If you’re bored of your car stock speakers because of their poor sound quality, the best 3-way car speakers will improve your audio experience. A set of 3-way speakers will provide good bass, clarity in the middle frequencies, and sharp, clear highs. Most 3-way speakers will fit easily into the pre-cut slots in your car, making them both economical and simple to install.
While a component system with separate subwoofers and dome tweeters would provide the highest audio quality for your automobile, they are more difficult to install and more expensive. Three-way speakers are a good compromise. They provide excellent audio quality without the burden of a time-consuming and costly installation. It can be difficult to navigate the enormous array of options available, but we’ve done the legwork for you. We’ve compiled this collection of in-depth evaluations to assist you in finding the best 3-way speaker for your specific needs.
Table of Contents
JBL GTO939 GTO Series 6×9″ 300W 3 Way Black Car Coaxial Audio Speakers
- 6 x 9-inch three-way loudspeaker pair.
- Plus One woofer cone with rubber surround
- Adjustable mylar-titanium tweeter and supertweeter with level control
JBL is a force to be reckoned with, and it produces some of the Best 3-Way Car Speakers on the market. Both in terms of design and sound, the GTO939 3-way speakers stand up to the JBL brand. They have a rubber border on the Plus One woofer cone, an adjustable mylar-titanium tweeter, and a super-tweeter. They offer a 300-watt peak power handling capacity, a 100-watt RMS rating, and a 3-inch mounting depth.
Extra super-tweeter, the highs are rich and crisp, and the middle and bass frequencies are smooth and deep, in keeping with JBL’s excellent sound quality. These component speakers can take high volumes for extended periods of time without distortion, but the bass may become muddy at these levels. These are high-end speakers with a high price tag, which keeps them out of our top two spots.
Kicker 43DSC69304 D-Series 6×9 360 Watt 3-Way Car Audio Coaxial Speakers
- Pair Kicker 43DSC69304 DSC6930 6x9 360 Watt 3-Way Car audio Speakers 4-Ohm Peak: 720 Watts per pair / 360 Watts each RMS: 180 Watts per pair / 90...
- Thin-Profile Zero-to-Minimal Tweeter Protrusion Polypropylene midwoofer Acoustic-foam surround 1/2" Polyethylene-Naphthalate Dome Tweeter
- Stamped steel basket EVC (Extended Voice Coil) technology, for excellent sound - even with a factory radio Neodymium Tweeter magnet
Kicker’s 69.5-inch speakers are our top pick for 3-way speakers overall. They each have an RMS power of 90 watts and a peak power of 360 watts. They fit snuggly into most common automobile speaker fittings thanks to their tiny profile, and the tweeter has a zero-to-minimal protrusion that keeps it flush. While the Kickers don’t have a lot of power, they do provide a clear and outstanding sound quality that is free of distortion. They offer a crystal clear middle frequency range, which allows for excellent vocal reproduction, as well as crisp and cutting highs.
The bass is the only thing missing from these coaxials car audio system. Even though you wouldn’t expect a lot of bass from a little 3-way speaker, the Kickers’ bass is disappointing. This is the best 3 way car speaker in 2023.
Rockford Fosgate R165X3 Prime 6.5″ Full-Range 3-Way Coaxial Speaker
- The Prime R165X3 is a pair of 6.50" 3-Way Full Range Speakers that are ideal for that factory speaker upgrade you’ve been looking for
- The 6.5” speakers have a mounting depth of 2.15" and come with grilles and mounting hardware
- Perfect for replacing factory speakers, they feature polypropylene cones, a silk dome Piezo tweeter and midrange
Our pick for the best 3-way speakers for the money is the Rockford Fosgate R165X3 coaxials. They have a 2.15-inch mounting depth and a 6.5-inch diameter, and they come with mounting hardware and attractive front grills. High-pass crossovers, polypropylene woofer cone, and silk-dome piezo tweeters are all built in. The RMS power rating of each speaker is 45 watts, with a peak power rating of 90 watts peak power.
The mid-range response is snappy, and the highs are clear and piercing. After a little EQ tuning, the bass response is fantastic, and these speakers have a surprising amount of kick. Even if you treat them gently, the low price comes with a catch: they won’t last as long as more expensive speakers. As a result, they are unable to compete with us for first place. They will, however, provide excellent value for your money.
Pioneer TS-A1670F 6.5″ 320 Watts Max 3-Way Car Speakers
- 320 Watts Max Power
- Multilayer Mica Matrix Cone Design for Optimum Sound Reproduction and Responsiveness
- Lightweight Elastic Polymer Surround
Pioneer’s TS-A1670F 3-way way coaxial car speakers have a stunning design as well as a wonderful sound. They offer 320 watts of peak power and 70 watts of RMS power, which is enough of power for the average audiophile. The woofer cone is comprised of a multilayer mica matrix that is designed for excellent sound quality and long life material quality. The tweeter is a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) hard-dome design, and the midrange speaker cone is cellulose fiber. As a result, it’s a real 3-way speaker with strong bass, smooth middles, and sharp, clear highs.
Even at low volumes, some users notice distortion and muddy, hardly discernible bass response from this sound system. At high volumes, the speaker grilles are also prone to rattling.
