I love 6×9 speakers. Musically they may not be the best physical shape to reproduce sound, but they can sound great in a car! They are particularly useful in rear shelves in a coupe or sedan. That limited shelf depth allows a dimensionally bigger speaker than you could get with a round one.
I was 16 years old when I got my first car, a rust bucket actually, but it was all mine. The first thing I did was replace the crappy head unit and then replaced the rear speakers. Being a sedan, it came with 6×9’s. These odd shaped speakers will always have a soft spot in my heart.
6×9’s have improved quite a bit from when I bought them for my first car. We’ve looked at the most popular models on the market today, put them on a short list, and identified our favorites below.
Top 10 Best 6×9 Speakers 2021
1. JBL GTO939 GTO Series 6×9 Audio Speakers
JBL is the most well-known brand for speakers. Hence, you need not worry about the quality of the product at all. The features of the product are quite fascinating and will be a perfect fit for your car. The company has tested the output quality in almost all possible scenarios. It has even been tested in temperatures ranging from -35℃ and +90℃. The quality of the music delivered in all these testings was quite close to the original music.
It consists of ½ inches of Mylar-titanium super tweeter along with a large voice coil. Usually, these types of voice coils are found in home theatres. This large voice coil increases the power handling of the speakers and also reduces the distortion. Hence, you would get the clearest sound without any other “noise” in it.
The tweeter is lightweight yet extremely strong. You can even adjust the tweeter if you want to optimize the sound according to your liking. Hence, you are bound to get crystal-clear high-quality sound out of these speakers.
It even utilizes an extra inch of Mylar-titanium as a tweeter so that the speaker can deliver sounds in the midrange frequencies even! The woofer has the Plus One technology that JBL is famous for. It gives the speaker 30% more surface area than the other speakers of the same price range. This provides a better bass response from the speaker.
Additionally, it has 300 watts of power handling along with 4-ohm impedance. This speaker from JBL is no doubt the best 6X9 speaker you can get if you are comfortable with high price ranges.
2. 2 New Kicker 43DSC69304 D-Series 6×9 Speakers
These speakers from Kicker will make sure that you have a good time in your car. They are designed to fit into the speaker area easily without any hassle. Hence, it will usually get in almost any car. You will notice the tweeter barely protruding, which again falls under the slim design of the speaker.
It has stiff polypropylene cones that help give a better bass boost to the sound. There are also UV rated foams surrounding the speakers, which would give the sound a superior direction and make it feel realistic.
These speakers have high-sensitivity DS motors in them. These motors increase the volume no matter if you are using just the factory sound or an amplifier. Besides, it has a maximum of 360 watts output power with a 4-ohm impedance.
If you are looking for good bass-boosted speakers without burning a hole in your pocket, you can go for this one.
3. 4 New Kenwood KFC-D691
Kenwood brings a 4-way coaxial speaker for your car. The first fascinating feature of the speaker was the sound field enhancer. This means the sound coming out of your speaker will be enhanced and delivered without any sort of extra “noise.”
Additionally, it has a ceramic super-tweeter, which would provide the sounds even in low frequencies at a high bass level. Hence, you won’t miss any beat, no matter how soft it is.
It has an enlarged magnet circuit, which again helps in reducing unnecessary noise. The nominal dependence of these speakers is 4-ohm, and it has a maximum output capacity of 600 Watts. Besides, it has a frequency response of 72-24k Hz.
The installation of these speakers is quite easy, too. You need not hassle with it much, but just drop it to the place where the speaker is supposed to be, and you are good to go!
4. Infinity KAPPA-93iX
This speaker from Infinity is a triaxial one, which will provide you with the best music experience in your car. It has the Patented Plus One woofers that will have the required bass boosting, and also the music will be quite high-detailed. Also, these woofers are made of Glass Fibre, which makes them lighter and stiffer. They are in the shape of a cone, which gives more boost to the bass and has higher efficiency.
The tweeters are a bit different from what you will find in other speakers. They are not in the usual W-domes but have edge-driven textile dome speakers that provide broader and smoother frequency response. Along with this, it also has a large voice coil. This optimizes the thermal handling of the speaker. It also has low distortion and hence has higher reliability at high volumes.
Another exciting feature of the tweeter is that it can be angled and rotated up to 270°. Hence, you will get a variety of imaging options and can even elevate the soundstage! You can even customize the tune and frequencies in the speaker with the help of a push-button tweeter level control.
