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Best Car Speakers: Common Speaker Terms & Ratings (What

to Look For)

When comparing and choosing theBest 6.5″ Component Car Speakers on today’s market,

CarAudioNow takes into consideration several key criteria: Lets define a few common criteria and

terms that are compared when rating a speaker:

Power Handling: Power handling is the measurement a manufacture gives to rate how much

power a speaker can handle and operate at. It is given by two measurements, RMS and Peak (or

MAX). RMS Power rating is the amount of power the speaker handles continuously, while the Peak

Power rating is the amount of power a speaker can handle in short bursts. When comparing

speakers, RMS Power is the more relevant and important rating to look at.

Sensitivity: The speaker sensitivity rating is a measurement of the amount of sound the speaker

will emit from the power it’s given. The higher the sensitivity, the more efficient the speaker is with the

power it’s given. For lower powered systems, you want a higher sensitivity rating. For a higher

powered system, you want a lower sensitivity rating. Lower sensitivity rated speakers are meant to

handle higher power.

Frequeny !ange: Frequency range is the frequencies that the speaker emits sound at,

measure in Hz. Normally they are given from a low frequency to high, for example: 20 – 22,000 (22k)

Hz. This measure how low and high the speaker can actually emit sound at.

Speaker Design and Materials

"oo#er: The speaker woofer can determine the responsiveness, and quality of the speaker. The

stiffer and more lightweight the material used, the more effective the speaker is. Polypropylene is a

very common material used for the cone, as well as woven fabrics such as kevlar. Aluminum and

titanium are also used in higher end speakers.

"oo#er Surrounding: The woofer surround also is an important aspect of the speaker system

and effect the sound as well. Durable, lightweight, and free moving materials are used to allow the

woofer to move with as little energy possible. The material is essential for a long lasting and

performing speaker too. As speakers get older and used, humidity levels and wear-and-tear can

crack and even break the surrounding of the woofer. Rubber surrounding is typically the most long

lasting an high performing material. Foam an cloth surroundings are found on less expensive

component speakers, with lower performance and shorter life spans.

Crossovers: When you purchase a component car speaker system, a crossover is almost always

a part of the package. External crossovers are typically used to lessen the amount of distortion a

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speaker might have by separating the frequency inputs. Signals can cross through coated wiring and

cause distortion, so an external crossover system will limit this.

C$oosing t$e Best %mpli&er

Amplifiers are a crucial part of a well-balanced sound system. Too little power and it can

cause your speakers to distort and blow or put additional stress on your amplifier that

can cause it to overheat and shut down. To much power and you can cause damage to

your speakers’ cones and mechanical parts, causing them to blow as well. Finding a

good match for your speakers and subwoofers is key, here’s how you do it.

Max (Peak) Vs RMS Power 

Lets start by going over speakers and amplifier ratings and what they mean.

The difference between “Peak Power” and “!'S Power” is simple, so don’t let it

confuse you. RMS Power is a measure of the amplifier’s continuous power. It’s the

realistic amount of power that the amplifier is rated for. It’s more of an average of the

wattage output over a set amount of time. Peak Power can best be described as the

“peak” amount of power that the amplifier can generate or handle in a very short amount

of time, a burst. It is not the amount of power the amplifier emits on a continuous basis,

but more of a quick burst.

Even though the Peak Power ratings are marketed by speaker and amplifier

manufacturers to catch the eyes of consumers, it is not the Peak Power, but the RMS

Power that you want to use as a tool to match the right speaker with the right amplifier.

 

Matching an Amplifier With a Speaker 

Now that you know an amplifier’s RMS Power rating is a more accurate measurement of

the power output, you can use it as a tool to correctly match it to the speaker(s) and

subwoofers you want to use. You will want to match the RMS rating of the amplifier to

the RMS rating of the speaker or subwoofer. The closer these two numbers are to

eachother, the better match you have. For example, if an amplifier has an output of 100

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watts x 4 channels!'S, this will mean that you want a speaker that has a 100 watt

RMS rating (or in this case 4 speakers with a 100 watt rating). Same goes with a

subwoofer.

 

So now that you know how to match up an amplifier with a speaker, find a list of($e

Best Car %mpli&ers and($e Best 6.5″ Component Speakers and ($e Best 6.5″

Coa)ial Speakers, as well as($e Best Car Su*woo#ers to findyour match.

%mpli&er (uning + ,uik -uide to(uning our %mp

Tuning our Car !mpli"ier 

You have aftermarket amplifier to power your speakers or subwoofer(s), but how do you

tune it to reach both your speakers, subwoofer(s) and amplifier’s full potential?

CarAudioNow has put together a quick guide to do a basic tune on your amplifier to

make your stereo reach it’s potential. Use it to tune subwoofers or speakers alike. But

before we get into tuning, lets review a few basic and common terminology, features and

functions that will help you better understand the tuning process.

Also see ourChoosing the Best Amplifer post to see how to choose the proper amplifier

to best fit your speaker and subwoofer setup if you haven’t already chosen one.

