The Best Car Speakers for Bass and Sound Quality

Choosing the best car speakers for bass and sound quality depends on how much inclined you are with listening to music. Different types of music may require different setups. Of course, there are budgetary considerations too.

However, the most expensive structure doesn’t mean it is the best set up for you. Some products with a high rating can only be enjoyed at a specific volume.

Some speakers need to be cranked up pretty high to get to the optimal zone. If you are not fond of listening to music loudly, it may still not be the best for you.

There are three Types of Car Speakers:

  • Coaxial car speakers
  • Surface mounted car speakers
  • Component car speakers.

Three Types of Car Speakers for Bass and Sound Quality

1. COAXIAL CAR SPEAKERS

Most vehicles that come out of the showroom are fitted with coaxial speakers. This setup has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your preference. But we could all agree on one thing about coaxial speakers: they are easier to install and operate.

It is easy to distinguish a coaxial speaker. If you see a small one mounted at the center of a bigger speaker, you probably have a coaxial speaker setup. If there is only one speaker panel on your car door, chances are, your car is fitted with a coaxial speaker.

 Advantages
Coaxial speakers are easy to install by yourself. These types of them usually have a small unit of crossover built-in at the back of the speakers to split the signal from your amplifier and direct them to the tweeter mounted at the center of your mid-range woofer.

As long as the impedance and wattage match your amplifier’s specifications, you can easily install it even without professional help.

• Disadvantages
Since they have their built-in crossovers, you are limited with a few presets and stiff control over your equalizer. For extreme car audiophiles, the idea of not being able to tweak your EQ is like a restraint. And because the two speakers spit sound in one linear point of origin, some dynamics of the music recording you are listening to might be canceled by each other.

2. COMPONENT CAR SPEAKERS

The component system is usually reserved for the higher end model. To know if you have a component system, look for a small one located on the higher panels of the car door or placed somewhere on your dashboard. If your car is already installed with a component car system and you want to upgrade, things will be much easier for you! The greatest advantage you have is that speaker wires are already installed. If you see how car speakers are meticulously installed and concealed, you will be thankful that you won’t have to do it!

• Advantages
A component system is the most versatile system you could have. There is a lot of room to experiment. The sound it produces is much crisp and clear. The location of each type of speaker is strategically chosen to optimize and recreate that live performance feel.

Each range of frequency can be sent to the speaker size to give you the most awesome audio experience. You also get more control over the EQ.  With the high-quality bass booster for car speakers, you can cut and boost some frequencies depending on the genre of music you are playing.

• Disadvantages
The big disadvantage you may face with a component system is its price. Setting up a component system can be quite costly. If you are going for an upgrade, which probably is the case, the stock amplifier may not be able to support the total wattage rating of all your speakers. This means that you would need to upgrade your amplifiers to which adds up to the cost. If you add a few more ones, other than the maximum your amplifier can handle, that would add up to the cost you have to pay.

However, if the budget is not really an issue, then you can go knock yourself out and set up your car speaker system with all the components you can get!

3. SURFACE-MOUNTED CAR SPEAKERS

We can all agree that surface-mounted car speakers will not match what coaxial and component systems can do. But not all cars can be fitted with a component or coaxial system! One of our friends has surface-mounted speakers installed in his car. Why? Because the size of a component system won’t just fit in his old car!

If you love music that much and you can’t physically fit the system in your vehicle, a good surface-mounted speaker system can be a great alternative.

• Advantages
Surface-mounted speakers may cost less than bigger setups. They can be quite easier to hook up with your amplifier too. Some Bluetooth models are rechargeable, and you won’t even need to hook them up! If you don’t have the luxury to fix a broken system, these will kill boredom during traffic. You can even detach them and bring them anywhere you go.

• Disadvantages
As expected, they cannot match the component and coaxial system regarding sound quality. Battery operated speakers can only play on a limited amount of time. These are quite small and have a lower power rating.


