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6x9's fit in the front of reg. cab ?

Discussion in 'Audio & Video' started by BluTaco08, Mar 6, 2010.

  1. Mar 6, 2010 at 3:38 PM
    #1
    BluTaco08

    BluTaco08 [OP] I LiKe TaCos

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    I've got my hands on a set of some Boston Acoustic 6x9's that I want to install in my door's but the opening is for a 6.5inch. Is there anyway to fit a 6x9 in the front door of a reg. cab ? If it's just a matter of fabricating a custom baffle, that's no prob. But will it fit ? Thanks.
     
  2. Mar 6, 2010 at 3:42 PM
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    Blackshirts

    Blackshirts Well-Known Member

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    If the front is 6.5 then no it will not fit. Are you sure there 6.5 in the front? I belive the front to be 6 X 9 but you will need a speaker install kit.
     
  3. Mar 6, 2010 at 3:48 PM
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    BluTaco08

    BluTaco08 [OP] I LiKe TaCos

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    I've got 6.5's in there right now, I installed them myself so I know it's a 6.5. That's the stock speaker size too. But I'm thinking a 6x9 might fit ?
     
  4. Mar 6, 2010 at 4:09 PM
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    Duff Man

    Duff Man Well-Known Member

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    only one way to find out :popcorn:
     
  5. Mar 6, 2010 at 6:04 PM
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    Evil Monkey

    Evil Monkey There's an evil monkey in my truck

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    I have 6x9's in the front doors of my double cab (stock was 6.5). It's probably the same. You need an adapter. Mr. Marv or ********* sell them.
     
  6. Aug 11, 2011 at 9:17 PM
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    pinktaco808

    pinktaco808 Hot Steppa

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    6.5 buddy. 6x9 sound like crap
     
  7. Aug 12, 2011 at 5:19 AM
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    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion Sounds Gooooood

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    Woah....hold the phone. Am I the only one who's stock 2nd gen Tacoma came stock with 6x9's in the front doors? Either that or am I on crack?
     
  8. Aug 12, 2011 at 6:13 AM
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    hookedontronics

    hookedontronics Well-Known Member

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    There is a lot of fail in this thread.

    6x9 (an odd baffled 6x9 anyways) comes in the front of a double cab and access cabs with 6.5 for the rear

    6.5 is in the front doors of a regualr cab

    You may be able to fit a 6x9 in your regular cab, but i wouldn't be surprised if you would have to trim some metal to do so. Personally i'd stick with the 6.5 or go with 6.5 components if you don't already as you'll get better acoustics from a round speaker
     
  9. Aug 12, 2011 at 6:42 AM
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    pinktaco808

    pinktaco808 Hot Steppa

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    sound waves are round
     
  10. Aug 12, 2011 at 6:46 AM
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    Joehs

    Joehs Well-Known Member

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    Mine came with 6x9 :confused:

    6x9 != 6.5
     
  11. Aug 12, 2011 at 7:37 AM
    #11
    textoy

    textoy Well-Known Member

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    mine came with 6x9's and i had them replaced with some 2 1/2 in depth panasonic 6x9's. Can't remember the model # but nothing very expensive. Sound lots better, though.
     
  12. Aug 12, 2011 at 8:50 AM
    #12
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion Sounds Gooooood

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    So you're saying that 6x9's create oval sound? :eek:
     
  13. Aug 12, 2011 at 3:35 PM
    #13
    pinktaco808

    pinktaco808 Hot Steppa

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    ummm nooo you dont get what i am trying to say.





    Speakers
    How Do Speakers Work?

    Speakers are air pistons that move back (on the negative cycle of the signal) and forth (on the positive cycle), creating different degrees of air pressure at different frequencies. The amplifier (either separate or built-in your radio), produces electrical impulses that alternate from positive and negative voltages (AC). This current reaches the voice coil inside the speaker, creating an electro-magnet that will either be repelled, or attracted by the fixed magnet at the bottom of the speaker. The voice coil is attached to the cone, moving it back and forth, creating sound. The surround (rubbery circle that joins top of the cone and metal basket) and the spider (usually yellow corrugated circle joining bottom of cone to magnet) make the cone return to its original position.

    Speaker Sensitivity, measured in dB, is how loud a speaker plays (usually 1 Watt, 1 meter). A higher Sensitivity rating means that the speaker will play louder using the same power as a speaker with a lower rating.

    The back and front parts of the speaker should be isolated from each other. When the front of the cone is pushing air, the bottom is pulling air, creating a canceling effect. Ideally every speaker should be in an enclosure. If you are mounting a speaker in a big hole, make sure you build a panel to isolate the front and back of the speaker (baffle).


    Imaging, Staging and Directivity

    Imaging - is being able to pick certain sounds from different places. The singer would normally be located towards the middle of the car, guitars, trumpets, and other instruments towards the sides of the car. If you scatter speakers all around the car your imaging would be very poor, since you would be producing the same sound at different places. If you have a system with good imaging, the sound should seem to come from different instruments and voices, not speakers.

