what are the best speakers to replace my 6X9's in my '03 SD? im staying with the stock headunit. thanks for the info.

-bigdawg

'03 FX4 F250SD SC Long Bed 5.4L

 

PYLE, Legacy, Pyrmiad...:-p

 

are u sure they're 6x9s? I dont think ford runs 6x9s period. I COULD BE WRONG? most of the time they're 5x7s/6x8's

if they are however...

JL Audio TR's are hella nice 6x9s.. i'm sure XR's are even nicer my JL 6x9's have a TON of excursion to them and acurately produce low bass alot better than most. 3 way speakers, the tweeters sound hella nice too.

Even better sound are Alpine Type R's. They high end is a bit crisper than the JLs.

Some people prefer 2 way or 1 way speakers over 3 way speakers... its up to you, but those are my preference

 

ford rarley used 6x9s in anything they made. they were always with the 5x7/6x8s unless they changed something overnight.

what exactly are looking for in a 6x8s speaker? bass output? mid-bass/range? highs?

 

oh well, be like me, buy them anyway, i'm building custom enclosures for mine.... damn if i'm ever going to finish them, they're about half done now! they will mount around the current 5x7 holes

 

infinity 5x7's are a good option for the price also.

 

i would like the speakers to handle bass very well and not get all staticy while keeping good sound quality in the high and mid range. thanks so far guys.

-bigdawg

 

You are correct, 6x8s are the size for ford. There's plenty of good brands out there, personally I like Pioneer. Different people like different things. The Pioneer 6x8 3-ways I just put in work quite nicely.

 

please remember that any standard speaker (3", 4", 5 1/4", 6 1/2", 5x7/6x8, 6x9") will not reporduce bass like a dedicated sub woofer and it will mostly be mid-bass. if u really want a good set of speakers to handle bass and keep up good mids/highs then look into a component set (has its own woofer and tweeter with a crossover). trust, ull be happy u did. but being ur wanting to keep ur stock HU, then just about any aftermarket speaker will do what u want but wont be played at its full potenital. the brands i suggest would be: Pioneer, Infinity, JL, Boston Acoustics...and im drawing a blank right now so ill end it here.

 

Thats from listening to those targa 5x7's u got in ur truck!!

Alpine will work good with a factory radio. Get the 35 watt rms ones........

 

I'd suggest the Alpines as well. They sound very well, even their budget minded Type-S speakers(5x8 2way available). They work suprisingly well off just a headunit too. You can go with a 2way setup to get a nice all in one package, but a component set will sound better. Seperating the woofer and tweeter gives more bass and better seperation in sound. The Alpines especially sound better as a component set. Their coaxials lose a lot of midbass.

Pioneer is another decent brand. It's what I have run in the past and currently. They aren't a bad upgrade from stock. They have a nice warm and rich tone, natural sounding vocals(why I bought them), and can produce good bass(again a reason why I bought them). They work well off just a head unit, but like an amp when you crank it up(as do all speakers). They aren't the best in sound quality, but are pretty good speakers, a lot better than stock.

Infinity is an awesome speaker, some of the best sound quality speakers you'll hear and great clarity, but they lack in the bass department. Look at the Reference series if anything. The Kappas are the higher end ones, but they sound more harsh(overpowering highs, annoying). They run great off just a head unit as well, very little distortion at high volumes. An amp is needed to get any kick out of them. They have very little bass. They are better suited to be paired with a sub or something that can fill in the bass range. Otherwise, the highs will sound overpowering and annoying unless you turn down the trebble.

I've heard great about JL's XR speakers. I haven't personally listened to any though, so I can't comment too much about them.

Boston Acoustics isn't bad. They have a nice little 6.5" component that has a suprisingly punchy woofer. That little thing has some kick. Theer sound quality isn't quite as nice as the Alpines though in my opinion.

I personally love Alpine's Type-R speakers(what I will buy to replace my old Pioneers), higher end from the Type-S's. They don't have a 6x8 though in the Type-R, 6x9 2way yes, 6x8 no. You could look at using the 6.5" components. Just mount the 6.5" and the tweeter in the 6x8 hole. That's an option. You get the extra cone surface area by not having the tweeter take up the space in the middle, result, more midbass, a lot more in Alpine's case, as much as their 6x9 2way oddly. The component idea is an option.

I can go on all day, but you have to remember, sound is very opinionated. I may like one thing, but another person perfers something else. What sounds good varies between each person. I can suggest things, but it's always best to check out speakers yourself. Go to Best Buy, Ultimate Electronics(Audio King), and any local or not so local Audio shop around you. Try out all the brands you can. See what sounds good to you. Bring alone some of your favorite songs to listen to in the store. Take your time. Listen to the same speakers on several different occations. Your listening tastes will vary from day to day. Listen to and compare speakers. Come back another day and do it again. I spent a few good months contemplating which brand I personally liked best. The right one will impress you every time you come back and listen to it.

Look for aspects you like. Does if have good bass? Is it punchy, clear, and/or deep? Does it distort easily? An amp may be required. How is the overall tone? Is it high and bright or deep and rich? Is the sound clear or muddled? Do all the voices and instruments seperated and defined or is everything kind of monotone and together. How are the highs? Are they clear and crisp? Are they annoying to listen to? These are types of questions to ask yourself.

As a note, don't be tempted to buy at the store. Yeah, yeah, help out the store, but prices are soooo much cheaper online(think half price). Use the stores to listen and decide. Then buy online. Check out www.ikesound.com for some great deals.

 

thanks alot FordAnger, you sure did spell it all out , i had alpines in my last truck. it was an enitire alpine system professionally built. but when i had the subs diconnected the reg door speakers sounded like crap! and after 3 years they started popin and getting staticy. kinda nervous to go back to them. i was thinking the boston acusitics so we will see. thanks for all hte help guys!

-bigdawg

 

Hmm, yeah I don't know much about the durability of the Alpines. There was another post on here where someone wrecked their 5.24" component set. I've ran Pioneers for a long time and never had a problem. My 6x9's and 4x6's out of my old Lesabre are 4 years old. They are still just like new, short of a little dust. In fact, the only bad pair I have is the one in my Ranger(used to be my brother's). The little 4" Pioneer 2ways are 6-8 years old though. I'd consider staying with Pioneer, but I don't like their newer stuff quite as much, less bass, a little more monotone and muddled together. Alpine offers a nice warm tone and good bass like the Pioneers and offers better sound quality to boot, better clarity, seperation, definition. All in all, the Alpines offer all the good traits of the Pioneers plus better sound quality all around. I've heard good things about the Pioneer Rev series though. I've listened to them a little bit at Ultimate Eelectronics. They have a nice warm tone like all the other Pioneers, and seem to have a hair better sound quality but nothing special in my opinion. I just prefer other brands over them now, Alpine for example. I think they recently came out with some component Rev series sets. I wouldn't mind giving them a listen.