Wattage is often a deceiving stat, as it doesn’t show the full picture. Some speakers that aren’t of the best quality but have a decent wattage level will often showcase that power, fooling those that don’t really know how speakers work.
Although the number of watts suggests the raw power a speaker can deliver, it’s the decibels that matter, when it comes to volume. And speakers measure these decibels and display the value as something called “sensitivity rating”.
Handlebar speakers manufacturers often forget to mention this number, as it is not something that helps their products be promoted. Speakers meant for outdoor use often deliver poorer sound, and that is mainly because they are internally-powered. The conclusion here is that watts don’t really matter if the drivers are of poor quality.
And the quality of drivers is often hard to judge, especially because manufacturers don’t often showcase these details. Furthermore, the driver of a speaker or subwoofer is a sensitive piece of equipment, and when placed on a motorcycle that goes at high speeds, it’s clear that the driver will move a lot and won’t be able to perform the best.
There is a compromise to be made between the sturdiness of the driver and the quality of the sound it can produce. Unfortunately, you can’t judge a set of handlebar speakers just based on wattage. One tip to remember is that bigger models with bigger diaphragms are usually better, and provide more volume, and a clearer sound.