6x9 VS 6 1/2in Speakers: Worth the work?

[gyates93]

I'm going to be replacing the head unit and speakers in my '89 LX within the near future, but I have a question that I'm currently wondering about..

The car currently has stock 23 year old 6.5in speakers in the doors and in the rear deck with a stock stereo, so I know pretty much anything aftermarket is definitely going to be an improvement in sound quality. My delemma is: Should I replace the rear speakers with 6.5s that will just drop in, or go through the extra work to cut and drill the holes to fit 6x9 speakers?

I'm not really looking for real heavy bass, just good quality and decent volume. The two speakers I'm looking at are pretty well the exact same model except for the size of the cone. Will there be a significant increase in low-end sound by adding 6x9s in the back, or will 6.5 inch speakers provide nearly the same level of performance with less work and cost? Keeping in mind, the only amplifier that will be run will be the built in one in the aftermarket stereo. I guess my real question is, has anyone replaced their rear speakers with stock sized 6.5inch and wished afterwards they had went with 6x9?

As well, what of the raised speaker cover on the rear deck, will this still fit a 6x9 speaker even though its square? I don't really want to change too much about the original layout of the car.

Thanks!

[DBMaster]

Mine came from the factory with 6x9's in the back. They were full-range, paper cones. They would not cut it, period, with a new head unit. If you want to use factory style covers and convert to 6x9's you will need to get them in a junkyard out of an LXi. It is possible that the holes in the deck are the same because the speakers mount into the grills and then the grills mount from the top, with nuts holding them in from the bottom. The holes in the metal deck are not 6x9, I can tell you.

I have had the same $100 set of Clarion coaxial 6x9's with graphite-impregnated cones since 1999. I am not an audiophile and I think they sound great. I also found that the foam suspension in my doors speakers was shot so I replaced those pretty soon after. I have either 5.25 or 5.5 in Rockford Fosgate coaxials. They make decent bass for such a small speaker. For the rear, if you want to use either size OEM grill you need to make sure your new speakers do not have a really thick plastic riser around the top. When you take apart what you have now you will see what I mean.

I'll have to let someone else answer the question about whether or not it's worth it to convert to the 6x9's.

[charliekuney]

^ You have to remember that LX-i and SE-i coupes were the only ones that came with 6x9's in the back...sedans and hatches (and DX coupes) either had 6.5's or nothing (depending on trim level).

My opinion is this: Yes, 6x9's are better...they're practically twice the size, and generally can have a greater depth than 6.5's...but is it worth the work to upgrade? Probably not. Just find a superior set of four 6.5's for your hatch or sedan and get a nice subwoofer setup. :)

[RAZR]

Whats your budget?
On my 86 lxi I have Infinity Reference series 6 1/2 in the front and rear. But with my car i had to make custom mounts for the fronts cause the stock baskets only fit a 5 1/4. The Infinities are about 100 dollars a pair but they sound amazing. I also have a sony cdx gt 430ip and the whole system sounds really good even without my subwoofer.

[gyates93]

My budget at the moment is really only around 300 dollars for speakers and a head unit. I will not be installing a subwoofer. I know that's not too much to work on, but I just want an improvement over stock, and the rear speakers are old and worn out.

[RAZR]

My budget at the moment is really only around 300 dollars for speakers and a head unit. I will not be installing a subwoofer. I know that's not too much to work on, but I just want an improvement over stock, and the rear speakers are old and worn out.

Well for 300 you could get infinity front and rear. and get a decend headunit off of crutchfield.

[DBMaster]

I took a close look in my trunk. The holes in the deck are small and have unused holes. I really think all you need to use 6x9's is a pair of OEM grills from a J/Y. Otherwise, a quality set of round speakers will sound so much better than factory you'll be plenty happy. My head unit is a 2001 vintage Aiwa w/CD player. I haven't used the CD player in years. I either listen to news radio commuting to work, or my MP3 player through the AUX jack. If I had to replace it today I would go "mechless." It's a head unit that has no CD player and a USB and/or SD card slot. They cost only about $100 (Blaupunkt Melbourne, for example).

