How to Select a Car Audio Subwoofer

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 | local info

Usually the very first upgrade anyone considers making to their OEM car sound system is to add a subwoofer. It really isn’t surprising since OEM speakers are simply too small and not of sufficient quality to accurately produce low bass frequencies.  Subwoofers provide the most immediate improvement one can make to a car audio sound system.  Consequently one of the most frequently asked questions is: “How do I select a subwoofer?”

Actually, your selection will depend on several factors such as your personal preferences in music, your budget and available space in your vehicle. The amount of space you have to dedicate to your subwoofer’s enclosure should be the first thing you consider. In the majority of cases, this decision narrows the field very quickly. But what if space is no problem?

Subwoofers range in size from 6” to 18” in diameter. Most are round in shape but in recent years the new square shapes are becoming more and more popular. Materials used in the speaker cones can be made of treated paper, light metals such as aluminum and even various types of composites. Paper cone subwoofers tend to sound the most natural and true to life but paper is the least durable. Aluminum Cone woofers were one of the best materials to use for quick, tight bass response (sound quality applications-SQ) because they produced very low frequencies in small sealed boxes. There are some very good musical subwoofers today that offer excellent sound quality while also presenting exceptional SPL (Sound Pressure Level - An acoustic measurement of sound energy, typically expressed in dB-SPL).

I could go on but if you are considering buying a subwoofer for your vehicle, I strongly suggest you click thru and pick up some tips to make decision making a bit easier.

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