The Very Best 6x9 Speakers

[Dega Man]

I've had the JL Audio C2-690tx for some months now still in the box and never installed yet, but considering getting the Hertz MPX 690.3 PRO. Being that the rear is a headache install. I want to put the very best ultimate 6X9 in. If any of you have experience with both of these speakers please advice to which one between the two you like the best or any other that would sound better than either one of these. I have the Alpine PDX-F6 Amp in the car these will be going in. Also in the doors I have the Focal K2 165 KRC with JL Audio C5075-ct Tweeters all in the stock locations. Thanks in advance for your recommendation.

[Snoman]

6x9s by their very design distort much more than 6.5s. It's one thing to pick up some Kappas or similar for <$140 and call it a day, but anything above that is a waste. You are FAR better off spending money on 6.5s for the rear. If you enjoy your front sound stage then I'd recommend picking up a second set of K2s and JL tweets to replicate what you have up front. If you're subless I'd look for a set of discontinued Focals PC710s, but anything more than this level you can have a quality 8" 3-way set.

[Dega Man]

Snoman, I was hoping you would chime in and help me out deciding this. As you know the rears are so labor intense to change out, I just want to put the very best in and of course I have not listen to either speaker yet. Thanks a million for your advise and help always.

[buychevrolet13]

Check out Image Dynamics

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by buychevrolet13

Check out Image Dynamics

Different topic I believe? IDs are a split off from Focal iirc, high quality and I've enjoyed hearing a set or two.

Again though, there is not a single 6x9 worth more than $140/pr...from any manufacture.

[buychevrolet13]

I don't think it's off topic. 6x9's are going to actually give you more cone area per speaker, which could lead to more bass if you set it up correctly. I think there are more than a few guys on diyma that may not agree with your stance on this. I am not trying to argue with you, just providing an option to research before purchasing anything.

[buychevrolet13]

If you are running the fronts on an amp, you probably don't need anything but stock rears off the head unit for rear fill.

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by buychevrolet13

I don't think it's off topic. 6x9's are going to actually give you more cone area per speaker, which could lead to more bass if you set it up correctly. I think there are more than a few guys on diyma that may not agree with your stance on this. I am not trying to argue with you, just providing an option to research before purchasing anything.

Has nothing to do with 'my stance'. Most people dismiss it because they are incapable of grasping the concept of basic physics and/or they are completely clueless regarding the history and marketing of what the oval speaker represents. Others point to reputable manufactures selling a $x,xxx oval speaker citing it as validation, completely oblivious to the fact it is effectively a marketing scam to fill a niche void and simply make money.

The "oval speaker" was invented by the auto industry in the late '60s / early '70s as a means to capture more of the audio spectrum and lower octaves. Voice sounded 'ok' with a basic 2-way paper 4" but creating an oval 4x6 extended the lower band another octave or two. "Hi-Fidelity" and home audio was exploding during the 70s, the cassette deck was introduced to replace the 8 track and aftermarket solutions were people taking bookshelf speakers and tossing them into the rear deck. Little rectangular cube looking things with mounting feet, referred to as surface mounts.

Home audio speaker manufactures quickly realized that the acoustics of the auto had to contend with high noise levels and a remarkably uneven acoustic area. To address the problems of the car environment and to offer deeper tonal responses, manufactures began to experiment and fully develop the 6x9. It offered the best of both worlds by combining the partial features of a 6" round with a 9" woofer cone. Early models were still paper coaxial, though in the late 70s, Clarion's SK-103 ($175) offered the first true 6x9 woofer coupled with an independently mounted dome mid-range and dome tweeter.

Keep in mind that there was no such thing as a sub-woofer for the car, the power requirements had not been developed yet and any amplifiers that existed were too expensive to market. Everything was coming off the radio therefore, at the time, development of the 6x9 was the perfect solution. The 6x9 continued to dominate for nearly a decade, until technology and marketing began allowing dedicated amplifiers and alternators to be developed cheaper and cheaper. There was a crossover time in the mid-80s where you would see people with multiple 6x9 pairs in their vehicle as a cheap way to create bass.

In the late 80's, enter Rockford Fosgate with their infamous Punch45 and dedicated sub-woofers (and other high quality options) and true sound quality began to emerge. The frailties of the oval speaker began to show themselves when rising power levels literally destroyed them by ripping the voice coils away from the surround. Many shops were performing R&D to figure out why they couldn't hold up and discovered a few things;

• The distance from the voice coil and the speaker edge was different
• Under a strobe light, you can see the speaker rolling like a wave rolls through the water
• At higher decibel levels these waves cause distortion as it is physically impossible for a distorted surface to replicate audio frequencies

The need for using an oval speaker became extinct over 20 years ago as we were able to replicate the complete 20hz-20khz bandwidth accurately using dedicated components. Fast forward a few decades.

Today, the 6x9 represents the same thing it did 40 years ago; to offer a cheap solution of some resemblance of bass using an infinite baffle design integrated with the trunk. Once an audiophile purchases a dedicated sub-woofer system, the need for a 6x9 is gone and they have a serious choice to make. Gut or disconnect the OEM 6x9 trash or replace the rears.

Most audiophiles are at a loss for disconnecting the rear speakers, this baseless theory is some made up concoction by the millennial consumer in efforts to save a few dollars on their system. When replacing the rears, money and objective become important. Does the audiophile want some basic rear fill and staying under 100wpc? What brand? Alpine/Kenwood/RF/Infinity? Grab some brand matched 6x9s and spend no more than $150 on a set of 6x9 rears and call it a day. Using more than 100wpc or into higher quality speakers like Focal, ID, Hertz? Unquestionably, you are purchasing 2 pairs of component 6.5" to ensure higher sound quality.