Below is a summary of what we found to be few of the top-rated car speakers for every type.

The Best Car Speakers

Surface-Mounted Car Speakers for Bass & Sound Quality


BMR Bluetooth Visor Handsfree

This Bluetooth speaker is designed to be mounted on your visor to give you a clear projection of music while you are traveling.

You will enjoy the top-rated bass songs in the car.

The slim and light design will not pull the visor down and get in the way. Although the manufacturer is not that known, it packs a decent enough quality to entertain you.

BMR Bluetooth Visor

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Product Details
It easily hooks up on your visor. It is Bluetooth enabled and will not need any wiring connected to your car head unit. You can connect it wirelessly to your music player. You can also connect this to your mobile phone and answer and make calls with it.

Best Use
If you are always on the go, you can easily slip this on your visor and play music with it. You can bring it with you when you get off your vehicle and share your music with your friends.

Installation
The installation procedure on this wireless one is straightforward. You just clip it to your visor and its done. You don’t need any special mountings to attach it to your visor.

Bass and Sound Quality
It plays audio tracks with good quality when you are right in front of it. However, the other people inside the vehicle may not enjoy your music as well as you do. The sound quality of the speaker is the best experience just right in front of it. Slightly deviating from the optimal position results in the loss of some trebles.

THINGS WE LIKED

  • It is very light and handy. You can mount it anywhere inside the car, preferably the visor, and play music with it.
  • This device is Bluetooth operated and does not need any physical connection to your music player.
  • You can easily take and make calls with this device.

THINGS WE DIDN’T LIKE

  • It may create a white noise that can isolate you from your passenger.
  • The audio track comes from a single channel which only projects good quality while you are in front of it.

COMMENTS ON BMR BLUETOOTH VISOR HANDSFREE
Car audio equipment expert says:
It's not the best surface-mounted speaker out there. It’s not the loudest one you can have. However, for its price, you get what you pay for.

The author's comments:
While the expert particularly points out that it’s not the best sounding speaker, I suppose it’s best for those who are busy with taking calls from their phone. This Bluetooth speaker seems optimized for this purpose as it has a dedicated call button.


Pioneer TS-X200 Surface Mount 3-Way Bass-Reflex

Pioneer is a Japanese brand that is known globally to produce high-quality speakers and other audio equipment. This 79-year-old company continues to research and revolutionize the audio industry and pushes it to keep moving forward. 

They set a very high standard of quality that brings the competition at a quick pace. They make sure that aside from their perfected analog designs, they keep up with the digital and current fad.

Pioneer TS-X200

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Product Details
This surface mounted speaker is not as portable as the first two mentioned above. They come in pairs and are about the size of a football. This device is fitted with three different speakers split by a built-in crossover. It has a 4-inch subwoofer, one 2 ½ inch mid-range woofer, and 1 ¾ inch tweeter. This can be added to your existing system or replace your broken speaker system.

Best Use
It is designed to augment your existing system setup. It can improve the highs and mids to give you that live feel. If you have a broken setup and you don’t want to spend that much, this can be a suitable replacement if you are not too particular with the richness of the music you listen also.

Installation
You will have to locate the channels where you need to attach yours. Be sure to match the impedance rating of your speaker system as this will add up to a load of your amp. Make sure that the wattage rating of your amplifier has enough room to handle an additional 160 watts.

Bass and Sound Quality
This football-sized three-way speaker gives out a great sound for its stature. It can fill your vehicle with loud music that you and your passengers can enjoy. It has a balanced bass, mid, and high just like a full-range system. But still, the bass lacks the vibe of a component system.

THINGS WE LIKED

  • Compared with full-range and component setup, this three-way speaker is easier to install.
  • No special mounting devices are needed to fit these speakers
  • These are good sounding speakers with a decent bass punch.

THINGS WE DIDN’T LIKE

  • Takes quite a space inside the vehicle.
  • Needs to be wired to your amplifier.

