What to look for when buying speakers/amps/subs etc

[Miikey]

Trying to get some new stuff for the car.
Dont have a big budget so looking at cheap stuff, but also want to get as good ones as I can.

So, what do all the numbers/specs mean and what should I look for (eg, what does RMS mean and do i want it higher or lower) So i can try and get the best possible speakers within my budget

Looking for info and help on...
Replacing Front and rear speakers, putting 6x9s in parcel shelf, and then sub and amp in boot

Cheers

[Mikol]

RMS is the root mean square, which basicly is the 'real' power of your setup.

MAX power is pretty much what companies use to sell products and is 100% premium bull. Sure, the speakers can handle 200W without blowing, but itll still sound shite. :)

You want your RMS as high as possible so you can get the best sound quality, even when you're pumping a lot of power in (e.g. Volume)

A decent budget set would have 50RMS, any lower and theyre not worth it. Most headunits put out 50RMS max, so any higher rated speakers will be wasted unless you're amping your setup.

Best results are front speakers + sub and amp. Forget rears, good for passengers but for you they'll drag the sound out to the rear of the car.

On a budget, just get a decent set of front component speakers (JBL are good for the price) and a good-spec headunit. Amp them if youre still hungry for noise, then a sub if you fancy it :)

Not an expert but this is the basic stuff Ive picked up :)