How to Choose Car Stereo Speakers
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There's good news and bad news when it comes to choosing car stereo speakers to upgrade your sound system. The bad news is not really bad: you should do some real investigating and listening for yourself to determine what precisely suits your preferences. The good news is that there are dozens of speaker makes and models that generally all produce excellent sound.
Even installed systems that come standard in vehicles are quite good now, but there is always some sonic improvement that can come from a small investment in upgrades. From merely replacing the door coaxial speakers to choosing a full blown system of separates from individual tweeters to subwoofers, here's how to do it. There are several things to consider.
- Speaker size: It's obvious, but needs pointing out, that the first thing to consider when buying a new set of car speakers is whether or not they will fit in your car. You can often check the appropriate size in your automobile's user manual, but if you can't find the information there, most shops that sell car audio equipment will have a catalog or some other resource to help guide you. Remember that you have to consider both the width of the speaker (i.e., 5.25", 6.5", 6x9), and its mounting depth.
- Sound quality: This is somewhat subjective, but your goal should be to hear every instrument and voice in your musical source. Having the loudest sound means nothing if the sound quality is not what you want. For these reasons, listen to the brands and sets that you are interested in while you?re still in the store. Usually, car audio departments have demo units in the display area that you can test.
- Frequency response: If rock and rap are your preferences, then you want to make sure that the speakers you purchase can deliver the lowest lows. This is 20 Hz (hertz) in the recording studio, but 60-70 Hz will still give you a real "thump". At the same time, music has high frequencies and harmonics that go up to 20,000 Hz. This is why you should listen to the audible frequency ranges that each speaker delivers.
- Power output: This is better termed "efficiency", how much sound a given speaker produces per watt of energy. Car stereo speakers list both peak and RMS ("optimal" or "average") output. If your car stereo (aka "head unit") produces 50w x 4, this is peak power output, NOT your average listening level. Make sure your speakers have a high efficiency rating in dBs (decibels). This is one of the most important considerations in power output.
- Installation: Little attention is often paid to the installation, but this may be the most important step. Speakers generally produce sound both forward and backward, so damping, as done in home speakers, is advantageous. It can significantly improve the performance of any set of car stereo speakers. An example of this is Dynamat. Dynamat comes in sheets that can be cut and molded to door frames and speakers. Damping with material such as this reduces vibration, resonance, door rattles and more, and maximizes speaker efficiency (see #4 above). Careful and expert car stereo installation can make a decent set of speakers sound great.
All the major brands (Sony, Alpine, Pioneer, Kenwood, JBL/Infinity, etc) have multiple models and price points. It's clearly a buyer's market for choosing the perfect set of car stereo speakers for your car, truck, or SUV within your budget.