COMMENTS ON PIONEER TS-X200 SURFACE MOUNT 3-WAY BASS-REFLEX
Car audio equipment expert says:
This is an excellent addition to your system. It will add good mids and highs to the spectrum of your music. Just don’t expect the sound quality that you can get from a component system. Overall, these are fine.

The author's comments:
These are cool. It defines what a great speaker set up is during my era. However, the expert is right; today’s equipment has far better quality than the speakers in the past. But still, these are decent speakers that pack a good sound.


Coaxial Car Speakers for Bass & Sound Quality

Coaxial, or full-range speakers, as the name suggests, covers all the frequency range of your audio track. The price range of coaxial speakers and component system speakers are not that far from each other. There are affordable brands, and there are insanely expensive brands. However, coaxial speakers can become more affordable in the sense that you may not need to buy crossovers or upgrade your amplifier. Still, if you go for the top brands, you will have to pay top bucks.


Pioneer TS-A1670F 320W 6.5" 3-Way

Since 1938, Pioneer has been manufacturing speakers' equipment with top-notch quality. Nozomu Matsumoto, the founder of this company, started as an electrician and repairman himself. With his interest in audio equipment and natural talent, he started designing and tinkering his own designs. 

Today, Pioneer is one of the most well-known brands of audio equipment we can trust.

Pioneer TS-A1670F

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Product Details
This 6.5inch three-way speaker model by Pioneer is packed with 320 watts of peak power. Compared with their previous models, this 6.5-inch full-range speaker has an improved bass thump and a more dynamic range that can be easily tweaked according to your preference. Also, to make it  more appealing, Pioneer fitted it with a pleasing design.

Best Use
If you are into pop music ballads, and it will not let you down. It can greatly improve your speaker system, and you can easily install it by yourself.

Bass and Sound Quality
The sound quality of this after-market full-range speaker is amazing. With just a 6.5 inch subwoofer, you get to enjoy rich bass and excellent highs and mids. However, you may need to crank your volume a bit to get it to the right zone.

THINGS WE LIKED

  • This full-range speaker is built by a well-known manufacturer
  • It is fitted with Multilayer Mica Matrix Cone that gives a definitive bass.
  • Overall improved audio experience.

THINGS WE DIDN’T LIKE

  • Good quality sound can only be achieved at higher volume.
  • A little more expensive than the average equivalent product.

COMMENTS ON PIONEER TS-A1670F 320W 6.5" 3-WAY
Car audio equipment expert says:
It is awesome. It gives a decent bass for the size of its woofer. However, since the tweeters are fixed on the woofer, the source of music is linear. The middle of the car has a sweet audio spot.

The author's comments:
What can I say about It? Well, this device will rock my world. Well, mainly because of the difference in the type of music we listen to. But then again, it's not the best speaker for loud music.


Rockford Fosgate R1675X2 Prime 6.75-Inch Full Range 2-Way Coaxial

It was 1973 when Jim Fosgate realized that the human ears don’t pick up audio frequency the same as a multimeter picks it up. The human ear finds it difficult to hear the lows and the highs at low volumes. 

This prompted him to invent and patent the Punch EQ that adds up to 18dB to a selected frequency channel. This translated to a more versatile and flexible control that you can tweak to your liking.

Rockford Fosgate R1675

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Product Details
This 6.75-inch 2-way speaker is made of vacuum propylene cone and durable rubber surround. It has a built-in crossover that divides the frequency to the woofer and the tweeter. This product is packaged in sets of two and comes with mounting hardware and a grill cover.

Best Use
If you are solely listening to mellow music and instrumentals, this set of speakers is a nice upgrade. You don't have to spend that much, and it’s pretty easy to install. The car door speakers with good bass can be easy to fit your car door.

Bass and Sound Quality
The overall quality of this pair of them is decent. It packs good mids and highs. The bass is noticeable, but not exceptional. Cranking it at high volume still leaves the bass a little weak.

