good 6x9 speakers ?

[Darren]

what is it with 6x9 speakers these days ?
They are crap!

I've tried a couple of different brands and they don't match the sound quality of the old 80W 2 way Pioneers I had in my old Commodore. My current 3 way Pioneers are rated at a claimed 240W (bullshit)/40W nominal..... I've just installed a JVC 60x4W amp because I thought it might have been the claimed 50Wx4 head unit that wasn't up to scratch. Whilst it has improved the sound, it's still rather disappointing.

So I've come to the conclusion the speakers are still letting me down. I'm not chasing big volume, I've got bass, just after some good low to mid-range in particular (eg bass guitar frequency) I don't want to go down the path of a subwoofer. Surely a decent set of 6x9's should be able to produce a good, full sound ?

Any suggested brands of 6x9 speakers that are good performers - quality wise ? Is it better to go back to a 2 way speaker ? Also does carpeting the boot play a significant role in the sound quality for a parcel shelf mounted speaker ? I mainly play 80's music(ie real instruments) /old school rock music, not doof-doof/techno

[VEWARRIOR]

Try and get tweeters fitted to reduce the hi end range on your 6x9s... lets them work more on the mid to low... Not sure hw to set it up but I hade Pioneer 3 ways and once the tweeters were in I got better mid to lower...

Just a thought... Not the greatest at this gear.. just pay guys to sort it....

[Darren]

Try and get tweeters fitted to reduce the hi end range on your 6x9s... lets them work more on the mid to low... Not sure hw to set it up but I hade Pioneer 3 ways and once the tweeters were in I got better mid to lower...

Just a thought... Not the greatest at this gear.. just pay guys to sort it....

yeah I'm not much up on it either. And I don't really want anything over the top. Just a nice all-round sound. I think you need a crossover though for tweeters, which I'm trying to avoid. I tried to avoid an amp up until now lol!

What bugs me, is my old 80W 2 ways (10 years ago) were awesome. So I'm figuring surely it can be achieved today. I was considering going back to 2 ways, but I can't seem to find them anymore...

[LuxoBarge]

Speakers have changed a lot in the last 10 years, as has the styles of music... If you are after something that has a more "warm" sound to them, steer clear of the "main" range of speakers, (pioneer, kenwood, jvc etc) and go something that does use a separate tweeter and driver with a cross-over. I know you said you want to avoid them, but most speakers these days are built for the average doof-doof song (all bass and treble with no mid range)... I have recently kitted my stato out with Polk Audio splits and 2 ways (6 1/2") and listen to a broad range of music and I love them. I am hearing parts of the music I had forgotten existed... Also depends on how much you want to spend too... Quality sound doesn't come cheap these days... Good luck bud!!!

[stealthvn/mr vr ss]

jbl make a real good 6x9 however they cost the $$$ for the good set, yes carpeting the boot and sound deadening the parcel shelf and prob the boot will improve a fair bit and even if you can make a custom box for the 6x9's with improve the mid rage and low alot

[Josh K]

i can vouch for the polk audio i got 6 1/2 inch splits and speakers in the clubby good gear for the price...

[Darren]

thanks for the all the suggestions
I don't mind spending the money if they are good quality, I'm just trying to avoid anymore wiring and other related mess. That's the only reason I avoided the amp for so long.

I did some research on the net, seems that soundstream is a highly regarded 6x9 (they won a 6x9 'shootout' test) but that spider grille is damn ugly!
http://www.soundstream.com/images/magazines/autosalon/SST6.9_shot.pdf
And my suspicion that 2 ways are generally known to offer a better bass & midrange seems to have been confirmed....

[180SC]

I had soundstream 6.5 splits and they where awesome so in my new car i am going with the same splits with the Soundstream Picasso PCT.693 6" x 9" 3 Way these dont have the spider covers and are one of there higher rated sets.

I have polk in our calais and finder the tweeters to be to bright for my liking, but you should always try to audition them if you can.