When are smaller less known brands better in car audio?

Truman Biby: never

Charlotte Bryar: If you think about it, a lot of brands out there had to start somewhere... and most did start as a small and very unknown brand. A very good example is JL Audio... when they first appeared, nobody ever heard of them and they had to start from the ground up. Today, they are one of the pioneers of car audio technology and considered one of the high end brands. And as we speak, there are even more brands popping up that are probably 100 times better than a lot of the mainstream brands out at BestBuy. Only problem is that since they're small and new to the market, you don't see them at BestBuy and the only ones who do know about them are the hardcore audiophiles. RE Audio is another excellent brand of subs that just entered the car audio market about 5 years ago. They are now being used in competitions more and more every day. Best thing to do is get to know your neighborhood car audio installation shops (preferably the ones t! hat compete regularly and knows what they're doing) and make friends. They basically know all the underground brands that are up and coming. ps. There are tons of well known brands that are horrible... don't be fooled by marketing....Show more

Pattie Vold: You've kind of got the right idea. Some of the lesser known brands can be better than the ones that are sold in the big box stores and even in local audio shops. But, it is very hard to differentiate the quality from the crap. Here are some of the Smaller, lesser knowns, that are actually really good. CadenceRD Audio (Great prices too.)Sundown AudioSound Solutions AudioFi AudioThere are definitely more good brands. Those are just some of my favorites....Show more

Giovanna Cramblit: this one is better, Polk Audio DB651 6.5-Inch Coaxial Speakers (Pair, Silver) Technical Details 6.5-inch high-performance marine-certified coaxial speakers, perfect for boats of all types 180 Watts power handling with 4-ohm impe! dance 0.75-inch liquid-cooled silk-polymer composite dome twee! ter Polymer/Mica composite cone with butyl rubber surround for big sound and durability Swivel-mount tweeter allows precise aiming of sound