NOTE:This page does not cover subwoofers.

Car speakers have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years. It is now possible to get car speakers that will sound as good as anything you've ever heard.

Basically, you have two choices. You can go with integrated speakers which have more than one unit in the speaker housing, or you can go with Separates (which have a separate hosing for each unit). Separates are usually more expensive than integrated units but are regarded as better sounding (as a rule). Separates also allow the owner more flexibility as the tweeter and woofer can be moved independently.

Seperates usually come with their own Crossover network while integrated units tend to use very simple cross-overs (just a capacitor).

It is hard to qualify what a good speaker sounds like. As long as it is well made and will stand up to the rigors of the car environment, the best judge is your ears. Try to get an audition of different speakers. It is best if they are auditioned in a car because they will sound very different in a car as opposed to a show-room.

When buying speakers, it is a good idea to keep in mind what size speakers will fit in your factory locations. It is always possible to make a custom housing but this can be very troublesome and sometimes costly. If ease-of-installation is important, it is a good idea to buy direct replacements.

It is usually a good idea to buy speakers made by reputable manufacturers; some are: Kicker, Cerwin Vega, JBL, Pioneer, MB Quart and Infinity.

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