6 Best 6×9 Speakers for Bass Without Amp in 2024

Last updated on November 23rd, 2023

Deep bass sounds are, undoubtedly, one of the most important elements for any good speaker. And, even if you don’t have an external amplifier, there are plenty of high-quality speakers for bass without an amp on the market.

There are also a few guidelines you can follow to ensure the best response booth from high and low frequencies, including using equalizers and subwoofers to boost your sound; As well as hooking up your speaker system to a quality crossover device, for example. We will go through all of them in our guide.

Below, we’re reviewing the best 6X9 speakers for bass without amp. We will also answer some frequently answered questions most consumers have such as the difference between coaxial and component speakers, 2-way vs 3-way designs, etc.

Tip: Take a look at our 2-Way vs 3-Way Speakers article to learn more about the differences and characteristics of the two most popular types of speakers.

We Tested 6 Products and Found the Rockford Fosgate P1694 to be The Best 6X9 Speaker for Bass Without an Amp

The Pioneer TS-A6967S and the Kicker D-Series 6X9 Were our Budget and Runner-Up Choices, Respectively

6 Best 6×9 Speakers for Bass Without Amp – Reviewed in Detail

Table of Contents

1. Kicker D-Series 6X9
2. Alpine SPE-6090
3. Rockford Fosgate P1694
4. JBL GTO939
5. Pioneer TS-A6990F
6. Pioneer TS-A6967S

1. Kicker D-Series 6X9

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The Kicker D-Series 6X9 3-way car speakers offer a huge improvement over your stock car audio system. A pair of these may sincerely be all you need to get a clear and powerful sound without needing an external amplifier.

Product Specifications

• 6X9 Sized Woofer
• DMR Series Crossover
• Built-In Amplifier
• 3-Way Car Speakers

Advantages & Disadvantages

Pros

• High-quality built-in DMR Series Crossover.
• Built-in high-quality amp.
• Oval-shaped, will fit small spaces better and still give you a great bass response.
• Excellent power handling. These speakers can take up to 360 watts of power.
• 3-way design, featuring a subwoofer and two smaller tweeters.
• High sensitivity motor structures.

Cons

• Larger than most other oval speakers.

Conclusion

The Kicker D-Series 6X9 comes with a DMR Series Crossover and a built-in amplifier, as well as can handle up to 360 watts of power. These specifications will give you excellent sound quality and an incredible bass output. We also like the fact that the pair is oval-shaped, meaning it will fit smaller spaces more easily.

If you’re on a budget or want an all-in-one solution, a pair of these speakers are an excellent choice.

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2. Alpine SPE-6090

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Alpine is a reputable brand in the car audio industry, known for its high-quality aftermarket equipment. The SPE-6090 will give you a punchy bass and a balanced sound for a quite good value for the price. This pair was priced around $70 by the time this article was written and, considering its sound quality, it is a great budget choice.

Product Specifications

• 6X9 Sized Woofer
• Peak: 600 Watts per Pair
• 2-Way Car Speakers

Advantages & Disadvantages

Pros

• Great sensitivity: 91dB.
• Easy to install. The process can be done without much hassle providing you have the necessary knowledge.
• As these speakers are oval-shaped, they can be fitted into tight spaces.
• The design is solid and will match most car interiors. The quality of the components is also superb.
• The peak of 600 watts per pair is more than enough to make these speakers go really loud without needing an amp.

Cons

• A bit expensive, considering the features.

Conclusion

The Alpine SPE-6090 are great car audio speakers. Coming from a reputable brand like Alpine, you know that you’re buying quality. These 6X9 speakers have a small design but plenty of power: 600 watts, enough to deliver very loud sounds.

A major drawback for us was the price considering the features. In our opinion, while the SPE-6090 has excellent quality, there are more affordable and complete options on the list. Still a great buy, though.

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3. Rockford Fosgate P1694

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Rockford Fosgate is one of the most popular brands for car speakers, and they have a wide variety of sizes and configurations to choose from. The P1694 offers a great balance of power and sound quality. While not as affordable as some other options on the list, they are an excellent investment to improve your factory-installed car speakers.

