How to buy a Car Speaker?

SPEAKERS NEED TO MATCH YOUR SYSYTEM

There are two main factors to be considered while buying speakers.

1. Sensitivity – First, you should know how much power your external amp or head unit puts out. Sensitivity means how much sound a speaker can yield from to power provided to it. Consider, if you have a low-powered stereo like 15 watts RMS or less, like those of factory installed speakers, then speakers with high sensitivity ratings, around 90dB will make best for it. In the high-powered system, like 16 watts RMS or more, then consider low-sensitivity speakers. Properly powered, speakers will provide best sound eminence.

2. Power-handling – Power handling tells you how much power your speakers can handle and is measured in watts. If you own a low-powered system, then your speakers don’t need to work on lots of power. On the other hand, a system with the powerful head unit or external amps will require speakers whose power-handling is close to the output of the amps. The key specification in power-handling is not the peak power handling but the maximum RMS power handling. RMS ratings accurately measure how much power your speaker can handle in a continuous cycle and not just for a short span of time. A system rated at “2-50 watts RMS” is a much suitable match for your low-powered stereo than another system rated “10-80 watts RMS”.

TYPES OF SPEAKERS

Speakers are of two types: full-range speakers and component speakers.

1. Full-range Speakers – Full-range speakers come packed with all the features in one product. In their simplest form, they consist of woofers for supporting lows and woofers mounted with tweeters to produce highs. Some of the models will have supplementary drivers, such as mid-rangeor super-tweeter. You should opt for full-range speakers if you’re looking to replace factory speakers with minimum fuss. They come in differet sizes that can be easily installed into factory speaker locations. You will find full-range speakers at nearly every price point and power range.

2. Component Speaker – Component speaker system uses superior design to give you the best possible sound experience. A typical component system includes separate woofers, tweeters, and external crossovers— all of which are designed to work in the congregation with one other. In a component system, the tweeter comes separately and can be mounted on woofers at a location that provides the best imaging. This makes your music more realistic, giving more “live” feel and have greater depth. Component systems are generally made of better quality materials than full-range speakers, so they’re adept at delivering detailed sound and exceptional dynamics.

SPEAKER MATERIALS

The material of a speaker will determine its sound quality and durability.

1. Woofers Material – This is excellent for music with low notes. The woofers must be made of material that is stiff as well as lightweight. Most car speaker woofer cones are made out of synthetic films of polypropylene that serves well. Polypropylene when mixed with other materials, like mica, becomes stiffer and yields more accurate bass retort. Woven fabrics as well as synthetics coated with metals like titanium or aluminum, are also lightweight, strong, and provides an outstanding All of these materials can resist or withstand heat, cold, and humidity.

2. Tweeter Material –Most tweeters are made up of soft materials such as silk, textile blends or polysynthetic which will produce a sound that is trifle mellow and refined. But, if you like your high music notes sharp and bright, then you should go for stiffer materials like ceramic, metal or graphite.

3. Surround Sound – The material used for surround must be able to withstand temperature and moisture extremes. Commonly surrounds are made up of foam and cloth, costing less but still are efficient. Surrounds made up of rubber are durable, give better overall performance and longevity.

OTHER FEATURES

1. Swiveling or Pivoting Tweeters – They are really handy if you are replacing speakers installed low on in your car door, full-range speakers with pivoting tweeter can have an effect on your sound. Tweeters produce directional high frequencies, so pivoted tweeters can be pointed towards the listener to for higher music experience. This makes music more realistic and has a greater sense of depth.

2. Detachable Tweeters – Speakers having detachable tweeters can be used with both, component as well as full-range speakers. It is a nice and convenient feature if you want to install speakers in a different vehicle.

3. External Crossovers – The woofer and tweeter do not utilize extra energy in trying to reproduce frequencies they’re not meant to reproduce. As a result, you get to enjoy cleaner and more efficient sound reproduction. Many crossovers come with extra input terminals to allow bi-amping. Instead of running the woofer and tweeter with a single channel of amplification, you can actually connect two sets of cables, with each set carrying the signal from a different amplifier (or amp channel). This way, both low-frequency woofers and high-frequency tweeters, receive respective amplification. Always look for this feature if you’re planning to install a high-performance system.

Car Speakers do not come cheap, hence make sure you do thorough research before buying them.