Most enthusiasts I know of will replace the 6x9 with a 6.5 at any price level, primarily due to voice matching and increased sound quality.

[buychevrolet13]

Thank you for the info, Snoman! I did not know any of that. Sounds like you will be a valuable resource as my build starts taking shape...

[fif_gen_powa]

Hell of a post snowman, very nice

[Little Walter]

Very good read however the Hertz MPX 690.3 PRO is a very good sounding speaker for a 6X9

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by Little Walter

Very good read however the Hertz MPX 690.3 PRO is a very good sounding speaker for a 6X9

Based on what exactly?

[Imdyinhere]

Originally Posted by Snoman

Has nothing to do with 'my stance'. Most people dismiss it because they are incapable of grasping the concept of basic physics and/or they are completely clueless regarding the history and marketing of what the oval speaker represents. Others point to reputable manufactures selling a $x,xxx oval speaker citing it as validation, completely oblivious to the fact it is effectively a marketing scam to fill a niche void and simply make money.

The "oval speaker" was invented by the auto industry in the late '60s / early '70s as a means to capture more of the audio spectrum and lower octaves. Voice sounded 'ok' with a basic 2-way paper 4" but creating an oval 4x6 extended the lower band another octave or two. "Hi-Fidelity" and home audio was exploding during the 70s, the cassette deck was introduced to replace the 8 track and aftermarket solutions were people taking bookshelf speakers and tossing them into the rear deck. Little rectangular cube looking things with mounting feet, referred to as surface mounts.

Home audio speaker manufactures quickly realized that the acoustics of the auto had to contend with high noise levels and a remarkably uneven acoustic area. To address the problems of the car environment and to offer deeper tonal responses, manufactures began to experiment and fully develop the 6x9. It offered the best of both worlds by combining the partial features of a 6" round with a 9" woofer cone. Early models were still paper coaxial, though in the late 70s, Clarion's SK-103 ($175) offered the first true 6x9 woofer coupled with an independently mounted dome mid-range and dome tweeter.

Keep in mind that there was no such thing as a sub-woofer for the car, the power requirements had not been developed yet and any amplifiers that existed were too expensive to market. Everything was coming off the radio therefore, at the time, development of the 6x9 was the perfect solution. The 6x9 continued to dominate for nearly a decade, until technology and marketing began allowing dedicated amplifiers and alternators to be developed cheaper and cheaper. There was a crossover time in the mid-80s where you would see people with multiple 6x9 pairs in their vehicle as a cheap way to create bass.

In the late 80's, enter Rockford Fosgate with their infamous Punch45 and dedicated sub-woofers (and other high quality options) and true sound quality began to emerge. The frailties of the oval speaker began to show themselves when rising power levels literally destroyed them by ripping the voice coils away from the surround. Many shops were performing R&D to figure out why they couldn't hold up and discovered a few things;

• The distance from the voice coil and the speaker edge was different
• Under a strobe light, you can see the speaker rolling like a wave rolls through the water
• At higher decibel levels these waves cause distortion as it is physically impossible for a distorted surface to replicate audio frequencies

The need for using an oval speaker became extinct over 20 years ago as we were able to replicate the complete 20hz-20khz bandwidth accurately using dedicated components. Fast forward a few decades.

Today, the 6x9 represents the same thing it did 40 years ago; to offer a cheap solution of some resemblance of bass using an infinite baffle design integrated with the trunk. Once an audiophile purchases a dedicated sub-woofer system, the need for a 6x9 is gone and they have a serious choice to make. Gut or disconnect the OEM 6x9 trash or replace the rears.

Most audiophiles are at a loss for disconnecting the rear speakers, this baseless theory is some made up concoction by the millennial consumer in efforts to save a few dollars on their system. When replacing the rears, money and objective become important. Does the audiophile want some basic rear fill and staying under 100wpc? What brand? Alpine/Kenwood/RF/Infinity? Grab some brand matched 6x9s and spend no more than $150 on a set of 6x9 rears and call it a day. Using more than 100wpc or into higher quality speakers like Focal, ID, Hertz? Unquestionably, you are purchasing 2 pairs of component 6.5" to ensure higher sound quality.

Most enthusiasts I know of will replace the 6x9 with a 6.5 at any price level, primarily due to voice matching and increased sound quality.

You should probably foot note that and credit the original author. I know you personally and you dont have the attention span to type that much at one time.

Originally Posted by Snoman

Based on what exactly?

I have Morel 6x9s in my rear deck. Of course they are only for midbass fill and my processor manages a very tight band of frequencies coming out of it.

I agree that with a full range signal they are merely place holders for those that don't know any better, but it has been my experience that when the the signal is effectively managed (volume and frequency), 6x9 speakers can still get it done as well as a 6.5". I get much better bass response from my new 6x9s than i did with the PPi comps I had in my rear deck. Loved em in the doors, but not so much in the back forty.

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by Imdyinhere

You should probably foot note that and credit the original author. I know you personally and you dont have the attention span to type that much at one time.

lol. That post was actually 99% original, the only thing I arguably stole was the Clarion's SK-103 model number and street price from a 1979 Popular Mechanics issue (Page 86).

Your car sounds amazing btw