How do I choose speakers from all the different... (by 2 users)

For speakers, generally the heavier they are built, the less prone to resonance, distortion, and coloration they will be. Flimsy paper cones, foam surrounds, and thin stamped metal baskets are all prone to degredation and distortion. Go with a metal or plastic cone, rubber surround, cast basket structrure on subwoofers and a large vented magnet. Those construction techniques yeild a better and longer lasting speaker.

As far as car audio mids/highs, component (seperate woofer and tweeter) are generally better built. Their larger external crossovers have better components and will be more effective. They will more accurately reproduce sound for you, and you will hear the difference.

For subwoofers, go with the heavier built, larger magnet. Larger diameter voice coils and higher RMS power handling generally indicate more durable internal construction. Personally I like the 2007 model year Kicker L7. Very solid sub! Give it a listen.

Also drive your speakers with plenty of power preferably from a dedicated power amplifier. It is better to have an amp that is on the high side of the speakers reccomended RMS power, than to have too small an amp that is maxed out. Your ears will thank you for going with the larger amp. It can run within its reasonable limits, has more control over the speakers and the sound will be more accurate.

RMS power is average music power and is what you should go by. Ignore peak power, it is basically meaningless for music and is only used as a marketing tool for cheaper components. If the peak power rating is the most boldly featured spec on the package, pass.

Frequency response is a good indicator of how accurate a speaker will be. Look at the graph of the frequency responce. (Dont even buy a speaker without seeing its frequency response graph. If there isnt one, it's probably embarrasingly bad and the company doesn't want to show it. Avoid those speakers. ) The graph should be as flat as possible. Peaks or dips larger than 3db anywhere within the upper and lower limits of the speaker are considered enormous flaws and those speakers should be avoided.

Subwoofers should go down to 20-25 HZ and up to about 200. Highs and mids should be flat within 3db and should go up to at least 18khz. Anything above 20khz is meaningless as we can't hear that high.

As far as shopping/picking a brand.. Go to a high end store, such as a specialty store where everything is expensive and the sales pressure is high. But just tell them you want to hear the best they have. Bring your own CD, something you've heard a thousand times and know well. Listen to it on their best system and use that as your benchmark.

Then decide where your price point is, and listen to a few brands within that price. Compare them against the top shelf speakers and come up with the best compromise. Be wary of displays that are in wide open spaces because your listening environment will be smaller and change the sound drastically.

For subwoofers, any reputable place would be happy to drop a sub into your trunk so you can tune to the same radio station and see how you like the sound. Play with the placement a little too, it makes a very big difference. I've found for trunks that the best sound ends up with the sub as far forward as it can go, and then faced backwards towards the rear of the car.

Expect to pay (minimum) $150 for a good set of 6.5" components, $150 for a good set of 6x9's, and $200-$400 for a decent 12" sub. Another $80 for a heavily built sub box. Figure $300-$400 for a solid classD subwoofer amp. Use at least 8 guage power cable directly to the battery and nowhere else. Get the beefiest fuse you can find to put in-line. You are only worried about dead shorts in this cable, so you can go big. Go with a larger style 100 amp fuse. Don't put a teeny standard sized 30 amp fuse on that giant cable, it will be a choke point. Make the ground wire the same guage and have it as short as possible. Find a heavy bolt in the trunk to clamp your ground terminal down to. Use sandpaper to scrape the paint away underneath it, down to bare metal. This is very important!! If you notice your lights dimming on big bass hits, your amplifier is starving both itself and the entire system for power and this leads to clipping(distortion), overheating, and blown speakers. A power capacitor wired next to your amp will help alot with this.

You can use your aftermarket CD player for power to your mains if you like, but a good 4-channel amp will open up the clarity like you wouldnt believe!!

Above all when shopping for speakers, LISTEN!! Take your own favorite CD, and listen to your own favorite song. Dont feel pressured by some slick sales guy to make a quick decision. an extra 15 minutes in the store being very critical will put a smile on your face for the next many years to come.

Also to get the best price, go online! Sites like epinions.com or similar ones will nab the best price. You can usually save a ton over retail stores, especially when you buy last year's model.