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9 Best 4-inch Car Speakers of 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Polk Audio DB401 4-Inch Pair Coaxial Speakers

Polk Audio DB401 4-Inch Pair Coaxial Speakers

Replacing your car’s speakers is one of the best and easiest things you can do to improve the sound quality produced by your car stereo system. Whether you are looking for 4-inch speakers or any other size, there are hundreds of options available online, and choosing the best of them while avoiding the worst, can be a little tricky.

So, to help you out, we’ve taken the time to put together this list of reviews of the best 4-inch car speakers available this year.

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A Quick Look at the Winners of 2024:

Rating Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
Rockford Fosgate R14X2 4-Inch Coaxial Speaker Rockford Fosgate R14X2 4-Inch Coaxial Speaker
  • Build quality
  • Great sound
  • Easy installation
  • Best Value
    Second place
    Pyle PLG4.2 Car Two Way Speaker System Pyle PLG4.2 Car Two Way Speaker System
  • Price
  • Good performance
  • Premium Choice
    Third place
    Polk Audio 4-Inch Pair Coaxial Speakers Polk Audio 4-Inch Pair Coaxial Speakers
  • Excellent build
  • Great sound
  • Marine certified
  • Pioneer TS-A1072R 4-Inch 3-Way Speakers Pioneer TS-A1072R 4-Inch 3-Way Speakers
  • Build
  • Great sound
  • JBL CLUB4020 4″ 2-Way Coaxial Car Speaker JBL CLUB4020 4″ 2-Way Coaxial Car Speaker
  • Great performing speakers
  • Well built
  • The 9 Best 4-inch Car Speakers:

    1. Rockford Fosgate R14X2 4-Inch Coaxial Speaker – Best Overall

    Rockford Fosgate R14X2

    When it comes to quality car speakers, you don’t get much better than a pair of Rockford Fosgates, and with these R14X2’s they’ve delivered a stunning 4-inch speaker that produces clean, powerful sound for a price that won’t destroy your bank account.

    Featuring a high-quality vacuum polypropylene cone with rubber surround, ½” silk dome tweeter, and an integrated high-pass crossover, these speakers were built for performance. They have a power range of 2-30 watts RMS (60 watts peak power), a frequency response of 100-20,000 Hz, boast a sensitivity rating of 85 dB, and can produce stunning sound quality.

    These speakers are our choice for the best overall 4-inch car speaker.

    Pros
    • Build quality
    • Great sound
    • Easy installation
    • Price
    Cons
    • Nil

    2. Pyle PLG4.2 Car Two Way Speaker System – Best Value

    Pyle PLG4.2

    If you are looking for the best 4-inch speakers for the money, you should look at these inexpensive Pyle Audio Gear Series speakers. They have a frequency response of 90-20,000 Hz and can handle 70 watts RMS (140 watts peak), making them no slouch in the performance department.

    Sure, they are from a lesser-known brand in the car speaker market, but Pyle Audio has been making quality audio equipment since the 1960s, and in terms of pure bang for your buck, these speakers are hard to beat.

    Pros
    • Price
    • Good performance
    Cons
    • Lesser known brand
    • Bass is limited

    3. Polk Audio 4-Inch Pair Coaxial Speakers – Premium Choice

    Polk Audio DB401

    Polk Audio has an excellent reputation for building quality speakers with great sound, and these DB401 speakers won’t disappoint. They feature laser-imaged dynamically balanced woofer cones, which have been designed to eliminate resonance and provide a smooth, clear bass, as well as silk polymer composite tweeters for detailed mid and high tones.

    They have a power ranger of 4–45 watts RMS (135 watts peak),  a frequency response of 85–22,000 Hz, and a sensitivity of 91 dB,  which all come together to make these speakers an excellent match for any factory or aftermarket stereo unit. They’re also marine-certified, making them an excellent choice for anybody driving an open-top or off-road vehicle that occasionally has water entering the cab.

    We like these speakers, and they were a contender for our top choice, but as you can purchase a pair of Rockford Fosgate R14X2’s for a little over half the price of these speakers, Polk Audio will just have to settle for being our premium choice.

    Pros
    • Excellent build
    • Great sound
    • Marine certified
    Cons
    • Expensive

    4. Pioneer TS-A1072R  4-Inch 3-Way Speakers

    Pioneer TS-A1072R

    Pioneer isn’t noted for producing quality 4-inch speakers, but with these reasonably priced 3-way speakers, we think they’ve got a winner. Featuring an injection-molded polypropylene cone, a mid-range 15/16-inch Light Weight Balanced Dome, and a ⅜-inchDome tweeter, these speakers produce smooth, accurate sound with minimal distortion. That isn’t surprising when you consider their specs, as they can handle 20 watts of RMS power (135 watts peak), and they have a frequency response of 45–30,000 Hz and a sensitivity of 90 dB.

    Pros
    • Impressive build
    • Great sound
    Cons
    • High Price

    5. JBL CLUB4020 4″ 2-Way Coaxial Car Speaker

    JBL CLUB4020

    JBL knows how to make an excellent speaker, and with these 4-inch speakers from their Club range, they produced an outstanding upgrade speaker designed to provide great sound.

