Car Speakers
- Power and clarity for your music on the go: buy your car speakers on HiFi-Tower
- Finding the best car sound system: where to start?
- Main criteria for choosing your car speaker system
- How to check the compatibility of the car speakers with your vehicle?
- Installing your car speakers
Power and clarity for your music on the go: buy your car speakers on HiFi-Tower
If you're looking for new car speakers, you probably already know how much a quality car hi-fi to listen to your favourite music while driving can make a difference. Listening to music in the car allows you to tackle even the longest journeys without boredom, and enjoy pleasant company on the move, regardless of whether you prefer to tune into your favourite radio station to listen to news and traffic bulletins, play your CDs and mp3 files using your car stereo or perhaps a specific device, or even streaming audio directly from your smartphone.
Car manufacturers usually don’t equip vehicles with powerful car speakers: this means that upgrading your car audio system is essential to meet the needs of the most demanding listeners, especially when it comes to playing the lowest frequencies. Very often, therefore, one of the first investments that many drivers decide to make concerns car speakers. There are many solutions available, and usually, these include a dedicated car subwoofer and speakers of different sizes and power to be distributed in the passenger compartment, to achieve a better sound coverage than the classic configuration based on the two front speakers.
On HiFi Tower you can find a wide range of car speakers to create your custom car sound system; you can opt for single components or our sets of speakers and amplifiers with two, four or six channels. All the tweeters, midrange and subwoofers you find on HiFi Tower ensure crystal-clear audio quality; you just need to check the technical specifications of our car speaker kits, get inspired and find exactly the product you're looking for.
Finding the best car sound system: where to start?
On HiFi Tower, finding the right car speakers for your needs at an affordable price is relatively easy. Less so is the choice of the optimal system, as it requires a minimum of technical knowledge. As a matter of fact, there’s no direct relationship between sound quality and the size of the car speakers you use; you should also consider that excessive wattage can even be counterproductive, as it could distort some frequencies, typically the lower ones.
To choose the best car speakers ane upgrade your car audio system successfully, you should first consider the size of the passenger compartment and, secondly, determine what exactly doesn’t convince you about the devices you already installed. Your musical taste is also relevant: depending on the sound, some car speakers respond better than others, and if, for example, you are a fan of genres such as techno, dance and heavy metal music, the best configuration will be offered by a system with a balanced mix and medium-high power. In this case, a 3-way speaker kit, with a good definition on high frequencies and bass reinforcement guaranteed by a subwoofer can be the best choice. Our 3-way kits also include passive crossovers to ensure optimal frequency division between different types of speakers.
On the other hand, if you usually listen to more 'quiet' genres, such as pop music, or classical music, you can opt for a simpler configuration, which can reproduce clean sound without excessive distortion and with a more limited wattage. In our product gallery, you will find some of the best 2-way car kits available on the market, with an excellent value for your money and already equipped with a four-channel amplifier. If you opt for one of our kits, you won't have to deal with complicated technical manuals to decide how to amplify the speakers you are installing. If you've noticed that the speakers in your car are struggling or have obvious limitations in reproduction, you could also simply buy a kit with two speakers to get a better sound when listening to the radio while driving, focusing on a standard product which is not particularly powerful at low frequencies.
Main criteria for choosing your car speaker system
When it comes to buying car speakers, it is important to consider some purchasing criteria. To help you in the selection process, we selected those that we feel are the most important. In this way, you will have a practical purchasing guide that can allow you to adjust the price/quality ratio as much as possible.
Power
Power, measured in watts, indicates the capacity of the equipment to generate sound. In the case of car speakers, power is split over several channels. Therefore, when looking at the specifications of the car radio speakers, it is important to check whether the power indicated refers to the whole set or each of the channels. The car speakers you choose should match the minimum values supported by the audio source.
An average power range may be 30 W per channel, while a high power range may be as high as 50 W per channel. In any case, you should not make the mistake of considering that more power means better sound quality. Of course, the output power can influence the sound quality, but it is not the only aspect you should consider when buying your car speakers.
Impedance
Impedance measures the opposition offered by a circuit to the passage of alternating current. Its value varies according to the frequency so that a speaker has as many values as the frequency at which it operates. Thus, the nominal value of the impedance offered by manufacturers refers typically to a frequency of 1 kHz and is usually 4, 6 or 8 ohms.
When buying your car speakers, it is important that you choose impedance values accordance with the minimum values supported by the audio source or car amplifier you plan to install. Doing so, the signal will reach them with more strength. Note that the higher the impedance in ohms, the lower the output power of the speakers.
Frequency range
The frequency range indicates the minimum and maximum frequencies that a speaker can support. Please note that the human ear can only hear sound waves with frequencies between 18 or 20 Hz and 20 kHz. It is, therefore, in your interest to choose a device whose frequency range is as close to these values as possible. You should bear in mind that the wiring is fundamental when installing your car speakers.
Number of channels
Using specially designed filters, car speakers can distribute the sound waves of the low, high and medium frequencies to different drivers. Woofers are used for the bass, mid-range drivers are used for the mid-range and tweeters are used for the treble. Today, you can find three-way, two-way or one-way car speakers. A speaker that uses a driver for each frequency range is a three-way system. One-way equipment has a box with only one speaker, while two-way boxes consist of a woofer and a tweeter.Assembly and installation
Ultimately, this factor will depend largely on the model of vehicle you have. If your car door speakers are old, you may have to make certain modifications. In short, the simpler the installation and assembly process, the better. That's why the equipment you purchase must come with both the cables and the other elements you needed for the installation.
How to check the compatibility of the car speakers with your vehicle?
The compatibility of the car speakers is a fundamental criterion and is also one of the decisive factors that should guide your choice. First of all, you should check whether the size of the car speakers you are planning to use corresponds to those of the standard system you are replacing. Otherwise, you may realise too late that the components are too large or small, and therefore require substantial modifications in the door compartments; this adjustment can be quite complicated, as it has to be done by experienced technicians, making the installation of your car sound system very expensive.
Installing your car speakers
The difficulty of installation depends very much on the models and types of speakers that are included. Some models are relatively easy to install, and we suggest you opt for these if you have a limited budget and want to save on installation costs. Normally you will need common tools, including screwdrivers and hex keys to mount the simplest kits. The first thing you need to do is remove the templates that cover your standard system, and once you've removed the old speakers, you'll need to connect the new ones to the cable harness. At this stage, you need to make sure that the polarity of the car and the cables match, to make everything work properly.
To install systems with more complex wiring, such as inverted polarity between vehicle and speakers, you may need a welding machine. In this case, to avoid damage, it is advisable to consult a specialist technician. Before making the purchase, therefore, our advice is to talk to the car electrician anyway, showing him or her your standard system and the new product you're looking for, to have a realistic estimate of how much you're going to spend and avoid nasty surprises.