    Staging - is the ability of a system to "fool you" into thinking that everything (including bass) is in front of you. The sound should be similar to a stage in a concert, where the singer would be in the front center, and the rest of the instruments and background vocalists would be located to the left and right (but always on the front).

    Good staging and imaging are not so easy to implement. It takes a lot experimenting with speaker location and direction.

    Directivity - of sound is related to frequency. At higher frequencies it is easier to pinpoint where the sound is coming from than lower frequencies. This can be used to our advantage in car stereo. Tweeters are the most important part of getting good staging. They should be aimed towards the middle of the car. A way to "bring" the bass to the front of the car is to fool our ears by overlapping frequencies played by midbases and subs, so that your midbases actually "pull" the bass to the front, since lower bass in not too directional. You should crossover your midbases as low as you can (without getting distortion). Then cut your subs at a bit higher frequency (preferably 60 HZ or less). This will mix the bass coming from the front and rear, making the bass seem to come from the front. Adding a center channel also improves staging, if it is set up correctly.


    Types of Speakers

    Coaxials - Coaxial speakers (or three-ways) are two (or more) speakers built-in the same frame. They are cheaper than separate woofer and tweeters and also easier to install. There is no need to worry about crossovers, since they are already built-in (you might still need to add a crossover to block bass if you are using high-power amplifiers). A disadvantage of coaxials is the lack of flexibility. For example, if the coaxial is all the way in the kick panel, or door panel aiming at your feet, you will not have good staging or imaging. Some manufacturers try to compensate for this by making adjustable tweeters. You should usually consider coaxial speakers for the back of the car, and separates for the front, unless you only have one speaker hole and don't plan to cut any more holes in the car.

    Separates - Separates consist of a tweeter and woofer, and [most of the time] come with an external crossover. The woofer is usually mounted in the factory hole in the door or kick panel. The tweeters can be mounted in different places. The most common place to install tweeters is towards the top front corner of the door panel, aiming (if possible) between both front seat head rests. Another popular location for tweeters is in the dash, either surface mounted, or in factory dash holes. Yet another location where tweeters are commonly mounted is in the blank plastic piece on the top front side of the doors (where the mirror is on the outside). You would have to experiment with angle and location to achieve the best possible imaging and staging.

    Horns - Horns are very good at directing sound and have high efficiencies. Horns are usually mounted under the dash. By doing this, difference in distance from left and right speakers are greatly reduced over conventional mounting locations. Since horns play mids and highs, tweeters are not needed. Horns cost more than conventional speakers and require customization. In many installations a good equalizer is required to compensate for their high sensitivity.
    Horns are not for everyone though. Many audiophiles complain of unnatural sound. It is very hard to properly setup a set of horns.

    Midbases - Midbases are usually 5, 6 or 8 inch speakers that are designed to go lower in frequency and are part of a three way system with a mid and tweeter. The problem is that 3-way arrangements require more complicated crossovers. Midbases are most commonly mounted in the doors.

    Subwoofers - Subwoofers add lower frequencies to the system. They have to be enclosed in a box, with the exception of free air subwoofers, which use the trunk as an enclosure. There are many different types of boxes and implementations discussed in the "subwoofers" section.


    Mounting Locations

    Front Speakers - The best place to mount speakers in the front, in custom kick panels. By doing this, the path between the speakers and ears is minimized giving the best possible sound without having to add time delay circuitry. If this is not possible, try to point the speakers towards the center of the car, and try to minimize the distance between the right and left speakers to your ears. Custom kick panels are usually built from fiberglass or molded plastic, and are available from some manufacturers such as Ai Research.

    Rear Speakers - Rear speakers should give a sense of space to the music, but not overpower the front speakers. You should be able to barely hear the rear speakers. If you are using rear speakers to add more bass/midbass to the system, at least use a crossover to cut off higher frequencies. A lot of hi-end systems don't even have any rear speakers. Tweeters are not necessary for the rear, a set of coaxials will work good for rear fill.

    Center Channels - Center channels consist of a midrange speaker (3 or 4 inch) mounted in the middle of the dash (usually) on the top. Center channels play a mono (Left + Right) signal between 350 - 500 and 3500 Hertz (voice range). The purpose of the center channel is to raise the sound stage, by creating the sensation of the singers "being" in the front of the car, and not in the door panels. Center channels are hard to implement: First, a bandpass crossover is needed. Left and right channels have to be summed up. There are various commercially available center-channel processors (many with built-in amplification). The volume level of the center channel should be lower than the other speakers, since it is only supposed to make subtle changes to the total sound image.


    Sizes and Shapes

    There are many speaker sizes ranging from 1-inch tweeters to 18-inch (or bigger) subwoofers. A smaller speaker will reproduce higher frequencies better than a bigger one. The wavelength of a 20,000 Hz signal is very small, while the length of a lower (bass) note moving in the air could be as big as 40 feet. That explains why a 4-inch speaker can't really put out bass (the lower the frequency, the more air mass that has to be moved by the speaker). Tweeters are designed to play frequencies from 3500, 4500 or even 6000 Hz, all the way up to 20,000 Hertz. Midranges (3, 4 or 5 inchers) play music from around 300, 500 Hz, to where the tweeters start in the upper level. Midbases (5, 6, 8 inches) play from around 50 Hz to 500 (and even 1000) Hz. Subs handle frequencies below 120-60 Hertz.