    These speakers feature a slightly lower impedance than most car speakers, allowing them to draw more power from your stereo and thus play louder. They can handle up to 25 watts RMS (75 watts peak power), a frequency response of 75–20,000 Hz, and boast a sensitivity rating of 86.5 dB.

    Pros
    • Great performing speakers
    • Well-built
    Cons
    • Expensive
    • Grilles not included

    6. BOSS Audio Systems 4 Inch Car Speakers

    BOSS Audio Systems

    If you are looking for an inexpensive set of 4-inch speakers to replace your old or damaged factory speakers, you might want to consider these speakers from Boss Audio Systems.

    They produce a sound quality that is a little low on the bass side of things, yet it will still be significantly better than most factory speakers. These speakers can handle 400 watts of peak RMS power and have a frequency response of 100-18,000 Hz, and quite surprisingly, given their price, they are built quite well.

    Pros
    • Affordable
    • 3-Year warranty
    • High quality
    Cons
    • Mid-bass only

    7. Kenwood KFC-1065 4″ 2-Way Speaker System

    Kenwood KFC-1065

    Kenwood KFC-1065 speakers are another excellent choice to replace the poor-performing factory speakers that will give you significantly improved sound at quite a reasonable cost.

    These 4-inch two-way speakers feature polypropylene woofer cones that provide rich mid-bass and midrange tones and 1-inch balanced-dome tweeters to make the high notes sing. They have a power range of 2–21 watts RMS (210 watts peak power), a frequency response of 45-22,000 Hz, and a sensitivity of 90 dB.

    Pros
    • Affordable
    • Good overall sound
    Cons
    • Low-quality build
    • Lacks bass

    8. Kicker 46CSC44 4″ Coaxial Stereo Speakers

    Kicker 46CSC44

    Kicker has a reputation for producing speakers that are easy to fit and install, and with these speakers, they’ve delivered again. The 46CS44 speakers are popular speakers many see as a natural step from their poor quality factor speakers. While not the most expensive speakers on our list, they’re also not the cheapest, and for the money, you may find some of our other suggested speakers to be of better value.

    They can handle 100 watts RMS (300 watts peak), have a frequency response between 60-20,000 Hz, and a sensitivity of 88 dB.

    Pros
    • Fits most cars / easy to install
    Cons
    • High Price
    • Low-quality build
    • Lacks bass

    9. Infinity REF-4022cfx  4″ Coaxial Car Speakers

    Infinity REF-4022cfx

    With their REF-4022cfx 4″ speakers, Infinity Reference has delivered mid-priced speakers with surprisingly strong performance. Featuring a sturdy Plus One+ polypropylene woofer with a significantly larger cone than found on most speakers of similar size, these speakers have plenty of punch, and they’re also capable of delivering smooth and accurate highs.

    They have a power range of 5-35 watts RMS (105 watts peak power), a frequency response of 75-21,000 Hz, and a sensitivity of 92 dB

    Pros
    • Good overall sound
    Cons
    • Mid-bass only
    • Expensive

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    Buyer’s Guide – Choosing the Best 4-inch Car Speakers

    When you are looking to buy a set of 4-inch speakers (or any other sized speakers, for that matter), there are several things that you need to consider. This includes the type of speakers you want to install and the unique specifications and features of the various models that fit your budget.

    If you don’t know what to look for, finding the right speaker can be a little tricky, so to help you out, here’s a quick breakdown of some of the things you should consider.

    Speaker type

    When choosing car speakers, there are two types: coaxial (or full-range speakers) and component speakers. Full-range speakers are built with cones and tweeters within the same unit. They are by far the most popular type of speakers for people looking to replace factory-fitted speakers because they are cheaper and much easier to install.

    Component speakers, on the other hand, are considerably more expensive and more challenging to install and set-up. A typical component system includes separate woofers, tweeters, and external crossovers—all of which work together to produce the best sound. To simplify things, all of the speakers we have suggested in our reviews are full-range speakers.

    Build Quality

    Build quality is more of a consideration when purchasing budget speakers.  At the lower end of the market, you will not be able to expect the same standards as in high-end speakers. So, it’s worth taking the time to consider reviews and see what other people have had to say about the quality of the speakers you are considering buying before you part with your money.

    Sensitivity and Power handling

    To work effectively, your speakers must be able to handle the power output of your stereo unit or amplifier. Power is measured in watts RMS, and this relates to the amount of power a speaker can handle before the sound quality gets distorted. If you want to run a high-powered amplifier, you need to ensure your speakers can handle the power. Otherwise, your music will sound terrible, and you will likely blow or damage your speakers.

    Sensitivity refers to the amount of power that speakers need to produce sound. If you have speakers with higher sensitivity, they will need less power. They may be more suitable for low-powered stereo units such as factory-fitted or inexpensive aftermarket models. However, low-sensitivity speakers require more power.

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    Conclusion

    Hopefully, having read our reviews, you now have a good idea of what you are looking for in a set of 4-inch speakers.  All of the speakers we have reviewed in this article are what you might consider good speakers and could be the right choice for you. However, our winners are:

    Best Overall:                    Rockford Fosgate R14X2 Prime 4-Inch Coaxial Speaker

    Best Value:                        Pyle PLG4.2 Car Two-Way Speaker System

    Premium Choice:            Polk Audio DB401 4-Inch Pair Coaxial Speakers

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