Originally posted on https://ds18.com/blogs/car-audio/more-bass-for-your-buck-how-to-choose-the-best-subwoofers-for-cars

 

Are you missing out on that deep distortion-free bass in your car?

The kind that fills your car with clear, immersive sound you can feel?

Listening to your favorite music actually has positive effects on your brain.

If you’re thinking about improving your car’s sound system substantially, then subwoofers are the way to go.

if you upgrade your speakers it will make a huge difference. You will notice an immense improvement in the sound quality compared to the stock car speakers. But the real results when you add a subwoofer for your car.

If you want to take your car sound system to a high-quality experience, then subwoofers for cars are the way to go because they bring that full thumping sound that gives you goose bumps.

Are you a novice when it comes to car audio? Not a problem! We’ve got all the information you need to make the right choice for subwoofers for your car.

Sizing Up Subwoofers for Cars

When you think of subwoofers, you probably imagine the body shaking bass that hits you in the gut. When you have a great audio system, you can actually feel the music.

But it’s more than just the bass; a good subwoofer will pick up the subtle low notes just as much as the high ones. This means you’re going to experience music like never before.

One of the key aspects of choosing the best subwoofer is going to be the size. This is going to be the determining factor for how loud it can get. Since your limited to the available space in your car, you want to first measure the space before you choose a subwoofer, or subwoofers.

Once you figure out how large of a subwoofer will fit into your car, you can decide if you want to get the biggest one for your space. Picking the largest subwoofer will give you that loud, full distortion free bass that you have been looking for.

This is definitely one of the main factors when picking the right subwoofer.

Which Type of Sub Enclosure?

The sub enclosure is a box that will hold your subwoofer. There are three different types of boxes: sealed, ported, or bandpass.

While the size of your subwoofer determines how loud it will be, the sub enclosure is going to determine the quality of the sound. In fact, a small subwoofer can still provide great sound if it’s in a tightly sealed sub enclosure.

So choosing the best sub enclosure is going to really make or break your experience.

The sealed enclosure is going to create a more tight and accurate bass sound. It will greatly reduce the vibration and distortion of the sound. So you’ll hear an accurate and deeper bass.

If you are looking for more of a loud bass that is going to shake your system, then choose a ported or bandpass enclosure. It’s really going to give you a loud and earth-shattering sound. So if you like to listen to your music loud and don’t care so much about accuracy, then this would be your best option.

For those enthusiasts who prioritize sound, then the number of voice coils is important. Dual voice coil (DVC) subwoofers are going to offer more options when wiring your amplifier so you can add more power to your system.

They also tend to be more expensive than single voice coil subs.

Let’s Get More Technical

Okay, so we started with some of the important basics. Now let’s get deeper into the technical sides of things by addressing the sound pressure level (SPL), RMS value, frequency range, and ohms.

These four factors will play a role in your sound system.

If you hear RMS value tossed around, don’t get nervous. The RMS value just refers to how loud the bass is. The higher the RMS value the louder the bass. Just be sure your RMS value matches your head unit or amplifier. Otherwise, it will be useless. You always want to match RMS to RMS.

If you have a high RMS value on your amp, you need to also match the same RMS to your amplifier.

The sound pressure level (SPL) is going to tell you how much power your subwoofer needs to reach a certain volume. SPL is the ratio of between measured sound pressure level (SPL) and a reference point, which is usually power. SPL is gained by adding more cone area (subwoofers) or power (amplifiers).

Next, let’s discuss the meaning of the frequency range. This is going to be the range of sound your subwoofer can reach. Don’t get too caught up in the frequency, since you’ll probably find that the sub enclosure is going to make the most difference.

Lastly, we’ll briefly discuss impedance which is measured in ohms. The ohms of your speakers is going to relate to the power and efficiency of the amplifier. The impedance of your system can get a little complicated, but it’s important to know that low impedance or ohms tend to have more power and get louder.

The downside is if you don’t have the equipment to support lower ohms, you’ll end up turning the amplifier all the way up. This will damage your equipment. So be sure to keep this in mind when purchasing your full audio system.

Customize Your System

There are different ranges of customization that you can choose for your car audio system.

If you’d like to mix and match your own audio system you can choose a component sub which is just the speakers. You can match up your speakers with a sub enclosure and amplifier.

You can skip the guesswork and pick out an enclosed sub, which is a subwoofer you can purchase that is already enclosed in a sub box. This type of sub still requires you to buy an external amplifier.

Lastly, you can find powered subwoofers that have built-in amplifiers. This means you can pretty much have an all-in-one subwoofer without finding each of the components individually. Keep in mind these don’t tend to have as much power.

Ready to Start Building Your Dream System?

Get started on creating an audio system that fills your life with beautiful music. You and your friends can be jamming to your favorite tunes in no time.

If you have any questions on subwoofers, midranges, or amplifier combinations please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our highly skilled staff is always ready to help you out.