The Best Car Speakers (Including from Top Brands Like JBL and Hertz)
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Welcome to the Thomas guide to the best car speakers 2023. Thomas has been connecting North American industrial buyers and suppliers for more than 120 years. When you purchase products through our independent recommendations, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Car speakers help boost sound quality in your vehicle, which in turn enhances your mood and makes any journey a much more enjoyable one. Having the right set of audio equipment helps transform your favorite music, podcasts, or audiobooks, from a muffled hum in your car’s audio system to superior sound quality. Some vehicles have decent factory speakers, but others don’t always offer the best quality, especially car speaker brands on older model vehicles, so for a better overall experience in your vehicle, perhaps a car speaker sound system upgrade is in order.
Some factory speakers offer poor audio but replacement car speakers can boost sound quality
Image credit: Shutterstock/Bykfa
A speaker system should offer a clear and natural sound for maximum satisfaction. There is also the option to buy subwoofers along with the car’s sound system which are made up of multiple components to really draw out the bass in the music. Luckily, subwoofers aren’t what they once were about 10-15 years ago. With cutting-edge technology, and optimal sound dispersion, these speakers deliver peak output and are made from high-quality materials designed with great sound quality. What’s more, they no longer take up the entire trunk space either; these car audio systems are now compact size speakers.
Popular and well-known car speaker brands are JL Audio, Kicker Audio, Blaupunkt, Pioneer, Boss, and Sony. But there are some lesser-known brands that are worth knowing about with lower price tags and remarkable quality.
Here is a list of the best car speakers, followed by a buying guide to help you select the best car speakers for your needs
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Thomas’ Top Picks for the Best Car Speakers 2023
To upgrade to the best sound quality in your car, browse the best speakers designed for music lovers available to buy in 2023.
Best Three-Way Car Audio Coaxial Speakers: Rockford Fosgate R165X3 | Buy Now
Best Premium Audio Speakers: Hertz MPX 165.3 | Buy Now
Best Bass Response Aftermarket Speakers: Boss Audio Systems CXX12 | Buy Now
Best Easy to Install Car Audio Speakers: Skar Audio Single 10in 1200W | Buy Now
Best 3-Way Full Range: Rockford Fosgate P1675 Punch | Buy Now
Best 4-Way Compact Car Speaker: Sony XS-R1646 | Buy Now
Best for Wide Range of Sound (Music, Podcasts, Audiobooks, etc.): JBL GX628 GX Series | Buy Now
Best Multi-Use Audio System: Skar Audio SK65M | Buy Now
Best for A Booming Bass: JBL GT0939 3-Way Coaxial | Buy Now
Best for Brand Loyalty and Quality: Blaupunkt 360W 4-Way Coaxial | Buy Now
Scroll down to see our top picks for the best car speakers 2022 according to thousands of happy buyers.
*Prices listed in this article were as shown in US$ on amazon.com (USA) and walmart.com as of November 2022
1. Best Three-Way Coaxial Speakers—Rockford Fosgate R165X3 Car Speakers
For an affordable set of car speakers that packs a punch, Rockford has you covered. These three-way coaxial, soft touch trim, 6.5-inch speakers have a peak power of 90w each, with rubber surround, vacuum polypropylene cones, a silk dome, and Piezo tweeter and midrange. Speaker grilles and all the mounting hardware are included.
With over 3,000 reviews, customers were impressed with the good sound quality, and one stated they are “very, very worth every penny.” Another content customer wrote, “I matched these with the 400w Kenwood speakers’ amp and the improvement was amazing. They are a good step up from stock, but don’t expect to blast the neighbors three miles away.”
Specifications
Maximum power level: 200w
Subwoofer diameter: 6.5in
Weight: 9.7 pounds
2. Best Premium Audio Speakers—Hertz MPX 165.3 Car Speakers
The Hertz MPX 165.3 Pro 6.5-inch two-way coaxial speaker rivals some of the top car speaker brands with its clear sound. This woofer cone is made from pressed-pulp with cotton fibers. A lot of customers not only installed these in their cars but on their motorcycles too.
One happy customer wrote, “These speakers look great, huge magnets, great quality of construction, and fit great.” Another reviewer boasted, “These babies are awesome; love them. You hear so much more instruments and [they have] crazy mid-range.”
Specifications
Maximum power level: 1000w
Continuous power handling: 100w / peak power: 200w
Weight: 2.8 pounds
3. Best Bass Response Aftermarket Speakers—Boss Audio Systems CXX12
For the $35 price tag, you get a lot of bass in this audio system by Boss. It reaches a maximum power handling of 1000w and an RMS power handling of 500w. Made with a Butyl rubber surround, an aluminum voice coil, and a poly injection cone, the 12-inch subwoofer provides a more upgraded sound than most speakers.
