The Best 6×9 Speakers

 
A Pair of 6"x9" Car Audio Speakers

Many of us spend a great deal of time in our vehicles—on commutes to and from work, errands around town, or hours behind the wheel on a road trip. Whether it is a quick drive or a lengthy one, music is often the best entertainment there is to pass the time, and an upgrade to your stock speakers can go a long way in improving that experience.

Often the stock factory speakers that come in your vehicle sound thin, harsh, and are cheaply made. Because of their inferior quality, these speakers often degrade over time and sound even worse, or stop working all together.

By replacing your factory 6×9 speakers with a pair of aftermarket ones, you will quickly notice a vast improvement in the clarity of your music, and have speakers that last. You may also find you can maintain a lower overall volume inside your vehicle now that you can hear your content more clearly.

Whether you love good bass, or you’re looking for a high output speaker, below is a list of some great 6×9 speakers based on what your needs and budget might be.

Best Value
Rockford Fosgate R169X3

The Best Value 6 inch by 9 inch Car Speakers

If you are not happy with your stock speakers and are looking for an upgrade that will get you the most bang for your buck, then the Rockford Fosgate R169X3 should be high on your list. Offering a superior sound over factory speakers, they will impress you with the results you will gain at a fantastic price. 

These three-way speakers feature a vacuum polypropylene cone on a rubber surround to sustain the low end, and silk dome pole mounted piezo tweeters to transition between the mids and highs.

Though these sound great, they cannot produce high output volume. With a power rating of 65W RMS and a 130W peak, you will have to be careful how hard you push them to avoid any damage.

These Speakers Are For:

Those looking for the most bang for their buck.

These Speakers Are Not For:

Someone who likes it loud and will push their speakers.

Best Overall
Polk DB692 DB+

The Best Overall 6 inch by 9 inch Car Speakers

Delivering rich, clean, full-range sound, Polk’s DB692 DB+ will take your stock sound system to the next level, while being built to last years of abuse.

The Polypropylene cone is UV tolerant, allowing it to handle the harsh conditions in vehicles without degrading over time, and continues to produce tight low-end punch. Waterproof inner and outer surrounds completely block dirt, liquid, and grime from entering the speaker. This ensures long life and has earned the DB692 a marine certification and an IP55 rating.

Coming alive at higher volumes with a power rating of 150W RMS and a 450W peak, this high-performance upgrade will deliver crystal clear music that you will enjoy for years to come.

These Speakers Are For:

 Someone looking for a quality speaker that will last for years.

These Speakers Are Not For:

Those looking for the highest quality audio experience.

Best Around $50
Kenwood KFC-6965S

Beautiful White 6 inch x 9 inch Car Speakers

If you are looking for an affordable way to upgrade your vehicle’s stock sound system, then Kenwood’s KFC-6965S will give you an improvement that you can hear without hurting your wallet.

This three-way speaker features a polypropylene cone driver for the midrange, and a 2” polyetherimide dome tweeter paired with a second .5” ceramic tweeter for the highs. All these elements work together to deliver a warm, crisp sound that will take your system to the next level.

They are efficient enough to sound great powered by a factory head unit, and with a power handling of 45W RMS and a peak of 400W, they can also handle an aftermarket amp to gain more output.

These Speakers Are For:

Someone looking for a quality speaker at an affordable price.

These Speakers Are Not For:

Those that put an emphasis on audio quality.

Best Around $100
Infinity REF-9623ix

Great Overall 6"x9" Speaker by Infinity

Infinity has been providing the automotive industry with products that have been delivering smooth transparent sound for years. The REF-9623ix is very competitively priced for the caliber of audio it produces.

Employing Infinity’s Plus One cone technology, the overall cone area is greater than others in the same class, equaling increased low-end output and enriched midrange performance. The edge-driven textile tweeters are airy and clear at any volume. The REF-9623ix can handle high volumes with an RMS of 100W and 300W peak, while also being efficient with the power given to it with a sensitivity of 94dB.

The low-profile frame has been designed to fit the widest range of vehicles, equaling an easier install with no modifications.

These Speakers Are For:

Someone looking for high performance audio and wants to maintain a stock look.

These Speakers Are Not For:

Someone looking for their speaker upgrade to stand out visually.

Best Bass
Kicker 43DSC69304

6x9 speaker for low end

While the real bass will always come from the subwoofers, the sound scape will sound hollow if the mid speakers can’t transition well into the low end.

Kicker has been producing renowned bass and accurate sound since the early seventies, and their 43DSC69304 continues that tradition.

The three-way, low profile speaker with a 92dB sensitivity rating produces smooth highs and powerful lows that you can feel. The polyether imide dome tweeters will deliver the clarity you need without protruding past the front of the speaker—fitting perfectly behind your factory grills for a clean look.

The polypropylene cone with EVC (Extended Voice Coil) technology can handle 360W peak power, providing plenty of headroom with great sonic quality. To hear everything these speakers have to offer they are best paired with an external amp.

These Speakers Are For:

Someone looking to get the best bass out of their speakers.

These Speakers Are Not For:

Someone who is not bass focused.

The Loudest
JBL GTO939

high output 6x9 speakers

Looking to get maximum volume out of your speakers without sacrificing audio quality? JBL’s GTO939 has been designed to get the most out of every watt of power provided to it.

Having a high sensitivity of 94dB and a low impedance of three ohms, this speaker is not only super-efficient, but can also achieve excellent volumes with as little as 5W, making it ideal for use with a factory head unit or a power amp.

The GTO939 boasts a high-power rating of 200W RMS with a 300W peak, giving you head room to turn it up without distorting the sound or damaging the speakers.

Vented magnet assemblies were designed to keep the voice coils cool and eliminate power compression. The carbon-injected cone is lighter and stiffer, providing better low-frequency response, while the carbon-composite non-magnet frame resists warping and prevents resonance frequencies. The soft dome tweeter can be adjusted from 0 to +3dB to compensate for off axis mounting situations.

These Speakers Are For:

Someone looking for high output volume.

These Speakers Are Not For:

Someone who doesn’t care to turn their speaker up to feel the music.

Honorable Mention
Hertz CPX 690 Pro

Hifi 6x9 car speaker

For those who are passionate about high quality audio and are looking for a superior listening experience in their vehicle, the CPX 690 Pro from Hertz is an ideal candidate.

Hertz is a company founded on a passion for music which has translated into their high-quality products that offer a premium sound experience.

The CPX has an RMS power rating of 120W and a 360W peak. Combine this with a high sensitivity of 94dB and you will get the most out of the power you feed it without damage to the speaker.

To cover the high end, the tweeter and supertweeter both feature tetolon domes and neodymium magnets with radial venting system technology for cooling and acoustic performance. A pressed paper cone with Hertz’s FEM-optimized (Finite Element Modeling) geometry is designed for rigidity, lightness, and color-free sound.

If you have high standards for your audio quality, then these speakers will impress you with their high fidelity.

These Speakers Are For:

The audio enthusiast looking for the most out of their speakers.

These Speakers Are Not For:

The budget minded.

About The Author

Jack Nemo is a professional sound engineer based in Alberta, Canada. He’s managed to make a career out of his love for music while working with artists from around the world. When not behind a soundboard he can be found taking things apart to see how they work and attempting to put them back together again.