it all depends on everything. u can get subs that deliver quality or hard hitting 'noise' speakers that cost a lot and sound like a bird or cheap speakers that soud like an elephant.
subs just give u bass speakers give u the rest of the sound.
if u want sound quality go for sq speakers and sq subs (sound quality) subs for bass and speakers for the mid - high
a speaker is also called a "driver", or "speaker driver".
a subwoofer is a kind of speaker that plays the lowest sounds.
other types of speakers are woofers, midbass drivers, midrange drivers, tweeters, & super-tweeters.
different kinds of speakers playing together are called a system. you don't have to use every kind of speaker listed above to make a system, but you usually need more than one.
a system with 2 speakers per channel is called a 2-way system. 3 speakers per channel make a 3-way system, and so on. a channel is an electrical circuit carrying musical signals to a speaker system. 1 channel is called mono. many subwoofers run mono. 2 channels is called stereo. stereo is designed for a realistic listening experience. this is why most radios have left and right speakers. more channels are used in A/V (home theatre) sound systems, but aren't as common in a car.
having a lot of speakers is not always better. for example, a simple 2-way stereo system with a subwoofer may use only 5 speakers total and still sound very good. conversly, many cars with 20 speakers may get very loud inside, but sound very bad doing it.
all speakers are transducers, but not all transducers are speakers. remember you have your "bass shaker" type of transducers, which have no radiating surface.
couldn't you break it down a step further and say transducers are a type of linear motor (vs. torque, stepper, and servo motors)?
well, there are servo-subs, too and lest we forget "speakers" also cover things like electro-static panels which resonate when an alternating current is applied to the shaped metal mesh that makes up the ESL.
ok, so what would you guys prefer in a car, i would like to have loud-high quality sound. should i get some good speakers(if so which ones), or a good subwoofer(if so which ones)???
if it helps the car will be a mustang or an excursion, if that makes a difference please make 2 different lists of the speakers and/or subwoofer i should get. only if it makes a difference though.
i won't recommend product for you, but a nice component set (5.25" or 6.5" mid/woofer + tweeter) in the front doors is a great start if you're really after a system that sounds good.
you'll probably also want to invest in an amplifier and/or an aftermarket CD head unit as your next step.
at this point, if you think you want some low bass to fill out the music, you could get a subwoofer or two and another amp. not everyone needs subwoofers - it depends on what kind of music you like, the other speakers in the car, your EQ preferences, and how loud you want to listen to the music. if your mustang is a convertable, i'd recommend definately getting subs, and more power all-around as well.
i am new at this kind of stuff so the terms EQ and tweeter i know not of.
anyways i like rock, but not with lots of bass but a fair amount. And the mustang is not a convertable so should i still get subs and more power all around as well?
it would also help if you could point me in a dirrection where i can get these items, or to people that can explain it to me.
if you like bass, you should get a sub. you'll need to decide, based on your budget and available time, whether you want to buy all parts of your system at once, or one piece at a time.
FYI, by EQ preferences i meant how you like to listen to your music (ex: some people like to have lots of bass or lots of treble, and some like things sounding fairly even, or flat). since you like rock, you'll probably enjoy a boost in both the treble and bass. a sub will produce the bass, and the tweeters will make the treble sounds.
you can buy stereo components on ebay, or at your local best buy, circuit city, or other stereo shop.
