The 10 Best Surface-Mounted Speakers for Cars

There are ways to improve that and getting a surface-mounted speaker is a good start. You don’t have to use these just for music, they are a great addition no matter what you listen to, be that a radio show, news, or something similar.

There are various speakers on the market and all come in different sizes, prices, features, and qualities. Getting the right one is tricky and greatly depends on your needs but we’re here to help as we’ll explain what to look out for and what speakers are currently the best.

You can read our Audiophile’s Guide to Buying Car Speakers to get more in-depth information.

Things to Consider

Before you decide to purchase a surface-mounted speaker, there are some things to look out for first. The priority of these things largely depends on your needs but we’ll list several that you must check before buying.

Also, depending on your car system, some speakers might not be compatible and well suited so make sure you check everything before making a purchase.

1. Power

Measured in Watts (W), power, to put it simply, indicates how much kick you’ll get out of your speakers and gives you a good estimate of what you can expect out of your speakers. Of course, you shouldn’t overdo it and go as high as possible since that’s not the best idea, and you’re buying a speaker for your car, not your house.

It’s important to not give more power than your speaker can handle, as it can damage them. Also, you might see a term called RMS when buying a speaker. This indicates how much continuous power the speaker can handle and it’s usually a go-to rating to check when buying a speaker, especially if you’re not too knowledgeable.

2. Sensitivity

Along with power, sensitivity is something you should always check first. Sensitivity is measured in decibels (dB) and refers to the speaker’s loudness.

The higher the sensitivity the louder the speaker, although that doesn’t mean you should just buy a speaker with higher sensitivity, as you should always check the power and how compatible the speaker will be in your car. For instance, you might not need a high sensitivity speaker if you have a high-powered system and vice-versa.

3. Size and Shape

This is pretty straightforward, but speakers come in different sizes and shapes, and depending on your car they might not fit or they might take too much space. Just make sure you check the dimensions and see if it will fit properly.

4. Price

As always, price is something to look out for. Higher quality speakers cost more and if you are on a budget you’ll need to find something cheaper.

Fortunately, there are some perfectly capable speakers on the market that don’t cost too much, and they are a great choice if you don’t need anything fancy. On the other hand, if you want better sound quality, be prepared to pay some extra.

QUICK OVERVIEW

The Best Surface-Mounted Speakers for Cars

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Products	Features
EDITOR’S PICK 3.9 30+ 30+ Rockford R1675-SRockford R1675-S	Power: 80W, 40W RMS Sensitivity: 92dB PRICE RANGE: Under $75 Power: 80W, 40W RMS Sensitivity: 92dB PRICE RANGE: Under $75 Check price at Amazon
MOST REVIEWED 4.4 750+ 750+ JBL GTO629JBL GTO629	Power: 180W, 30W RMS Sensitivity: 93dB PRICE RANGE: Under $125 Power: 180W, 30W RMS Sensitivity: 93dB PRICE RANGE: Under $125 Check price at Amazon
TOP PICK 4.4 170+ 170+ JL Audio C2-650XJL Audio C2-650X	Power: 100W, 60W RMS Sensitivity: 91dB PRICE RANGE: Under $250 Power: 100W, 60W RMS Sensitivity: 91dB PRICE RANGE: Under $250 Check price at Amazon
BUDGET PICK 4 210+ 210+ VECTORCOM TRD550VECTORCOM TRD550	Power: 5W Sensitivity: N/A PRICE RANGE: Under $25 Power: 5W Sensitivity: N/A PRICE RANGE: Under $25 Check price at Amazon
BUDGET PICK 4.3 1,060+ 1060+ Pyle PLMR51BPyle PLMR51B	Power: 100W, 50W RMS Sensitivity: N/A PRICE RANGE: Under $25 Power: 100W, 50W RMS Sensitivity: N/A PRICE RANGE: Under $25 Check price at Amazon

Under $25

VECTORCOM TRD550

It’s hard to find a speaker at this low a price but here we are, and surprisingly it isn’t that bad of a sound. The sound is quite okay, nothing great of course but at this price it’s really adequate, and it does the job well especially if you don’t want to spend too much.

The speaker has a power of 5W and the volume can go high enough, although the sound can get a bit distorted if the volume is turned up high. 

The VECTORCOM TRD550 isn’t cumbersome so it should fit in most cars, although depending on your car, its rectangular shape might get you to make some rearrangements in your car. It has a 3.5mm jack plug and a cord length of 3 inches.

All things considered, an adequate speaker for its price that might just give you a boost you needed.

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Pyle PLMR51B

This dual marine speaker from Pyle, is budget-friendly and offers great value. It has a power of 100W or 50W RMS, and the speaker has a circuit magnet for a full range audio and complete stereo speaker sound system.

A great feature of this speaker is that it’s waterproof, with having the ability to withstand heavy water splashes and other outdoor conditions. This makes it a great choice for some vehicles like off road cars or even motorcycles. It is also made to be weather resistant.

Due to its size, complete wirings, and mounting hardware, it’s easy to instal and should fit pretty much anywhere. The Pyle PLMR51B has a stylish look but the sound isn’t the best if the volume is too high. Still for the price it isn’t that bad and it’s hard to complain much when the speaker is less than $20.

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JVC CS-J620

Another affordable speaker, this 2-way JVC speaker has a power of 300W or 30W RMS (each speaker). The 2-way speaker features a mica cone and hybrid surround, and it’s built onto a steel stamped frame.

All of this along with a tweeter ensures a good sound range that should be adequate for most users, although it kinda falls flat on bass sound. The sensitivity is 92 dB.

