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8 Best Car Door Speakers of 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Tesla Model S Premium Sound System Generation 2

Tesla Model S Premium Sound System Generation 2

Replacing your car door speakers is something that can make a big difference to the sound quality of your car stereo system.

Whether you are looking to upgrade your current car door speakers, or replace your old blown factory fitted speakers, there are plenty of options for you to choose from. And weeding through the good, the bad, and the downright nasty can be quite a task.

To help make this job easier, we’ve taken the time to sort through the slush pile and created a list of in-depth reviews that should point you in the right direction.

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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

Rating Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
JBL Premium 6.5-Inch Co-Axial Speaker JBL Premium 6.5-Inch Co-Axial Speaker
  • Superior sound quality
  • Can be installed in odd positions without affecting sound quality
  • Excellent highs and lows
  • Best Value
    Second place
    BOSS Audio Systems Car Speakers BOSS Audio Systems Car Speakers
  • Great value for money
  • Great sound across the full range
  • High power capability
  • Premium Choice
    Third place
    Tesla Model S Premium Car Sound System Tesla Model S Premium Car Sound System
  • Exceptional build quality
  • Fantastic sound
  • Easy install (Tesla Model S only)
  • Kenwood 2-Way Sport Series Car Audio Door Coaxial Speakers Kenwood 2-Way Sport Series Car Audio Door Coaxial Speakers
  • Good full-range speakers
  • Great upgrade from factory speakers
  • Good value for money
  • Pioneer 2-Way Speakers Pioneer 2-Way Speakers
  • Inexpensive
  • Look good
  • Consistent sound
  • The 8 Best Car Door Speakers

    1. JBL Premium 6.5-Inch Co-Axial Speaker – Best Overall

    JBL GTO629

    When it comes to speaker design, JBL has a well-earned reputation for producing well-made and great sounding speakers—and with the JBL GTO629, they’ve delivered on both fronts. These are excellent sounding speakers with a premium build, and we have no hesitation with recommending these speakers.

    The key to JBL’s success comes down to two key things. First, the design of the GTO629’s large, carbon injected cones that can move a lot of air and provide a robust deep bass. Second, JBL’s patented UniPivotTM tweeters. Designed to pivot in almost any direction, UniPivotTM tweeters can be positioned low in a car door and still direct the mid- and high-frequency sounds up into the cabin, towards your ears and away from the floor. The resulting sound is clean and crisp, and more akin to that from component speakers than door mounted full-range (coaxial) speakers.

    JBL’s GTO629 speakers have an impressive power range of 5-60 watts RMS (180 watts peak) and a frequency response of 53-21,000 Hz. And their 3-ohm, low-impedance ensures your sound quality isn’t compromised by the size of your connecting wires.

    The one slight downside with these speakers is that while they’re 6.5-inch speakers and will fit a 6.5-inch opening, they don’t use the standard bolt pattern. Meaning you may need to use an adapter bracket or drill new screw holes to install them. As with many 6.5-inch speakers, that can also be fitted to a 6.75-inch opening with the correct bracket.

    In terms of price, you will pay more for these speakers than most of those on our list. But in this case, quality and performance make them well worth the extra money, which makes them the best car door speakers this year.

    Pros
    • Superior sound quality
    • Excellent highs and lows
    • Can be installed in odd positions without affecting sound quality
    • Sound not affected by undersize wiring
    Cons
    • Price
    • A little challenging to install

    2. BOSS Audio Systems Car Speakers – Best Value

    BOSS Audio Systems

    If you are looking for the best value on a new set of car door speakers, you need to look no further than a pair of BOSS Audio Systems CH6230’s. While the sound quality won’t match the JBL above, these are by far the best car door speakers if money is a concern.

    These 6.5-inch fantastic three-way speakers can handle 150 watts of RMS power (peak), produce about 90Db of sound, and have a frequency response from 100 to 18,000 Hz. All of which adds up to these value-for-money speakers being no slouch when it comes to performance. BOSS Audio Systems CH6530 speakers produce a nice sound, and this is because each speaker contains three separate elements, ensuring bright, crisp high and mid-tones and punchy bass.