“It’s actually a good sub, has a fat surround and aluminum former, and gets pretty low too,” wrote one delighted customer. Another buyer commented, “I hooked it up in a box Ford that I purchased from Walmart after I sealed it and, I must say, 1500w amp is booming.”
Specifications
Max power level: 1000w
Weight: 7.8 pounds
Voice coil structure: Single
4. Best Easy to Install Car Audio Speakers—Skar Audio Single 10in 1200W Car Speakers
The Skar 10-inch audio system with double front baffle arrives pre-wired and is one of the best new speakers you could buy. It has a single 10-inch wedge and is made from ⅝-inch MDF. Many customers commented that these Skar car speakers are even better than the highly popular 10-inch and 12-inch Kicker speakers.
Reviewers cautioned, however, that it’s important to break these subwoofers in carefully so as not to blow the sound system. One customer wrote, “Great product. It was interesting to see how it would compare to my Kicker Comp 12-inch… I’d have to say, Skar has far exceeded my expectations.”
Specifications
Max power level: 1200w
Dimensions: (W) 16.5-in (H) 12.5-in (D) 15-in
5. Best Build Quality in Car Speakers—Rockford Fosgate Punch P1675 Car Speakers
The audio you get from the Punch P1675 car speaker is smooth, yet loud… if you want it to be. This PEI dome tweeter, 6.75-inch, three-way speaker is a great product that won’t let you down. The sound is impressive and these speakers are easy to install. There is also an adapter kit to mount into the door panel of various older cars.
One reviewer bought these for his son’s Jeep with a sub and wrote, “[The] lows are cut off. The highs and mids scream with zero distortion out of the 50-watt pioneer deck. Highly recommend these car speakers.”
Specifications
Max power level: 120w
Mounting diameter: 5.68-in
6. Best Compact Four-Way Speakers—Sony XS-R1646 4-Way Car Speakers
An affordable, yet mighty piece of car audio equipment from tech giants, Sony, are the XS-R1646 6.5-inch, 4-way full-range speakers. The punchy bass is down to the mica matrix cone woofer and high power handling of 270w maximum power output. They’re small and neat space savers which are also easy to install.
One 5-star reviewer praised these speakers for being “better than the stock speakers in the SUV” they had installed them in. “Sony have outdone themselves,” they continued. “They are honestly pretty impressive and the sound quality is great.”
Specifications
Max power level: 270w
Weight: 3.03 pounds
7. Best for Wide Range of Sound (Music, Podcasts, Audiobooks, etc.)—JBL Car Speakers GX628 GX Series
With peak power handling of up to 180w, the sound quality on these car speakers from JBL is rich and there’s even a built-in microphone. The power is conducted evenly and the frequency settings ensure the sound of your music, podcasts, or audiobooks are not distorted. There’s a 6.5-inch subwoofer and 50Hz–21kHz wider frequency response.
According to multiple reviewers, these are quite impressive on low and high frequencies. “Six times better than my GM stock speakers,” wrote one customer. “I bought the extra mounting kit for my Chevy. You’ll never regret the sound quality.”
Specifications
Peak Power: up to 180w
Weight: 4.62 pounds
8. Best Multi-Use Audio System—Skar Audio SK65M Car Speaker System
The Skar Audio SK65M has a 6.5-inch subwoofer diameter and is made to withstand the toughest conditions—this is why many customers also used these speakers for their motorcycles and boats. Sold as a pair, these 2-way coaxial marine grade speakers have a peak power rating of 320w and are designed to give you maximum volume and sound clarity while keeping water out.
Other features include a one-inch marine-grade sile dome tweeter, a microfiber composite mineral-filled mid-woofer cone with butyl surround, and a 6.10-inch diameter bolt hole circle. One customer, a marine installer and “die hard JL Audio guy”, explained, “I have to admit that I am quite impressed. These speakers are well made and sound great.”
Specifications
Max power level: 320w
Frequency response: 57Hz–20,000Hz
9. Best for a Booming Bass—JBL GTO939 GTO 3-Way Speakers
For car audio with booming bass, the JBL GTO939 is an affordable option and does the job well. These 6×9-inch 3-way coaxial speakers have a built-in microphone, plus one woofer cone is made with a rubber surround, meaning they’ll last longer. This speaker also has a tweeter and supertweeter to tune into level control better.
The tweeter domes are made of mylar/titanium composite and there is a three-inch mounting depth. Some customers found that these speakers produced a better sound quality after they burned them in. “After burning them in, they sound incredible,” confirmed one buyer. “For the next 3-5 hours they loosened more. The bass that the 6×9’s produce is almost enough to forgo a sub.”
