Component speakers use separately mounted speakers and a more advanced crossover to provide better sound quality. They’re the next level above coaxial speakers and offer better performance.
Components speakers, which are made up of a separately mounted woofer, tweeter, and crossover, are a more advanced speaker system that provides better sound quality than coaxial speakers.
One reason for this is that component speakers often use better dome tweeter and woofer materials along with a more advanced (and better) speaker crossover. They may also include features such as a tweeter volume reduction option, tweeter fusing to protect against overload, and additional wiring configurations.
Some are even designed to allow assembling them together so they resemble coaxial speakers for easier installation.
Unlike coaxial speakers, component speakers offer:
- Better frequency response and sound accuracy overall – even entry-level component speaker sets can have really great sound quality!
- Tweeters with a more rigid and high-performance design: silk, aluminium, ceramic, or other special dome materials are common.
- More power handling – often 75 watts RMS, 100 watts RMS, or more.
- -12dB per octave crossover slopes (or greater) versus the standard -6dB/octave crossover used on coaxial tweeters.
- Better crossover component quality.
- Better speaker connector terminals and installation accessories.
- The ability to mount the tweeters at a line-of-sight listening angle and height for better stereo imaging during music playback.
That being said, it’s important to understand that the installation process is harder than for coaxial speakers and can require custom fabrication for the tweeter mounts. Also, you’ll need to mount the crossovers as well, ideally away from moisture, and relatively close to where the speakers are mounted.
They’re also a bit more costly, too, as many component speaker sets cost several times more than coaxial speakers of the same size.