You can even add a midrange speaker of any brand with this two-way component speaker if you want to add icing to the cake. The customers love it, and it is high time that you go for it, too!
5. JVC CS-J6930 400W
If you are under a tight budget but want quality speakers, you can go for these speakers from JVC. The woofer is in the shape of a cone, thereby giving a concentrated surface area, which will provide a better bass to the music. The woofer is made out of Mica, and hence it has high endurance and durability.
The tweeter is a poly-ether imide balanced one. This would even deliver the low-frequency sound at a higher bass. This speaker has a frequency response of 30-22k Hz and has a sensitivity of 92 dB. Hence you will get a crisp quality sound even for the softest of songs!
Another feature of the speaker is its hybrid surround. As the name suggests, you can feel the music playing around you with the help of this feature. What can be better than feeling the music surround you while you go for a long drive? Additionally, it can handle a maximum of 400 watts of output power.
6. Pioneer TS-A6960F
This is another speaker within an affordable budget with good sound quality. The first thing to notice in any speaker is the tweeter. The sound quality usually depends on this component. The bass boost in the speaker is dependent on the material with which the tweeter is made. This product by Pioneer has a twin 11mm polyethylene terephthalate hard dome tweeter.
This means that the voice coil in the tweeter is large enough to handle the power required to boost the songs out of the speaker. This also helps reduce the distortion in the sound. Hence, all you get is pure music without any extra “noise.”
It also has a 2, ¼” cellulose fiber cone midrange, which means that the sound will get more surface area. You can feel the bass in every beat.
The cone is another important component of the speaker. The material of the cone should be sleek enough to fit into the car speaker area. It should also not obstruct the sound coming out. Hence, it is made of carbon and mica reinforced. It also has molded polypropylene injected into it.
All these features make this speaker relatively better than the ones you can get in this price range.
7. Rockford Fosgate R169X3
This speaker from Rockford Fosgate is one of the best 6X9 speakers you can get for yourself on a budget. It is ideal for any factory speaker upgrade that you have ever wanted!
It has an integrated tweeter crossover. This would help the sound boost and even filter out the noise, which distorts the purity of the music. Being a 3-way speaker, you can feel the music coming from all around the car. This gives you the whole vibe of the songs you are listening to!
They are usually good for replacing factory speakers inside the car. Additionally, it has polypropylene cones with a silk dome Piezo tweeter. The cone will make sure that the music comes out of more surface area. The tweeter also ensures that the speaker can handle the power without compromising the quality of the music.
It can handle 130 Watts of power at the maximum. Another interesting thing to keep in mind is that the company provides a full 1-year warranty on its product. Hence, you can trust the quality blindly.
8. JBL Gt7-96 GT7 Series
Are you looking for a branded speaker but have a tight budget? Well, then this speaker from JBL is the perfect option for you! It has all the amazing features you will find in any of the JBL speakers. The first feature to discuss is the cone of the speaker, which is made with polypropylene and has the Plus One technology included. This means that even the lowest frequency sounds can be heard with a bass.
The cone area is relatively larger than usual. This allows every beat their individual space and can be heard clearly. The tweeter has a PEI balanced dome with grills included. This helps the speaker to handle the power and convert that energy into vibrations. The more the tweeter can handle the power, the better music you can listen to.
The maximum this speaker can go to is 420 watts per air, but if you are considering a single speaker, it can handle a power of 210 watts only. Additionally, JBL included its famous PLus One Technology on almost all speakers.
Even this speaker has the Plus One Technology, which helps give the required boost to the speakers’ bass. You can feel every musical note inside your car. This will, for sure, give you a heavenly experience.
9. Rockford Fosgate P1692 Punch
Rockford Fosgate ensures that the customers who have a low budget can get quality products, too! This speaker comes with the best features that you would rarely get in the same price range. This 2-way full-range speaker will be a perfect fit if you are looking for speakers to replace the factory ones.
The first feature that caught our eye was the FlexFit basket design. Due to this design, while setting up the speaker, you will notice that there are slots instead of single screw sized holes. This helps easily adjust when you are aligning with the OEM mounting holes to give a better fit.
There is also a PEI dome tweeter with a built-in crossover and is injected with molded mineral. The cone consists of polypropylene with a butyl rubber surround. All these together ensure that you have a high output and give the maximum accuracy in frequency.
The cone has a Vertical Attach Surround Technique, which increases the area of the cone, thereby allowing the music to spread over a larger area. The frequency response of the speaker is 60-22k Hz. It has a sensitivity of 91 dB.
