Car Speakers & Car Subwoofers Buying Guide


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Car Speakers & Car Subwoofers Buying Guide


Upgrade the audio systems in your vehicles with new car speakers and car subwoofers without taking a chunk out of your wallet. You'll find a large selection of popular brands on eBay, including Kenwood speakers, JBL speakers, Rockford Fosgate speakers, Cerwin Vega speakers, Boss subwoofers, Kicker subwoofers, and Bazooka subwoofers.

Look at Car Speaker Features


Look at Car Speaker Features

Match your car speakers to the system you’re building. Do your research and choose carefully. The right car speakers are essential for rich, powerful sound. But before you choose speakers, you’ll have to determine how much power and sensitivity you need.

Power handling

A car speaker’s power handling is measured in watts and determines how much power your car speakers can take. A low-powered system doesn’t need high-powered car speakers, but a high-powered system needs car speakers that can handle the powerful output.

Sensitivity rating

The sensitivity rating of a car speaker indicates how much sound is made when speakers receive a signal. If you’re using a stock head unit, you’ll need a car speaker with greater sensitivity than if you're building a custom system with multiple amps.

After you determine the power needs of your car speakers, decide what kind of car speakers you’ll need.

Full-range car speakers

Full-range car speakers accurately represent the full range of music, from low-end bass to high-range treble.

Component car speakers

Component car speakers reproduce excellent-quality sound within a certain range. Tweeters reproduce high-end sound and woofers reproduce low-end sound.

The materials that your car speakers are made of will also affect the quality of the sound. Tweeters made from softer materials produce a warm sound, while hard materials will make the sound pop.


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Choose Car Subwoofers


Choose Car Subwoofers

When buying a car subwoofer, keep four things in mind: available space, subwoofer enclosure, crossovers, and system power.

Subwoofer space

To determine the available subwoofer space, map out your car's audio system. You’ll want to make sure that the subwoofer you love will fit into your available space.

Subwoofer enclosure

A car subwoofer enclosure helps to define the sound of a car subwoofer. Some subwoofers are enclosed subwoofer systems, meaning that the subwoofers are built into an enclosure and sold as one complete package. Some enclosures are sold separately, so you can choose the type of subwoofer you would like for the enclosure. For the do-it-yourselfers, you can forego the enclosure all together and build one yourself.

Crossovers

Crossovers help filter out high-frequency noise. Get a low-pass filter to make sure that your car subwoofer only plays low-end bass notes. Most amplifiers have built-in low-pass filters, but if you’re running a multi-amp system, you may need an additional one.

System power

Make sure that your car audio system has enough system power to run your subwoofer. Many car subwoofers require a car amplifier, so be sure to keep your power needs in mind when you’re buying your subwoofer and amplifier.


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Install Car Speakers & Subwoofers


Install Car Speakers & Subwoofers

The process for installing car speakers varies from vehicle to vehicle. Many times all you need to do is remove your old car speakers and screw your new speakers into place. You should keep in mind the depth of the speakers you’re considering, however, to ensure they will fit in your car.

To find out if the speakers will fit in your vehicle, use eBay's Check Product Fit feature. On the "View Item" page, scroll to the "Description" area, and click the “Check whether these speakers will fit in your car” link. Fill in the required fields to find out if a selected item is compatible with your car or vehicle.

Occasionally you’ll need car speaker mounting brackets (which can be purchased for most speakers), or for a worst-case scenario you may need to do some minor cutting and some drilling.

Install in-dash car speakers

To install speakers in the dash, unscrew the existing car speaker grills and remove them. If you do not see screws, your existing car speakers probably use friction fittings. Carefully pry them up from the dash with a flat, broad tool. If they don’t come up fairly easily, the grills may be screwed in from the bottom.

Remove the car speakers and take note of which terminal is positive and negative. Attach the car speaker wire to the new speakers and crimp the connectors slightly, if necessary, to ensure a solid, secure connection.

Install car door speakers

To install car door speakers, remove the speaker grill with a flat, broad tool. Unscrew the old car speakers, being mindful of the wires because you will most likely want to use them for the new speakers. Often, you can place the new car speakers into the old space, reconnect them, and screw them down.

In some instances, you may need to remove the door panel to install car door speakers. This procedure varies with make and model, so you’ll need to consult your owner’s manual.


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Find Car Speakers & Car Subwoofers on eBay


Find Car Speakers & Car Subwoofers on eBay

Once you know what type of car speakers and subwoofers you want, start shopping on eBay. Go to the Consumer Electronics portal and either click Car Speakers & Speaker Systems or Car Subwoofers & Enclosures under Car Electronics.

  • Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type.

  • Product Finder: Use the drop-down menus on the Car Speakers Finder or Car Subwoofers Finder to quickly narrow down item listings by type, size, and brand.

  • Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find 100-watt speakers, type "100 watt speakers" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, shop eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.


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Buy Car Speakers & Subwoofers With Confidence


Buy Car Speakers & Subwoofers With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

  • Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

  • If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

  • Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

  • Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

  • What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

  • What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

  • Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

  • Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

  • eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.


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