THINGS WE LIKED

  • It comes in sets of two that translates to money savings.
  • The box it comes with contains a mounting device that you can fit your car door in case the size does not match your specifications.

THINGS WE DIDN’T LIKE

  • It only has 90 watts maximum power output, which means it’s not the loudest one you could get.
  • The basses are not that punchy, especially at low volume.

COMMENTS ON ROCKFORD FOSGATE R1675X2 PRIME 6.75-INCH FULL RANGE 2-WAY COAXIAL
Car audio equipment expert says:
This 2-way speaker lacks power. It lacks volume and bass. Cranking it will only make the music loud, but not as pleasant as a well-balanced component system. It lacks the mids that three-way coaxial speakers project clearly.

The author's comments:
I simply agree with the expert. This is not the best out there, but decent enough, especially for its affordable price.


Rockford Fosgate Punch P1683 6 x 8-Inches Three-Way

With over 44 years of experience in making audio interface gadgetries, Fosgate is followed and patronized by a large group of consumers. Fosgate is a sensible company that caters a wide range of their client’s needs. It’s not just bigger or better. For them, it’s giving their clients what they truly enjoy.

Rockford Fosgate Punch P1683

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Product Details
This three-way speaker is designed to fit an 8-inch speaker mount. This oblong shaped speaker is designed to cover the lows, mids, and highs with clarity. The cone is made with mineral and propylene injected cones and butyl rubber surround. These materials have a high durability rating that can withstand a beating.

Best Use
This three-way speaker is a good upgrade if you want fuller sound in your vehicle. It increases the mids and adds some punchy lows. If you love jazz, they can bring out the best in them. However, it still lacks the lows.

Bass and Sound Quality
It spews great sound. It has clear mids and highs. Although, you will need to crank it up a bit to hear everything clearly. There seems to be a less bass response even at higher volumes.

THINGS WE LIKED

  • This can handle up to 65Hz to 24kHz.
  • The basket is designed to fit most 8-inch mounts.
  • Covers the lows, mids, and highs decently.

THINGS WE DIDN’T LIKE

  • This product is a little expensive for what it can do.
  • It needs to be cranked up to produce good sounds.

COMMENTS ON ROCKFORD FOSGATE PUNCH P1683 6 X 8-INCHES THREE-WAY
Car audio equipment expert says:
Overall, these are decent. It is rated at 135watts at its peak and can go on forever at 65 watts. Having two of these can boost your audio experience. However, you may need to upgrade your amplifier to accommodate two of these.

The author's comments:
These three-way speakers are great. I mean, what’s wrong with it? Well, it can be a little expensive. But it’s totally fine. However, the expert explains that the balance of the lows, mids, and highs are not optimized and may need a good equalizer to bring out the best out of it.


Component Car Speakers for Bass & Sound Quality

The Vehicle audio systems, no doubt, are the component system. we agree on this. A full-range coaxial speaker setup cannot beat a properly configured component system. The component system gives you a free hand to select your sub-woofers, woofers, tweeters, amplifiers, crossovers, and all the stuff that lets you have control over the range of frequency you listen to.

We can’t deny, however, that a good setup would cost you a lot more money. Here are three of the best car component speakers in the market,  you may want to consider.


Infinity Kappa 60.11CS  component system

You may not be fully aware, but, the chance that you have come upon and used a product by Harman is highly likely.

Or at least, you have used something that Harman devised. Infinity speakers have been acquired by Harman in 1983 and have since moved its production in global scale delivering high fidelity music to everyone.

Infinity Kappa 60

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Product Details
This Infinity Kappa component speaker packs 540 watts of power in two 6.5inch woofers. Each one has a maximum peak power of 270watts, and each is rated at 90 watts RMS. It comes with two tweeters and two external crossovers for easy installation.