Product Specifications

• 6X9 Sized Woofer
• Built-In Crossover
• 4-Way Car Speakers

Advantages & Disadvantages

Pros

• High-quality built-in crossover.
• Rockford Fosgate is a trustable brand known for its unbeatable quality.
• These are 4-way speakers. This type of design will give you clear sounds in the mid and high frequencies and a solid bass quality.
• High-quality polypropylene injection molded cone.
• The P1694 includes grilles, stainless steel mounting hardware, and an OEM adapter plate.
• With the grilles, the design of these car speakers looks pretty nice. They will match most cars.
• Simple, easy installation process.
• High sensitivity rating.

Cons

• More expensive than other options on the list.

Conclusion

The Rockford Fosgate P1694 is an excellent option. If you like your music loud and praise for a great-looking design, these are an excellent investment over your car’s factory speakers. Our favorite features about this product are the 4-way design, the wide frequency response, and the extras that are included in the package: grilles, stainless steel mounting hardware, and an OEM adapter plate.

The only drawback is that these are more expensive than other options on the list, priced at around $150/pair by the time this article was written.

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4. JBL GTO939

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You probably know JBL for its high-quality consumer-grade audio products. The GTO939 is designed to be loud and proud and sounds great for its size. It is equipped with JBL’s patented Plus One woofer cone, designed for high power handling and exceptionally clear sound reproduction.

Product Specifications

• 6X9 Sized Woofer
• Built-In Crossover
• 2-Way Car Speakers

Advantages & Disadvantages

Pros

• JBL’S patented Plus One woofer cone: this component is of extremely high-quality and is perfect for achieving a deep bass response with minimum distortion.
• Great frequency response.
• Soft-dome tweeter with oversized, extended voice coil. The larger coil design will give you better audio quality and a more defined response across the frequency spectrum.
• Built-in, dedicated 12/dB octave high-quality crossover.
• Low impedance to compensate for the small size. This means that even though these speakers are small, they still give a great response to the low bass notes.

Cons

• Doesn’t have a built-in amplifier as some other options on the list. Still, you can get pretty loud sounds without one.

Conclusion

The JBL GTO939 is, in our opinion, one of the best speakers on the list. We like the fact that, despite their small size, they still give a very solid response on the low frequencies and can get pretty loud even without an amplifier. Not to mention that JBL is a trustable brand, known to offer reliable performance with their products.

As we mentioned, unlike some other options on the list, these speakers don’t have a built-in preamp. This isn’t much of a concern, however, since the specs are designed to compensate for the lack of the device.

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5. Pioneer TS-A6990F

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The Pioneer TS-A6990F 6X9 speakers are excellent for bass, with a frequency response ranging from 80Hz to 20kHz and a maximum power handling output of 700 watts. Apart from the solid bass response, one of the best features is the aluminum tweeter cone capable of producing crisp-high frequency sound.

Product Specifications

• 6X9 Sized Woofer
• Maximum Power: 700 Watts
• 5-Way Car Speakers

Advantages & Disadvantages

Pros

• These are 5-way car speakers, meaning they have five different drivers, each one dedicated to a part of the frequency spectrum. If you can invest a little more and pair these with an external crossover, it will sound incredible.
• A great response across the whole frequency spectrum.
• Aluminum tweeter cone, excellent performance especially on the high-end of the frequency spectrum.
• Uniform off-axis frequency response.
• With the CarSoundFit app, from Pioneer, you can try and hear the sound of different speakers from the manufacturer directly from your smartphone.

Cons

• These speakers don’t have a built-in amp, like most of the other options on the list.

Conclusion

Pioneer is a reputable brand in the audio market so you know that you’re getting a high-quality product. Our favorite feature about the TS-A6990F was the fact that it has a 5-way design: five different drivers, each one for the different parts of the frequency spectrum. This configuration will give you the best sound possible.

The only drawback is that these are not-so-budget-friendly speakers. Priced at around $140 by the time this article was written, it is better, in our opinion, to spend a little more and get an option with a built-in amp or buy an external amplifier altogether.

