Audio Systems: car audio, Efficient speakers, Polk Audio

Question
Jerry, i have a am/fm cd receiver for my truck...,it is rated at 200 watts peak power.,and 20 watts rms power into each channel (4). i plan on buying four 4 ohm speakers to go with the head unit(no external amplifier) I want sufficeant power to drive the speakers but don't want overkill on speaker power ratings(too high)please give me some insight as to what i need to look for as far as matching speakers with the rms power per channel i have 20 watts rms x 4. or what will work for balance. thanks, and best regards, george

Answer
Hi George.
Sorry this took so long..  I have had 45 browser tabs up for two days and I am still digging at stuff here.

What you will want to use are RMS ratings only. Since most speakers on the market will handle 45+ per speaker RMS, the high power rating of a given speaker is basically a non-issue. ♫
That said, you should choose a speaker with a high efficiency rating.
That is: A speaker that will produce more sound pressure level (SPL) with a 1 watt input.

Without getting to deep in the subject, If you had a speaker with an SPL rating of 93 Db/1 watt (powered at any nominal RMS wattage level) and compared its' output to one rated at only 90 Db, you would have to double the power going to the 90 Db rated speaker to get it as loud as the 93 Db rated one.
It is much more cost effective to buy more efficient speakers than it is to add more power!

Your best choice in this case will usually be Polk Audio.
Even their lower priced models will astound you with clarity and output.

Here is the entire Polk Audio line of what Crutchfield offers.
http://www.crutchfield.com/fg_400_FFBrand%7cPolk%20Audio/Polk-Audio-Car-Speakers
Depending on the current speaker holes in your truck, a pair of two-way, 6.5" should suffice.

*In particular I would check these out (if 6.5" will work in the doors):
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DB651/Polk-Audio-db651.html?tp=105
These have tweeters which you can 'aim' which is very key in getting the high frequencies to your ears.
99.00

Best of luck and if you need any further assistance please do not hesitate to ask.

JM