This may be the case. It's my first and last time trying them.
Looking for 6x8 speaker suggestions
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I put 6x9 and 6.5 Reference in my Buick and they do take some time to break in but they sound really good even with the stock head unit.
Not sure this one at Amazon is the same although they appear to be but half the price. I purchased mine thru Amazon.
https://smile.amazon.com/Infinity-Reference-8632CFX-2-way-Speakers/dp/B07B8VBC5B/ref=sr_1_1
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Most the jbl/infinity kappa line are 2-3ohm high sensitivity with that said they should get plenty loud with head unit amplification
I've been through this before, with all of my Ford trucks. I've not found a 6x8 that can outperform the OEM speakers with regard to "fullness". That's my arbitrary and completely subjective opinion on the quality of the lower and mid bass region. Possibly the best way to describe it is that lower register of male voices sound normal and right on the OEM speakers. Additionally, drums and bass guitar sound "right" not "missing" on the Ford speakers.
This is not really a surprise to anyone who looks at the drivers objectively. They are paper cone drivers (which tend to give a pleasing sound) , with adequate cone area, (unlike the aftermarket 5x7's that fit the 6x8 hole) sufficient cone travel and an adequate motor structure.
The problem comes in as the frequencies rise. As the Ford 6x8 simply can't reproduce the mids and highs all that well. They tend to sound muddy due to this.
Suggestion:
Try using the OEM speakers with a crossover, find some external tweeters that can reach down to 1000 HZ. Mount those tweeters where they sound best to you. I like 'em on the door above the OEM speakers, angled towards the driver.
Use a sub and find it's proper crossover point for your vehicle. Start with 80HZ.
I guess the best way to describe such as system, is that it's cheap and sounds pretty good.
This is not really a surprise to anyone who looks at the drivers objectively. They are paper cone drivers (which tend to give a pleasing sound) , with adequate cone area, (unlike the aftermarket 5x7's that fit the 6x8 hole) sufficient cone travel and an adequate motor structure.
The problem comes in as the frequencies rise. As the Ford 6x8 simply can't reproduce the mids and highs all that well. They tend to sound muddy due to this.
Suggestion:
Try using the OEM speakers with a crossover, find some external tweeters that can reach down to 1000 HZ. Mount those tweeters where they sound best to you. I like 'em on the door above the OEM speakers, angled towards the driver.
Use a sub and find it's proper crossover point for your vehicle. Start with 80HZ.
I guess the best way to describe such as system, is that it's cheap and sounds pretty good.
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i'm not knocking oval speakers traditionally round speakers just have a better timbre. factory shelf deck mounted 6x9s will definitely produce decent bass after that they fall flat on their face. some of the premium delco or bose systems had tweeters mounted on a seperate bracket sitting over the 6x9... not a whizzer cone an actual tweeter with a cap.
JHZR2
Staff member
I put 6x9 Pioneer TS-A6960 4-way speakers in my Ram. The truck only has two speakers. Very pleased with these. Good full range with the 4 way setup, and nice highs without being tinny or sharp/harsh.
6x8 is an odd size, but I’d look into what in their ts-a series might fit, there’s a whole range.
6x8 is an odd size, but I’d look into what in their ts-a series might fit, there’s a whole range.
PowerBass? probably garbage. break them in with a hammer to improve them. just my opinion, of course.
How good do you want the sound? and what is your budget? alot of speakers that have good high end lack in bass response - and really beg to have a subwoofer. no, I'm not talking about rattling the whole car, but good, decent bass. I have Alpine's in a few cars, but they generally need a sub to fill in the low end. I did just put some Pioneer "D" series 6x8's in an Escape, and they were impressive - much better bass than most 6x8's that I have heard.
How good do you want the sound? and what is your budget? alot of speakers that have good high end lack in bass response - and really beg to have a subwoofer. no, I'm not talking about rattling the whole car, but good, decent bass. I have Alpine's in a few cars, but they generally need a sub to fill in the low end. I did just put some Pioneer "D" series 6x8's in an Escape, and they were impressive - much better bass than most 6x8's that I have heard.
Always liked Pioneer spakers.
Lol, I can confirm. They are.
I've had Pioneers in the Ranger for years and like them. I had Alpines in it and those blew within a year. I found the 6x8 Pioneers at Walmart, but that was 10 years ago.
https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Coax...qid=1619980374&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-2
These are the ones I have.
Those are really 5x7 speakers with tabs to fit in the 6x8 holes. I have the same ones. They don't have as much bass as the OEM speakers.
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JHZR2
Staff member
Similar to the 6x9 I used, and like...
Kicker, Pioneer, JVC or some other well known company speakers (not BOSS or DUAL) should work better then those off brand speakers.
