5 Best Budget Car Speakers Under $100 Review 2023

(Last Updated On: March 14, 2024)

There’s no need to splurge to upgrade your car’s stereo system sound quality. Top affordable car speakers deliver outstanding audio performance without sacrificing construction quality. With the help of technology, we’ve seen significant advancements in speaker quality, allowing you to secure a top-notch brand for under $100.

Well, it’s easy to get lost searching for budget-friendly speakers. But you don’t have to. I’ve compiled this list of the best-sounding budget car speakers to help you decide. I’ll also go through the important stuff you need to know when shopping for car speakers.

Best Budget Car Speakers 

Skar Audio FSX5-4 6.5-Inch Pro Audio Car Speaker 

Although Skar Audio is not as renowned as other brands like JBL and JVC, you can beat the brand’s price to value when it comes to budget car speakers. Skar Audio FSX5-4 allows you to enjoy clear and crisp mid and high tones. The speaker also has some reasonable bass level but only at high volumes. Moreover, since it is 6.5 inches, it is ideal for replacing the stock speakers in most vehicles. 

Featuring a 4-ohm impedance, this speaker can pull a considerable amount of power from your amp. It is rated at 150 watts RMS power and 92.5 dB rating, but it can handle 300 watts peak power. To this end, Skar Audio FSX5-4 is ideal for a midrange amp since it can produce rich sound with minimal distortion. 

You can count on a frequency response of 100 Hz – 8 kHz to reproduce sound accurately, even at the highest volume. I particularly like that it includes a vented backplate to prevent overheating in hot summer weather. In addition, it has a 1.5-inch copper voice coil to operate well at high volumes. Nonetheless, you will need to break it in like any other speaker to prevent distortions.

Final Verdict

Skar Audio FSX5-4 is for anyone looking to upgrade speakers in a factory-installed stereo, thanks to a simple drop-in installation and rich sound output. 

Pioneer TS-F1634R 200W 2-Way Speakers

Pioneer TS-F1634R full-range speakers offer the advantage of a simple installation. They only need a 41 mm mounting depth, which is suitable for shallow mounting. In addition, they do not compromise sound quality since they can reproduce low and mid-range sound at a frequency range of 31 Hz to 16 kHz with high-quality. 

Pioneer TS-F1634R speakers are a simple way of replacing blown-out or worn units. They come with a highly robust yet lightweight polypropylene cone to ensure that the speaker can withstand the sound pressure of high volumes. 

These speakers feature a 25W RMS/ 200W peak to deliver excellent sound quality. Nevertheless, they don’t need a monstrous amp because of the low RMS rating, but you will enjoy music at high volumes because they are rated for 88 dB sensitivity. 

Final Verdict

Pioneer TS-F1634R 2-way speakers are the perfect replacement for old speakers. They may be cheap but offer a fantastic sound punch you can only wish for in quality car speakers. 

DS18 PRO-TW120B Super Tweeters

If you’re looking for high-grade tweeters, DS18 PRO-TW120B Super Tweeters are your best choice. These tweeters have an extremely loud design that enables you to pick the ideal tweeter volume by adjusting your amplifier. With 200 RMS power and bullet design, they bring high-range volume across 2.2 Hz – 19 kHz frequency ranges. 

Moreover, the 19 kHz max frequency response paired with 103 dB sensitivity means you will listen to clean sound even if your stereo is not powerful. The 1-inch voice coil is easy to change in minutes. Additionally, the speakers max out at 4 ohms; hence they don’t necessarily need high-gauge wiring. 

DS18 PRO-TW120B Super Tweeters are lightweight and strong thanks to the aluminum frame and diaphragm. Not to mention, they have a nominal power handling of 60 watts, so they are compatible with both aftermarket and factory sound setups. 

Final Verdict

DS18 PRO-TW120B Super Tweeters are a great addition to a super loud stereo system. Enjoy concert-ready sound and sophistication since they are the only ones you need for a powerful sound system. 

JVC CS-J620 2-Way Speakers 

JVC CS-J620 2-Way Speakers provide excellent quality, owing to their Mica cone on a steel stamped frame. The construction design enhances sound output since they have a cloth and rubber surround and 1-inch balanced dome tweeters. Thus, they not only look good, but they also sound great. 

While this is an affordable set by JVC, they will exceed the performance of traditional 6.5-inch speakers. Each speaker can handle 30 watts of RMS power to add life to your stock stereo system. Besides, they can handle a modest amplifier since they can handle up to 300 watts of peak power. 

These are high-sensitivity speakers with a 92 dB rating. Combined with a frequency response of 35 Hz to 22 kHz, they deliver good sounding highs, mid-range, and bass. They don’t take long to break in, so you’ll be listening to crisp and quality sound within hours. 

Final Verdict

Get extraordinary value and crisp, quality tones from JVC CS-J620 2-Way Speakers. These are the perfect pick for an aged pair because they are super cheap, and they are engineered for a custom fit.

Pyle PL63BL 3-Way Sound Speakers

It’s all in the details with Pyle PL63BL 3-Way Sound Speakers. The eye-catching blue cone has a construction from polyurethane to allow for robustness without adding any weight. The butyl rubber surround is lightweight, extending the speakers’ life. 

