5x7's vs 6x9's

 

Bronze Member
Username: Kunit

Post Number: 19
Registered: May-05
My Reliant takes 5x7's in the rear window and I was wondering if it is worth it to cut the hole bigger to fit 6x9's. I havent come across any cheap 5x7's but lots of 6x9's. DO 6x9's sound better? If you have any suggestions let me know!
 

Silver Member
Username: Mixneffect

Orangevale, Ca. USA

Post Number: 106
Registered: Apr-05
5X7's are usually low output drivers. They do not have enough speaker cone area to reproduce larger wavelengths, therefore they do not reproduce bass. They are efficient in SPL due to the fact that they are light, but usually have a low sound quality. If you want speed verses bass then you may want to keep your 5X7's. Otherwise 6X9's will be your better choice.

Take in consideration the labor involved and the fact that you will have to alter the vehicle to facilitate the upgrade.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Kunit

Post Number: 21
Registered: May-05
ok thanks! How would I go about making the holes larger anyway? Its not like you can take a angle grinder in there and start grinding...that will burn my tint!
 

Silver Member
Username: Geekbike

Post Number: 126
Registered: Dec-04
Take a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade and attack it from underneath, but be careful of the window.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Kunit

Post Number: 22
Registered: May-05
holy smokes....that'll be a job...I can hardyly see the speakers form inside the trunk...i think i'll buy 5x7's.
 

dr_sharp
Unregistered guest
"5X7's are usually low output drivers. They do not have enough speaker cone area to reproduce larger wavelengths, therefore they do not reproduce bass. They are efficient in SPL due to the fact that they are light, but usually have a low sound quality. If you want speed verses bass then you may want to keep your 5X7's. Otherwise 6X9's will be your better choice."

LOL... uh... bullshit.
My altec lansing sub has 2X 4" speakers in it and puts out more bass than any full range speaker. cone surface area has nothing to do with "replication of larger wavelengths." The main reason 5X7's arn't generally preferred is because they aren't near as common as 6x9's so there are very few aftermarket options.
 

Silver Member
Username: Solacedagony

New Jersey US

Post Number: 492
Registered: Oct-04
Full range speakers are just that: Full range. They're not built for putting out sub woofer frequencies. You'll probably get down to 80 or 100 hz with them, but you're not going to get those strong sub frequencies with them. If you want "bass", get a sub.
 

Silver Member
Username: Mixneffect

Orangevale, Ca. USA

Post Number: 119
Registered: Apr-05
Dr. Sharp,

Please do not mention Altec Lansing ever again. They are officially crap, ever since they sold out to those japanese companies, and all they did was keep the name and build crappy computer speakers. At least his brother(JBL) didnt sell out as bad.

When I give advice I usually keep quality in mind. Volume or noise doesn't count.

By the way I think we were talkin about midrange drivers in a midrange setup, not a midrange driver in a subwoofrer setup. My brother had a Bose house sub that had either one or two 6" subs in it. That thing actually got pretty loud, but again, the quality was well ............ crappy.
 

Unregistered guest
Georgina,
Unless you're going to be trying to win a few sound-offs I'd suggest staying with what fits the car without major surgery. There are decent 5x7s out there that don't cost too much. Try to get the best sound you can in the mids and highs first then add a subwoofer in the trunk to fill in the bass frequencies. Something as simple as a 10 inch woofer in an appropriate sealed box will improve the sound considerably but I do recommend using a separate sub amp because most head unit amps don't have the power and crossover networks can add a lot of complication to what I assume is supposed to be a simple starter project. You can always upgrade later as your taste develops.
 

Silver Member
Username: Riebread77

Post Number: 167
Registered: Jun-05
I agree....it's not worth the trouble of doing the cutting...a 5x7 is very similar to a 6x9...a 6x9 will go lower but they have similiar cone structures and both aren't round...i'd only recommend cutting or an adapter if u wanted to make a fit for a component set of 6.5" speakers.
 

Gold Member
Username: Jonathan_f

GA USA

Post Number: 4216
Registered: May-04
"LOL... uh... bullshit.
My altec lansing sub has 2X 4" speakers in it and puts out more bass than any full range speaker. cone surface area has nothing to do with "replication of larger wavelengths." The main reason 5X7's arn't generally preferred is because they aren't near as common as 6x9's so there are very few aftermarket options."

You're comparing two totally different applications. Sure, a 4" speaker is capable of producing low bass, but it can only do so to a certain point, then you begin moving past it's linear excursion and having a ton of distortion. 4" drivers don't have the surface area to be efficient at low frequencies, then add the fact that low bass demands excursion to get loud, which most smaller drivers simply don't have, and you get lackluster results. They won't be authoritative nor will they be clean. Same reason why headphones can produce bass, because they're right on your ears, you're not forcing them to produce bass at higher volumes. Move the headphones a foot away and see the results you get. They simply don't have the efficiency to produce bass at a respectable volume level. Surface area adds efficiency, the more surface area, the more efficient the driver will be (as long as you're doing a comparison of equivalently built drivers), and you can get more SPL with less excursion and keep it clean.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Dr_sharp

USA

Post Number: 34
Registered: Jun-05
They go down to 40Hz... take a listen in circuit city or best buy (if you can find them) and I'm sure you'll be quite surprised by the sound quality and output level (keeping in mind that they are 26Wrms total).

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005S8KY?v=glance

Altec lansing sell great speakers... their headphones are questionable but they sell quality computer speakers.
 

Silver Member
Username: Riebread77

Post Number: 176
Registered: Jun-05
4" speakers shouldn't be touching 40 hz...they will distort and bottom out at high volumes...it shouldn't see anything under 100 hz...and should be crossed over at around 180hz...and even higher if your system can afford it...they hit midrange nicely, but midbass (crappy) and bass?? (forget about it)
 

Bronze Member
Username: Dr_sharp

USA

Post Number: 41
Registered: Jun-05
full range speakers, yes... but these things were specifically designed to be subs... the woofers are totally flat and made out of a very hard material. They are in a well designed ported box made of wood.

lol.. i guess my first post was a bit off-topic. mybad.
 

Silver Member
Username: Riebread77

Post Number: 180
Registered: Jun-05
makes me cringe to think about why a 4" speaker is trying to be a sub...what's this world coming to? and what are you talking about? computer speakers (i heard altec lansing in there)???...home audio and car audio is totally different. It is much harder to produce bass in a car environment and keep the signal clean with the alternator's electrical field.
 

Anonymous
 
6x9s are full range. They can have as much bass as a 10" with a single voice coil and they get almost as loud and high pitched as tweeters.
 

GumboShrimp
Unregistered guest
They still sound like sh!t anyway you cut it. If you want midbass get 6.5's comps with separate xover 6x9's are a waste of money. And no need to cut. You may be able to find adapter plates for different sized holes in the back deck.
 

Silver Member
Username: Riebread77

Post Number: 299
Registered: Jun-05
6x9's can't hit like a 10" lol 6x9's can hold their own...they aren't that bad...and aren't the best because of stress on the cone. 6x9's are not a waste of money...they are much cheaper than componant speakers. You get what you pay for. Adapters can also rattle...Just get a good 6x9 and you won't be disappointed...If you can spend more money on a little sound dampener and components...go with component speakers and sound dampener around the adapter because it will rattle.
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