    When it comes to build quality, you can expect premium quality, but at about a fifth of the price of a pair of JBL GTO629’s, that shouldn’t be a surprise.

    Pros
    • Great value for money
    • Great sound across the full range
    • High power capability
    Cons
    • Non-premium build quality
    • Difficult to install

    3. Tesla Model S Premium Car Sound System – Premium Choice

    Tesla Model S Premium

    If you believe Tesla’s hype, “When you drive the world’s best electric car, you should have the world’s best stereo.” Well, we’re not going to comment on their claim to be the “world’s best”, but the Model S Premium Car Sound System is undoubtedly exceptional, and these speakers were specifically designed to be part of that package.

    For Tesla Model S owners, these speakers will be a direct replacement for your factory-fitted speakers. They’ll connect easily; virtually plug-and-play, and bolt precisely into place with all the holes lined up perfectly. They also sound outstanding and are a massive improvement on the factory-fitted speakers that come with Tesla’s standard stereo option.

    With two front and two rear 166 mm custom-size speakers included, each being 1.2 ohms and the ability to handling 250 watts of RMS power, these are some seriously good speakers.

    However, for most people, there is one, possibly two problems—the first being the price. At the time of writing, a set of speakers will set you back just under $1,000 or about five times the cost of our top choice JBL GTO629 speakers. And the second, well, unless you own a Tesla Model S, you’ll be unlikely to want a set of speakers that have been specially customized and built for that vehicle.

    Pros
    • Exceptional build quality
    • Fantastic sound
    • Easy install (Tesla Model S only)
    Cons
    • Very Expensive
    • Custom speakers (Tesla Model S)

    4. Kenwood 2-Way Sport Series Car Audio Door Coaxial Speakers

    Kenwood KFC-1666S

    The KFC-1666S 2-way speakers from Kenwood are one of the top-selling and least expensive 6.5-inch speakers on the market today. A good, full-range speaker they are rated from 40-22,000 Hz, have a 1-inch balanced dome tweeter that provides lovely clean mid and high tones and the Polypropylene woofer with treated cloth surrounds that delivers robust, deep lows.

    They can handle 30 watts of power RMS, are an excellent speaker, but they lack the performance of the BOSS Audio Systems CH6230. They may be for you if you’re simply looking to upgrade your old factory speakers without spending too much or worrying about doing anything more to your stereo system.

    Pros
    • Good full-range speakers
    • Great upgrade from factory speakers
    • Good value for money
    Cons
    • Non-adjustable tweeter
    • Not the best choice for a high-end or powerful system

    5. Pioneer 2-Way Speakers

    Pioneer TS-F1634R

    Pioneer’s TS-F1634R 2-way speakers will give you improved sound and save you a bit of money. These reasonably priced speakers won’t win any prizes, but if what you’re after is an improvement on the hollowed-out sound of your factory speakers, this set of Pioneer TS series speakers could be the answer.

    They will fit most 6.5-inch and 6.75-inch speaker locations, can handle between 2-30 watts RMS (180 watts peak), and have a frequency response of 20-28,000 Hz.

    These speakers look great and come with a grill included in the pack. Importantly, they also produce good consistent sound.

    Pros
    • Inexpensive
    • Look good
    • Consistent sound
    Cons
    • Non-adjustable tweeter
    • Build quality

    6. Rockford Fosgate 3-Way Coaxial Speaker

    Rockford Fosgate R165X3 Prime

    We really like the Rockford Fosgate R165X3, and it’s only because they’re 50% more expensive than some of the others we reviewed that they didn’t make it to number four on our list. Like the BOSS Audio Systems CH6230, these Rockford Fosgate’s are a three-way speaker. They also have a nice high pass tweeter crossover that channels all the higher frequencies to the tweeters, ensuring a clean and crisp sound. They are rated at 45 watts RMS (90 watts peak) and have a frequency response between 52 and 20,000 Hz.

    The only problem we noticed with these speakers was a slight distortion of the bass at higher volumes. However, unless you are always listening to bass-heavy music, this is unlikely to be noticeable.

