How’s car audio doing in 2018?

Pioneer, Alpine, and Polk Audio are amongst the best car speakers brands and continue re-engineering their products as audio fans continue to grow higher expectations. Today we focus on the best sets of component speakers for 2018. Our choice of brands is based on audio companies that have passed the test of time.

The new Pioneer Z-Series

Pioneer’s recent models range from basic, lower series to the high-end Z-series which we picked today. The TS-Z65CH is an amazing 6.5” component that has been specifically engineered for Hi-Res Audio and features an off-axial frequency response. The woofer’s two-layer cone is made of Twaron® and Cellulose resulting in quick bass response and low distortion. With Pioneer’s advanced Vertex Drive System the tweeters are now made of Alloy and allow for a more linear vibration and frequency dispersion. Power handling is 110 watts continuous and 330 watts peak.

Alpines X-series

Alpine has always been a big name in car audio due to its proven reliability.Also built with Hi-Res Audio in mind are Alpine’s X series speakers. When creating the new X series of speakers they went even further with a concept called Image Defined (ID). The concept is based on making speakers that provide a live concert-like audio experience. Our choice today is the X-S65C 6.5” component, built around the ID Alpine idea. The woofer cone is made of a tight woven nano-fiber material while the suspension is made using the same technology Alpine uses on their ground-pounding subwoofers. The tweeter’s diaphragm is built from carbon graphite allowing it to hit those highs on the impressive 55,000Hz range. Power handling is 120 watts RMS and 360 watts peak.

Polk Audio MM1

Polk has redesigned the former MM model and is now called MM1. The MM stands for mobile monitor and is based on the idea of making car speakers with the sound quality of studio-grade monitor speakers. Today we look at the MM6502 6.5” component and what it offers. The woofer’s cone is made of a well balanced Titanium-Plated Polymer cone that eliminates distortion and reproduction of unwanted frequencies. The tweeter doesn’t fall behind, made with Terylene fabric and able to reproduce crisp and balanced high frequencies. Polk’s innovative Dynamic Balance technology system is focused on high-performance sound quality and is experienced best on the MM line. In addition, MM speaker systems are now Ultra-Marine Certified adding extra protection against humid, salty, and sunny environments. Power handling is 125 watts nominal and 375 watts peak.

Final thoughts

Although car speakers come in many sizes and configurations, the best sound has been proven to come from 6.5”component sets and that’s what we decided to build our list on. The above models are high-end and will all require professional installation and plenty of power. These are not the type of plug and play models that can run solely on head unit power. Keep in mind that all these companies also fabricate lower performance models that may be more suitable for some.