GoMechanic
Car Speakers upgrade is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to improve your ride’s overall audio quality. The possibilities are endless, with a wide variety of speakers from bestselling brands available in the market. However, choosing the right speaker to go with other components of your car audio system is key to getting the best results.
There are various types of car audio speakers based on design, purpose, positioning etc. So much so that it can be quite confusing to choose the right set of speakers for your car. Shopping online for car speakers, you will be presented with a variety of options to choose from a full range of component speakers, sizes, features, materials etc. This read is all about making an informed choice when going for a car speaker upgrade.
Everything You Need To Know About Car Speakers
You will come across a wide variety of options when shopping on the GoMechanic Accessories website for multi-brand car speakers. So how would you decide the number of speakers that you must get? Or whether you should go for a full-range speaker set or component speakers? Is there any difference between the two? By the end of this read, you will be wiser about making these choices.
Choosing The Right Number Of Car Speakers
There is no industry standard for the number of automotive speakers pre-mounted in a car when manufactured. Nevertheless, automobile manufacturers produce excellent factory sound systems with noise cancellation and simulated engine noises. However, for this post, we will focus on the fundamentals.
When upgrading your front and back car audio speakers, achieving a voice-matched system should be one of your primary objectives. That implies using speakers of the same brand and series in both the vehicle’s front and back. Of course, that doesn’t have to occur all at once if you’re trying to watch your spending. First and foremost, concentrate on your front speakers. Then, update the rear car audio speakers to the same series (or brand) to maintain sound quality when ready.
Choosing The Right Car Speaker Size
When looking at a big list of automotive speakers, each of which comes in a different size, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. However, once you tell us what sort of vehicle you’re searching for and whether you want front or rear speakers, you won’t have to worry much about speaker size (or both).
There are situations in which you will have the option of selecting between a few speaker sizes for a certain area. In such instances, our rule of thumb is, “the larger, the better.” For example, when there is a choice between a 5-1/4″ that requires a bracket and a 6″ x 9″, our standard recommendation is that you go with the larger size since it provides more “oomph.”
Full Range Or Component Speakers?
Full-range speakers and component speaker systems are the primary classifications of the aftermarket automobile speakers available today. Let’s look at each one individually, shall we?
All full-range speaker components are in one basket. In their basic form, they have a woofer for lows and a tweeter for highs. In addition, “3-way” or “4-way” speakers feature a midrange and/or super tweeter.
Full-range speakers may easily replace OEM speakers. Usually, you remove the old speaker, connect the new one and install it. As a result, nearly every price and power level have full-range speakers.
The tweeter is separate from the woofer in a component system and mounted higher up in the car. So if your car has factory tweeters, you can usually mount the new one in that location.
Power Rating Of Car Speakers
The external crossover network in a component system uses high-quality components to ensure a sharp delineation between the frequencies sent to the woofer and the tweeter. As a result, your music will sound more realistic, “live,” and have greater depth.
As a general rule of thumb, your upgrade car speakers must be able to generate more than 20W RMS per channel. Conventionally, the higher the power rating of the car speaker, the louder and clearer the sound. That being said, it is important to consider how to drive these high-power handling speakers using a suitable car amplifier.
Do You Really Need A Car Amplifier? – Read Here!
Component Material
A car audio speaker is made of a number of components. The use of suitable material in building each of these components significantly impacts the speaker’s overall output. While there is no general rule to this, you might want to look at stronger neodymium or strontium magnets, Injection Moulded Polypropylene Cones, PEI tweeters, Surround materials etc.
FAQs
1. What are the features that I should be seeking in car speakers?
Considerations in selecting car speakers include sensitivity (how loud the speaker can be using the available power) and power-handling (RMS), which gives the continuous power capability that the speaker can safely operate. Another factor that must be considered is the size (to fit your vehicle), the impedance (to fit your amplifier or head unit) and the build quality of the cone and the tweeter. These influence the sound clarity and their performance in the practical world of driving.
2. What is the 1/3 speaker rule?
The 1/3 rule, mostly applied to rooms or home setups rather than car doors, guides how to place speakers. To reduce reflections and standing waves, it suggests that the speakers be installed at one-third of the length of the room’s front wall and that the listening position be two-thirds of that length. Although it is less applicable to automotive installations, the idea of appropriate separation and avoiding placing speakers as close to surfaces as feasible is helpful.
3. What is the higher resistance, 2 ohms of car audio or 4 ohms of car audio?
A 2-ohm speaker. The older speaker has a lower resistance that can draw more current out of the amp and therefore can make more noise than a 4-ohm speaker. More loudness, however, does not necessarily imply improved sound quality and 2-ohm loads present a higher load to the amplifier and may not work well whereas 4-ohm speakers are usually safer, easier to drive and more practical in everyday operation.
4. Are 12s louder than 10s?
As a rule yes: a 12 inch subwoofer is able to generate more air than a 10 inch sub and therefore, with the same amount of power a 12 inch subwoofer is likely to produce more bass and be able to be heard. However, size is not all – box design, power delivered and the manner in which it is installed is important. A 10-inch could be more appropriate, in case you need it to save space or have a quicker bass assault.
5. What is a good way of a speaker?
The type of speaker you choose will depend on how it is set up, but you want to be sure that your amp/head unit can supply the speaker with a certain level of power. An amplifier capable of driving e.g. 60-100 W RMS is a solid upgrade of a standard car head unit. In case you have a separate amp, you can choose those rated far higher (200 W+ RMS) to perform louder.
6. Which is the No. 1 speaker brand?
There is no best brand of speakers, as fit, sound, and cost all change. That being said, the brands of JBL, Alpine and Focal have always been mentioned as the best car speakers manufacturers in terms of quality. Do not simply adopt a good brand, but one with a good reputation, support/service in your country, and speakers compatible with your system.
