PowerBass OE69C-TY 6x9 review
 

Like many, one of the first things I was unhappy with was the sound system in my 2020 ORP. Upgrading the speakers was top of the list. I settled on the power bass OE69C-TY 6x9‘s with tweeters for the meantime along with the taco tunes 6.5” rear door and hatch combo.

http://i.imgur.com/5WqGjZP.jpg

I chose the power bass option because it was at a price I found reasonable for a plug and play, straight swap out of the stock speakers (no-amp). The focals and OEM audio plus were just too expensive for this phase of my build And I figured I could spend the money saved on a sub enclosure for some real bass. Anyway, I wasn’t expecting much from them and I’ll reevaluate once I get an amp in there and see how they perform.

So Since This is just a temporary upgrade until I can install a DSP and amp I figured I’d leave my initial review here after installing.

Out of the box they are much more impressive than stock but then again, what isn’t?

https://i.imgur.com/Smlge9Q.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Cpb35Yv.jpg

The 6x9’s didn’t fit perfect in the door frame. The oval shaped casting is off-center by a hair which results in the mounting holes not lining up properly.

https://i.imgur.com/5F67t1T.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/V1FQouQ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/JSyMkFS.jpg

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Also, the diameter of the pre-drilled holes they use to mount the speakers are too small and won’t fit the thicker factory screws. So you can either drive the screws on through, or drill the holes out a little bigger.

In order to mount you need to either drill some new holes or knock off Half the mounting ridge of the casting so that everything lines up.
Aside from that, Electrical connections plugged right in, no issues.

As for the supplied tweeters, I wasn’t too impressed. Standard 1” titanium dome tweeters with some “assemble-yourself-with-no-instructions” brackets:

https://i.imgur.com/paJwWPo.jpg

After some tinkering with the brackets to find out how they mount, they work but don’t line up the best. The drivers side goes together fairly straight forward with a nice slight slant toward the front seats.

https://i.imgur.com/JEU7RWl.jpg

However, the passenger side uses the same bracket with the same dimensions even though the factory mounting is inverse of the drivers side. This results in the bracket having to be flipped around 180 and screwed in backwards in order to mount the correct direction. It barely fits inside the factory bracket this was and also causes the tweeter to be angled toward the passenger door window

https://i.imgur.com/ImxibbE.jpg

It also contacts the grill on the dash causing It not to sit flush

https://i.imgur.com/e0UGPCP.jpg

I got everything through TacoTunes so they provided a wiring adapter in the kit to hook into the factory harness but there is no crossover provided FYI. I had some extra alpine crossovers laying around the garage I figured Id wire up.

https://i.imgur.com/cYBU3pN.jpg

After everything was installed, I fired it up. My first impression: For being powered off the factory Headunit, the bass sounds much more crisp and not so “muddy.” I can actually feel some bass when turning up the volume which I didn’t quite get with the stock speakers. The Stock 6x9’s just felt like a limp wristed punch. The bass is there but it doesn’t make you feel like there is much force behind it. these sound much tighter, solid and cleaner. My wife even noticed the difference immediately. The 6x9’s get a Jeremy Clarkson “not bad”.

The tweeters... Meh. I think I prefer the stock dash speakers. Sound output is good but the fit and finish was what killed it for me. Not much thought was put into the design as can be seen from the passenger side. Maybe I have it installed incorrectly, so I’ll mess with it next time I get a chance. If I were to do it again, I’d take a pass on the tweeters and look for something else. for now I can live with them as the sound output is alright, but that grill cover is messing with my OCD.

Rating sounds quality on some speakers like this without a true amplified system can be subjective but overall, I can say I’m pretty happy considering the price. Again, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away But I can Definitely notice a difference In the right direction. the real test will be finding and installing that 4-channel I have laying around somewhere. When I do I’ll update the post

I could be wrong here but if you flip the bracket on the passenger side tweeter it will sink down into the factory location instead of hitting the grill. This should also angle it away from the window.


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The problem with that is the legs of the bracket do not fit within the factory bracket that way. Basically I would have to make a few cuts on the factory bracket for it to clear.

Also, when I tried that combination I believe it made the tweeter sit to deep and it hit the ventilation ducts.

Thanks for the suggestion though, it was the last speaker I tried to fit and install so maybe I was just not having it at that point haha. I’ll give it another shot later and see if it was just something obvious I overlooked 👍🏼

Sorry to be a noob, here, but I haven't really looked at Taco Tunes before. Is there an awesome reason to use them over just purchasing the components thru Amazon or other online source? And, just to be clear, you're using the Power Bass speakers in the front doors, with the TacoTunes speakers in the rear doors and the liftgate?
Again, sorry about the noob questions. Just wanting to be clear about what/why/where you chose what you did.

It's not like the old days where you yank components and replace them. The OEM headunits are like little computers now that handle various vehicle functions. So you either go with a setup like the OP in this thread, or you go with a complete overhaul with a IDatalink Maestro unit which interfaces an aftermarket stereo/amp with the truck's wiring harness and steering wheel controls.

OP I used the JL 3.5's in the dash, very happy with them.

I also used the PB 6x9 speakers, they fit perfectly and dropped right in when I removed the adapter tab on the side. Didn't you see them?



J/k I had to drill mine too. They were not "drop in." And yes they do sound better.

how do you like the PB 6x9s