# dual voice coil 6 X 9 options



## DaveCole (Dec 8, 2013)

I am looking for a dual voice coil 6 X 9 speaker to put in the dash in my old car. I could only find 2 speakers like that available. One from Custom Auto Sound and one from Retro Sound. Does anyone know if there are others available? Which one is best?

Thanks,
Dave


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

You don't necessarily need a dual voice coil 6x9. How are these being powered (amp or head unit)? And are these on the front dash and not the rear parcel shelf? What kind of budget do you have?


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## DaveCole (Dec 8, 2013)

rton20s said:


> You don't necessarily need a dual voice coil 6x9. How are these being powered (amp or head unit)? And are these on the front dash and not the rear parcel shelf? What kind of budget do you have?


I just want one for the front dash of the car. It is a 62 Ford and only has one place for a speaker, in the center. I want a dual voice coil so I can hook up the left and right speaker wires to it from the head unit. I have separately powered sub woofers in the back and a 4 inch Polk Audio speaker in each kick panel. It sounds really good, but I'm hoping that this middle 2 way speaker will fill in some of the missing mid range and upper highs. I'm trying to hide this system as much as possible. Right now the only thing that can be seen are the kick panel speakers, and they aren't very noticeable. That is why I want to use the dash speaker hole, and since I only have 1 hole, I thought a dual voice coil would be best for feeding the speaker both the left and right channels.

Thanks,
Dave


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## sbeezy (Nov 22, 2008)

Thats exactly where DVC subs originated from! use it and tell us how it sounds after you are finished.


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## ATOMICTECH62 (Jan 24, 2009)

You could just use a single voice coil and bridge a small amp on it.This will give you the same mono signal.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Forgive my ignorance but isn't the possibility of 2 voice coils in the same speaker playing two different signals a bad thing?


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## moparman1 (Jan 16, 2014)

I've never attempted this but would have to agree with regularcab. In a stereo signal there will be some opposing waves. When both signals are sent to the same speaker it won't move. Just sit there with the power to it. I think the amp on a single voice coil speaker sounds like a much better option. At least the signal would be mono.


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## sbeezy (Nov 22, 2008)

REGULARCAB said:


> Forgive my ignorance but isn't the possibility of 2 voice coils in the same speaker playing two different signals a bad thing?


this is how passive subs worked back in the day! the use of DVC was to get left and right channel info into one speaker.


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## squeak9798 (Apr 20, 2005)

REGULARCAB said:


> Forgive my ignorance but isn't the possibility of 2 voice coils in the same speaker playing two different signals a bad thing?


No. Fidelity would probably not be of the finest quality, but otherwise it's fine. There will be enough information being sent to the speaker that in the event there were two signals that exactly cancelled each other out the speaker would essentially just not play that note (obviously since it was cancelled) but wouldn't just sit there roasting. Even then music is so transient and dynamic that any instances of this would be so short in duration that it wouldn't matter. Aside from that any other myth about a speaker having a non-identical signal played through each voice coil causing damage is exactly that....a myth.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Rather than focusing on an odd 6x9 in the center of the dash, why not focus on better components or even coax in the kicks? Do you have room to go to a larger diameter speaker in that location? 

Another option, if you want to stick with the center dash location, is to consider another pair of 4" or maybe even 5 1/4" speakers in place of the single 6x9. Then you wouldn't have to worry about combining the stereo signals to a single driver.


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

REGULARCAB said:


> Forgive my ignorance but isn't the possibility of 2 voice coils in the same speaker playing two different signals a bad thing?


nope, doesnt really matter. you could have a DVC playing two different songs at the same time. it will just acoustically couple the two coils and you will hear two different songs at once.

it may not be as efficient as having both coils getting the same signal, but not at all damaging.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

I'd never really looked at those Retrosounds and similar 6x9s. It looks like the DVC is setup to where the both the left and right channel are fed to the 6x9 woofer (true DVC), but each tweeter only received the signal either the left or right channel. 

I guess it is sort of a novel concept, but really, what are you gaining by doing this? A center mount speaker with the only "separation" taking place at the tweeters which are less than 2" apart? 

If you don't want to be limited to the DVC 6x9 sources, but would like a 6x9 at the center of your dash, you can consider adding a "monomixer transformer" to convert your stereo signal to mono. They can be had for under $50 and it would open up your options for 6x9s.


