Today’s modern 6×9 speakers offer quality sound at a very affordable price. You get deep bass sounds as well as crisp and clear mids and highs in a compact and durable package. This is why 6×9 speakers are such a popular choice today and why it’s preferred by car audio enthusiasts as well as those who are just looking at upgrading their cars stock factory sound.
Because of the rise in popularity of 6×9 speakers, there has been a huge influx in the amount of new models available. With so many new and different types of models being released every year, it’s hard to keep up or to just simply understand the features that are included in these speakers. It makes sense that we should at least get to know 6×9 speakers better before we go out and purchase a set. You never know, you could end up buying a set of 6×9 speakers that don’t actually suit your needs.
Types Of Speakers
Component Speakers – Component speakers are speakers designed to deliver a specific sound that is meant to compliment other speakers within a Component System. A component system can consist of a subwoofer, 2 midrange speakers, and 2 tweeters. The subwoofer can deliver the low-end bass. The mid range speakers and the tweeters handle the mid to high frequencies of the sound. This setup is suitable for car sound enthusiasts who seek a totally customizable sound. It is also a more expensive and expert route to take.
Full Range Speakers – Full Range Speakers are speakers that have all the sound elements of a components system packaged into one speaker system. They are designed to deliver lows, mids, and highs out of either a single speaker or multiple speakers packaged into one speaker. An example of the latter is a 3-way 6×9 speaker which has a 6×9 inch woofer, a midrange tweeter, and a super tweeter, each delivering their own specific sound to make up a complete sound solution for your car.
Full Range speakers are usually a cheaper more viable option for those who want to replace the factory installed speakers in their cars with louder, more complete sounding speakers. 6×9 Speakers usually fall into this bracket and are usually equipped with separate tweeters that are placed just above the woofer.
The most common modern configuration is a 3-way, 6×9 speaker. 3-way means that the speaker has 3 sperate speakers housed in one unit delivering a complete sound. As stated above, a complete 3-way system will consist of a woofer with a midrange and super tweeter placed above. There are other configurations that range from 1 way up to 5 way.
Peak and RMS Watts
When Peak and RMS Wattage is being discussed, it’s usually a discussion to determine the loudness or the power of the speaker. This discussion usually becomes a debate, and many misconceptions arise because of this. A brief explanation is as follows:
- RMS Watts – Maximum amount of power that your speaker will handle continuously without damage.
- Peak Power Watts – Maximum amount of power that your speaker will handle for an instant without damage.
So a speaker with 300 Watts peak and 100 Watts RMS can handle 300 Watts over a short time like a split second and will handle the recommended 100 Watts RMS easily for long periods of time. More than 300 Watts of power pushed to these speakers over a long period will cause the speakers to malfunction or blow.
Speaker Materials and Features
The materials that make up the components of a 6×9 speaker has a huge impact on the sound quality and durability of the speaker. High quality, lightweight polypropylene material is commonly used to make woofers. This material aids in creating deep and accurate bass.
Soft Textile materials are good for tweeters. It aids in producing a warm sound. Harder materials are sometimes prone to creating distortion. The surround casing around the woofer is usually made out of rubber. It has to be able to withstand heat and humidity. The less expensive cloth and foam are also good options and should still perform well.
Cost Of The Speakers
6×9 speakers are meant to be a complete sound package that is crammed into a pair of speakers. It will save you to have to buy 3 different sets of speakers, amplifiers, and crossovers. You could get a cheap, simple set of 6×9 speakers that can be used to replace your current factory speakers. An amplifier may not even be needed, and the speakers will play and sound better than the original speakers.
Pricing of these speakers is however still more expensive than regular 5 or 6-inch full range speakers because of their usually higher sound quality. Pricing also differs according to the brand. Each brand develops and installs their own kind of technology into their products. Most brands also follow a specific trend when testing the sound quality of their speakers. This is how a brand develops a ‘signature sound’ for their products.
Although high-end 6×9 speakers may off premium build quality and top of the range specs by their manufacturer, the actual sound might not be what you are looking for. You might be in need of a set of speakers that delivers high bass and powerful sound, but the product you buy, although expensive, might have a lower bass signature with the emphasis on clarity. These speakers are sometimes suited to a specific genre like Rock or Pop.