I find that you can get a lot of bang for the buck with most pioneer speakers, and at least back in the day they mated very well with their own head units, though I would have expected brand-matching not to be a thing. Problem is, the focus probably has a pillar tweets, so adding a pioneer with tweets to existing pillar tweets is a lot of tweets. So really, if you do have factory tweets in the pillars, you’d need to disconnect those or disable (preferably via low-pass filter) the new 6x8s.
or put in full separates, with the xover mounted where it would serve both door units and pillar units. The problem is, so many of the component separates Ive used are seriously harsh with 3-6 dB needing to be dropped out of the tweeters. Ive had to build compensating networks to get it right, and some HUs now provide a decent approximation to do the same by guessing the x-over frequency and then shelving down everything above that. If this is sounding complicated, yes.
with Ford factory, one of the best things I’ve found is to stick the oem woofer back in, and pull the pillars off, and cut the extra plastic guard (cage) off the front of the dome of the tweeter. it’s a small diffference, but it’s a nice difference.
beyond that, however, Cujet nailed it up above, nailed it to the wall. the oems get a surprisingly good sound out of cheaper components because they optimize the design to work well, with the math up front, allowing them to use cheaper components designed (tuned) to work well together. We can buy “better” stuff, but we then have to go through a ton of re-optimization (tuning) to get it to all line up.
or put in full separates, with the xover mounted where it would serve both door units and pillar units. The problem is, so many of the component separates Ive used are seriously harsh with 3-6 dB needing to be dropped out of the tweeters. Ive had to build compensating networks to get it right, and some HUs now provide a decent approximation to do the same by guessing the x-over frequency and then shelving down everything above that. If this is sounding complicated, yes.
with Ford factory, one of the best things I’ve found is to stick the oem woofer back in, and pull the pillars off, and cut the extra plastic guard (cage) off the front of the dome of the tweeter. it’s a small diffference, but it’s a nice difference.
beyond that, however, Cujet nailed it up above, nailed it to the wall. the oems get a surprisingly good sound out of cheaper components because they optimize the design to work well, with the math up front, allowing them to use cheaper components designed (tuned) to work well together. We can buy “better” stuff, but we then have to go through a ton of re-optimization (tuning) to get it to all line up.
I have KICKER KS SERIES 6X8 speakers in all 4 doors. I have an Alpine head unit with an Alpine mono amp pushing a KICKER TC-10 subwoofer.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20647KSC68/Kicker-47KSC6804.html
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20647KSC68/Kicker-47KSC6804.html
Asking an internet forum about speakers is almost always going to result in nothing but 20 different recommendations from 20 different people referencing 5 different brands. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's like buying shoes online without trying them on. A particular pair may fit one person perfectly, and be painful for the next.
That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if the speakers you installed need a little time to break in. Sure, they aren't top of the line, but they should sound better than the OEM stuff. There's no way that a factory 6x8 with a whizzer cone for "high frequency" reproduction should sound better than even a cheap aftermarket speaker.
I installed some cheap CT Sounds 6x9's in my previous Grand Cherokee and initially I was disappointed by the sound. Tight, dry, lacking in low end. This Jeep did not have the Infinity stereo and the speakers were being driven directly from the cheap wish.com 7" flip out radio I picked up. However, after a couple weeks, they really opened up. Bass level was on par with the OE speakers, but better defined and much more dynamic. Being a 2 way, the highs were obviously more clear and open.
Since you've already installed the HU and the 445u, maybe this would be an idea: get 6x8 to 6.5" adaptors for the front and install a component set. Then, throw the Powerbass speakers in the rear to fill in the mid-low end. Since you plan on installing a sub, you don't need a ton of low-end output from the main speakers. A good set of 6.5" mids with a sound deadened door should sound equally as good at a 6x8 co-axial.
That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if the speakers you installed need a little time to break in. Sure, they aren't top of the line, but they should sound better than the OEM stuff. There's no way that a factory 6x8 with a whizzer cone for "high frequency" reproduction should sound better than even a cheap aftermarket speaker.
I installed some cheap CT Sounds 6x9's in my previous Grand Cherokee and initially I was disappointed by the sound. Tight, dry, lacking in low end. This Jeep did not have the Infinity stereo and the speakers were being driven directly from the cheap wish.com 7" flip out radio I picked up. However, after a couple weeks, they really opened up. Bass level was on par with the OE speakers, but better defined and much more dynamic. Being a 2 way, the highs were obviously more clear and open.
Since you've already installed the HU and the 445u, maybe this would be an idea: get 6x8 to 6.5" adaptors for the front and install a component set. Then, throw the Powerbass speakers in the rear to fill in the mid-low end. Since you plan on installing a sub, you don't need a ton of low-end output from the main speakers. A good set of 6.5" mids with a sound deadened door should sound equally as good at a 6x8 co-axial.
So what did we get?
Stock speakers for now.
A thought in the back of my mind is to use the suggestion from earlier in the thread and connect these new speakers that I hate to a home receiver and give them 100-200 hours of time to break in and try them again. Not sure if it would help, but that's a thought floating in mind. I found some 6x8 speaker boxes that I would mount the speakers in to break them in. Since I own a few Fords, it wouldn't be a complete waste.
I don't think they will sound much better, but I figure it's worth a try until I land on a final brand.
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