Best Use
It package is a great upgrade for your vehicle. If you are tired of your old component or coaxial system, this new generation speaker will bring life to your music. This is a well-rounded speaker setup that will brighten most genres of music.

Bass and Sound Quality
This 6.5inch woofer packs a good bass with it and well-defined mids. In a small vehicle, this will bring rich music that will fill the air. The crossover divides the lows, mids, and highs that gives a better musical experience. Having them placed in different locations gives that live music feel.

THINGS WE LIKED

  • The 6.5-inch woofer packs high fidelity mids and basses.
  • It sets comes with brackets and adjustable mounts to make sure that it will fit your car door.
  • This product is manufactured by a well-known brand.

THINGS WE DIDN’T LIKE

  • It can be a little hard to install by yourself, especially for first-timers.
  • You might need to upgrade your amplifier for this.

COMMENTS ON INFINITY KAPPA 60.11CS COMPONENT SYSTEM
Car audio equipment expert says:
This is a good setup that brings out great quality. For the price, you get yourself a good deal. It brings a balanced feel compared with coaxial speakers because of the position of the tweeters.

The author's comments:
These speakers are awesome! Although it’s a little more expensive than coaxial speakers, it’s worth the buck to upgrade to a component system.


JBL GX600C GX Series Car Component

JBL is another brand owned by Harman. This company was founded by James Bullough Lansing and was named after his initials. They specialize in loudspeakers and other audio related electronics. 

They started with two product lines, consumer and professional, and eventually drifted to consumer electronics as they discover that they have a better edge with it.

JBL GX600C GX

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Product Details
JBL is known for their astounding quality worldwide. Their products are known to spit out great quality for their sizes. This 6.5-inch component system has a peak power rating of 420watts. It can continuously operate with clarity and without compromising quality at 140 watts RMS. 

Best Use
This 6.5 speakers with bass is a small monster on its own. For its size, you will be amazed at how much lows and mids it packs. Whether you like listening to heavy or mellow music, your listening experience will be perfect. Every genre of music will be much better with clear sounds.

Bass and Sound Quality
It gives better bass and mids that fills the air. Every thump can be heard clearly. The position and channeling of frequencies give out the best musical experience.

THINGS WE LIKED

  • JBL is an excellent brand that you can rely on.
  • They have innovated their products to enhance low frequencies with the design of the cone.
  • High peak power rating that can handle a party.
  • Great customer relations and support from their team.

THINGS WE DIDN’T LIKE

  • Its setup is quite expensive.
  • You might need to upgrade your amplifier to accommodate them.

COMMENTS ON JBL GX600C GX SERIES COMPONENT SPEAKERS
Car audio equipment expert says:
I have to be honest. These speakers are small to have the capabilities of a sub-woofer. These speakers are amazing and spew ground-shaking lows on high volume. The bass is still heard clearly at low volumes. If you could just add one more 8-12 inch sub-woofer, then everything is just perfect.

The author's comments:
I agree on what the expert says. There are not enough words to describe how amazing these speakers are. They give out punchy basses and great mids. It’s just a perfect experience to listen to them!


Installation of Car Speakers

Coaxial Car Speakers Installation

Before replacing your factory-installed speaker, check how much wattage rating your amplifier has. Matching wattage means that you can maximize the output of your speakers. However, if your amplifier has a lower wattage rating, you may not be able to drive your devices to its potential.

Now, find a manual on how to remove your door panel to reveal your speakers just behind it. Carefully remove it and unscrew your stock. Some factory wirings are connected with a Metra plug and play adaptors for easy upgrade. All you need to do is unplug and remove your old speakers and plug them into your new speakers.

COAXIAL-CAR-SPEAKERS-INSTALLATION

If you have larger or smaller devices to install, you may need to use a mounting bracket that usually comes with the speakers you bought. If you will need to drill a few holes to install the bracket, make sure that your windows are rolled up so that you will not accidentally hit it with your drill.

