Part 2: Choosing the Right Aftermarket Car Speakers

What to Consider When Upgrading Your Car’s Sound System

In part one of our three-part series, we talked about the important questions to ask when selecting a brand-new or aftermarket car stereo. Budget, priority features, brand, customer reviews, and sound quality all should factor into the decision-making process. When it comes to purchasing the right aftermarket car speakers, you’re going to hit a lot of those key points with a few slight deviations.

Whereas car stereo shopping can sometimes put all the focus on features and usability, car speakers put the focus squarely on sound. What you have to realize is that your car stereo and car speakers are going to be working in concert with one another. If one component is a mismatch with the other, you’re going to notice it during playback in your car. So, let’s break down the things you need to consider when upgrading your aftermarket car speakers.   

Choosing Your Speaker Type

There are two types of speakers you need to be aware of when shopping: component speakers and coaxial speakers. Both can be categorized as aftermarket speakers because you’re replacing what the manufacturer originally installed in the vehicle (factory speakers).

Component speakers work on a single driver system and include a tweeter speaker (high-range frequencies), mid-range speaker (mid-range frequencies), and woofer speaker (low-range frequencies). Component speakers allow you to get a more precise set-up because you’ll be able to select the tweeters, mid-ranges, and woofers all independently of each other. The advantage is that you get far more control of your sound. The disadvantage is that it’s more challenging to install because you’re working with more components.  

Coaxial speakers are the all-in-one option and have multiple driver systems installed into one unit. The driver system can either be 2-way, 3-way, or 4-way. They break down as follows:

·   2-way: includes tweeter and woofer

·   3 way: includes tweeter, woofer, and mid-range

·   4-way: includes tweeter, super tweeter (ultra-high frequency), woofer, and mid-range

Coaxial speakers are very popular because you can get the same high-quality sound that you would get with component speakers, but you are going to take up a lot less space upon install because everything is included in one basket. On a related note, installation prices for coaxial speakers are generally less than component speakers.

Speaker Power Rating

Earlier we mentioned that you want your speakers to be a good match with the rest of your equipment (amp or stereo). For example, the Rockford Fosgate Punch P300X2 sends out 100 watts RMS per channel. To match that, you want to make sure that whatever speakers you pick out can handle at least 100 watts. By doing so, you’re ensuring that your speakers won’t be underpowered or overpowered by the amp, thus, resulting in the best overall sound quality your speakers can produce.

Be very mindful of wattage when choosing your speakers. Overpowering them with wattage they can’t handle may potentially damage them or blow them out entirely.

Speaker Sensitivity

Now that you know about the importance of wattage, let’s talk about speaker sensitivity. This is the other metric that you need to keep your eyes on when speaker shopping. The loudness of your speakers is based upon the amount of power that they get from the receiver or amp, which is denoted as “dB” for decibels. The higher your dB level is, the louder you can go.

A good rule of thumb to follow is that if your stereo or amp has low power output, then you should go with speakers that have high dB capacity to compensate for that. If your stereo or amp has a high-power output, then the dB capacity isn’t as important because you already have the power issue covered.

When shopping for stereos and car audio sound, make sure at least one component has high power output so you can go loud.   

Upgrade Today at Car Stereo City San Diego

The best way to figure out which speakers are going to be right for you and your vehicle is to come by Car Stereo City San Diego and hear them in person. We carry some of the largest stock of aftermarket car speakers (coaxial and component) in the San Diego area. 

We can show you speakers from the industry’s top brands like Pioneer, Alpine, JL Audio, and more. By streaming your music directly through our set-up, you’ll know exactly how it’s going to sound before you move forward with an installation.  

Come by our shop at 8252 Clairemont Mesa Blvd in San Diego to check out all our car audio options. Once we know your price range and type of vehicle that you drive, we should be able to narrow things down to a few options that will be a great fit for you.

Check out our third and final installment of this blog for key info about amplifiers and subwoofers.