Car Speakers - from Tweeters to Subwoofers

Car speakers currently come in a range of sizes these days, from high-frequency tweeters to low-frequency subwoofers. And with countless choices available, it can be incredibly overwhelming to figure out what you're supposed to be looking for when purchasing a new speakers. Many new speakers are very expensive and feature a lot of bells and whistles that aren't really necessary. Just keep a few key points in mind and you shouldn't have any trouble picking out the car speakers you need. What are you looking for?...Great sound clarity?...Jaw dropping bass?...or a mix of both? These are questions that you need to consider when considering a new car audio system.

The Facts: There are two main specifications you have to keep in mind when researching new car speakers: sensitivity and power-handling. Basically, sensitivity measures how much sound a speaker yields when power is applied to it. Most factory systems feature low-powered speakers with high sensitivity ratings, which makes the best match. If you want a high-powered system, then you should consider speakers with lower sensitivity ratings. Power-handling refers to how much power a speaker can handle. In low-powered system, speakers don't handle much power. Conversely, a system featuring powerful external amps requires speakers whose power-handling is nearly the same as the output of the amps.

Types: For the most part, car speaker systems can be divided into two main types: full-range speakers and component speaker systems, with both having their own unique set of advantages and disadvantages. Full-range speakers contain all of their speaker elements in one basket and in their simplest form; they consist of a woofer and a tweeter for highs and lows. If you're looking to replace your factory speakers without a lot of hassle, you should choose full-range speakers. Component systems feature superior speaker design and deliver the best possible sound. A typical system includes separate woofers, tweeters, and external crossovers. This system will make your music sound more vibrant and will enable it to have greater depth.

Features: There are a few other common features in car speakers that are a vital part of your system's needs, these include: pivoting or swiveling tweeters, external crossovers, and detachable tweeters. Pivoting/swiveling tweeters can have a big effect on your system's sound because they produce directional high-frequencies, which means pivoting tweeters can be aimed at you for more direct sound. External crossovers can achieve a crisp separation between the frequencies sent to both the woofer and tweeter. And lastly, detachable tweeters can be used as both full-range speakers and component systems.

Considerations: You don't have to purchase a ready-made speaker system; you can customize one to fit your needs, though this is much more expensive. There are obviously components that are necessary, but if you want a more powerful stereo system you can add an amplified subwoofer, or even an additional amplifier dedicated to the subwoofer. An example of an amplified subwoofer is a Bazooka Tube, which has the amplifier built into the subwoofer enclosure. Amplifiers can also be hooked up to standalone subwoofers in a box, but the wiring configuration can get a bit tricky for those people who do not have any knowledge about speaker wiring.

Misconceptions: Because of the type of car speaker systems featured in expensive cars, many people have been led to believe that purchasing a new car speaker system costs a lot of money and is probably out of their budget. That's definitely not the case. Many affordable systems currently exist on the market and include all of the basic components necessary to receive more than decent sound. As a matter of fact, some relatively good quality car speaker systems can be purchased for as little as $125.