Car Subwoofer Ultimate Guide: Best 3 Types Of Subwoofers To Pick
The last thing you want to hear from your vehicle’s sound system is some crappy music, right? Well, I’m pretty sure that you and everyone else would be willing to give it their all to enjoy every bit of their favorite tracks. But here’s the thing, what types of subwoofers are best for your car?
Considering there are a lot of upgrades you could do to your audio system and the fact that the factory audio system your car comes with is not the best, it’s somewhat difficult to get a worthy upgrade. Speaking of upgrades, one of the best and sought after is a subwoofer.
By stepping the bass up a notch, there’s definitely going to be a huge difference from the sounds you initially listened to. So, how about we cut to the chase and head straight on to looking into what it takes to end up with the best car subwoofer?
What Is A Subwoofer?
Most people confuse subwoofers for the usual car speakers. Whereas they may appear somewhat similar in appearance, subwoofers are larger in size. Though the size is not that much big of a deal, the main difference comes in the performance whereby these bad boys deliver a much deeper sound as compared to the normal speakers.
Whereas most subwoofers are demanding a lot of installation space due to being large in size, there are smaller variants. These are the shallow-mount types that have a very close resemblance to the normal speakers but have a much deeper sound while at the same time being less demanding of the installation space.
So, does the size of your subwoofer really matter?
Well, it basically depends on whether or not you’re an audiophile. If so, the larger the subwoofer is, the better. Since you have limited space in your vehicle, you should take accurate measurements. The last thing you want is to spend your hard-earned cash on something that you won’t install in your vehicle. Now that you have a picture of what subwoofers are all about, let’s head on and see what defines the best car subwoofer.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What is the hardest-hitting subwoofer on the market?
Q. Which type of subwoofer is best?
Q. What to look for when buying a subwoofer?
Q. Which subwoofer is best for bass?
Types of Subwoofers
It’s always better to know the options you have when it comes to upgrading your car’s audio system. Here are the different types that’ll give you a head start when looking for the best.
The Subwoofer Driver
Situated inside the enclosure of the subwoofer in order to operate as needed is the woofer itself. The best way to go with these is to power them up with an external amplifier. Depending on your requirements, you can choose any size ranging from 8 inches to 15 inches.
The Vehicle-Exclusive Subwoofers
Whereas the traditional subwoofers are demanding of an enclosure, the vehicle-specific subwoofers are designed to save on space. As such, they can easily be installed in most vehicles but on the downside, you’ll not have as good a bass experience as you would when using the traditional subwoofers.
The Powered Subwoofers
Want to save on space and at the same time get decent bass from your audio system? I honestly recommend that you go for these. Compact in size than the traditional subwoofers, powered subwoofers will need you to have an amp that steps up the power supply to them for a higher bass.
The bass will not be as high as what you’d get from one with an enclosure but will definitely be more than what you’ll get from vehicle-specific subwoofers.
The Best Type Of Subwoofer Enclosure
Right, it’s a general rule of thumb that the larger it is, the better the subwoofer. If you’ll be needing an enclosure, the kind you go for will dictate the bass quality you get from your subwoofer. Here are the different kinds of enclosures you could choose from.
Sealed Enclosures
For a deep and quality bass, a sealed enclosure is the best way to go. As a matter of fact, with a sealed enclosure, you could get deeper bass from a small sub than what you’ll get from a larger sub in an open enclosure.
Open Enclosures
Under this category, you’ll have to choose between either the bandpass or the ported enclosure. The advantage you get from either of these is a louder sound but, on the downside, the bass is not really as good as that from sealed enclosures.
So, which one is the best?
It’s all a matter of personal preference. If accuracy is not what you are concerned about, then any of the open enclosures will do the trick. If otherwise, then a sealed enclosure would serve best.
Technical Features You Ought To Pay Attention To
We’ve looked at how we can get different bass variations from the size and enclosures as well as the different types of subwoofers you could buy. Now how about we take a look at the technical features important to all subwoofers?
The Power Handling
Regarding this, just like all car speakers, subwoofers too have two ratings- the peak and the RMS. As much as both of them are important, great attention should be paid to the RMS. A higher RMS value means that you’ll get more bass.
All subwoofers, however, require that you have either a compatible car stereo or an amplifier. As such, it is rather useless to have a high RMS rating without as good an amplifier or head unit to power it up.
The Sensitivity Rating
Measured in decibels, the sensitivity is the amount of power needed to produce a particular volume. Regarding this, the higher it is (recommended to be 92dB and above), the less the amount of power you’ll need to produce a high volume and vice versa.
So, if you don’t want to upgrade your head unit or amp, it is wise to go for a subwoofer that has a higher sensitivity rating.
The Impedance
Unlike sensitivity, the lower the impedance rating, the better a subwoofer is since it optimizes the amount of power. It is therefore important that you ensure your head unit matches the power rating and impedance of the subwoofer you intend to get.
I will recommend that you go for a subwoofer that has an impedance rated 4 ohms and below.
The Frequency Response
This is basically the frequency range within which a subwoofer operates. Since it’s all about lower frequencies, it is perfect to go for one rated at 20Hz-200Hz. Anything lower than this would be a waste of money since the lowest audible frequency by the human ear is 20 Hz.
How Many Voice Coils Does It Have?
There are either the single or the dual voice coils whereby the latter is the best option to go with. Dual voice coils basically allow you to wire up the subwoofer in different ways. and upon doing so get a better bass quality unlike the single voice coils that don’t offer this kind of flexibility.
Final Verdict
It’s time to call it a day. With all we already looked at regarding choosing the best car subwoofer, it will be much easier for you to get the best kick for your buck. Whether you’re upgrading or getting a new one. All you have got to do is narrow it all down to your personal preference and the above and you’re good to go.
It is very important to get your audio system installed carefully in the car because wiring set up is typically the difficult part of the installation process and effects to the performance of speakers. Make sure the system is plugged in carefully and connected to the right ports in order to prevent the system from damage.