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Common Terms

Max (Peak) Vs RMS Power 

The difference between “Peak Power” and “!'S Power” is simple, so don’t let it

confuse you. RMS Power is a measure of the amplifier’s continuous power. It’s the

realistic amount of power that the amplifier is rated for. It’s more of an average of the

wattage output over a set amount of time. Peak Power can best be described as the

“peak” amount of power that the amplifier can generate or handle in a very short amount

of time, a burst. It is not the amount of power the amplifier emits on a continuous basis,

but more of a quick burst.

Even though the Peak Power ratings are marketed by speaker and amplifier

manufacturers to catch the eyes of consumers, it is not the Peak Power, but the RMS

Power that you want to use as a tool to match the right speaker with the right amplifier.

Gain

Gain is the input sensitivity adjustment necessary that is used to match an amplifier’s

input to the receiver’s output. A properly adjusted gain reduces background noise,

distortion and prevents speaker damage.

Gain Setting:

Freqenc!

Frequency is the pitch at which your speakers emit sound at. You will need to know the

range of your speakers or subwoofer in order to tune your amplifier properly.

"ow#Pass$%igh#Pass Filters

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Low-pass (LPF) and high-pass filters (HPF) are filters that pass signals with a frequency

lower/higher than a certain maximum/minimum frequency. If you choose the high-pass

filter on your amplifier, the corresponding frequency dial will set the minimum frequency

that the amplifier will send to the connected speakers/subwoofers (HPF is typically used

for smaller sized speakers). Vice versa, if you choose the low-pass filter, the frequency

dial will set the maximum frequency that your amplifier will send to its connected

speakers/subwoofers (LPF is typically used for larger sized speakers and subwoofers).

The optimal setup will have speakers that cover the high range frequencies, while

subwoofers will cover the low range frequencies, without any gap in between the

frequency coverage.

In addition to low-pass and high-pass filters, there is also a “Full” selection, that does

does not filter the frequencies and sends a full range of frequencies to the connected

speakers/subwoofers. If you have a system that does not have subwoofers, and the

amplifier is being used to power 6.5, 5 x 7/6 x 8 or 6 x 9 speakers, you can use& & & & & & &

this option to get a full range of sound.

Filter Selection:

Frequency Dial:

'ass 'oost

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Bass boost is a feature designed to boost the low range frequencies. It’s typically used

for subwoofers, however, can be very touchy and dangerous to use. We recommend not

using bass boost unless you have to.

Tuning our !mpli"ier 

Great, so now that you have an idea of some of the basic terms, lets get to setting up

your amplifier:

Step Setting Volme an* Gain +ontrol

Turn your stereo off and disconnect the RCA cables that run to your amps. Then turn

your system back on, turn the volume on your radio/receiver all the way up to max

without any music playing on them. If your speakers are running off of your radio, andyou are tuning your amplifier for an additional subwoofer, make sure that you disconnect

all speakers before you turn your radio to prevent damaging your speakers.

Now that you have found the maximum volume (many radios denote the maximum by a

number), turn back the volume to around 80% of the maximum, and set your radio’s

Equalizer to ‘Flat’. Then turn your amplifier’s gain and bass boost to zero and turn the

crossover filters to off or full.

Now, plug back in the RCAs into the amplifier channel for which you would like to tune

(e.g. if you are separating speakers by channels and have separate RCAs that for each,

choose one to tune). With your favorite genre of music, or purchase a test disk for

tuning, slowly turn the gain up until you begin to hear distortion in your speakers. Once

your speakers start to distort, back of the gain until you no longer hear distortion. This is

the base gain that you will use now to tune frequencies.

Step , -ning Freqencies

Now it’s time to switch to the built-in cross overs and filters that are built into your

amplifier. For subwoofers, select the low-pass filter (LPF) and for speakers (for a system

that has a separate subwoofer or speakers to cover the low range frequencies), select

the high-pass filter (HPF). If you are using the amplifier to power mid sized speakers

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that are meant to cover a full range of frequencies, select the full or off position, and

disregard this tuning.

Now, find the frequency range of your speakers/subwoofers. If you are tuning for

speakers and select the HPF, you will align the frequency dial with the lowest frequency

that your speakers are rated for (note that the numbers on the dial may be in 1000s). If

you are tuning a subwoofer(s) and select the LPF, you will align the frequency dial with

the highest frequency that your subwoofers are rated for.

Step . 'ass 'oost

If you’re feeling risky, and don’t mind putting loudness in front of longevity, bass boost is

a great way to increase how loud your bass is but can be very tricky to use and hard to

set properly. If you are going to turn your bass boost up, make sure you turn the gain

down. Each subwoofer is different, so finding the right combination of bass boost and

gain is up to your ear, but bottom line is to have the highest output without distorting.

Step / 'ack to Gains

Now that frequencies and bass boost have been set, turn back to your gains while your

radio is at 80% to max with music playing, and tune the gain again until you hear

distortion, tuning back once you hear it.

Step 0 Finish it 1p

Last step! Reconnect all amplifiers (if you were tuning channels or amplifiers separately)

and turn your radio down to zero. Slowly ramp up the volume until you reach the 80% or

distortion, whichever comes first. If everything is set correctly, you will reach the 80%

without any distortion in any of your speakers. If not, find the corresponding gains for the

speakers/subwoofers that are distorting, and turn the gain down until they no longer

distort.

