A component car speaker is a car speaker that is made up of multiple parts. It is made up of a woofer, a tweeter, a crossover, an amp, and more. The speaker has a power supply that is usually a battery. It also has a wire that goes to the battery. The speaker can be mounted in many ways, such as in the dash, under the seat, in the trunk, or in the headliner.
In this post, we will explain what component car speakers are and how they can benefit your vehicle. We will also tell you about the different types of component car speakers available and how they work.
What Are Component Speakers in a Car?
Component car speakers are a system of “separates,” or individual components, like tweeters, woofers, and crossovers, that work together to provide great sound in your vehicle. Component car speakers are the best way to get the most out of your factory stereo. They’re also a great choice if you’ve upgraded to an aftermarket receiver, power amplifier, and digital signal processor.
Component car speakers give you the flexibility to choose where your tweeters (the “high notes”) and woofers (the “midrange” notes) are placed in your car for optimal sound quality. They also allow you to adjust the volume level of each speaker individually, as well as control how much bass they produce. Most component systems come with separate crossovers that send low frequencies to your woofers and high frequencies to your tweeters.
Component car speakers are usually sold as separates, which means you’ll have to buy the tweeters and the woofers separately and mount them in your vehicle. Unlike coaxial speakers, component speakers give you the ability to tune the sound of your system by allowing you to place the tweeters and woofers at different locations in your car or truck.
Component speakers are available in 2-way, 3-way, and 4-way configurations. The number indicates how many drivers are included in each speaker, so a 2-way component system includes a separate tweeter and woofer for each channel. A 3-way component system adds a midrange driver to that configuration. A 4-way system adds a supertweeter, a specialized tweeter designed specifically to reproduce ultra-high frequencies above 20 kHz.
Parts of Component Speakers
Component speakers are some of the best upgrades you can make to your car’s audio system. They offer a new level of quality and performance.
The difference with these speakers is that they consist of separate woofers, tweeters, and external crossovers, compared to coaxial speakers that are all in one housing.
Component systems are more complex than their coaxial counterparts, but they usually sound much better too. Here’s a quick look at the three main parts.
Tweeters
These are the smallest speakers in the component set. They’re designed to handle higher frequencies, which is commonly where vocals and instruments like cymbals, snare drums, and horns live. Most tweeters are dome-shaped, but some have horn designs.
The most common types of tweeters are soft-dome tweeters and hard-dome tweeters. Soft domes tend to sound smoother, while hard domes usually have more detail and clarity. You’ll often see hybrid component systems that use both types of tweeters at once: a soft dome for smoothness and a hard dome for detail.
Many component speaker sets allow you to adjust the tweeter position for better imaging. You can rotate them up to 90 degrees (depending on the model) so they aim toward the listener’s seat in your car for a more realistic soundstage.
The tweeter is typically mounted on the dashboard or door panel of your car.
Midrange and Midbass Drivers
Midrange and midbass drivers are the woofers of component speakers. These are the larger speakers that handle most of the music.
They have bigger magnets, surround suspensions, and baskets than tweeters do. They also need to move more air for bass, so they have larger cones.
The cones can be made from paper, polypropylene, aluminum, or other materials. The material is a matter of preference in terms of sound quality.
Some midrange drivers come with their own midrange housing and crossover network. You can mount these on a dashboard or in a door panel. Otherwise, you can mount them directly to the speaker adapter plate in your doors with the tweeter and crossover network.
Crossovers
Crossovers for component speaker systems are usually external, which means you can mount them discreetly on your doors. These crossovers act like traffic cops for your audio signals. They send the low frequencies to the woofer and the high frequencies to the tweeter.
One of the biggest benefits of external crossovers is that they allow for more precise tuning options. You can control which frequencies each speaker will play, as well as adjust their volume levels, phase alignment, and other factors. External crossovers also keep mid-range sounds from bleeding into the tweeters and distorting the music.
There are two different types of crossovers: passive and active.
Passive Crossovers
A passive crossover is a simple circuit that’s typically made with capacitors and inductors. They’re built into the woofer or tweeter housing and control which frequencies should be sent to each speaker. In component systems, they’re usually external.
Active Crossovers
Active crossovers are electronic devices that require power (usually from your amp) to operate. They’re much more complex than passive crossovers because they allow you to adjust the exact frequency point and range for the woofer and tweeter.
How Do Component Speakers Work?
The component speaker system is the best solution to get the most from your car audio system. It’s also the most complicated to install, but if you are an audiophile or a music lover, it will be worth putting in that extra effort as component speakers outperform coaxial speakers by a wide margin.
Component speakers, as the name implies, are made up of two or more parts, each specialized for a specific frequency range.A component speaker system typically consists of tweeters, super tweeters, midrange and woofers.
