Help pairing speakers with head unit

I have a Pioneer MVH-X560BT http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Digital+Media+Receivers/MVH-X560BT in my 2002 Xtra Cab. I'm looking to upgrade my stock speakers. I'd like to get speakers that are matched by output so that I don't buy too weak or with too much headroom (not even sure if that's an issue). The head's specification is 50W x 4. So does that mean I should get speakers that are rated up to 50W or 51W+?

Thanks

 

The 50w x 4 is your maximum output. What you should be considering is continuous output, aka RMS. The RMS of your Pioneer is 14 watts per channel. So you'll want to find some speakers that want something similar. For instance, these Pioneers have an RMS rating of 5-50 watts. And these JL Audios have an RMS range of 10-50 watts.

As for what speakers to recommend, most speakers by Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine, JL Audio, Polk Audio, and Infinity are decent speakers. It all just depends on what sounds good to you. I personally don't like the way a lot of Infinities sound but there are tons of people that do like the way they sound. So my recommendation is go to a few local car audio stores and listen to a bunch of speakers. Then pick out the ones that you like the best and still fit your budget.

 

Excellent. Thanks for the info!