For larger retail stores like Best Buy and Walmart, you can expect the prices to be in the ranges of $60-70 for standard speakers installation. If you’re installing a component speaker that will set you back for around $100-120.
Having poor audio coming from your car’s sound system is a pain few can truly appreciate. The sad truth about your average car manufacturer is that audio quality is not high on their list of priorities. They will typically prioritize cost over quality, and that’s why merely upgrading your car speakers can make a world of difference to the audio quality of your sound system, even if the speakers themselves are inexpensive.
You could take your car to a specialist for this, but you could do it yourself much more cheaply. But how much does it cost to install car speakers? Let’s take a look.
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Which Speakers?
Unsurprisingly, when replacing speakers, the speakers themselves make up the bulk of the expense. It is here that you will need to make the hardest decisions, such as how much money you want to spend and prioritize where your sound needs the most work if you have a budget.
If money was no object, you could happily spend thousands on an entirely new set of top-of-the-range speakers and drive off into the sunset enjoying your new audio fidelity. Unfortunately, that is not the case for most of us, so let’s proceed with the assumption that you do have a budget.
Firstly, establish where your sound is weakest. If you are lacking in the bass department, a new subwoofer is the most obvious way forward.
If you need a general upgrade but can’t afford a complete set, consider just upgrading the front speakers where you, the driver, will hear the most benefit.
Don’t Waste Your Money
Be sure to take full stock of your audio system before spending lots of your hard-earned money on new speakers. It’s one thing if you are upgrading your entire system in installments, with the speakers being first on the list.
But if you are only looking to upgrade your speakers, there is no sense in buying speakers that can handle far more than your stereo or amp can put out. Save your money, or spend it on a higher quality speaker with a more appropriate rating.
The Costs
So how much are those speakers? The actual price will vary greatly depending on what you buy, but in general, you will be looking at somewhere between $40 and $1,000—quite a range.
At the lower end of that scale, we’re talking a pair of budget speakers (that will still be better than the factory-installed ones), whereas the higher end of the range will include a complete set of high-end speakers including a subwoofer.
Getting a Professional to Do It
If you do decide to have a professional company install your speakers, there won’t be a great deal of difference in the cost of the hardware. Some companies may offer you a discount if you buy a full system from them and pay them to install it, but generally speaking, you will be paying the same hardware costs plus their installation fee.
Those fees will vary from company to company, but for larger retail stores like Best Buy and Walmart, you can expect the prices to be roughly in the following ranges;
- Standard Speaker Installation – $60-70
- Component Speaker Installation – $100-120
- Subwoofer Installation – $20-40
- Amplifier Installation – $120-130
You will likely be able to find cheaper quotes with smaller fitting shops, however.
Conclusion
The average speaker install will typically be around $100. If you find yourself closer to the $1,000 mark with your install, add the cost of some high-quality speaker wire to your shopping list. If you’re going to put speakers that expensive in your car, you want to be able to hear every bit of that extra quality.
