Car stereo speakers sport a range of designs and price tags. At first glance, it may seem that any car speaker will do, but in reality, different car stereo speakers are appropriate for different circumstances. You don't just need any old car speakers; you need the right car speakers for your system.
Choosing a Size
Different cars are designed to accommodate different speaker sizes. Two of the most common car stereo speaker sizes are 6.5 inches and 9 inches. A less-common size is 5.25 inches. 5.25- and 6.5-inch speakers fit in the door panels, while 9-inch speakers are typically used in the trunk compartment for the back seat. Be sure to consult your car's owner's manual for sizing specific to your car.
Do You Have an Amplifier?
If you are using an amplifier with your car stereo speakers, you'll want more powerful speakers capable of utilizing an amp's power without distorting or blowing out. If you're not using an amplifier, you'll want a speaker that's easier to drive and requires less power to perform well. Make sure you get speakers designed to work with or without an amplifier, as appropriate for your system.
Go Two Ways, Three Ways or Four Ways
These arcane descriptions refer to the way a speaker is constructed. A two-way speaker includes a separate tweeter and woofer component to produce sound more faithfully. A three-way speaker has a separate tweeter, midrange driver and woofer. A four-way speaker includes a supertweeter, a tweeter, a midrange driver and a woofer. The more components your speaker has, the more faithful the sound reproduction. Four-way speakers provide better detail than two-way. If your speakers lack these ratings, it's probably because they use a single driver to produce the entire frequency range.
Component Speakers Provide the Best Sound Quality
Component speakers are separate speakers designed to reproduce frequencies in a certain range. Component speakers are like taking a three-way speaker apart and using separate speakers for each of the frequency ranges. Typical component speaker systems include a tweeter, a mid-range driver and a woofer. You'll want one of each component for each channel in your system; a two-channel system would include two tweeters, for example, while a four-channel system would have four. A component system requires an amplifier to run, so don't worry about component speakers unless you're adding an amp for power.
Listen Before You Buy
Different speakers perform differently in certain frequency ranges and with certain types of music. Take an iPod or a CD of your favorite music along with you when you go speaker shopping, and listen to your music of choice through the speakers you're considering. You may find that one set of speakers offers better frequency response in the range of your preferred music. Those are the speakers to buy for your system.
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