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## Kevin K (Feb 11, 2013)

a couple wide range 3 or 4" drivers in the center with custom baffle....


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## SHAGGS (Apr 24, 2011)

Kevin K said:


> a couple wide range 3 or 4" drivers in the center with custom baffle....


This. 
Seen it done many times in this exact situation. 
Twin 4" co-ax will work just fine, as well.
This may not provide as much low-end, up front, as you think the 6x9" will, but there are ways to get around that. 
This can be coupled with a small single, or even a pair, usually 6.5" or 8", tucked up under the dash, firing down at the foot wells, playing mid-bass frequencies.
Not competition SQ, but can sound surprisingly good for an old cruiser.


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## DaveCole (Dec 8, 2013)

rton20s said:


> I'd never really looked at those Retrosounds and similar 6x9s. It looks like the DVC is setup to where the both the left and right channel are fed to the 6x9 woofer (true DVC), but each tweeter only received the signal either the left or right channel.
> 
> I guess it is sort of a novel concept, but really, what are you gaining by doing this? A center mount speaker with the only "separation" taking place at the tweeters which are less than 2" apart?
> 
> If you don't want to be limited to the DVC 6x9 sources, but would like a 6x9 at the center of your dash, you can consider adding a "monomixer transformer" to convert your stereo signal to mono. They can be had for under $50 and it would open up your options for 6x9s.


I'm not too concerned about separation, I just want to fill in some of the frequencies between my 4 inch kick panel speakers, and my rear subs. The 4 inch speakers have tweeters, but since they are practically on the floor, I'm thinking the tweeters in the 6 X 9 will improve those frequencies also.

I like the idea of the monomixer transformer. I have never heard of that. I like that because then I would be able to pick a speaker that I can actually hear at the store first. The downside is that I would have to buy 2 speakers and only use one, plus I would have to purchase the transformer also. Do you think the sound would so much better than the dual voice coil speaker, to justify the extra cost. I'm estimating it would cost about $80 for the DVC and $150 for the transformer plus 2 decent 6 X 9s.


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## DaveCole (Dec 8, 2013)

SHAGGS said:


> This.
> Seen it done many times in this exact situation.
> Twin 4" co-ax will work just fine, as well.
> This may not provide as much low-end, up front, as you think the 6x9" will, but there are ways to get around that.
> ...


It seems if I put 2 more 4 inch speakers, I am just adding more sound at the same frequencies that I have. Also, I won't have any more channels to add 2 more speakers under the dash pointing down, nor do I have the room for speakers under the dash. It is packed full of air conditioning components.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I would be looking for ways to fit a larger driver where your 4" coaxial speakers currently reside. Exactly what model of '62 Ford is it? I would bet you could fit a 5 1/4" or even a 6 1/2" driver in the kicks, though you might need to choose a shallower driver. This would help a bit with the mid-bass frequencies between where the current 4" and subwoofer. 

Can you list exactly what your current system consists of? (Head unit, amp, speakers, subwoofer(s))


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## Manic1! (May 17, 2011)

What does anybody think about putting a midbass driver in there.


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## DaveCole (Dec 8, 2013)

rton20s said:


> Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I would be looking for ways to fit a larger driver where your 4" coaxial speakers currently reside. Exactly what model of '62 Ford is it? I would bet you could fit a 5 1/4" or even a 6 1/2" driver in the kicks, though you might need to choose a shallower driver. This would help a bit with the mid-bass frequencies between where the current 4" and subwoofer.
> 
> Can you list exactly what your current system consists of? (Head unit, amp, speakers, subwoofer(s))


The car is a full size Ford Galaxie 500. Because of the emergency brake pedal, there is no room for anything bigger than 4 inch speakers in the kick panels. Also, there is no opening behind the kick panels. They pretty much mount right up against a solid wall. Luckily I found some aftermarket kick panels with the speaker openings built into them. 

Keep in mind that I am trying to make the car appear to have the factory system, so I am hiding everything I can. Here are my system components:

Head unit: I had the factory AM radio converted to a 4 channel AM FM stereo with pre amp outputs. The 4 channels are 45 Watts RMS each. What is a Conversion??