You can look forward to enjoying sound across a wide frequency range since it carries high, mid, and lows across the ideal audio spectrum of 90 Hz to 20 kHz. A 1-inch ASV voice coil provides rich sound while ensuring low distortion. 

These speakers consist of a ¾-inch piezo tweeter, a 1-inch neodymium film dome, and a 20-ounce magnet structure. These components allow the music to resonate with full power. Furthermore, these speakers can handle 180 watts of RMS power and 360 watts of peak power. Hence, you can pair them with a powerful amp with confidence. 

Final Verdict

For those looking for beautiful construction at a budget price point, you can’t go wrong with Pyle PL63BL 3-Way Sound Speakers. Designed to excel at full power, these speakers are the high standard for a stock or aftermarket stereos. 

Best Budget Car Speakers: Comparison Chart

	Type	Frequency Response	Power handling	Sensitivity	Impedance
Skar Audio FSX65-4	Mid-range car speaker	100 Hz – 8 kHz	300W Max/ 150W RMS	92.5 dB	4 ohms
Pioneer TS-F1634R	2-way full-range car speaker	31 Hz to 16 kHz	200W Max/ 25W RMS	88 dB	4 ohms
DS18 PRO-TW120B	Tweeter	2.2 Hz – 19 kHz	300W Max/200W RMS	103 dB	4 ohms
JVC CS-J620	2-way coaxial car speaker	35 – 22 kHz	300W Max/ 30W RMS	92 dB	4 ohms
Pyle PL63BL	3-way triaxial speaker	90 Hz – 20 kHz	360W Max/ 180W RMS	89 dB	4 ohms

Read more: How to Make Car Door Speakers Sound Better?

How to Buy the Best Budget Car Speakers 

You can add new life to your vehicle with a new set of budget speakers. If your factory speakers are busted, it’s best to replace them with speakers that can handle lots of power. However, it would be best to keep a few things in mind before purchasing budget car speakers. 

Coaxial, Triaxial or Component

Coaxial speakers have a two-way design with a woofer, tweeter, and a simple crossover that’s built into a single speaker assembly. Triaxial speakers consist of a high-range response speaker at the bottom, a mid-range unit in the middle, and a low-range response unit at the top. 

Component speakers have the tweeters and woofers separate for easy speaker movement within the car. 

Component speakers have the best sound quality because of their design, followed by triaxial speakers and coaxial speakers. Nonetheless, coaxial speakers are the easiest to install and are the cheapest. 

Read more: Best 6.5’’ component & coaxial car speakers [top 5 products review]

2-way or 3-way

2-way speakers are the same as coaxial speakers consisting of a tweeter and a woofer, while a 3-way speaker has a woofer, tweeter, and a midrange component. 3-way speakers boast a higher frequency range and can produce highs and lows of sound for a much fuller and more accurate sound. 

Compatibility

You’ll need speakers that match your car’s look. You wouldn’t want dirt cheap speakers in a high-end vehicle and vice versa. Nonetheless, you’ll need to know the exact configuration of the speakers you want to replace so that you don’t end up with speakers that don’t fit in your vehicle.  

Frequency Response

A speaker’s frequency response is measured in Hertz (Hz). It tells you how accurately a speaker converts the frequencies of an input signal. For example, a speaker with a 60 Hz to 18 kHz rating can convert frequencies in that range more accurately than frequencies outside that range. 

With this in mind, you’ll need to look for speakers with a nice frequency response rate to play sounds from all human audio spectrum ranges. 

Power Handling

It would help to know the power in watts that the speakers can handle. You will need speakers that are close to the amp’s output. Nevertheless, the vital feature in power handling is the maximum RMS rather than the peak power. Typically, a low-powered stereo requires a 2 to 50 watts RMS system.

Sensitivity

Sensitivity measures the sound that a speaker yields from the power applied to it. If you have a factory stereo that’s typically 10 to 15 watts RMS per channel, the best match is speakers with a high sensitivity range of above 90 dB. 

However, if you have a high-powered aftermarket car stereo, then you will need low-sensitivity speakers because they’ll provide an excellent sound output when adequately powered.   

Impedance

Impedance shows the amount of power that a speaker pulls from the amp. The lower a speaker’s impedance, the more power it will draw from the amp. Impedance is measured in ohms, and speakers range between 2 to 4 ohms. To this end, an amp will push more power to a speaker rated at 2 ohms than the one rated at 4 ohms. 

Material 

The components that make a speaker significantly impact the sound quality. Go for polyurethane and silk on the tweeters and rubber on the speaker surround. Meanwhile, woofers need to have a lightweight construction to produce the best bass sounds. Thus, polypropylene is preferred for the woofer since it can reproduce bass accurately. 

Read more: What is speaker crossover? Here is how to set the crossover frequency

Conclusion 

If you desire decent sound without breaking the bank, these are the best budget car speakers for your stereo system. My top choice for upgrading factory speakers is the Skar Audio FSX5-4. However, if you are simply replacing old, worn-out speakers, you’ll like listening with the Pioneer TS-F1634R 2-way speakers. Finally, if you are a true audiophile in need of super loud sound, adding the DS18 PRO-TW120B Super Tweeters will do the trick.