Component or Coaxial Speakers?

If you don't know the difference of component or coaxial speakers here is a brief overview to help you determine which is best for your setup.

Component Speakers typically come with a pair of tweeters and mid-bass drivers (woofers) that are matched with a crossover that tunes the frequency range that the tweeter and mid-bass woofer produces. There are many ways you can tell if your car has components. Here's two easy ones:

• if you have more than one speaker for each channel
• the tweeter is separate from the mid-bass driver

Usually component sets are in the front of the vehicle.

Coaxial Speakers have the tweeter, mid-bass driver and the crossover mounted together in one space saving speaker. They are very popular because they are much easier to install and don't take up as much space as the component set. Coaxial speakers are usually found in the rear of the vehicle.

Choosing Between Components and Coaxials – Q&A

If you're choosing between component or coaxial speakers, you need to ask yourself first what you're looking for in a stereo or speaker system. Here's a couple question/answers that may help guide you to an answer:

1. Does a component or coaxial have better quality sound?
   1. Components typically are known to have a better, clearer output than coaxials. With components, the mid-bass woofer can span the whole diameter of the speaker, making the surface area larger than coaxials with mounted tweeters. And sound waves don't get impeded by a tweeter. Having separate drivers typically allows them to be more accurate and cover a fuller range of frequencies.
2. Are component or coaxials more customizable?
   1. If you're building a custom stereo for your car, boat, or really any other application the component systems with separate drivers is going to give you many more mounting options, and therefore a much more customizable option.
3. Are components or coaxial speakers easier to install?
   1. Since all of the components are wrapped up into one speaker, coaxial speakers are most definitely easier to install than component speakers.
4. Are component or coaxial speakers more expensive?
   1. Rule of thumb (but not always true), coaxials tend to be cheaper than components. If you're looking to build a system on a budget, coaxial speakers are likely the better option for you.
5. Are components better for amplification?
   1. If you're looking for increased volume and clarity and want to add in an amplifier to power your speakers, component speakers are typically a better option than coaxials to amplify.

In most stereo installations, matching your aftermarket speakers with the OEM speakers is the easiest and best choice. Ie: Components in the front and coaxials in the rear, however, you can always do some small modifications to add components to the rear as well or run coaxials in the front and disregard the OEM component tweeter.

If you think you're ready to choose between a component or coaxial speaker for your setup, head on over to our speaker buying guide section to find a number of our recommended speaker choices of all sizes!