Specifications
Max power level: 300w (per speaker)
RMS: 200w per pair
10. Best for Brand Loyalty and Quality—Blaupunkt 360w 4-Way Coaxial
The Blaupunkt 6.5-in produces 360w peak power, has 90db sensitivity, and a 120 RMS power output. These are a 4-way speaker designed to blow you out of the water with their sound. With over 90 years of experience in the car audio industry, these component speakers by Blaupunkt are made with polypropylene cones. The surround is made up of butyl rubber and mylar dome tweeters.
“Back in the big Blaupunkt day, you had to have saved up to buy these. Now? It blew me away when I saw the prices,” praised one customer, after looking over various car audio speaker brands. “Yes, they still rock. Amazing deal! I’m buying more in different sizes.”
Specifications
Max power level: 360w
The Best Car Speakers 2023—Summary
For a premium set of speakers that will make a huge difference to the sound quality in your car, and able to play both low and high frequencies clearly, customers favored the Hertz MPX 165.3 Pro (US$370.99, Amazon). They are a top set of speakers with “crazy mid-range” sound quality, delivering a continuous power handling of 100w.
The materials of woofers and tweeters can make all the difference to your car speakers, which is why Blaupunkt’s 6.5in (US$99.95, Amazon) 4-way speaker Amazon is another top product that was highly praised by customers. Blaupunkt has over 90 years of experience in the industry and as far as coaxial speakers go, these are built with the best quality for the woofer cones and with rubber for the surround.
Choosing the Best Car Speakers and Audio Systems—Buying Guide
Below we’ve put together a list of the best speakers for your car if you think it’s time to change out your old speakers. There are even some options for dual-use and ones that can also be installed on a motorcycle or a boat. But first, a little information on how to choose the best speaker system for your needs.
How to Choose Car Audio Speakers with Good Sound Quality
Choosing speakers for your car can be an arduous task, especially if you don’t really know anything about speaker system classes or frequency response. Typically it’s best to start with the front speakers in the driver and passenger doors. These fit on a door panel. Here you can fit a woofer (which is the main big speaker) and above you can fit a tweeter (smaller speakers which emit higher range sounds).
If you are adding in front and rear speakers, ensure the audio system you have is ‘voice-matched’. This usually means having the same brand and series of speakers set up. In our list below, you will however see that some customers have found you can mix brands and this can work successfully. This can also be a more affordable way of installing a car’s speakers.
Rear speakers or tailgate speakers are often full-range and contribute to the sound experience emitted from the front speakers. If you don’t usually have passengers, then the sound enthusiast in you will look to this for the best option.
Size
If you love turning up your music, when it comes to a car speaker set, bigger is better. However, audio systems these days are built small and mighty. Nowadays, smaller speakers feature the same audio quality and power of speakers thrice the size a decade ago, so don’t let size fool you.
Full range speakers
Full-range speakers consist of all the sound elements required; woofer for the low sounds, tweeter for the higher sounds. Other options include two-way speakers and 4-way speakers which offer midrange and supertweeter qualities. Full-range speakers are ideal if you’re interested in replacing factory speakers with minimal effort.
Component speakers
In a component speaker, the tweeter is separated from the woofer so it can be mounted higher up in your car. A component speaker will usually include separate woofers, tweeters, and external crossovers. The external crossover system uses high-quality components to deliver sharp, more precise (delineation) between woofer and tweeter. In short, music can have a lot more punch.
Power output
Factory stereos will typically deliver low power (10-15w per channel) than aftermarket ones. To provide good sound quality, a high-power stereo or amplifier should be paired with a low-sensitivity rated speaker. A low-power stereo should be paired with a high-sensitivity-rated speaker. Another note for power is the RMS rating; this is what should be considered when thinking about how much power your speaker can handle.
A speaker rated with 50w RMS will pair better with a low-powered stereo than a speaker rated 10-80w. So if you’re using a factory system for power, buy speakers with low RMS watts. If you have an aftermarket stereo, buy speakers with 75w RMS output. For those who have aftermarket amps, it’s best to match the RMS power to the amp’s specs provided in the manual.
Materials
Factory speaker sound quality degrades over time because they’re usually made of paper cones. The aftermarket speaker cones are made from high-grade materials, which are more durable and are designed to move easier and for sound to flow better, and therefore last longer. A tweeter’s materials can make a big difference to the sound quality. They’re usually made with soft materials like poly or textile blends such as silk to give you that refined sound.
If you’re interested in snappy sounds, go for tweeters made with hard materials like metal or graphite. For woofers, the surrounding material plays a vital role for the woofer’s performance. Usually surrounds made from rubber will last longer, but foam and cloth materials are cheaper and can perform just as well.
We hope our review of the best car speakers has been helpful and you found the best digital entertainment products to play your favorite music in your car including Bluetooth speakers, and subwoofers.
For more suppliers of related products, including audio speaker crossovers, wireless speakers, home theater speakers, and radio and stereo tuners, consult our additional guides, or visit the Thomas Supplier Discovery Platform.
