Your car may be considered your second home. It is where you spend time before you start your day in the morning while going to work, and where you end your day on your way home in the evening. Travelling can be tedious. It is important to enlighten and spice up your trips by having good speakers in your car. As per ProCarReviews car speakers recommendations, the 3 best brands of speakers for your car doors are JBL, JL Audio and Pioneer who make some of the best 6×9 speakers.
Before we look at the different types of car speakers, let us look at the important aspect that will help you make the right choice of speaker for your car.
Factors to consider while choosing a speaker
1. Sensitivity
It measures the sound that the speaker produces when a certain power is applied. High sensitivity speakers are good for low powered car stereo. On the other hand, speakers with low sensitivity are good for high powered system. Speakers produce quality sound when they are powered appropriately.
2. Power-handling
It measures how much power a speaker can handle in watts. Low-powered system does not require a speaker that can handle a lot of power. A system with high-powered external amps will require speakers that can handle a lot of power. Power-handling is measured in terms of how a speaker can continuously handle power over time (maximum RMS) and not at an impulse.
Types of speakers
There are two main categories of car speaker systems, each with a set of advantages and disadvantages.
1. Full-range speaker system
They contain all elements of a speaker in one system. Basically, they have a woofer for the low range frequencies and a tweeter on the woofer for the high range frequency. You can still find models with other additional drivers such as super-tweeter or midrange. Full-range speakers are very good if you want to mount a speaker in a factory. There are different sizes that are easy to mount in speaker locations in factories. They are found at almost every power range.
2. Component speaker system
They use a superior design where there are separate tweeters, woofers and crossovers. They are designed in such a way to work in concert with each other. Because the tweeter is separate from the woofer, it is possible to mount it where you get better imaging. This ensures the music is more lively, realistic and with greater depth. The crossover is external to the tweeter and woofer which allow use of quality internal components to ensure delineation in frequencies to different drivers. Component speakers are mostly made using quality materials thus delivering excellent dynamics and detailed sound. There are different suitable locations in your car where component speaker system can be placed hence producing better clarify and full sound.
Types of car speakers
- Subwoofer – they provide the deepest and lowest sound range. They require a power amplifier and an enclosure. They range in size between 8 and 15.
- Midrange – they cover frequencies around the middle of audio spectrum.
- Mid-bass – they deliver deep sounds by utilizing mid to low tones. They are highly versatile serving between full-range and component systems.
- Tweeter – they are used for very high frequencies like high hats and cymbals. They are capable of providing high clarity to voices and are the smallest speakers in a car.
Full range speakers are cheaper, more common and easier to install compared to component speakers. Much as component speakers may produce better sound, a good full range system can still serve its purpose very well. It is important to have an idea of the speaker size for your car when you are deciding on the type of car speaker to install.