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You are here: Home / ARTICLES / Rear Speakers – A Benefit or a Bad Habit?

April 30, 2017 By BestCarAudio.com Leave a Comment

Rear Speakers – A Benefit or a Bad Habit?

Rear SpeakersFor decades, automobile manufacturers have installed relatively large rear speakers in their vehicles. The stereotype of a set of 6×9 speakers sitting on the parcel shelf of a Monte Carlo is as “car audio” as it gets. As the industry has evolved, the importance of rear speakers has diminished. Are rear speakers necessary? Do they offer a benefit? Are we just holding on to a bad habit? Read on to explore more about rear speakers.

Why are They So Big?

Rear SpeakersAutomakers used to take advantage of the opportunity to put speakers in the rear of their vehicles because those speakers could be larger that the ones in the front of the vehicle. Consider a third-generation Camaro or Firebird. They had a set of 4×6 speakers on the dash and a set of 6×9 speakers in the rear sides. Likewise, a fourth-generation Monte Carlo had 3-1/2-inch speakers in the dash and 4×10-inch speakers on the skinny little rear deck.

In most cases, a speaker with more cone area will play louder for a given amount of power. Larger speakers are capable of producing more bass. We recently saw a factory audio system with a 9-inch door speaker, and 6x9s in a pickup truck and SUV doors are very common.

What is Our Goal?

Rear SpeakersThe trend in the last decade for both factory and aftermarket car audio systems has been to recreate a live performance as realistically as possible. This shift in design has introduced us to the need for proper speaker placement and the use of larger speakers in the front of the vehicle. The use of digital signal processors to set up crossovers, signal delay and equalization for each speaker location has further improved on our ability to create what is known as a soundstage in our vehicles.

A soundstage refers to a perceived source location for our music. In a perfect world, our music would appear to come from far out in front of us and provide a good sense of width and depth, excellent focus, and realistic ambiance – just like a live performance. Automobile manufacturers have to balance cosmetic design versus optimum speaker placement, and speaker placement often loses the fight.

What is Your Goal?

Rear SpeakersHow do you like to enjoy your music? Do you attend live performances? Do you listen to a two-channel system at home? Do you usually use headphones? Are you into surround sound? Your answers to these questions can help your car audio specialist retailer design a system that will sound the way you want.

If you like live performances and two-channel audio, then it’s most likely that you would enjoy a system with a soundstage that is out on the dash of the vehicle. In this application, rear speakers are not very important, and in most cases, the money saved by not purchasing and installing rear speakers at all will allow you to buy better front speakers.

If you listen to headphones, then you may want the sound from your system to wrap around you evenly. You may enjoy a system that makes you feel as if you are in the middle of the sound. An equal amount of sound will come from in front of you as behind you. In a system like this, using similar or even identical speakers in the front and back can help produce great results.

If you watch a lot of movies in surround sound, then you need to work with your retailer to decide what is right for you. In movies, the side and rear channels are usually reserved for special effects and ambiance. You may want to go without rear speakers in a mobile audio system. Very few sources include surround information, and currently there are no aftermarket surround sound reproduction solutions, although some are coming.

Are You a Purist?

Rear SpeakersIn pure, raw technical terms, you want as few speakers in your system as possible. Additional sources of sound can result in interference patterns called comb filtering. An ideal system would offer full-range left and right signals, and – because we typically can’t use large speakers in our doors – a subwoofer to fill in the bottom few octaves.

The placement of the speakers can have a dramatic effect on the sound of the system. From a perspective of tonal accuracy, having the midrange speakers in the doors works well. This location typically produces a very wide soundstage. A door location does not often result in a soundstage that appears to emanate from far out in front of you. To achieve that, you may need to use a smaller midrange speaker with a tweeter in a dash or A-pillar location.

When possible, try to ensure that tweeters are mounted within 20 degrees of being on-axis to the listening position.

Who’s Back There?

Another consideration for rear speakers is whether you have passengers in the rear of the vehicle. If you have children or friends in the back, then it would serve them well to have speakers to enjoy. Yes, they will be able to hear the dash or front door speakers, but not as clearly as if they had something close by. It would not be unreasonable to design an audio system that allowed you to turn the rear speakers on and off, depending on your needs.

