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6x9s on the shelf - really tinny sound :(

2K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Freak 
#1 ·
I've put some Sony xPlod (sp?) 6x9s on the rear shelf of my ZH and frankly, they sound crap.

Seeing as underneath them is nothing but a gigantic boot, would it help if I was to somehow cover up the rear of the speakers? I know you can get speaker boxes for 6x9s, but I'd rather they were flush on the rear shelf.

If this is the way to go, what would you recommend to put behind them? Should I knock something up myself out of plywood? Just get some felt and staple it to the underside of the shelf/speaker?
 
#2 ·
they probably sound crap because they are crap. the boot should act as a giant sub box anyway. turn the bass up and the treble down and if that doesnt work get some better speakers. also speakers up the front as well does help. i have a pair of $500 2 way 6x9s and i have yet to hear a cheaper 3 way set that compares.
 
#3 ·
davway said:
they probably sound crap because they are crap. the boot should act as a giant sub box anyway. turn the bass up and the treble down and if that doesnt work get some better speakers. also speakers up the front as well does help. i have a pair of $500 2 way 6x9s and i have yet to hear a cheaper 3 way set that compares.
Great, but what if I don't have $500 to spend on some high quality speakers? I've already got a couple in the front, btw.

I thought (and correct me if I'm wrong) that the whole point of putting subs in a box was because in the open there'd be too much air for the cone to move, so it would sound tinny; same deal if you just put a 12" sub on the rear shelf. Put it in a box, and you get thumping bass; without the box, a lot less bass. I figured the same deal for 6x9s or indeed any other speaker... right?
 
#5 ·
Subs are put into boxes because if they are not the + and - somehow cancel out eachother, the soundwaves just circle, put em in a box and they cannot circle. What kind exactly of Sony Xplod 6x9s did you get, a bigger magnet usually = bigger bass. I have Pioneer 6x9s with really pissy magnets which are designed to NOT have bass because i have the sub in the boot for that. Makesure the 6x9s are in really well on the parcel shelf (tight) and check the magnet size. My dads 6x9 Kenwoods have 440g magnets and produce a good sound. The open boot should help, don't try to cover the back of the speakers, I have speaker boxes they are only for when you don't want to tear into your car, i don't think they sound any better.
 
#6 ·
ok my question is:

What power rating is your head unit per channel

What power rating are the speakers

please say if the figures are RMS or not, i am suspecting the speakers are well and trully under powered so sound soft and tiny, I could be wrong, but have seen it before.
 
#7 ·
Make sure that the 6x9s are made to be installed without a box. Most car speakers are designed to work with an 'infinate baffle', meaning that a box is not required as long as the back of the cone is sealed from the front of the cone, the infinate baffle speakers dont rely on the difference in air pressures at the front and back (hence allowing a giant enclosure such as the car boot), they work by isolating the sound waves from the front of the cone and back of the cone.
Many cheaper 6x9s catch ppl out in this respect as buyers just place them in the parcle shelf and dont realise that they infact need a tuned enclosure behind them (offen only a few dozen litres of box is required).
However I may be wrong.
If all else fails just buy a V8 and you wont want to listen to music while you drive.
Hope I have been of some help to you.
Cheers, Steve
 
#8 ·
What kind exactly of Sony Xplod 6x9s did you get?
A pair of XSGT6930s... no idea about the weight of the magnets, but they weigh more than I would've thought. I'm going to "tighten" their grip on the parcel shelf tonight to see if that helps.

What power rating is your head unit per channel?
4 x 50W - it's a Sony head unit too, although a year or two old...

What power rating are the speakers?
200W max, 40W RMS. I don't tend to crank it up too loud, so they should sound OK with that head unit.

If all else fails just buy a V8 and you wont want to listen to music while you drive.
LOL! Too late, mate - got one under the bonnet already! It's a lovely sound, but there are times when you want to hear a different kind of music.

More fiddling with the car tonight, then...
 
#11 ·
i got a pioneer hu, and OLD alpine speakers, and they sound good, heaps of bass. i feel a slight vibration in the steering wheel, the speakers are in the xe ghia hearrests, which are just slightly bolted in, coz of the gas tank, cant wait till i hookup the amp
 
#12 ·
easy solution get yaself a large length of 16mm MDF from Bunnings cut it to size carpet it and throw in your speakers will give your speakers a much truer sound as the tinniness may be attributed to the sound waves reverbing on the tin parcel shelf below and the thick MDF will give the speakers more 'punch', will also look beter to.
 
#13 ·
I have a set of 330watt 3way Pioneer 6x9's in the rear parcel shelf of my XF and they sound fine. However I have used spacers (not the shitty ones, but decent wooden ones). Swap the wires over on the terminals of each speaker and see if it makes it sound any better.
 
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