Now, when all the connections are made, it is highly suggested that you test it first to make sure all your connections are fine before reinstalling the panel. In case there are some connections that you need to reinstall or solder, you won’t be needing to remove the door panels again.

Now that your aftermarket speakers are installed, go for a spin and enjoy your music while you drive!

COMPONENT CAR SPEAKERS INSTALLATION

If you don’t have a working knowledge of electronics, you may want to have a professional install this for you. If you are really happy doing stuff yourself, you can watch video tutorials on the web on how to install a component car speaker.

Installing a component system is a lot more difficult than wiring a coaxial setup. Coaxial speakers have built-in crossovers which makes it easier. However, component setups have a separate crossover unit that needs to be mounted on the car door. This separate crossover divides and sends frequencies to your devices with a lot more precision. Also, this enables the component setup to place the speakers in different locations to give you a better feel.

Firstly, check the box and look for all the attachments you need. Most manufacturers include the wirings you need to hook it up to your existing system. Then, check your manual and find out how to remove your car door panel. After removing the car door panel, find a secure mounting place for your crossover. Usually, your aftermarket speaker set comes with mounts that have universal screw locations for easy installation. Now, remove your old one.

You will notice that there are 6 pins in your crossover where you will feed and send the signal. The default wiring on your car can be easy to follow. Hook up its wire to the input on the crossover. They are often labeled IN+ and IN-. Plug the negatives and the positives on the input dock.

The other four terminals are labeled with W+, W-, T+, and T-. W stands for woofer and T stands for the tweeter. Plug them respectively, and mount your speakers on your door loosely. Now, play some music to make sure that you got everything right. If everything is working well, tighten the screws and reinstall the car door panel. Now, enjoy great music while you drive!

COMPONENT-CAR-SPEAKERS-INSTALLATION

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In Summary

You already learned the qualities of each type of speaker setup. Although it’s a fact that component car speakers are the best car speakers you can get for bass and sound quality when properly setup, we don’t want to be snob and haters of other types.

Surface-mounted car speakers have their merits. It can be a quick fix and lets you have better control over your calls. So, if you are the type of person who has someone over the phone most of the time, BMR’s visor-mounted car speakers will be very useful.

On the other hand, if you just want to upgrade your existing setup without too much of a fuss, a coaxial speaker setup can be easily fitted to your car. Rockford Fosgate’s Punch P1683 6 x 8-Inches Full Range Speakers can be a luxurious upgrade already!

enjoyed car speaker

Lastly, if you are a car audiophile like us, a component system will give you the best music experience for the bass and sound quality while driving. JBL’s GTO609C Premium 6.5-Inch Component Speaker System packs great music for its size!

We hope you have enjoyed reading through and have finally figured out what car speakers for bass and sound quality you will get for your car.

References:

Coaxial loudspeaker - wikipedia
Car Audio Speakers - car audio help
Connected-Car- harman

10 thoughts on “The Best Car Speakers for Bass and Sound Quality”

  1. Component car speaker certainly is the best. I’ve got one set up in my car. It gives you a better opportunity for customization and good listening experience. I must confess, the sound quality is far superior. You don’t get such quality from coaxial speakers. However, it didn’t come cheap.

    Reply
  2. I Tried to do an upgrade/replacement for my factory fitted speakers myself and I got confronted with space problem. The components didn’t fit into the enclosure where the factory unit was previously. I eventually got a technician to do it. It’s been a great experience ever since.

    Reply
  3. Thank you for this article. I’ve tried HERTZ HSK 165XL in my car and it’s really great speaker and gave me an effective sound system in the car.

    Reply
  4. Although I doubted at the beginning when I read how effective the BMR’s visor-mounted car speakers could be during calls because I’m a call freak. But to my greatest surprise, it was like magic. Just with the dedicated call button. I could pick and make calls, while the music stops without having to put it off.

    Reply

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