What attributes to look into car speakers while buying?
Travel by car is both a passion as well as a necessity. The increased distances between work to home necessitates the ownership of a private car owing to bad quality of public transportation in the country. And with increased travel distances, people look for entertainment options inside the car. Music systems became an integral part of a car, but to get the best musical experience, it is vital to own a pair of high-quality car speakers to complement the same.
Buying car speakers can be a tough call. Owing to the technical nature of car stereos, not everyone can understand which speakers are the best for a car music system. People look to replace the factory speakers with an ultramodern car speaker that amplifies sound without compromising the quality of music. With an increased choice in the market because of variety, choosing the best speaker can be a tricky job. But if you keep the following points in mind, you are sure to jazz up the music experience inside your car:
â— Match the car speaker to the audio system
Before finalizing to buy a car stereo, you must ensure that a chosen speaker matches to your car audio system. To check the compatibility of a speaker with your car audio system, you must make a note of the following audio specifications:
o Sensitivity: Sensitivity is used to measure the sound which gets yielded by a speaker from the applied power. A low-powered car stereo can be paired with car speakers with high sensitivity ratings (90 dB or more) to get the best results. Low-powered car stereos generally come preinstalled in a car and run on 15 watts RMS per channel or less. If your car has a high-powered car audio system, then a speaker with low sensitivity rating will provide better sound quality.
o Power-handling: The power-handling attribute is essential to understand how much power a speaker can handle. On a low powered audio system, a car speaker with less power handling capacity can work well because it does not need to handle lots of power. Similarly, if your car has a highly-powered system with a powerful amplifier, then choose the speaker which matches the output of the amplifier in terms of power handling capacity for best results. Keep in mind that the key specification to take care of power handling is maximum RMS attribute and not peak power handling attribute.
â— Find the right type of speaker
For purchasing a new car speaker, it is essential to understand the type of car speakers available in the market. Car speakers can be divided in to two main categories:
o Full-range car speaker system: A full-range car speaker system contains all speaker elements in a single package. A simple way to upgrade you car speakers, the package consists of a woofer, tweeter and speakers. Some full-range car speakers also come with additional elements such as a midrange or super tweeter. It is the simplest form to replace old speakers without much hassle. The full-range car speakers can be installed in less time and can be mounted easily after removing old car speakers.
o Component car speaker system: Component speaker system is an advanced-level speaker system that produces superior sound than full-package speakers. Each element of speaker system comes separately as a standalone component that can be customized to produce the best sound. Component car speakers produce more realistic, live and deep sound. The woofers, external crossovers, tweeters can be synced to match the music requirements. Component speaker systems are made from better quality material than full-range speakers that promise exceptional dynamics and detailed sound.
â— Choose the right build material for car speaker
Different components of car speaker systems should be ideally made of differentiated & specialized materials to ensure the best sound quality. The build material of speakers determines the durability and sound quality of car stereos. Ideally, different materials such as woofers, surrounds and tweeters should be made from the following materials:
o Woofers: Woofers should be ideally made of a lightweight and stiff material. Woofers made from such materials ensure that the low notes in music are perfectly produced. The best car speaker woofer cones are made from synthetic films like polypropylene that serves the basic purpose. To ensure an accurate bass response and better sound, polypropylene is mixed with a stiff material such as mica. Woven fabrics and synthetic material coated with metals such as aluminum or titanium are also used that also provide great sound. All these materials are lightweight, strong and stand up well to heat, cold and moisture.
o Tweeters: Tweeters should be made from soft materials like poly, textile blends or silk. Tweeters made from soft materials produce a refined and mellow sound. Tweeters made from hard materials like ceramic, graphite or metal can produce a bright and snappy effect to high notes.
o Surrounds: Surround plays an important role in the car speaker system. It allows the woofer cone to move freely that provides a bolder bass effect. Surround should be made of a durable material that should be resistant to extreme temperature and humidity conditions. Rubber, cloth and foam are used to build surround. However, surround made from rubber offer better sound quality and are more durable than cheap foam and cloth surrounds.