[Dr_Snooz]

It doesn't sound like you're an audiophile, so I'd say you'll probably be plenty happy with 6.5's. I am an audiophile and I would definitely, definitely buy a high quality set of 6.5's before a low quality set of 6x9's. If you really want to go with 6x9's, then try getting some boxes out of an LX-i and see if they fit in your deck. I would almost bet that they will bolt right in without any modification. For what it's worth, I have an LX-i with the factory 6x9 boxes. When I upgraded to Polk 6x9's, I had to grind out a good portion of the boxes and drill a couple new holes to fit the new speakers. They are a lot thicker and heavier than the stock junko speakers.

[Vanilla Sky]

The rear speaker mounts have the same bolt pattern, so you can mount either in your car. I have at least one pair of 6x9 mounts that I'm going to use in my coupe when I get a stereo installed in it.

I am only going with the 6x9 speakers in the back because my car is missing mounts completely. If I had to nose them out, I'd be getting the round 6.5 mounts. I find most oval speakers sound muddier than round ones.

[DBMaster]

^^Good point. I think GOOD 6x9's keep the muddiness to a minimum, but round is generally better. I have sure been happy with the Fosgates in my front doors.

[gyates93]

I went ahead and ordered the stereo and speakers, went with 6.5 inch all around. I decided to go with the round speakers that would drop right into the stock holes for ease of installation and the ability to use all of the stock equipment.

I'm sure they'll sound a hell of a lot better than the stock speakers, especially with the two blown in the rear and factory radio! Excited to put the things in now!

[hondalude86]

so what years and models got the 6 1/2 speakers in the front doors... I've got an 88 LX-i and need to get new speaker for the front and i though they where 6.5s but when i measured my empty hole, i only measured 6inches from the outside of the plastic housing and across (ie not the dead space)

[DBMaster]

I can't remember the exact size of my door speakers, but using the factory plastic mounts the largest I could go with was either 5.25" of 5.5." The ones I bought sound great, though. (Remember I am not an audiophile). I guess if you remove the plastic mounts you can go a little bigger. Bigger's not always better, though.

[Vanilla Sky]

Just about any shallow mount 6.5 will fit in the front door without trimming the basket, and any 6.5 will fit if you trim the basket enough.

[gyates93]

Crutchfield said that the 6.5 will fit. As well, my uncle has an '89 as well and 6.5" round dropped right in.

[gyates93]

Well, went and installed the new stereo and head unit today, ordered from Crutchfield the whole package came to less than 300 dollars. (Kenwood Mod 348U deck, and 4 Sound Ordnance P-65 speakers.)

Installation of the speakers was straightforward, I had to cut off the 'baskets' on the mounts for the front doors, since the new speakers were too deep. As well, I had to drill new holes into the mounts at the rear. The screws supplied with the speakers for this were too long and so I had to cut them off after they were tightened down. No big deal. All of the factory wire connections to the speakers were used and everything was easy. The radio was pretty well a straight drop in.

The system sounds great! More than enough bass, and clear, crisp sound. The amp built in to the head is more than enough for what I'm using it for and the USB and AUX plugs on the face are great. Looks pretty good too.

I'd definitely recommend Crutchfield, the customer service was great, my order arrived here via Purolator the day after it was ordered, and the shipping was free! So far so good on the Sound Ordnance as well (A house brand of Crutchfield) the build quality and sound quality both seem excellent, and they have a 3 year warranty.. I hope they last, I'm happy with them right now.

AND, to top it all off, we had such nice weather here in Kingston today that I did the entire installation outside and actually enjoyed it!

[Hazwan]

Pictures would be sweet :D

[AccordB20A]

sounds like it worked out well in the end. good stuff!

[Vanilla Sky]

Excellent to hear it worked out well for you. I've used Crutchfield several times in the past, and I am always satisfied with everything, especially with their reps' recommendations. Those guys and gals are good.

[POS carb]

I did the 5 1/4 to 6x9 swap but I also run an amplifier feeding 75 watts rms @0.01%thd. Without the amp I'd go with the 6.5

The best 6x9 I owned were some old cerwin vega stealth series. they were cheap but those suckers could play deep! With the amp they would play down to 30hz clearly. I took a trip to the Florida keys and on the way I played them so hard I shattered the cones, it looked like glass spider cracks and they kept playing. I've tried a few others, I have some Infinitys right now which sound clear but nothing has ever come close as far as bass response! There's a pair for sale right now on craigslist, I'm tempted to buy them :)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/sys/3120988680.html