The tweeters and midranges are called “drivers” while the woofers are referred to as “woofers.” Drivers are responsible for producing high and middle frequencies, respectively, while woofers generate low frequencies that create a deep, resonant bass sound.
Combining all these elements into one speaker unit is technically difficult since each unit has its own magnet and voice coil assembly. The result is usually lower quality sound. With separate parts, like in a component speaker system, each unit can be made to do its job perfectly, which leads to high-quality sound.
The Benefits of Component Speakers
Component car speakers are a great choice for those who love listening to their favorite tracks while driving their cars. These speakers consist of several components that make them superior to other types of speakers. Let us take a look at some of the benefits provided by component car speakers:
Better Sound Output
Component car speakers offer better sound output than regular or coaxial car speakers because they have separate tweeters and woofers. This makes them ideal for those who need better sound quality while listening to music in their cars. It also increases the clarity of the sound produced by these speakers as well as their bass response.
More Durable
Component car speakers are more durable than regular or coaxial car speakers because they are made with superior quality materials like aluminum, silk, and steel that protect the cones from damage while improving their sound quality. These materials also protect the speaker from moisture, dust, and heat.
Change Sound Direction
One of the major advantages of component car speakers is that they give you the freedom to change the direction of sound. These speakers can be installed at different places in a car according to your preference to enjoy an amazing sound experience.
Unique Design
Component car speakers are designed using the latest technology and techniques to deliver excellent sound quality. The unique design of these speakers works best with powerful amplifiers and subwoofers to give you an enhanced audio experience.
The Disadvantages of Component Speakers
The Cost
Component car speakers usually cost more than other types of speakers. That’s because they often have a better sound quality, which is the main reason people opt to buy them. Because they are more expensive, some people may decide not to get them, even if they want that high-quality sound.
The Installation Process
Installing the speakers can be difficult too, which is why it’s important for drivers to make sure that they find someone who knows how to install them correctly if they plan on buying them for their cars.
In some cases, drivers can even damage their car’s electrical system if they install the speakers incorrectly, so it’s important that they know what they’re doing before they put in the speakers by themselves.
Related: How to Install Car Speakers – Step by Step Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are 6.5 Component Speakers?
6.5 refers to the width of the cones themselves, which are typically made out of aluminum or polypropylene. The measurements are in millimeters, so it’s 6.5 inches across and 5.25 inches tall, or a little more than three inches high. The woofer cone is usually made in one piece (unlike most speakers where it’s screwed onto a metal grill) and can be horn-loaded to deliver more power while minimizing distortion.
The main advantage of 6.5 car components is that they don’t need to be placed as close together as their larger counterparts to achieve the same listening distance, which means you have more room for your furniture or your couch (as well as your coffee table). They’re also usually much less expensive than their larger counterparts, which makes them excellent for DIY home audio systems where you’re trying to build everything yourself without spending too much money on things like stands.
Do Component Speakers Have Good Bass?
Component speakers have a number of advantages, but bass is not one of them. Component speakers are very good at mid-range frequencies, but can be weak in the lower frequencies. To compensate for this, you should make sure to add an amplifier and a subwoofer to your system.
Do I Need an Amp for Component Speakers?
When it comes to component speakers, you need an amplifier to drive them.
Let’s say that you have a factory stereo in your car that has built-in amplification. If your factory stereo is powerful enough to drive your component speakers at moderate volume levels without any distortion, then you’ve got plenty of power.
However, if your factory stereo’s built-in amp isn’t quite cutting it, or if you want more power than the factory amp provides (a common situation), then adding an external amplifier is the way to go.
Do I Need a Subwoofer with Component Speakers?
When you use component car speakers, you do not need a subwoofer. However, a subwoofer can be added to supplement the low frequencies. This can be especially helpful if your vehicle has limited space for large woofers or if you want to play music at high volume levels.
In most cases, it’s best to add a subwoofer to an existing system rather than start with a subwoofer and add component speakers later.
Can You Mix Coaxial and Component Speakers?
Yes, you can mix coaxial and component speakers.
In a nutshell, the problem with mixing coaxial and component speakers is that they’re almost always not voiced to match one another. Each speaker driver (woofer, tweeter, and so on) has a crossover or filter that controls which frequencies each one gets. These filters are usually tuned to work with the specific drivers in the system.
So if you mix and match components from different speaker systems, you’ll likely end up with a mismatch in sound quality.
Conclusion
Component speakers are a great choice for any car owner who is looking to replace their factory speakers or to upgrade the sound quality in their vehicle. They typically offer a higher quality sound and can produce more bass than their factory counterparts. With such flexibility, component speakers are an excellent choice for almost any vehicle.
