Upgrading your car speakers is one of the best ways to improve the quality of your ride. This is especially true for those who frequently drive and would like to invest and creating a better experience for themselves.
But, many people aren’t sure what steps to take when it comes to their car speaker upgrade. Luckily, it’s not as difficult as you might anticipate.
Let’s take a look.
Choose the Right Size for Your Car
As you might guess, you’ll be limited by the size of your car when it comes to what size speakers you want to upgrade to. It’s possible to find the size of your car speaker by consulting the manual or using an online resource, but you can also measure them yourself.
If you choose to use this method, simply measure across the speakers from the widest point. From here, you can easily narrow down your list of potential replacement options.
Choose the Right Style of Speaker for Your Car Whenever
As with the speaker size, you also need to stay consistent with the speaker style while choosing an upgrade.
More specifically, you need to determine whether your current car speakers are coaxial or component. In general, most newer cars have component speakers installed in the front of the vehicle. But, some vehicles from the early 2000s might also incorporate this style.
Coaxial speakers are typically installed in the back of vehicles, especially newer cars/trucks.
Decide What Specs You Need
First, you need to consider whether or not you should purchase two-way speakers or three-way speakers.
For those unfamiliar, these terms refer to how many drivers the speaker utilizes. Additionally, the term ‘drivers’ could include parts like tweeters and woofers.
Then, you need to consider power handling. Since speakers require power from your car to operate, getting speakers that your car is unable to accommodate could lead to issues in the future. So, ensure the speakers you get are something your car can handle.
Speakers with high sensitivity (generally 90 dB or higher) don’t require a notable amount of power to use. Speakers with lower sensitivity than this, though, often need an amplifier in order to get the full sound you desire.
Finally, you’ll need to consider the mounting depth of the speaker. This is simply how much space the speaker will occupy once it has been installed into the vehicle.
As such, you’ll want to ensure that the speakers you purchase have a mounting depth less than or equal to that of your current speakers. Otherwise, you’ll need to purchase additional equipment to ensure that your speakers are installed correctly.
You can check out these DS18 speakers for an example of what to look for.
Speaker Materials
This is an aspect that many people tend to neglect. The truth is, though, that the materials used in your speakers will have a large impact on the overall quality that you obtain.
Woofer cones are typically made from plain paper or polypropylene material. More often than not, this will allow you to achieve a full, rich sound for your speakers’ bass.
Using higher quality materials, like Kevlar or even flax, will allow you to achieve better results.
On the other end of the spectrum, tweeters are responsible for producing higher frequency sounds. These are typically made from fabric, metal, or synthetic material. Tweeters are particularly important because they emphasize a frequency range that includes things like string instruments, vocals, etc.
So, using a poor quality tweeter can negatively affect your listening experience.
In general, metal tweeters will offer a crisp sound with a high level of clarity. Tweeters that use softer materials will produce a smoother sound. The decision between the two is simply a preference, so keep this in mind when making a decision.
What If I’m Not Sure If My Sound System Needs an Upgrade?
Although plenty of people upgrade their car’s speakers in order to achieve a better sound, some individuals do so because their current speakers lack quality. Still, many are unsure how to tell if their sound system needs improvement.
Additionally, you might only need to upgrade one part of your overall sound system. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to figure out.
If you have a newer car (such as 2015 or later), you can simply turn your speakers all the way up and listen to the quality of the audio for a few moments. Since you will be maxing out your speaker’s volume, it’s best to do this in an area where you won’t disturb others. S
Sometimes, the stock systems in newer vehicles are of decent quality. More often than not, though, they are unable to achieve the fullness and clarity of a set of third-party speakers.
If you have an older vehicle, it’s highly likely that you won’t even need to max out your car’s volume to tell that your system needs a replacement. Although older car systems sounded great for the time, they fall far short of today’s standards.
With older cars, though, you’ll have two options: you can simply change the quality of your sound system by replacing your equipment with better parts, or you could rework the whole system altogether.
It’s entirely possible to install a sound system with a modern appearance in an older vehicle. Regardless, though, the main focus should be on getting the highest quality sound possible.
Getting the Right Car Speaker Upgrade Could Be Life-Changing
So, keep the above tips in mind while on your search to ensure that you get the best car speaker upgrade possible.
Want to learn more info you should keep in mind? Be sure to explore what the rest of our blog has to offer.