And that’s it! Do not exceed the 80% maximum on your radio. Keep in mind that different

genres of music might need different tuning to maximize the output. Now you’re all set

and your amplifiers are tuned!

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Car Stereos + "$at to /ook For

Every car requires a unique combination of car stereo components to sound great. A carstereo may sound excellent in one car, but sound terrible in another. Additionally, the

limitations in size and wiring configuration make selecting the best car stereo even more

difficult for you.

The best car stereos will give you the features you love while conforming to the

environment of your car and create an excellent reproduction of the music that you love.

With the right car stereo, you’ll be able to custom tailor frequencies to your car, integrate

your favorite music/media device, connect to your smartphone via bluetooth and much

more.

At CarAudioNow, we use multiple key criteria when rating products in our top lists,

including our Best Car Stereos and Head Units. Below is a list of criteria that we take

into consideration while choosing the best car stereos for your vehicle.

Power Ratings

Power ratings are extremely important feature to consider while choosing a car stereo.

Without an external amplifier, the power output of the car stereo is what dictates the

power of your speakers and ultimately the power of sound. There are typically two

power output ratings that are given with car stereos:

• Max Power Output: Max power rating is the maximum amount o power that thecar stereo can emit or short periods o time. It is the maximum amount o power thatwill be sent to our spea!ers "without an external amplifer#

• $M% "Continuous# Power Output: $M% power rating is the amount o power thatthe car stereo can emit at a constant or continuous rate. &his is the most importantpower output rating.

Along with power handling and output, the level of control of the output sound’s shape isalso very important. This control is typically made through a built-in equalizer (EQ). It

will allow you to tailor the shape of sound, raising or lowering the level of certain

frequencies in order to best optimize the output sound for the environment of your car.

The higher the number of bands that the car stereo’s equalizer has, the more you will be

able to customize the frequencies and shape of your music and sound.

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2ispla!

Display features play a huge role in how stylish and user-friendly car stereos are. High

end car stereos will have a high LED pixel count, and give customizable features like

color and brightness in order to match the color of your interior.

Pla!3ack

Playback can be defined as the methods that your car stereo is capable of playing back

audio. CD, DVD, MP3, HD Radio, Pandora, Auxiliary (Aux) Ports, Bluetooth; these are

all examples of playback types that the best car stereos will typically have.

You will want to make sure that the playback methods that you intend on using is

consistent with the playback features of the car stereo, otherwise you may be stuck with

a head unit that doesn’t play your music in the format that you have it. Here is a

breakdown of the most popular playback features in the best car stereos:

• '( $adio: '( $adio is the same radio stations that ou listen to) but with ahigher audio *ualit and more metadata than tradition radio. Metadata includes titles)artists) albums and more.

• C( Plaer: C( plaers will pla our a+orite C(s in multiple ormats) includingC()C(,$-$) MP/) AAC) A0 and MA.

• Auxiliar "Aux# Port: Auxiliar ports allow ou to connect an music de+ice thatou ma ha+e using a headphone connector. &picall) the best car stereos will ha+e anauxiliar port on the ront o the unit.

• Bluetooth: Bluetooth music allows ou to connect to our music on a smartphoneor other bluetooth enabled de+ice) plaing all o our music wirelessl rom our de+ice+ia a Bluetooth connection.

• 1%B Port: A 1%B port will allow ou to connect our music de+ices +ia a 1%Bconnection. It will allow ou to listen to our a+orite music rom our de+ice) whilecharging it or endless listen time.

• 2M $adio: 2M radio is satellite radio such as %irius2M) that allows ou to connectand listen to thousands o channels o radio +ia a satellite connection. &his increases theco+erage o radio that ou ha+e) howe+er re*uires a paid subscription.

Smartphone 4ntegration

All of the best car stereos allow you to fully integrate with your smartphone, enabling the

best features such as Pandora and Spotify while allowing you to answer phone calls

without touching your smartphone. With recent legislation prohibiting you from using

your phones while driving, it is becoming increasingly important for the best car stereos

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to fully integrate with your smartphone. Additionally, they will come with microphones

with noise-canceling technology that will hone in on your voice and eliminate road noise.

5xpan*a3ilit!

Expandability is what allows you to connect external components to your car stereo. The

best car stereos will have at least three 4volt RCA outputs (Front, Rear, Subwoofer),

Audio/Video (AV) input/outputs, rear view camera inputs (with compatible displays) and

a microphone input.

Now that you know what to look for in a car stereo, check out CarAudioNow’sBest Car

%tereos:

• Best In,(ash 3P% 4a+igation 1nits• Best In,(ash (0(-Multimedia 1nits

• Best %ingle (in Car %tereos

. thoghts on 6Car %tereos 5 hat to 6oo! 7or7

8. Pingbac!: Best Car %tereos o 98; 5 &op $ated 'ead 1nits

9. Pingbac!: Best In,(ash Car (0( 'ead 1nits 98; 5 &op $ated 0ideo $ecei+ers

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