Car Audio speakers Overview

Executive Summary by Professor Apex

There are many different types of speakers available. If the speaker is too large it will have problems reproducing high frequencies which require rapid movement of the speaker. Because a single speaker cannot reproduce all sounds accurately numerous speakers are used each of which duplicates sound in the frequency range it was designed for. A speaker called a tweeter reproduces high frequencies generally above 2 kHz.

Tweeters are small and lightweight so they can respond rapidly. Very little power is required for powering tweeters because they are very efficient. Woofers are the exact opposite because they usually require large amounts of power to really move air. Typically, tweeters larger than 1″ in size cannot respond quickly enough to sound good  and are too directional. In between are midrange speakers which handle the frequencies between the woofers and tweeters.

Things to look for:
Granted music is not continuous but the continuous power handling gives you a much better impression of how much power a speaker can really handle. For tweeters and midranges, power handling is not as important since it does not take much power for them to play loudly.

Sensitivity: If a speaker is insensitive then it will require more power to play at the same volume level than a speaker that is more responsive. If you’re going to run speakers off of a head unit then try to get speakers with higher input sensitivities since head units normally do not have much power.
 
Physical Size: You must pay attention to the size of the speakers you choose.

How Do Car Audio Speakers Work?
Moving Speaker Speakers are air pistons that move back (on the negative cycle of the signal) and forth (on the positive cycle), creating different degrees of air pressure at different frequencies.

Car Audio Speaker – A New Buyer’s Guide
Executive Summary by  Chimezirim Chinecherem Odimba

A car audio speaker’s job is to convert the audio signal in its electrical form to a pressure wave that we can perceive as sound

Ideally, only one speaker per side is enough to reproduce the entire audio spectrum. But unfortunately, a speaker that can produce low frequencies has too much mass to be able to produce the higher frequencies.

Speakers have not just an extreme range in quality and price but also have the greatest impact on the overall sound of a car stereo system.

How to buy a car audio speaker

When shopping for a car speaker listen to it before buying it because there is no other way to know how it will sound to you. Keep in mind the following . . .

• Ensure you take along with you a CD that you normally listen to when you audition the speakers.
• Listen closely for low level details and how instruments sound.
• A poor quality speaker has an exaggerated low and high end.
• Adjust the bass and treble as well as the volume to levels that are comfortable for you.
• Beware of salespeople that turn up the volume slightly on the expensive speakers and persuade you to buy them.

If you don’t want any modification in your existing speaker holes, buy speakers that fit in the current available space.

We have additional information on this subject you may be interested in reading: Discount Car Audio, Audiobahn Subwoofers, and Alpine Audio