How to Select Car Audio Speakers for Your Vehicle

One of the first upgrades most people consider to make to their car or truck usually involves thecar audio system. The one area that usually has the most impact on any sound system is thecar speakers. If the shopper is new to car audio, selecting the best car speakers for his or hervehicle can really be a challenge. In many cases it isn’t difficult to find the size and power ratingof the existing speakers but how do you go about finding the best speakers for your existingsystem?

The first thing to consider is the size of your speakers. There is only one way to be sure of whatsize you might fit and that is by removing the door panel and actually measuring the diameter ofthe cutout in the frame and the allowable depth with the window in the down position. This isn’tas difficult as it might seem and usually with a couple hand tools and some common sense mostpeople can do this themselves. Of course if you don’t feel comfortable doing so, you canalways ask a friend for help. Another way to handle this is to consider one of the many “shallowmount” speakers on the market today. In the majority of cases these will fit in just about anydoor. Of course things get a bit more challenging if you are dealing with dash mount speakers.This is one reason many opt to simply add another set of high end speakers to a new locationlike in the kick panels. Q-Logic Q-forms are custom fit kick panel replacement panels and theywere always a popular install in our shop. You will find they come in two sizes and accept 5 1/4?or 6 1/2? diameter speakers of just about any depth. The added benefit of this type of install isthey are easy to remove when you trade in your vehicle. If you go with expensive high endspeakers, this is something to consider.

To keep things simple, full range speakers will be call co-axial or tri-axial speakers and appearas a single speaker to install at each location. You will find component speaker systems willconsist of a separate woofer and tweeter to install at each location. Component speakersusually provide the best quality of sound since there are separate speakers to handle the highsand the mid frequencies. You can actually find three-way component systems also which willhave a mid, a woofer, and tweeter for each speaker location. In recent years, you can also findexcellent three-way component systems which provide additional bass. These high-endsystems include a sub-bass speaker along with the mid range and tweeter which actuallyremoves the need for any large subwoofer enclosure. As mentioned earlier, if you opt forinstallation in kick panels you will find they already have provisions for component speakers.

Beyond the size of your speakers, you have to consider the power requirements of anyspeakers you might select. All speakers, both full range and component systems will provide the

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RMS or continuous power rating of the speakers. While standard speakers from the likes ofBoss, Infinity, Pioneer and Kenwood are usually easily driven by any vehicle head unit witheven a minimum output, many high end speakers with names like MB Quart, CDT, JL Audio orAlpine will require an amplifier for best performance. Many OEM premium sound systems todayhave an amplifier built-in to their system. It might be good to check with your car dealer or acustom audio shop just to be sure. If this is so, you might have to purchase an adapter for youraftermarket speakers.

Of course if you are upgrading your vehicle’s source unit or radio at the same time, this willallow you to match your speakers perfectly either with or without a Car Amplifier dependingupon the speakers and the source unit. Another thing to consider if going this route is whetheryou will upgrade front and rear speakers. If you do and an amplifier is needed it is always agood idea to select a 4 channel amp since it will provide the best control for sound quality.

A bit of good advice is to remember that no speakers will sound the same in your vehicle asthey do in a store’s showroom. But then again, no one in your vehicle will be comparing thesound to anything else either. So whatever you select be assured it will be a great improvementover any OEM sound system. But never expect to get the same sound from a $59 set ofspeakers that you would from a $500 component system. As with most things in life, with carspeakers expect to get exactly what you pay for.

See our survey results of the best car speakers and replacement kick panels.

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