Why do OEM speakers produce more bass than aftermarket mids?

[grampi 10+ year member]

I've noticed this time and time again. A factory 6.5 inch speaker always produces more bass than its aftermarket replacement. I've even played around with aftermarket mids by turning the x-over down to allow the lowest freqs to mids, and they still get out-bassed by the OEMs. This makes no sense, especially considering the aftermarket mids usually have much more power going them as well. Why is this?

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[Propimp 10+ year member]

idk the answer but i bet you are also getting alot more distortion in your OEM then your aftermarkets. that and you have a X over for your aftermarkets and non for the OEM.

 

[tbasile1 10+ year member]

OEM is garbage paper and have like no highs, thats why you hear more lows than aftermarket

Aftermarket>OEM

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The OEM speakers have to be able to play "full range" and produce satisfactory sound. The aftermarket speakers are midranges and are not meant to have much low end. That's what subs are for.

 

[sundownz Pro Seller]

Notice the little magnet on the OEM speaker? Generally they have a really high Qts, over 0.70 and as high as 1.00 (yes, you read that right) is pretty typical. This causes alot of "ringing" down low around resonance making more bass.

 

[jdawg 5,000+ posts]

I have noticed this too. Seems like oem speakers work better as an IB driver, doors not really being sealed, holes in them whatever, they just kind of work better. But if you deaden your doors and cover up all the little holes so they are pretty much sealed you will notice a huge improvement over oem sound. Also like stated above most componet sets are designed in the mind that you are using a subwoofer from for anything generally below 100hz so they are more focused on midrange and higher frequencies.

 

[MiniVanMan 10+ year member]

Like Sundownz said, the Qts can be very high with an OEM driver. Another thing is they are extremely efficient. The cone itself is very light, but not very rigid. So while it can produce lower bass, it's chock full of distortion, and ringing, and other undesirable effects. They get played full range, and have very little power handling capability. At easy listening levels, a stock speaker can last several years. Crank that volume up, and tune in a little bass and that speaker has about as much life in it as that bottle of milk in your fridge.

So, yes, they have bass, but they don't have good bass.