Boss Speakers Review – In-Depth Overview, Tips, FAQs & More

While buying speakers for your car or marine, you should be mindful of a dozen different factors, otherwise, you’ll end up buying something you’ll regret. 

Here we’ve tried to compile all the necessary information you’ll need to make yourself well-informed about the car and marine speakers.

Components of a Speaker

Tweeters

Tweeters are types of car speakers that are designed to play higher frequencies which the woofers aren’t able to make. They are very important for high-quality music. They are usually small in size than woofers. 

They consist of a voice coil, a magnet, a grill, and the outer corpus. 

Their name comes from the similarity between high-pitched sounds and birds tweeting. Tweeters produce high-pitched sounds, because of which they are directional. In cars, tweeters are either fitted with woofers or separately on side doors. 

Woofers

Woofers are types of loudspeakers that handle the lower frequency-range of sound. Woofers can be further categorized into several types:

Standard Woofers

Standard woofers operate between a range of 20 Hz to 2000 Hz. They have a high bass sound as they produce the lowest frequencies. Generally, the woofers installed in your car speakers are standard speakers.

Subwoofers

Subwoofers produce sounds in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 200 Hz. They are usually used as an addition to the standard woofers to improve upon their bass. They are a good option to have if your speakers lack bass

Mid-range speakers

Mid-range speakers have a frequency range of 500 Hz to 4000 Hz that lies right in between that of tweeters and woofers. These are the major component of a speaker as most of the sounds we hear like human voices, musical instruments, and other common sounds are in this range.

They are generally present with other components of a speaker. They are also present in the main part of all speakers.

Generally, tweeter, woofers, and mid-range speakers are present in the same cone. Some car speakers also have a separate tweeter in the side door pane to make them sound more directional.

Types of Speakers – Which is best for you?

Speakers, in general, have different types depending upon their structure and placement of different components. 

Full-Range Speakers

Full-range speakers produce all of the frequencies from a single point. This good quality makes them highly sensitive and decrease their power-handling requirement without decreasing the volume. 

Unlike component speakers, it doesn’t have separate components to produce different sets of frequencies. However, they can have some problems. The production of all sounds from a single source may result in the cancellation and distortion of sounds.

Coaxial Speakers

Coaxial speakers have all the speaker components on the same axis. The tweeter, mid-range speaker, and woofer are assembled next to each other. All of the frequencies coming from a point source result in a better and smoother audio quality and clarity.

They also take less space and can be fitted in a car’s side door. Their possible disadvantage is that the intermodulation of lower and upper frequencies can cause sound distortion.

Component Speakers

Component speakers have non-assembled parts: tweeters, mid-range speakers, and woofers that are fitted separately. This can increase the work to install but the advantages of component speakers account for it. 

Component speakers have better tonal quality, multi-directional sound, and imaging. They make you feel like you’re sitting in front of a stage. All of the components are connected by crossovers. Adding an amplifier can increase the audio quality.  

Component speakers can be difficult to install and can cost a little high. Also, if your car does not has the mounts for the components, you’ll need to drill holes.

Match the Speakers with your car

The first and most important step in finding the aptest speakers for your vehicle is matching it with your vehicle model. Your search can go futile if you end up with something which can’t fit in your car or marine. 

Most stores on amazon have a ‘finder bar’. By putting your car’s model, and company, you can find which speakers are compatible with your car. If the product doesn’t have these features, you can simply check the dimensions of your previous speakers and match them with the product’s dimensions.

Qualities to Look for

After getting to know the different types and components of a speaker, you should know some features and qualities that are essential for better sound quality and experience. 

Sensitivity

Sensitivity in speakers is the measure of how efficiently an amplifier converts electrical energy to acoustic energy.  It is the volume at which the speakers give optimum performance. The higher it is the better. 

Sensitivities ranging around 88 dB are considered to be moderate. A speaker with a sensitivity of less than 84 dB is considered to be poor in sensitivity. Sensitivity values higher than 92 dB fall in the high-end range.

Speaker Structure

A speaker’s structure is very important in determining what its audio quality will be. The structure can be divided into two parts:

• Material

The material of the speaker’s cone should be lightweight. Lightweight material helps to improve the sound signal’s response capacity. The material should be rigid; otherwise, it can produce unwanted frequencies.

High-temperature variations can damage certain materials, the materials used in car speakers should temperature-adapting and moisture-resistant. Polyurethane and polypropylene are generally considered apt materials for cones.

• Design

Speakers come in a number of different types including full-range, component, and coaxial speakers have different designs. This depends totally on your liking. If you want a stage music type performance, component speakers will be best for you. If you like small and compact models, full-range or coaxial speakers will work for you.

Power-Handling

The more speaker power is the better. Some companies write down the peak value for power. You should always look for RMS value. Greater power-handling means less chance of distorting audio at high volumes. 

Summing it All

A good speaker should first and foremost befit to your vehicle and then it should have high sensitivity, lightweight material, high power, and compact design.