Rear Speakers as Rear Fill

Rear SpeakersFor systems designed with a focus on the front soundstage, rear speakers are often operated at a much lower relative level than the front. Some people call this technique “rear fill.” The intent is to provide a sense of spaciousness to the listening environment. Employing rear fill speakers splits the divide between systems with or without rear speakers. The relative level of these speakers is critical. Too much can start to pull the soundstage rearward.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to a preference for the location of your soundstage. Whatever you enjoy is the right choice. Your local mobile electronics specialist retailer can work with you to design a system that sounds the way you enjoy. Drop in today and ask if they have a demo vehicle that you can audition. That’s a great way to decide what solution is best for you.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

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Top Notch Professional Installation After looking around for a few weeks I came across Handcrafted Car Audio. They installed a Sony in dash gps unit along with their top remote care starter and alarm. The Installation was well done and everything was done quickly and very professional. Jon took the time on a Sat right before Christmas knowing that I was leaving town soon and showed me how to navigate... » Read More
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Best car audio place in the valley. You will not find better brands any were else. I am currently working 75 hours a week and don’t have time to go in to audio shops and try to find an amp that is worth buying. I was sending text to Jon on breaks or between customers and he ended up finding me amp that I didn’t think I had the money... » Read More
Richard D.
Refreshing change As pretty much everyone before me has said, the unparalleled professionalism of Jon and his shop are above and beyond what can be said in a simple online review. From the moment I first walked into the shop, I knew that this was the only place I would feel completely at ease with leaving my baby (2012 Evo X) in their hands. Jon took the time to listen... » Read More
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Jon has done 2 installs for me in the past. Each time, I have walked away very satisfied. His work exceeded my expectations on both occasions. I recently had a head unit installed, and the kit was designed to eliminate my stock lcd screen which displayed the A/C controlls. Instead of eliminating the lcd screen, he studied the components and figured out a way to keep the screen there. I... » Read More
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Great service and very clean shop. They did a radio installation on my moms accord and she couldn't be happier. She loves the bluetooth capability and the price of it all. No surprises at the register. Definitely will be bringing my Tahoe to then soon. Customers for life. Thank you James for helping her make the right decision and not pressuring her into a more expensive radio. Nick thank you... » Read More
Dave Lozada
Flawless Service, Flawless Drone After doing some online research, I called Jon to discuss the remote starter and security system that I wanted to have installed in my brand new 2013 Nissan Titan Pro 4x. I was looking to keep this vehicle for a decade or more, and I wanted to install a top of the line system. During our phone conversation, I decided to make an appointment with Jon... » Read More
Tommy
I first became acquainted with Jon Kowanetz and Handcrafted Car Audio in July 2009. I was in the process of developing a high-end audio system in one of my vehicles and had sought out the services of a quality-oriented professional installer.From our first meeting, I realized Jon was different from most other car audio pros I had previously dealt with. He listened to my desires, asked appropriate questions, and made... » Read More
Todd B.
This guy is the best car audio installer in the valley. Did a very complex audio/video installation in my BMW 745. Now I have my ipod connected in a jack in my ashtray with video in my navigation unit. If u have audio work that needs to be done this is the guy to have it done. » Read More
sharpiesignature
I'm not a pro. I haven't kept up with car audio in so long I still call it car stereo. So it was my wife's birthday and the head end in her 2004 Avalon ate a CD and wouldn't let go. I understand that happens. So time for a new system. And, I thought, why not beef up the sound a bit while we're at it. Not sure quite how... » Read More
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After having some work done by another installer. I went to see Jon at Handcrafted Car Audio. He did not try to placate me and he was very factual about what he would do. The end result is that I am completely satisfied with the work done. He went the extra mile for me when I thought I had a problem with the system (turned out to be a loose... » Read More
Max O.
THE MAN in phoenix I am a custom car audio installer in San Jose, CA 🙂 www.simplicityinsound.com...and I have to say, having met Jon and seen his work, if I lived in the greater PHX area, i would rather pay him to work my own car than do it myself...and i think thats the highest compliment someone in my field can pay to a peer. Don't hesitate to go here,... » Read More
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Very pleased with the service! I went in to check on a remote started but didn't think I would be able to get it done because I was leaving the state the following week, but Jon got me in the next day and it was done in just a few hours. He made sure I knew how everything worked and told me to call him if I had any problems.... » Read More
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First Class I found Handcrafted after being disappointed with another store in the Mesa area. I did some other searches online and found Handcrafted. I set up an appointment to meet with Jon. When I met Jon, I knew that I had found the shop for which I had been looking. He really cares about getting the best sound for you and listens to your opinion on what you want.... » Read More
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Jon is the most stand up car audio guy that I’ve ever met. He is very customer oriented with a high level of integrity. He is very knowledgeable about all aspects of car audio and is willing to work with you to reach your goals. His level of craftsmanship is phenomenal and the work he did for me far exceeded my expectations.I HIGHLY recommend Handcrafted Car Audio. » Read More
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