    In terms of build quality, a set of Rockford Fosgate R165X3’s won’t let you down. As a bonus, it was also good to see that Rockford Fosgate includes a steel basket grill in the box, which not only looks good but will also protects the inner speaker area from foreign objects.

    Pros
    • Build quality
    • 3-way speaker
    • High-pass crossover
    Cons
    • Slight distortion at higher volumes
    • More expensive

    7. Infinity Reference Series Coaxial Car Speakers

    Infinity REF6522IX

    The Infinity Reference REF6522ix is a well-built and excellent sounding speaker. Perhaps a little lower in volume compared to other speakers in this range, its strength lies in the quality of its mid- and high-range tones, which are both bright and vibrant.

    The FER6522ix can handle 60 watts RMS (180 watts peak) and will work well with an external amplifier or directly from your stereo head unit. Aesthetically, they look good and have a noticeably larger cone than on many other speakers of similar size.

    While these are good speakers that perform well, considering both price and performance, we feel there are several other models in this list that will offer significantly better value for money.

    Pros
    • Good clarity and vibrancy
    • Good mid & high range frequencies
    • Solid build
    Cons
    • Price
    • Lower overall volume

    8. JVC 2-Way Coaxial Car Speakers

    JVC CS-J620

    JVC CS-J620 is designed to be an affordable replacement for your factory-fitted door speakers. They are rated at 30 watts RMS (300 Peak) with a frequency response from 35 to 22,000 Hz. However, having had a close look at them, we have our doubts about how well these speakers would handle 300 watts RMS at peak.

    On the positive side, these speakers are easy to install and are engineered with a shallow pressed metal frame that has plenty of mounting holes, so you shouldn’t have any need to modify the speaker to get it to fit your vehicle.

    Overall, however, as with the Infinity speakers above, considering both price and performance, we found that there are several other speakers within the same price range as these that will provide both better sound and value for money.

    Pros
    • Affordable price
    • Better sound than most factory speakers
    • Easy installation
    Cons
    • Poor bass
    • Cheap build quality

    user guide divider

    Buyer’s Guide – Choosing the Best Car Door Speakers

    When you are buying new car door speakers, there are a few things that you should consider.

    Speaker Size

    Not all car speakers are the same size, and you need to know what size hole you have available for your new speakers. By far, the most common car door speaker size is 6.5″, and all of the speakers we have reviewed are available in that size. However, there are several other sizes available, so be sure to check what you need before buying your speakers.

    You will also find that some speakers can be made to suit several standard sizes with the addition of an adaptor bracket.

    Power Handling

    A reference to a speaker’s power handling is quite literally the amount of power, measured in watts that that speaker can handle.

    If you have a low-powered stereo system, you won’t need speakers that can handle a lot of power. On the other hand, if you have a stereo system that employs one or more high-powered aftermarket amplifiers, the amount of power your speakers can handle will be quite important.

    When looking at new speakers, you need to consider the advertised maximum RMS power handling, rather than the peak power handling.

    Sensitivity

    This is the measure of the level of sound a speaker can produce from the power available to it.

    Generally, a low-powered car stereo needs speakers with high sensitivity, and conversely, a high-powered stereo will sound best when matched with low-sensitivity speakers.

    Materials used in construction

    The different parts of your speakers will be made from different materials.

    • Woofers – You are looking for woofers that are made from stiff light materials. Very cheap speakers, such as some factory-fitted models, will use cardboard, but synthetic products like polypropylene are a much better choice.
    • Tweeters – These can be made from a variety of different materials. The material used will affect the sound produced. Generally, soft materials will provide soft, mellow tones, while firmer materials will create a more bright and snappy sound.

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    Conclusion:

    Hopefully, these reviews have given you a clear place to start when you’re considering upgrading your car door speakers.

    There are plenty of good speakers out there (and more than a few not-so-good ones), but we’re confident that you can’t go wrong if you pick one of the speakers from the top of our list.

    To recap, our top picks are:

    Best Overall:                    JBL GTO629 Premium 6.5-Inch Co-Axial Speaker

    Best Value:                        BOSS Audio Systems CH6530 Car Speakers

    Premium Choice:            Tesla Model S Premium Car Sound System

    See Also: How Much Does It Cost to Install a Sound System in a Car?

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