Car Speakers (Audio) Guide: What Speakers fit my CAR?

If you’re serious to buy the best car speakers for your vehicle, you need to read this guide.

Well,

You’re here because some important questions about your  speakers:

Do you relate to any of the following?

• You are a tourist, want to enjoy the music with perfect audio speakers?
• Do you want to make the installation process easy?
• Which size of the speaker is compatible with your car?

Whether your car is old or new, the sound is a crucial part that makes it awesome with the perfect car sound system.

In today’s guide, you’re going to learn each and everything you need to know about best car speakers system that is a part of a complete setup. By the end of this guide, you are going to be more confident to have a lot of details from only one place.

Let’s dive right in.

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So, Now we will discuss each of them in detail but at the beginning, a most important question which comes in mind is….

What Size Speakers are in my car?

The market has exploded with a lot of speakers and many vehicles have specific details to easily fit the sizes according to that details. so, we need to match our criteria by getting them with exact size, power, and RMS watts power etc.The important thing to look for when buying them is to make sure how to choose them.

Luckily for you!

We are going to discuss all of this one by one in details:

6×9 Car Speakers:

Choice of best 6×9 speakers is pretty amazing if you are a big fan of high-end music systems that will provide extra bass and clarity of sound in balance.

• More Inches = Better Bass Response

These are the best car speakers for bass so, you can take a benefit of more bass without having the extra woofers or subwoofers.

5×7 Car Speakers:

They’re not the most common around usually they are rarely in a few vehicles. If you compare these speakers with 6×9. They don’t have many upgraded versions.

6.5 Car Speakers:

As far as the best demand in the market today. if you’re wondering about the “ Best car speakers” the 6.5 speakers are most commonly available with a wide range of newly updated speakers.They are also available in many shapes,  and their performance capabilities,

6×8 Car Speakers:

6″ x 8″ speakers most reliable ones and commonly used in Chrysler, Ford, and Mazda vehicles.
(find your vehicle’s information from our Directory  to check which size of speakers is fit in your car).
The 6×8 speakers are easy to install and perfect size to accommodate the slightly wider place as compare to 6×9 inch car speakers.

6.75 Car Speakers:

These speakers are same as like 6×8 or 6×9 speakers just upgraded for the flexibility to adjust in any vehicles doors for improvements in the installation process for the great audio experience.These are also available in all of the popular brands Pioneer, Jbl, Rockford Fosgate, Kenwood, Kicker, etc. so you will need to see the size in your car to decide which size is best for your audio setup.

4×10 Car Speakers:

Yes! These are small 4×10 inches, audio speakers, They are commonly using in jeeps, GMS, and more other car models.These speakers are not best for the strong bass because the woofer cone is limited but that’s not a big issue you can install a subwoofer with it.

4×6 Car Speakers:

The 4×6’s car stereo speakers are usually fit in the car’s doors but simply cannot provide you the great bass, many users complain that high-end 4×6 speakers sound quality is not good as like the 6.5 or 6×9 speakers.it’s important to choose the right 4×6 inch speakers for your car just for the purpose of size.A important thing to keep in mind the most of the speakers sound is not great for a truck or jeep. But we are preferring for just as the purpose of size the 4×6 inches” which are suitable for few vehicles.
We have the directory of all Car Models this will be helpful for you to check the right dimension which is fit for your vehicle. Click Here

Tip: How to measure speakers size?

The best way to measure the speaker size is to check the owner’s manual.Hopefully, you’ve received with your car, If you’re having trouble to find it, you can check directly from the manufacturer website with (.pdf) file.
There is another incredible way that will make your life easier
Amazon has the option where the buyer can create a “virtual garage” so you can check at a quick glance which speaker size will fit in your vehicle.

Not Only!

Another my easiest tip that will help:

Grab a measuring tape and get the size with it. Just make sure, You’re checking the width, length, and depth of the speakers correctly.

4 Important Measurements to consider:

• The Speaker Diameter

In simple words when you have the clear measurements of speakers that means what is the outside diameter of the speaker’s frame.  

• Cutout Diameter

This measurement shows the mounting hole size to get that is required for the speaker

• Mounting Depth

Getting the speaker mounting depth size is to determine how far the front mounting plane from the bottom of the mounting flange.

• Mounting Height

Basically, it is the distance between the front-most part of the speaker to its bottom of the front mounting plane, the right measurements will make sure that it is not high from your car door panel

Car Speakers Types 

Component Vs Coaxial Speakers:

You have a choice of Component speakers and Coaxial Speakers. Every car is different, and speakers vary in sound quality.
A component is dedicated to a single type of speaker with each separated module specifically designed for range. The tweeter and woofer in a component setup may be preferable to set them in separate locations. If a car has only one speaker on their door that means it is a coaxial speaker system. Each component speaker includes only one cone and one driver.
The lowest frequencies are created by woofers, the highest by tweeters, and mid-range speakers fit in between those extremes.