This speaker can handle a maximum power of 150 watts. Hence, you can easily go for this speaker without even spending too much.
10. CT Sounds Meso
Last but not least, this speaker by CT sounds is bound to give you the perfect feel while listening to music. The first feature that fascinated us is the speakers’ cones, made with top quality fiberglass. This makes the speaker quite hardy and durable. Additionally, it has NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) surround, which again helps boost the music coming out of the speakers.
There is a voice coil of 1.5” diameter, which means that you will find minimal distortion in your music. It will reduce most of the “noise” in the output level. It also helps to handle the power, and hence the maximum power it can take is 120 watts. It has a 4-ohm impedance.
It also has a quality Y30 ferrite magnet that would make the installation process easier. You don’t need to spend much time setting up the speaker. The tweeter of this speaker is covered with a 25mm silk dome and has a metal mesh grille. Along with it, there is a silver chrome-plated ring. All these ensure the durability of the speaker and also help improve the output quality.
Factors To Look For While Buying 6×9 Speakers
Now that we have covered the list for the best 6X9 speakers, there are certain things you need to keep in mind while buying them. Here are some of the factors you ought to look out for:
1. Sensitivity
The first thing you must check is the sensitivity of the speaker. It is usually measured in how much sound the system can produce from the power that has been given. Hence, you might want to go for a high sensitivity if you can afford to provide high power to your speakers.
2. Power-handling
The next thing to take note of is how much power your speaker can take in. If your system is of low-power, then getting a high power speaker isn’t going to help you much. Hence, make sure to check the power of your system and the speakers, and then conclude to make a choice.
3. Material Used
Finally, the thing that you have to keep in mind is the materials. Each component of the speaker is made in a way that helps the music. Hence, each material has either a direct or indirect effect on the output quality of the sound. Make sure that all the components are made up of the best materials that could be offered in the price range.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are the advantages of 6×9 speaker?
6×9 speakers allow you to fit a larger speaker than space allows. They’re very common to see in cars with rear decks (below the rear windshield).
If you didn’t use a 6×9 there, the other option is a 6″ or 6.5″ round speaker. The area of the speaker cone is considerably less than a 6×9. The result of which is the 6×9 can provide better bass response due to it’s larger size. We really like 6×9’s whenever possible. There aren’t as many choices, but they are a great size for rear deck’s in cars. -
Can a 6×9 speaker fit in a 6×8?
You can replace a 6×8 speaker with a 6×9, but it won’t be easy on most vehicles. The physical dimensions of a 6×8 are more closer to a 5×7 speaker size than they are a 6×9 speaker size.
We get it, 6×9’s just sound WAY better than 6×8’s and are more common. It may be worth it for your vehicle to make this switch.
The other factor that makes it tough is the depth of the 6×9 speaker. That is a very common problem area.
Rather than cut sheet metal in your car, an adapter ring would be ideal, but they are rare. Check online forum’s for your kind of car, someone on there may have used a 3D Printer and might be selling them to other members. An adapter ring would prevent any cutting and at the same time solve the deeper depth needed by 6×9’s. -
Can 6×9 speaker provide powerful bass?
6×9 speakers can provide great sounding bass. But sound is in the ear of the beholder. What sounds powerful to me may not be so great to you or the kind of music you listen to.
Our recommendation is all about compromise when it comes to cars. Fit the largest speakers you can in stock locations without any cutting of sheet metal. If that means 6×9, then that’s a 6×9.
Choose a great 6×9 and sse proper amplification matching with the spec’s of the 6×9’s you choose. That’s about the best you can do.
Then check the bass response. You happy with it? If not, then it’s time for a subwoofer. -
Can you run 6×9 without an amp?
Yes, like any other speaker out there, you don’t need an amp to run a 6×9. Now, the real question is, will it sound good? If you’re on a budget, we like to get high powered head units and see how well things sound without a separate amp. Sometimes you may be surprised that it sounds good enough!
If that doesn’t do it for you, then take the added expense and hassle of adding a properly sized amp to feed your power hungry 6×9’s.
Best 6×9 Speakers – Happy Driving!
Now that we have discussed all the best products in detail and have given you a light idea about what exactly you should be looking for. Investing in a nice speaker is quite essential if you own a car. If you are driving it around, you would want to look good doing so, too!
Also, make sure that you get ones from a trusted company and that they fit in your car system. You can also consult a mechanic to understand the type of fit your car has.
