Shortages in car audio speakers and spot shortages in other 12-volt categories continue although some say supplies will improve in the next 30 days, according to industry members.
Dealers and distributors have seen spotty deliveries in speakers since the April/May time frame, they said. At least five top speaker vendors and one leading supplier of car radios are in backorder.
Some reasons for the shortages given by industry members are the following:
Speaker sales are actually up this year, which caught suppliers off guard.
The cost of neodymium magnets used in some speakers has soared due to tariffs and the rising price of rare earth materials. Some suppliers may have delayed shipments in hopes that prices would fall.
Additionally, some suppliers such as Sony have pulled out of the low end speaker market, which may have contributed to shortages.
As one distributor put it, “On some stuff we can wait a couple of months [for a shipment]. Some I receive a smaller portion than I order every month. If I order 1,000, I get 400. They are out the door until the next shipment.”
“Speakers– this year’s been terrible for shortages,” said Mike Cofield, President of one of the largest car audio chains, Custom Sounds, TX. “It’s not as bad as COVID, but it’s in subwoofers, speakers and some radios and especially speakers and subwoofers. It’s been very, very spotty.”
“We are seeing backorders unlike anything we have seen for the last three years,” said Mark Miller of Westminster Speed & Sound, MD
Mehdi Narimanian of Sound of Tri-State, MD, said availability has improved since April, but there are still spot shortages here and there.
We are not naming suppliers in backorder as most refused mention of their names. We can say that we contacted more than 14 suppliers, distributors and reps for this report as well as numerous retailers.
