Coaxial Vs Component Speakers: Which One Is The Best Choice
Which is better; coaxial speakers or component speakers? It’s pretty confusing to decide. Several factors matter here; those may work for you as well as work against some others.
In this article, I’ll cover all the things, like – the advantages and disadvantages of both speakers and everything; that you need to know to pick the best car speakers for your car.
Without further delay, let’s start the discussion with coaxial speakers and stay tuned till the end to cover all aspects.
What Are Coaxial Speakers?
These car speakers are 2-way speakers that contain a tweeter, woofer, and a simple crossover in a single assembly. You can replace your older speaker system with this full-range speaker by fitting it in the same installation space. The coaxial speakers offer sound quality like the expensive speakers do without charging a hefty amount.
Advantages Of Coaxial Speakers
- Coaxial speakers are easy to find and easy to install and upgrade.
- It provides a similar sound to separate 2-way component speakers without requiring a separate speaker crossover.
- The speakers are available in various price options according to the range of performance and sound quality. You’ll get different types of crossover design, different levels of tweeter quality, cone materials, and power ratings.
- You’ll get them for around $25 and up, though the range of good quality speakers starts from $50.
What Are Component Speakers?
The components speakers are a more advanced speaker system than coaxial speakers. The woofer, tweeter, and crossover are separately mounted inside the Components speakers, which provide better sound quality than the rests. Some component speaker options allow assembling these three parts into a single unit for easier installation.
It lets the tweeter mount at a line-of-sight listening angle and height, so you’ll get better stereo imaging during music playback. The best part is that the entry-level component speakers sound amazing.
Advantages Of Component Speakers
- Component speakers offer better sound accuracy with enhanced frequency response.
- The tweeters, made for the components speakers, are more rigid and come with a high-performance design of ceramic and aluminum materials.
- The component quality of the crossover is better than the previous one.
- The connector terminals and installation accessories are also better than the coaxial speakers.
- The speakers could handle more power, from 75 watts RMS power to 10 watts or more.
That said, it’s important to know that the component speakers are costly. It may cost you around 1.5X more than the same-sized coaxial sets.
Coaxial Vs Component Speaker: Crossover Differences
The component speakers require more advanced crossovers than coaxials. Most coaxial speakers use low-cost material and a basic -6dB/octave crossover for the tweeter, whereas the component speaker uses a minimum -12dB/octave crossover and better tweeter materials like silk, aluminum, or others.
The coaxial speakers use a single stage of filtering, whereas the component speaker crossovers have 2 stage filters; that offer more effective filtering for bass and midrange sound.
The tweeter is likely to be harsh sounding, but some crossovers incorporate a volume control option for the tweeter to aid you in this matter. The tweeter overload circuit-protection feature of the components speaker is another great thing; that protects the tweeter from burning out when the system delivers high power.
With better design, the crossovers contain better quality capacitors and inductors; that effectively block the unwanted noise frequencies before reaching the speakers. So, the component speakers provide better clarity than coaxial speakers.
The installation process is also harder than the coaxial speakers. The crossovers must be mounted relatively close to the speakers but away from moisture, which is pretty confusing.
Coaxial Vs Component Speaker: Wiring
Suppose you want to upgrade your speaker factory-installed speakers with a coaxial speaker. You only need a new speaker wire to avoid the troublesome original wiring; otherwise, the entire process is the same. You have to wire the speaker from the head unit (amplifiers’ positive wire and negative wire) to the same terminals of the speaker.
As I mentioned, you must mount the woofer, tweeter, and crossover separately; wiring also demands the same thing. You must connect the crossover’s woofer output to its positive and negative terminals. Similarly, tweeter output should be connected from the crossover to its positive and negative terminals. The crossover needs to be connected from the amplifier’s output to the input portion of the crossover.
In short, they would be fairly easy to wire; if you follow these steps mindfully. But installing the component speakers definitely need a best car amplifier to achieve the balance.
Coaxial Vs Component Speaker, Which One Sounds Better?
All things have advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes compromising a few disadvantages could make an option worthy. Similarly, some options with lots of benefits cost you a huge extra.
So, which will be better for you solely depends on your expectations and limitations. To decide the best one for you, look through the comparison again –
- Remember, if you want to upgrade your single speaker assembly with a 2-way speaker system, the coaxial speaker only gets fitted into the place. Most component speakers have a separate design; everything needs to be mounted individually.
- The component speakers take more time and effort to install. The installation process is far harder than the coaxial speakers.
- If you have a tight budget, only coaxial speakers will help you keep costs down, whereas the entry-level component speakers mostly start at the price range of a good pair of coaxial speakers.
- The coaxial speakers have a lower power rating around 35W-65W RMS, while the component speakers are available in 65W-100W RMS or higher RMS ratings.
- Coaxial speakers are much better than standard single-cone speakers, but they can’t meet the clarity level and sound quality; component speakers offer.
As far as performance and sound quality are concerned, the component speaker is a clear winner, but not everyone cares about crispy sound, better clarity, and more power handling. Right?
Coaxial Or Component Speaker, Which One To Go?
We generally expect to pay less and have more options to choose from; that are the major plus points of coaxial speakers. If we get an average-quality coaxial speaker at the installation cost of component speakers, many of us will tend toward affordable options.
The ideal way for me to answer this question is to choose the better option; that means to you. I’m still trying to guide you in this matter in my way by sharing my thoughts about these two speakers.
Choose Coaxial Speakers If:
- You’re looking for the easiest way to replace the old speakers.
- You want something affordable, which is good enough to sound okay.
- You planned to keep using a standard stereo system instead of upgrading it with amplifiers.
- You don’t want to invest extra for a custom installation.
Choose Component Speakers If:
- Sound quality is your primary concern. You can expect high-fidelity music playback from a component speaker.
- You opt for more advanced options for the tweeters.
- You prefer to have a few bonuses like – a tweeter volume reduction option or crossovers with a steeper cut-off.
- You like the custom installation for the stereo systems of homes, cars, or vehicles with high-end electronics and components.
- You’re planning to amplify your speakers for extra power and clarity.
Nothing can offer better-improved stereo imaging for music playback than the component speaker. You may have worried about its complex installation process.
I have good news for you some easy-to-install component speaker systems have been introduced in the market. So, you can enjoy the best music listening experience without facing any hassle during the installation process.
Remember, the low-power stereo unit could save some money but can’t compensate for the immersive listening experience you will miss. If you want to ensure the best result, drive up the component speaker with a quality amplifier.
Conclusion
Now you’ve concluded this article and may be in your decision-making process. Hopefully, you’re all sorted here; you come to know everything from what you started reading this article. If not, feel free to ask below in the comment section.
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