Front speakers in kick panels: Polk Audio DB401

Sub Amp: Alpine MRV-M500

Sub speakers: 2 - JBL GTO804 mounted in a panel between the rear seat and the trunk, using the trunk as an IB enclosure.

The system sounds real good as it is, but if I can make it better by using the only existing hole I have left, I figure I might as well.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

With the limited depth you describe it likely would be tough to fit a larger coax. However, the right 5" or 5 1/4" might fit and give you a bit more bottom end. Either one of these might work for you. No added depth, minimal grill height, and only slightly larger diameter. 

Polk Audio db501 5" 2-Way db Series Marine Certified Coaxial Car

Massive Audio SX 5 (SX5) 5-1/4" 2-Way Slim Stage II Coaxial Speaker


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## DaveCole (Dec 8, 2013)

rton20s said:


> With the limited depth you describe it likely would be tough to fit a larger coax. However, the right 5" or 5 1/4" might fit and give you a bit more bottom end. Either one of these might work for you. No added depth, minimal grill height, and only slightly larger diameter.
> 
> Polk Audio db501 5" 2-Way db Series Marine Certified Coaxial Car
> 
> Massive Audio SX 5 (SX5) 5-1/4" 2-Way Slim Stage II Coaxial Speaker


I just went out and measured the opening in the grill. It is 10.5" by 7". The old speaker is 3" deep in the center. If I were to put 2 speakers in the same opening, the left speaker would have to be about 2.25" deep, or less, because the radio is under that side of the opening. With that in mind, would the lower frequencies from the db501 speakers be noticeably different than the db401s that I have in the kick panels? 

Here are the frequency responses:
DB401 - 65 to 22000 Hz
DB501 - 85 to 22000 Hz

I don't know enough to know if that is a noticeable difference. What about a couple of 5 X 7s. They might fit if I can find some shallow enough. Any suggestions?


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## DaveCole (Dec 8, 2013)

How about these? They have great reviews. I think I can make them fit, except I don't quite understand the dimensions. How deep are these?

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Polk Audio DB571 5-by-7-Inch Coaxial Speakers (Pair, Black)


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

DaveCole said:


> I just want one for the front dash of the car. It is a 62 Ford and only has one place for a speaker, in the center. I want a dual voice coil so I can hook up the left and right speaker wires to it from the head unit. I have separately powered sub woofers in the back and a 4 inch Polk Audio speaker in each kick panel. It sounds really good, but I'm hoping that this middle 2 way speaker will fill in some of the missing mid range and upper highs. I'm trying to hide this system as much as possible. Right now the only thing that can be seen are the kick panel speakers, and they aren't very noticeable. That is why I want to use the dash speaker hole, and since I only have 1 hole, I thought a dual voice coil would be best for feeding the speaker both the left and right channels.
> 
> Thanks,
> Dave


I would just improve what is in the kicks vs. trying to find a single 6 x 9 to fill in the dash. Im pretty sure that you could get a very nice set of 5 1/4 seperates even a coax or full range that will sound night and day better than the Custom Auto Sound and one from Retro Sound offerings.


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## DaveCole (Dec 8, 2013)

Jroo said:


> I would just improve what is in the kicks vs. trying to find a single 6 x 9 to fill in the dash. Im pretty sure that you could get a very nice set of 5 1/4 seperates even a coax or full range that will sound night and day better than the Custom Auto Sound and one from Retro Sound offerings.


I decided to try the 5X7 POLK AUDIO speakers that I mentioned in my last post. I think I can fit them both in the dash speaker location. I'll post the results in about a week. I'm thinking that the Custom Auto Sound and Retro Sound speakers are probably not too good either.


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## knever3 (Mar 9, 2009)

Blaupunkt used to make some great dvc 6x9's.


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## TVincenzoDiPol (Mar 9, 2016)

Infinity makes 'em, and I have a pair. Love them!!!


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## gstokes (Apr 20, 2014)

use a 6x9 adapter and drop a 6.5" DVC in the hole..

EDIT, see if a 6.5" speaker will fit in the hole..

maybe a lil trimming...


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)




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## SHAGGS (Apr 24, 2011)

We should rename the "search" button to "resurrect old ass threads" button.:laugh:


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