ALT-2 Guide to Subwoofers for Car Stereos
Car audio subwoofers can easily make one of the most drastic impacts to your car audio system. Even adding a subwoofer set up to a stock car audio system improves the performance and range of the system, often people will stop at just that. Even simple plug in powered subwoofers can alter a systems personality completely.
Even if your intention is not to roll around thumping your bass all over the place, a sub woofer set-up still can be the way to start. But there are some things to consider before you run out and buy a speaker that is so large you no longer have a trunk...or worse yet, a back seat.
As with any purchase, you might first want to look at your budget. When you are going to add a sub woofer to your vehicle, underlying costs can become the major factor, because, sub woofers demand a large amount of amplification. It is very common for a 10" sub to be able to handle between 150 and 400 watts, and this is per speaker. And quality wattage can be expensive.
Other considerations have to be the space you have available for a sub woofer. Often a 10" sub woofer is going to require a 1 cubic foot enclosure. and squeezing a 12" x 12" x 12 " box of unusable space into a vehicle can really be a burden on the cargo space that vehicle has. And if you have a pair of them, generally your gonna double the required space.
I do have a little bit of sunshine to give you though. 8" subs are wonderful. Often times they require a little less power, a little less space, they are cheaper, and generally, if the speaker is quality, you don't really lose a lot of the bottom end of the sound spectrum. What you do lose is how far that sound travels, and a little bit of the volume. But in both of those instances, unless you are in competitions.
I personally listen to a variety of rap, rock, and whatever else I can get my hands on, and a pair of 8" subs usually give me all the thump I have ever needed. Most commonly used are th 10" subs, and they are nice. 12's are nice if you have the space. And 15 inch sub woofers are available, but unless you have no other purpose for you vehicle, than to make sound, they are not usually practial, the space they require and power they demand can be very high.
Other things to consider are, if you only have room for a single sub, maybe use a dual voice coil. This allows you to run both channels into the speaker to get make sure you don't lose a channel. Meaning, stereo sound is 2-channels, a left and a right, sometimes, to add depth to music, an artist will only use one of the channels for certain sounds in certain songs, and if you don't use both, you will have a dead spot in your music. Another thing to consider are free air style sub woofers. They do not require a sealed enclosure, they can use the space of the vehicle. And another is the style of enclosure you plan to use for your sub woofer. A lot of times the manufacturer will have a suggested method. Most common are ported enclosures and sealed enclosures. In general, a sealed enclose will keep the bass sounding tight, a ported will more likely be louder, but you lose come of the crispness, and if it is not done properly you can get port noise and are more likely to bottom out the subs. meaning the suspension of the sub woofer is taken to its limits, making the notes fall flat or get distorted.
I hope this information is helpful. I will always recommend that you talk to someone specifically about your needs if you are unsure. Specialized car audio shops are full of people who have the knowledge to help you find the car subwoofers that fit your needs. Just talk to them. And, as with all electronics, you will get what you pay for. Stick with a well known manufacturer. All the popular electronic companies make car audio equipment that perform well. But, if you see a company you have never heard of, and the speaker is way cheaper than anyone else's...walk away, it will sound bad no matter how it is installed. But, most of the mainstream companies make many levels of sub woofers, you can find cheap sub-woofers including kicker sub woofers and many other brand names, like sony and Rockford Fosgate, MTX, and others.
Good luck