    Do round speakers sound better than oval-shaped speakers (i.e. 6x9's)? The answer is yes for most practical purposes. A round cone is more rigid than an oval-shaped one, so at higher levels, an oval-shaped speaker will distort more. The reason why there are oval-shaped speakers is because of rear deck space considerations by manufacturers. An advantage of a 6x9 speaker over a 6-inch speaker is that it has a bigger area, so it will move higher air volume, producing more bass.


    Power Considerations

    Most people think that if they use a 50 watt per channel amplifier on their factory speakers, the speakers will be damaged. This may be true if the speakers do not have crossovers blocking off frequencies speakers were not designed to play. What destroys speakers is distortion. If you turn the volume all the way up on the radio, there will be distortion. If you start hearing distortion, turn the volume down. A high power amplifier allows the volume in the system to be higher, while the volume control on the radio is down in the range where no distortion is present. It is better to have more power than what you need to get cleaner sound.

    So how much power do you really need? As much as you can afford. At a minimum, 30 to 50 Watts (each) would be OK for your front and rear speakers, while a little bit more (100-150 Watts) should be applied to each sub. If you are powering up your tweeters independently, they require less power (20 - 40 Watts). Example: A four-channel set-up with separates in the front and coaxials in the rear with two subs will need about 40 Watts on each channel (Total=160W), and 100W going into each sub (Total=200W). Notice that total power going to subs is more than total power going to the rest of the speakers. This is because our ears are less sensitive to bass.
     
    Tennessee YODA likes this.
  14. Aug 12, 2011 at 9:44 PM
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    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion Sounds Gooooood

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    You're right, I don't understand. Please explain what you're trying to say in your own words.
     
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  15. Aug 13, 2011 at 5:49 PM
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    pinktaco808

    pinktaco808 Hot Steppa

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    Round is better. has a more clear sound and the 6x9 create a more bass ,but not clear
     
  16. Aug 16, 2022 at 10:58 AM
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    Dare Devil Diablo

    Dare Devil Diablo Well-Known Member

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    Reviving a super old thread but...

    The reason the 6 1/2" cones will produce cleaner sound at higher volumes than a 6x9" oval cone is due to the superior strength of the cone vs the oval cone.

    For a given material and thickness the oval cone will have higher peak stress concentrations than the cone will. The cones surface stress will be more uniform and lower than that of the oval cone.

    If you drew a line straight across the plan view of an oval cone, divinding it in half such that the bisecting line passes through the most narrow diameter of the ellipse, the highest stresses will be found at the intersections of the bisector and the ellipse. Likewise if the bisecting line passes through the greatest diameter of the ellipse your lowest stress concentrations will be at the center of the cone becoming larger as they runn out to the edge.

    The stresses in a cone will be equally distributed about the circumface of the cone. Lowest stresses at the center becoming larger as the reach the edge.

    These stresses cause deformation of the cone. Higher stresses equal greater deformation.

    Deformation causes distortion of the sound waves.

    The distortion of the sound wave results in unintended sound. The sound wave emitted from the distorted part of the cone is not equal to the sound wave emitted from the un (less) distorted part of the cone. e.g. Mariah Carey does not sound quite as much like Mariah Carey as she could.

    The less variation in the soundwaves emitted from your speaker the "cleaner" the sound. Cleaner sound is more true to the source signal. e.g. Mariah Carey sounds as much like Mariah Carey as possible.

    In summation, if you want Mariah Carey to sound as much like the real Mariah Carey as possible, use conical speakers and stay away from the oval cones.
     
    soundman98 likes this.
  17. Aug 21, 2022 at 7:46 AM
    #17
    soundman98

    soundman98 Well-Known Member

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    i'm not disagreeing, but have always been curious. do you know of any documentation that shows how cone deformation could lead to increased perceived bass response? i've always suspected that harmonics of the cone 'flutter' of 6x9's leads to increased perceived bass response. not all that dissimilar to that 90's tech that boosted fundamental frequencies to create the impression of more bass while still working within the confines of cheaper/lower quality headphones.
     
  18. Aug 22, 2022 at 8:32 PM
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    Dare Devil Diablo

    Dare Devil Diablo Well-Known Member

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    Bass response will not be improved by speaker cone deformation. By definition the deformation of the cone is modifying the bass signal as delivered by the speaker coil.

    Now, by percieved bass response do you mean a personal opinion of how well a given speaker can emulate a low frequency note... I really have nothing to add here as this is just an opinion. Someone may really like the distorted sound a stretching speaker cone is making and they may think it is authentic (a good frequency response) but it is not. Some people like to eat poop.

    I would not doubt some (or many/all) headphone and speaker manufacturers are exploiting the fact that they can make their speaker LOUDER than all the rest by producing an inaccurate signal. I know there are at least some/many who put an accurate frequency response above ultimate decibel output.

    Some times all anyone cares about is that BASE - BU BU BU BUH BASE.

    There are always at least a few of us that feel the bass is more important.
     
    soundman98[QUOTED] likes this.

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