Let’s discuss one by one each of them

Car Speakers Tweeters:
These special type of speakers produce the high audio spectrum typically from 2,000 to 20,000 Hz. The name is taken by the high-pitched sound tweeting of birds

Mid Range:
Mid-range speakers the range of middle frequencies overlap between the tweeters and woofers.Frequency response of between 200Hz to 5 kHz

Woofers:
A woofer is the type of driver which is designed to produce deep bass from the range of from 20 Hz to 200Hz, and it’s created only for low-frequency deep bass sound .if you are a bass lover so woofers car speakers with bass will be awesome for you.

Super Tweeters:
These speakers like super tweeters produce an ultrahigh frequency higher than the 2,000 Hz that regular tweeters handle.

Subwoofers:
Same as super tweeter subwoofer designed for lowest frequency to produce a high-quality deep bass sound from the extreme end of the audio spectrum

Coaxial Speakers:

Coaxial speakers are also called Full range speakers.Typically full-range speaker produces a larger range of audio frequencies from a single point.  Coaxial speakers are cheaper as compare to component speakers and the big facility is the design minimizes provide us the easy installation process to mount them in a convenient way without modification in our car’s interior.  The sound is also awesome because the tweeter and woofer are mounted in the same place.
So, If you are looking, coaxial speakers, they have some great benefits of decent and easy replacement with extra high quality sound the advantage of the tweeter, woofer only from the single point.

If you ask Which is best Component Speakers or Coaxial Speakers in your Cars?

So there is no simple answer for both. Because they are both have its own advantages and disadvantages. It depends how they can make the setup easier for you.

Generally, both options are best if you check only for your purpose.

1. Fit your budget
2. Fit your vehicle
3. Fit for your sound

Full-range speakers (Coaxial Speakers) are referred by the different number of drivers (2-way, 3-way, 4-way etc.)

Here you can watch the video to understand the speakers buying guide more clearly:

What is the difference between 2-way, 3-way, 4-way speakers:

2- way Speakers:

A 2-way speaker consist of two components (woofer and tweeter) woofer generates the low frequency from 3 KHz to around 20KHz and tweeter produce higher frequency from 30 hertz to 160 hertz. The 2 – way is also called a coaxial speaker because it compiles the sound of both tweeter and woofer. Mostly full range speakers are two way they have only 1 tweeter and 1 woofer to comprise the sound quality with low or high frequency.

3-way Speakers:

3-way or triaxial speaker incorporates an extra component that will cover the midrange frequencies. This driver is known as the midrange driver.which generates the frequency of around 60Hz to 500Hz. There are now total 3 bands the audio signal will split and pass through the three bands which comprise of the low frequency as bass, the midbass, the midrange and the highs. Mid-range is used as a component to create a balance between extremely clear sound.

4-ways Speakers:

Four-way speakers or quad-axial include woofer, mid-range, and two tweeters, with an addition of a “super-tweeter” of course they have an extra feature of the tweeter that will enhance the sound with more wider and clearer range without distorting that you are looking for.

So now there you have the difference between 2-way, 3-way and 4-way speakers.It is important to determine the frequency response range 2-way will not produce very deep bass, with choosing a two or three way-speaker systems. Speakers with a larger range will create the highs and lows of the sound according to the ranges, which results in a much louder, clearer and more amazing sound.

Features to look for Complete Audio System

Before to look for features to build a sound. We learn the basic understanding of:

How does a speaker work?

A basic function of a speaker is based on quite an interesting phenomenon. if you move a magnet inside a coil of copper wire it will induce a current running through this wire and of course, the circuit is closed

You probably recognize the look of the speaker magnet in the bottom image.

A Magnet has two poles natively represent in graphic and magnet is assembled with two plates and pole piece.

These assumed the polarities of adjacent surfaces of the magnet and a cross-section through the middle of the magnet.

The plates and the pole piece. The coil assembled on a former on the pole piece and coil can be made of different materials. when coil fed by the amp signal or current it makes the coil move ups and down accordingly you can read Faraday’s law if you want to dig deeper into how this works.

The outside frame of a speaker is used for the purpose to hold the speaker cone.

See the image below. It is glued or bolted on to the front plate. The speaker cone is glued on to the voice coil former and to the suspension at the edge. The suspension is glued on to the frame.

