Whether you have an older car, you have blown a speaker in your newer model or you simply want to upgrade what you currently have, a component speaker set can be an excellent way to increase sound quality. Before you rush off and buy speakers though, there are a few things that you need to think about before you commit. If you are unsure of where to start, or even what a component speaker set is, don’t worry we’re here to help. Here the key things you need to know before you part with your hard-earned cash.
What Is A Component Speaker Set?
A component speaker set is made up of, funnily enough different components. Component speakers create amazing sound quality in your vehicle by using different speakers throughout. Component speakers are made up of tweeters (usually the ones in the doors near your feet) and subwoofers, the bigger speakers located towards the back of your vehicle. These separate speakers work together to give you an amazing tonal rage. The tweeters will handle the higher pitched, more delicate frequencies and the subwoofers will handle the lower frequencies and bass. There is not a lot worse than having that awful muffled and cracked bass sound, with component speakers, this will be a thing of the past.
How Do Component Speakers Work?
When you install a component speaker set, you aren’t just going to be installing the speakers. Remember we said that one set will handle one range of tone and the other will handle the other range? Well, you need to direct these tones to the right speaker. This is where the cross over comes in. A cross over can be hidden away in your vehicle so it doesn’t have to be seen, but it is an important piece of kit. It acts like a gate keeper to your speakers. It will direct higher pitch tones to your tweets and lower pitch tones to your subwoofer. As soon as a tone reaches a particular pitch, the gate keeper opens the channel to allow it through, simple right? Head up to Caraudiologic to know further.
Power
Depending on what sized system you are thinking of running, the power demands will change accordingly. If you want a modest component set, then chances are you won’t need an amplifier. But if you are looking to make a statement with your audio and want to run a big subwoofer, you will need big power. Some component speaker sets will work just fine on power derived from your standard head unit, but some will need an amplifier that you will have to get wired in. This boost of power will make all the difference if you want to run a big set, without this you will find that your speakers draw too much power and you may have difficulty running them to the desired standard and drain your battery.
Space
One of the big things people don’t tend to factor in when they are putting together their component speaker set is the space that they will need in order to do it. If you are wanting a big system that needs big power to run, you will need the next three things. A big subwoofer, an amplifier a big boot. A big subwoofer wil easily fit in the back of most reasonably sized boots, but you don’t want to go so excessive that you lose all of your space, you never know when you’ll need it. You’ll also need to factor in where you are going to put your amplifier. You don’t want it wired too far away from your subwoofer as you won’t maximise the power that you can deliver to it. Think about how much space you can afford to lose, but it isn’t just the subwoofer that may be going in the boot. Or you could think outside the box and have the amplifier fixed on the parcel shelf, but then brings the issue of your equipment being on show and the potential for it to be stolen.
Plan
We’re all hardwired to think that bigger is better but with component speaker sets, that isn’t always the case, especially when you can lose valuable space in your car. Research which subwoofer and tweeter set will give you the best range without taking up all your space. Before you settle on the system, plan it first! This way you can see how it will fit together in your car before you buy all of the parts. If you are unsure of whether or not your system will work, there are an array of specialists that can help.
Cost
You don’t need to spend all of money to end up with an excellent speaker system. You may find that you can pick up a high-end system that has been used a few times second hand. You can also get amazing value new systems that are topflight sound for limited cost. Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean you get what you want and here you can pass up on the big brands that you know and chose smaller brands that specialise in these types of system. There is a wealth of knowledge in local audio shops and online that can give you advice for the best system in your price range.
Final Thoughts
Before you part with any money it is worth having a think about what type of system you want versus what type of system you can have in your car. You don’t want to buy a system that takes up all of your boot space, when you can get a smaller, more powerful system that leaves you somewhere to put your shopping. One of the best ways you can maximise your space and make sure you get a sound system that makes your music sound amazing is by planning. The more you can plan your system and work within your budget and space constrains the better the overall outcome will be. If you want a big power system, then it will be worth putting in an amplifier to make sure everything gets the power that is needed to run correctly. If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to planning your component speaker set, there are an array of experts that can help you.
