Understanding the 6 Types of Car Audio Speakers

Hello to all of those who's scratching their heads over what speakers to pick. This time we are going to look and understand at what type of speakers are available from aftermarket car audio. This will be the key to determine on how to build your system and what can be done for your car. 

1. Tweeters


To put in simple terms a tweeter is responsible to handle higher pitched and minute sounds. For car audio they typically come in 1 inch and does not have a suspension to move up and down when compared to a normal speaker that we usually see. A tweeter is a small, specialized loudspeaker that reproduces high-frequency audio, also known as treble. Its name is derived from the high-pitched "tweets" of birds.


2. Mid-Range Speaker

A mid-range speaker does exactly what the name suggests. Produce mid-range frequencies which covers most of the sound in music and plays an important part to reproduce vocals. Sizes can vary depending on the brand, model and preference but they all generally work the same way. Will this speaker produce bass or high pitched sound and is it important for this speaker to play those sounds? NO.



3. Mid-Bass Speaker

Midbass speakers produce the punchy lower tones, like drums and strong beats. They add weight and energy to the music. In a car they are usually found on doors, kick panels and rear parcel shelves/deck. 



4. Subwoofer

Subwoofers create deep bass. These are the lowest sounds that you feel as much as you hear. A subwoofer completes the overall depth of your audio system. This particular speaker type is not really common to come from factory. Although not common there are some car manufacturers that include them in their premium audio package. 



5. Component Speaker System

A component system separates the tweeter, midrange, and sometimes midbass into different units. This gives cleaner and clearer sound because each part can be placed where it works best. It takes more work to install, but the sound quality is usually better. The small box you see on the picture above is called a crossover which separates the sound to the respective speakers, for example treble to the tweeter and bass to the midbass. By separating the sound this way, the speakers do not get frequencies they can't handle. This keeps the music clear, clean, and balanced. It also protects the speakers from damage.



6. Coaxial Speaker

A coaxial speaker combines multiple speakers in one unit. It usually has a woofer with a tweeter built into it. This makes it easy to install and gives you a full range of sound without needing separate speakers. Notice the small thing circled in red? Thats a tweeter. In general most coaxial speakers sound less performing than a component speaker system of the same brand and series because they need to do 2 jobs at once. 



This time we are going to only talk about these as most people looking for car speakers are confused on this. Next time around we will look into the difference between a the types of component speaker systems available and what will suit your car.