The spider of the speaker secure that the voice coil only moves up and down and not sideways. The coil is attached to the solar terminal to which also the amp is attached.

when the signal of the amp or current is fed into the coil it will move accordingly so the cone or diaphragm pushes the air creating sound waves.

Why need Car Speakers Amplifier?

An amplifier is also called amp which is the heart of any sound system.If you want your music to be loud. An amplifier is the only thing that is a breath of a sound to put more detail in it. A technical definition is simply to determine how much a unit of electrical charge is flowing from a source point. The signal which comes from the source is typically a low voltage signal.but amplifier makes it a strong signal. The purpose of an amplifier to make that signal strength to get better high-quality sound.

Amplifier comes in different sizes and watts it could be 100,200,1000 or 2000 watts but all they took a low voltage signal from the stereo unit and convert into a high strength signal to power either speakers or subwoofers.

Two key points keep in mind when selecting an amplifier:

1. How much power is needed,
2. What kind of impedance(ohms) the speakers have.

Amplifier Classes:

The Various amp classes have to do with how power is converted and utilized. This is a conversion efficiency of an amplifier. The class is a method to distinguish the electrical characteristics of different types of amplifiers, and the amplifiers are configuring and operating according to that classified methods.

Amplifier Classes are used to check the difference between the different types of amplifier.

There are four Classes of an amp;

A, B, A/B, and D.

Class A: Class A is the simplest and more common type of an amplifier. Power output is conducting 100% of the time so it can get hot to the touch with high power devices Class A offers least amount of power efficiency less than 30 percent but also the least amount of distortion that’s because there is no possibility of crossover or switch off distortion it’s the most ideal. It has the purest signal. because of their high power drain and low efficiency.

CLASS B:

Class B is more updated than A and it was invented to reduce the heating problems which is associated with the class A amplifier. Class B also called push-pull configuration conducts power around half the time as Class A. It is 70% power efficient but has nasty sounding crossover distortion there is highly technical.

Class A/B: Amplifiers class A/B strictly analog and it is combination of both Class A and Class B are more efficient than the class A design and there is more less crossover distortion than Class B. Most guitar amplifiers are in Class AB. and it is the most common type of amplifier in the car audio market.

Class D: A Hybrid class between analog and digital signals are typically reserved for use with high power subwoofer amplifiers and can reach efficiencies 100%. Class D amps are great and more compact, They used less current and provide high efficiency to produce less heat than the other classes.

Class Amplifiers Testing Video

How much power should my amp have?

Good question! You will need to read two different type of powers,

1. Peak Power
2. RMS Power

Peak power is a very limited power which an amp produces it’s not very useful. It’s better to look at RMS power rating.

Keep reading we will discuss in detail below!

What is a Crossover Car Audio:

Crossover is a device that takes one incoming signal from the source and split it into the different output signals for each component parts that are separated drivers for a high-frequency mid-frequency or low frequency

There are Two types of Crossover Active and Passive so,

What is Active and Passive Crossover?

Passive Crossover:

Passive crossover doesn’t need to hook up with the power source to split the signal to work.

There are two types of passive crossovers:

Component crossovers and In-line Crossovers:

Component crossovers have just created a connection between the amplifier and speakers,

The crossovers set usually come with the component speaker systems for desirable performance, and they are simple to install and set up. 

Mostly passive component crossovers have the option for balance settings that you can down the tweeter sound if it seems too loud for the woofer and In-line are used to fit the receiver and the amp. Installing of in-line crossover is a cheap way to get sharpen sound from speakers.

Active Crossovers:

Active crossovers used the power source to split the signal to work, These crossovers produce much fast and active signal which dramatically increase the dynamic range and control for the whole audio system and give you much more flexibility and clear, perfect fine-tuning control for music.

Here you can understand with an example:

For example, Let’s say the high frequency top small speaker can only handle the 5K Hertz to 20K Hertz from the sound system so you know the speaker can handle only 5k up to 20K. So, you will not damage by sending them signal’s that they can’t handle easily. So Crossover is used to split that signal into its specific component parts.

A Passive Crossover will divide the signal by using a passive network of a resistor-capacitor and such into its component parts. After its amplified by an amplifier. So at speaker level its crossing over into its component parts.

3 different examples I’m presenting in image let’s take last in an active crossover setting we have a signal comes in and its split into high and mid and low. And the amplifier is only amplifying the split signal so you need two discrete amplifiers for your highs a different amplifier for your mids and a different amplifier for your lows. So, in this case, this is a 3-way speakers system that has a passive crossover for the high in the mid but it’s using an active crossover to split between the high and mid and low

It’s amplifying mid highs signal. And down its only amplifying low-frequency signal   

The different frequency signal which sends them to consisting of tweeters, woofers, and subwoofers.

