Shopping for a suitable speaker for your car can be a difficult task. With so many speakers on the market, consumers need to narrow their focus to key factors, whether that is size, performance or portability.
We’ve broken down this post into concise parts to help you find the best bass for your buck.
What Sizes of Car Speakers Exist?
There are various car speaker sizes, and different sizes are made for different car types. When choosing a car speaker, you should know the size your car requires and pick your lane accordingly. Here are some of the common sizes:
6”x9”
These speakers fit a wide range of vehicles. They come with a wide cone and as such, they have excellent bass output. With 6”x9” speakers, you may not need to install woofers or subwoofers.
6”x8”
These speakers are as versatile as the 6”x9” models and deliver impressive sound. This size of car speaker is usually manufactured by Kenwood. 6”x8” speakers are excellent for depth and clarity of sound.
6.5”
These speakers are easier to find in the market than the 6”x9” speakers. Due to their availability, manufacturers often construct them to be versatile, allowing them to offer a bit of everything. However, as a result of their versatility, they can be standard in all areas and not excellent particularly at any one thing.
5”x7”
5×7” speakers are a great fit for most vehicles. If you are worried about space, these speakers are suitable as they come in moderate sizes while delivering excellent output. For lovers of full, clear, and rich audio output, 5”x7” speakers are excellent. They also offer less distortion than smaller speakers.
5”
The 5” speakers are similar to the 5”x7” size of car speakers. They are usually small, and are commonly found in the back dash or back door of most vehicles. Although they are small, 5” speakers excel at delivering a wide range of clear, loud sounds. This feature makes them surprisingly suitable for use with larger size vehicles.
4×6”
These small-sized speakers are great for most cars as they provide great sound. However, if you’re on the lookout for great bass sound, you should steer clear of 4×6” speakers. The 4×6” speakers are great when added to an existing system, as they are excellent companions for their bigger siblings. If you want more bass, you may consider installing an external amplifier.
Tweeters
Tweeters are speakers whose sizes fall within the 1”x2” size. They are tiny but can give your car audio system a boost while in the background.
Woofers and Subwoofers
For lovers of bass, woofers and subwoofers are excellent elements of the audio system. They come in different sizes, normally between 8” and 15”. Generally, the bigger the speaker size, the heavier the bass.
How do You Measure Your Car Speaker Size?
Before you decide on which is the best car speaker for bass, it is absolutely important that you get the right speaker measurements. Getting the correct measurement will help you make better choices and also help make the installation process easier. Taking measurements is very easy, and we’ll show you how.
To take accurate measurements, you will need a measuring tape, a screwdriver or drill, panel removers, a recording sheet, and a pen. What steps should you follow to get accurate measurements?
- Take off the panel. The front-rear and back-rear have slots for speakers which you might not need to remove.
- Use your screwdriver to remove the speaker and keep it safe.
- Record the mounting depth by using the tape rule to measure from the mounting plate to the base of the magnet.
- Measure the speaker height.
- Measure the speaker diameter, keeping your tape rule taut.
- Measure the screw width.
If you cannot measure the speaker size yourself, other ways to know your car speaker size include: checking the OEM size in the audio sections in your car manual, checking the markers on the speaker slots and reading the markers, asking professionals, or looking it up online based on your car’s make, model, and year.
Choosing the Right Speakers for Your Car
Before buying your car speaker, there are certain factors to be considered. In this section, we discuss some of these factors.
Woofer Quality
This is a very important consideration if you are a fan of high-quality bass. The best woofers are usually made using polypropene, and it is recommended that you select only models which are made of polypropene.
Weight
When buying a car speaker, you should consider how sturdy the area where you want to place it is. Even more importantly, you need to consider the weight of the speaker and the possibility of the speaker being too light or heavy for the part where you want to attach it.
Sensitivity
A speaker’s sensitivity is the level of sound a speaker produces due to the power applied to it. Low power stereo or system of 15 watts RMS require speakers with high sensitivity values (at least 90 Decibels). Conversely, cars with high-power stereo or systems of 16W RMS or more require car speakers with lower sensitivity (at most 90 Decibels).
Power-handling
This shows you the limit of power that your speaker can effectively handle. If you have a car with a low power system, you need to look away from speakers with high power-handling capacities. Conversely, if you have a high-powered system, then you do not require models that have low power-handling capabilities.
Conclusion
Picking the best car speaker for bass depends on a lot of factors, including the size of your car, the model of your car and/or speaker, and speaker size. Having broken down all the details for you, we hope you drive away with the best speaker for your car.