The JVC CS-J620 is small and has a shallow 1-26/32 inch frame, to ensure that the installation is very simple and easy. Furthermore, it has a pre-arranged hole pattern to reduce the chance of you having to modify the speaker to fit in.

Good news is that you’ll also get the mounting screws and tabs with the purchase if you need to do some modifications.

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Pyle PLMR652W

These 6.5 Inch marine speakers from Pyle are another good choice for off roads vehicles and motorcycles. They are completely waterproof and have a rating of IP-X4, which means they could withstand heavy water splashes and other similar conditions.

They are weather resistant too, due to them being made out of durable materials with an engineered ABS housing construction, dual Polypropylene cone, cloth surround, molded ABS machined basket and grill to combat sun damage.

The Pyle PLMR652W have a full range stereo sound reproduction with a power output of 300W RMS or 600W peak. The sensitivity is 90 dB. The size of the speakers makes them easy to instal and they look quite good too.

While these speakers are made for boats in mind they are perfectly capable of providing a good sound in cars too.

Under $50

Rockford Fosgate R165X3

A very good speaker from Rockford Fosgate, the R165X3 offers a very good sound while still being reasonably priced. This 6.50 inch 3-way full-range speaker has a power of 90W or 45W RMS.

The Rockford Fosgate R165X3 features polypropylene cones, a silk dome Piezo tweeter, and midrange. An integrated high-pass crossover is also included and the sensitivity of the speaker is 91dB.

The standard size and the fact that it comes with grilles and mounting hardware, make this speaker a breeze to install. As mentioned this speaker is capable of producing a really good sound, although the bass could have been better.

Still, it should satisfy most users and overall this is a very good speaker that’s still quite affordable.

Under $75

Herdio HS-61B

The Herdio HS-61B are heavy duty speakers made for boats, motorcycles and off-road cars and other similar vehicles.

As such they are waterproof, have rust proof speaker grills, and heavy duty engineered plastic cabinet to ensure that they can withstand the outdoor conditions. Their maximum power is 100W per speaker so they are capable of giving a good loud sound. 

The speakers are quite small making them a great choice if your space is limited, and they are easy to instal too. With the speakers you’ll also get the mounting brackets.

The sound is generally good, although you might need an amp to get the most out of them, depending on your needs.

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Rockford R1675-S

This product from Rockford Fosgate is a 2-way component speaker system that delivers a good performance. It’s equipped with mica injected polypropylene woofer cone with foam surround, and the whole system includes two woofers, two tweeters, and two woofer grilles.

All of this ensures a good sound range without any distorted effects. The speaker has a power of 80W or 40W RMS and a sensitivity of 92 dB. 

Although the Rockford R1675-S is a bit bigger than the previous entries in the article, it still shouldn’t be a problem to find some space and instal it, and the grilles and mounting hardware are included.

The speaker is also equipped with an in-line 6dB tweeter crossover filter, a high-temperature voice coil, and a stamped steel frame.

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Pioneer TS-A1680F

A pretty powerful speaker from Pioneer, the TS-A1680F is an A-series 4-way car speaker with a power of 350W, or 80W RMS per pair.

It’s equipped with a carbon and mica reinforced IMPP woofer cone, an elastic polymer surround material and a twin 11mm PET hard dome tweeter. All of this ensures that the speaker gives out a dynamic sound with a pretty good range. The sensitivity is 88dB.

Installation is pretty straightforward and easy, and the speakers standard size shouldn’t cause any issues with finding a place to fit it. Also, included with the speaker are multi-fit installation adapters that expand flexibility and improve acoustic performance.

A good performance and an easy installation makes this speaker a good choice for anyone who wants to improve their car sound.

Under $125

JBL GTO629

The GTO629 speaker from JBL features carbon-injected plus one cones and these are larger than others in their size class, and this equals more quality bass.

It’s also equipped with a patented UniPivot tweeter that allows you to aim the sound at your ears, which generally translates into a more rich and lifelike sound. Furthermore, a dual-level tweeter volume adjustment is a great help if the speaker placement isn’t the best.

It’s power is 180W or 60W RMS, and the sensitivity is 93dB. An interesting thing to note is that this speaker has lower impedance (3 Ohms) than standard speakers, which allows it to safely draw more power from your car stereo.

There is also a 12dB high-quality crossover that directs the highs and lows to the appropriate speakers for the best sound possible.

Under $250

JL Audio C2-650X

An older model but C2-650XA is a truly great and powerful 2-way speaker from JL Audio. This product features an injection-molded mica-filled polypropylene woofer with butyl rubber surround.

These can handle high power with no distortion so you can really crank up the bass. The silk dome tweeters are also there to ensure a good and smooth higher tone. The speaker has a power of 100W or 60W RMS, and a sensitivity of 91 dB. 

The speaker has built-in crossovers to help with the smooth play. Installation is simple and quite easy, as you might expect from a high-end speaker, although for some users it did get a bit tricky, depending on their car.

In addition, you’ll get a pair of grilles for custom installations as well. All in all, an awesome speaker that provides great performance, albeit a bit expensive.

Conclusion

These speakers we picked are some of the best you can find, although there are dozens of more but we picked a few budget-friendly, mid-range, and high-end speakers, for diversity.

Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong with some of these manufacturers, just make sure you do research before you decide to purchase anything. 

If you are in a hurry check out our Editor’s Choice which is a good mid-range speaker that’s still relatively affordable, or if you are tight on cash, you can check the Budget Pick.

Whatever the case, we hoped you enjoyed this article and that it helped you in some way, and if you liked it, feel free to share it. Happy shopping!

*All prices mentioned above are at the time of publishing.