'd go:

1. $200 head unit
2. $100 sub
3. $200 sub amp
4. $100 sub enclosure + wiring + amp rack/install.
5. $100 coaxials in the doors powered by head unit MOSFETs.

 

So run all four doors off the HU and amp the sub, thinkin this may push closer to $1000, any recommendations on door speakers?

 

I wouldn't tell anyone to avoid a 6x9, I personally run 6x9's in both of my vehicles and compete with both. I am also a IASCA certified judge and the NorCal MECA promoter. I lost by one single point from being California state champion with my 6x9's in SQC.

I am not trying to get into a pissing match here, but to just tell some one to AVOID them isnt fair IMO.

 

OK . . . this can become a "tastes great" . . . "less filling" thing. The oval versus round speaker debate has gone on for a long time. There are very opinionated people on both sides. Unfortunately, I am one of the very opinionated people on the side of round speakers are superior.

First, to be fair . . . I have heard many quality oval speakers that when properly installed and amplified sound great. But here are some facts about the round verus oval thing, which led to my recommendation to the OP (remember he was considering no sub and looking for bass from the 6X9):

1. Oval speakers tend to distort (when driven at higher volumes) , especially at the lower frequencies. The physics can get complicated, but suffice it to say that there is a reason why "round" is the shape of 90% of car speakers and almost 100% of quality home audio systems.

2. The reason you see oval speakers in some automobiles is because auto manufacturers were trying to make the most out of limited space, and knew that 90% of people wouldn't hear a difference in sound quality anyway. Let's face it . . . most people don't put aftermarket systems in their cars anyway. So, the car manufacturers knew they could get that little extra low range from a 6X9 over a 6 inch, which is helpful when you don't have a sub to cover those low frequencies. Plus, the stock system never had enough power to distort those crappy stock 6X9's anyway.

Bottom line . . . if you look at the top manufacturers of drivers . . . IMHO the best is Focal . . and I have their polykevlar series . . . they manufacture round component systems for their competition drivers. Plus, 90% of people competing in IASCA are doing so with round components. There is a reason.

Hey, honestly, in this guy's case . . . if he's gonna power the drivers from a headunit's power . .. 6X9s will probably work just fine, but EVERY WINNING IASCA competitor I know . . . ran round drivers.

 

My recommendations to the OP:

There are multiple ways to do it, and many brands that are acceptable. Here are some suggestions:

1. Try to buy all your stuff on Ebay or another online discount store like here: http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/ You can go back and forth and find the best prices after you select your individual components. A warning about Crutchfield: they do offer "free" wiring harnesses and install kits for headunits when you purchase through them, but their prices are higher to cover those costs--especially for more expensive gear. The more expensive the item, the greater the price difference between Crutchfield and Ebay.

2. Find a local car audio shop and listen to the different speakers on the walls. You might have to travel to San Antonio, b/c they have a lot of good stores there. Avoid Mothers . . . OK for window tint but not much else. Try Custom Sounds here: http://www.customsounds.com/. I lived in San Antonio for 4 years (did my residency at Wilford Hall). Custom Sounds have some nice shops where you can listen to the different manufacturers of speakers. That's what you want to do . . . hear the different speakers, b/c that's where most of the sound difference comes from. MB Quartz and Focal and Alpine and Image Dynamics, etc. all sound a little different. You can hear the differences by listening to them with a CD of music you like (bring several different CDs with you) driven by the exact same amplifier in the exact same room . . . next to eachother. You'll be tempted to buy something there . . . and they WILL try to sell you stuff, but just go to listen and make a choice on speakers.

3. Remember that matching a speaker to the proper amount of RMS power is more important than what the speaker can handle. In other words, if you take a Focal Utopia series (which can handle alot of RMS power) and drive it with a headunit's MOSFETs, it will sound like crap, even though the speakers are $1000+. Take a $50 speaker with an efficiency that matches the headunit's MOSFETs and it would sound better in this case.

4. In my opinion, drivers (speakers) driven by an external amp with the proper power will always sound better than driven by a headunit's power. Of course, it will cost more (the speakers and the external amp).

5. As far as choices regarding how to set it up . . . whatever you want. You can get a 4-channel amp and run the front 2 channels to the front L&R, bridge the rear two channels to a single sub, and then power the rear door speakers with headunit power. But remember that you will need an amp which is stable at the lower impedance if you bridge (most are . . . some cheap ones arent'). Along that line . . . know your resistances . . . most everything is 4 ohm in car audio land, but you can find 8 ohm subs and 6 ohm speakers. If you power with a headunit (and you will with your stated budget), stick with 4 ohm speakers and DO NOT attempt to power a sub with the headunit . . . only bad things can happen.

Another choice (best IMO with your budget), power all 4 door speakers from the headunit, and power a single 10" sub with a 2 channel (bridged) or even mono sub amp. Remember, with subs, the proper enclosure (and proper air volume for that particular sub) is more important than the brand name of the sub.

Hope this helps