Here I have a video you can watch How to install them in a car:

Sensitivity of Speakers

Most Important factor when we buy a speaker we check it’s sensitivity. Sensitivity is a control of power input and the sound output a speaker, how much sound a speaker produce by using the power that is supplied to it. Low-powered car stereo system will take a high sensitivity rating to make it best. And a high-power system then considers speakers with lower sensitivity ratings. Keep the proper balance of power and so they will produce extra high-quality sound.

Speaker sensitivity measured in dB(decibels), the decibel is used to measure the sound level. 1 watt is equal to 1 meter. Let’s take an example if you place a microphone in front of the speaker at the distance of 1 meter (3.3 feet) from the speaker. Mostly the speakers will produce the input of 2.83 volts approximately the output of 80 to 90 decibels. Now place the microphone from a speaker at double distance from 2 meters (6.6 feet) you will see a difference the sound will drop by 6 decibels in every double distance.

Power Handling of Speaker!

Firstly, I want to clear don’t be confused about the speaker power and amplifier. The power is generated by an amplifier. and this power is measured by watts to determine how much power a speaker receives from an amplifier

So first we need to discuss what is voltage to better understand the power (watts).

Voltage:

The voltage is electrical pressure feature that amplifier uses to push an electrical current to a speaker then speaker converts its current into the sound. We can get an idea of how a speaker is loudest with the generated power actually creating an amplifier.

What is a watt?

Wattage is a measurement of the power that amplifier in a push to the speaker.An amplifier generates the power output that is measured by watts basically we check how an amount of energy is created by an amplifier.

Watt = Voltage x Amps

The wattage differentiate is how much sound is the best. It does not measure of loudness it is just the measurement of power.

Impedance:(OHMS)

Ohms is really the amount of resistance it is also called Impedance. OHMS is a measurement of the electrical flow in a speaker that restrain the fluxion of current. Amplifiers determine its output rating and it shows the different power outputs and loads.

Smaller Load at the amplifier = Larger resistance in ohms = Less power output

How much power an amplifier is generated the impedance is used to measure its capacity. So, if we compare an amplifier with two different a 4-ohms load and another with an 8-ohm load, they cannot be compared.

2-ohm speaker, maximum power = 280 watts.

4-ohm speaker, maximum power = 140 watts.

6-ohm speaker, maximum power = 93 watts.

8-ohm speaker, maximum power = 70 watts.

16-ohm speaker, maximum power = 35 watts.

This calculation is derived from standard electrical formula if you are interested to read more about it. You can read the complete article. What is Electrical Power,

RMS Power (Root Mean Square Value):

RMS Power is the continuous power that a speaker accepts from the amplifier.It is the maximum power code for the maximum amount of power in watts that a speaker can dissipate as heat and sound without damaging the voice coil. Two values for the power handling rating RMS Power and Peak Power. RMS is an effective value of the total waveform of a magnitude that means how much continuous power of a speaker can handle.

The peak power handling refers to the maximum power level.  

Frequency Response

Frequency is the range of sound waves and is something measured by Hertz.The amount of time waves actually takes per second. Audible range of the human ears is 20 Hertz in the low end to 20,000 Hertz in high end that’s why most of the speakers and woofers or headphones use the same frequency of hearing

Here is the tool of Online tone generator makes the sound from low end to high end with different frequency responses of basic understanding that give you an idea to check what’s the difference is to how lower the number gets the low sound and how the higher number gets the high tone sound.

There is “38 Hertz — 22K Hertz,” frequency response specification is predicted. It depends how much speakers produce the bass. 38 Hertz represent the bass output. The lower number and more deep bass. There are some specs which include the “+/-” after a specific frequency number. It can be like 38 Hertz – 22K Hertz +/- 3dB, Average sensitivity is around 88dB/1watt.

The efficiency of a speaker is determined by the spec of sensitivity. We can check how a speaker will work with low or powerful amplifiers/AV receivers.

CAR AUDIO SYSTEM SIGNAL FLOW

How much does it cost to get a new Speaker? (Price VS Quality)

Modern speakers usually provide both cost and sound quality, But the main question people ask about audio system cost if you want to upgrade complete audio system and you don’t have a tremendous budget to bump up for high-quality sound. The Speakers provides the best options to decide.But, First, There is two difference which we have already discussed in above the component and full range speakers. The advantage of full range speakers are inexpensive as compare to component speakers and they don’t take up much space than component speakers.

If you are looking for full-range category speakers with 2-way, 3-way, or 4-way so the price will vary according to sound quality.

We have written detailed reviews about many best car stereo speakers products so you can read them to decide the right choice for you.