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6. Pioneer TS-A6967S

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The Pioneer TS-A6967S is similar to the previously reviewed TS-A6996R, however, they have a 4-way design. While these speakers can’t handle as much power handling as their already mentioned counterpart, they cost significantly less so they are an interesting option if you’re on a budget.

Product Specifications

• 6X9 Sized Woofer
• Maximum Power: 450 Watts
• 4-Way Car Speakers

Advantages & Disadvantages

Pros

• These speakers have an oval shape and a shallow top mount depth design, meaning they will fit tight spaces better and be concealed more easily wherever you install them in the car.
• Although small, these 6X9 speakers can hit low bass notes pretty well.
• This is one of the most affordable options with a 4-way design in the market.
• Although these 6X9 speakers produce less power than the Pioneer TS-A6996R, they still have enough output to give you a great response across the whole frequency spectrum.

Conclusion

These are great speakers for the price. The Pioneer TS-A6967S is budget-friendly while having optimal performance specifications. We ended up preferring it over the TS-A6990F particularly due to the great value for the price that they offer. You can definitely get a great response across all of the frequency spectrum with this pair.

Also Read: Best 6.5 Inch Speakers for Bass

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Choosing the Best 6X9 Speakers for Bass Without an Amp – What to Look For

Here are a few factors you should pay attention to when choosing the best 6X9 speakers for bass without amp.

Size of the Speakers

One of the most important things when shopping for this type of speaker is taking into account their size. The best 6×9 speakers for bass without an amp are those that fit perfectly into your car’s speaker mounts. To measure size, you need to find out the depth, width, and height of each one. You can also search on the website of the manufacturer to make sure.

Frequency Response

The frequency response of a speaker measures the range of bass, mids, and treble it can produce. It is measured in Hertz (Hz) and it is something important to consider if you want to use your product without an amp because a wide range will give you the best possible sound.

Impedance

The impedance of a speaker is expressed in Ohms and it determines the amount of power it will require. A high-impedance speaker (4 Ohms or more) can be powered by the factory head unit but a low-impedance speaker (2 Ohm or less) needs to have an amplifier to work properly.

For that reason, all of the speakers we reviewed in this article have a high impedance. This is so you can plug them into your head unit and start listening to music right away, without the need for an external amp or any upgrades.

2-Way, 3-Way, 4-Way, or 5-Way Speakers?

In this article, four different types of speakers were featured: 2, 3, 4, and 5-way. If a speaker is labeled as 2-way, it means they have a woofer and a tweeter. A 3-way speaker has a subwoofer, a midrange woofer, and a tweeter; While a 4-way speaker has a subwoofer, a midrange woofer, a tweeter, and a super-tweeter. A 5-way speaker has all of the same with the addition of, usually an extra super-tweeter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

In our article, we reviewed 6 different speakers, each one with its own particularities and specifications. All of the products turned out to be great: they all offer a great response across the frequency spectrum, especially on the bass and the low-end, and can be a great upgrade over your factory speakers.

However, two of them were our favorites: the Rockford Fosgate P1694 and the Pioneer TS-A6967S. We also picked the Kicker D-Series 6X9 as our runner-up since it surprised us in both performance and specifications.

Rockford Fosgate P1694 – Best 6X9 Speaker for Bass Without an Amp

While the Rockford Fosgate P1694 is a bit more expensive than other options on the list, you get everything in one package. They feature a high-quality built-in amplifier and crossover, a feature really caught our attention. These have an excellent performance.

Pioneer TS-A6967S – Budget Choice

The Pioneer TS-A6967S was priced at only $50 by the time this article was written. For that much, you can get a pair of speakers coming from one of the most reputable brands in the audio industry without needing to do any upgrades in your car.

The Kicker D-Series 6X9 was our Runner-Up

How to Buy

You can find the link to each product mentioned in the article on their respective titles on the list. Make sure to check out all of our related articles about speakers and research extensively before making your choice. Thank you for reading this guide!