BOSS Audio Systems CH6530 Car Speakers
- Dimensions: 6.6 x 6.6 x 2.4 inches
- Impedance: 4 ohms
- Mounting Depth: 2.1 inches, Mounting Hole: 5.5 inches
While BOSS isn’t the most well-known speaker brand, their products are good and reliable. A nice example is the CH6530, a 6.5-inch vehicle speaker. At its top, the CH6530 can handle 300 watts of electricity, with a continuous power rating of 150 watts. The CH6530’s high power rating assures that it can withstand powerful sounds without overheating or distortion.
A polyurethane cone is included with the CH6530 to improve durability without losing flexibility. This is combined with an aluminum voice coil for increased heat resistance. Last but not least, the CH6530 is made of butyl rubber.
Butyl rubber is a great material because of its low moisture permeability and heat resistance. The CH6530 can withstand heat, abrasion, extreme weather, and even chemical attacks because of this. In addition, the material has great stress absorbing capabilities.
Sony XSFB1330 5.25-Inches 240 Watt 3-Way Car Audio Speakers
- 3-way speaker system, 5-1/4" Foamed-Mica Cellular Reinforced Woofers, 1" Polyester Main Tweeter
- 3/4" Piezo Super Tweeter for extended high-frequency response, Perfect compatibility with Sony MEX-N and CDG-G head units, Power Bass Response w/(60...
- 4 ohm Speaker Impedance, 240 W Max Power Handling, 35 W Rated Power Handling
If you want to replace your car’s factory-installed speakers, the Sony XSFB1330 3-way speakers are a wonderful choice. They have cellular reinforced foamed-mica woofers, a 1-inch polyester tweeter, and a 34-inch piezo super-tweeter. They have an RMS power of 35 watts and a peak power of 240 watts. Don’t be put off by the low RMS rating; these speakers pack a punch and deliver a powerful bass response with crisp highs.
These speakers’ bass response is rich and clear, but not particularly powerful. They won’t give you any bass pounding even with EQ adjustment. However, because a super-tweeter will provide excellent highs, adding a subwoofer may result in a great-sounding system.
Alphasonik AS26 6.5 inch 350 Watts Max 3-Way Car Audio Full Range Coaxial Speakers
The Alphasonik AS26 coaxial speakers come in a set of four, with each speaker rated at 35 watts RMS, for a total RMS output of 140 watts. They’ll max out at 350 watts, so you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck. The universal mounting holes on these speakers make them simple to install in most factory settings. Each speaker also comes with beautiful grills and has a 2.32-inch mounting depth.
These speakers include cool built-in LED lights, but they’ll need an extra 12-volt connection to power them directly from the car battery. These speakers have a lack of bass and will require EQ adjustment to sound good. Because of the low build quality, they may not survive as long as you’d like.
Rockville RV6.3A 6.5″ 3-Way Car Speakers 750 Watts
- Pair Rockville RV6.3A 6.5"/6" 3-way car speakers. Peak Power Rating: 750 Watts per Pair / 375 Watts Each. CEA Compliant RMS Rating: 140 Watts per Pair...
- 1.2” PEI dome tweeter with ferrite magnet give amazing highs. 0.6” super tweeter. Steel high quality basket. Rubber magnet boot cover. Frequency...
- Impedance: 4 Ohm. Grilles included. Aluminum voice coils. 100% oxygen free copper voice coil windings. Cotton spider material. Copper terminals....
The RMS rating of these set of Rockville RV6.3A coaxial speakers is 140 watts per pair, with a peak rating of 750 watts per pair. They have a high-quality steel basket and a rigid polypropylene woofer cone with a flex motion butyl rubber surround. Along with the high-quality aluminum voice coils, a 1.2-inch PEI dome tweeter will provide crisp and clear highs. Speaker grills are supplied to keep your speaker dust-free and extend its life.
These speakers have poor overall sound quality, with muddy bass and tinny highs. They also have a low power rating, which means that if pushed too hard, they would produce poor audio and distortion. The build quality will also disappoint you.
Alpine SPJ-691C3 Alpine 6 x 9 Inches Coaxial 3-Way Speaker
- 400W Peak Power Handling
- 60W RMS Power Handling
- Frequency Response: 30Hz - 30kHz
Alpine’s SPJ-691C3 speakers are reasonably priced. If you’re on a budget, these are the most affordable 6X9 3way speakers available. These speakers have a terrific sound. Lows, mids, and highs are all sharp and clear. In the audible range, there is almost no muddiness.
The Alpine SPJ-691C3 car audio speakers can constantly handle up to 60 watts peak. They also have a sensitivity rating of 90 dB. These speakers can be used in conjunction with your factory speakers to boost the dynamic sound quality, and they can also be linked to an external amplifier or aftermarket radio for improved performance.
These Alpine speakers have air-injected butyl rubber surrounds and hybrid pearl-mica injection woofer cones. They also have titanium dome tweeters that are balanced. These speakers fall short of their type R counterparts in terms of performance. Unless you have a true audiophile on your hands, the Alpine SPJ-691C3 speakers will suffice.