Square Sub-woofers vs. Round Sub-woofers
When it comes to car audio, bass is the name of the game. While until recently, this meant installing the largest or highest-quality round-cone sub-woofers available, recently the market has widened to allow several different shapes, including square ones.
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Volume
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Volume is determined by the level of sound pressure created by a speaker. When considering speaker volume, a cone with a larger surface area drives more air into movement, and so will not dissipate as quickly through air. If you consider square and round woofers in the same-sized square housing, the square-coned woofer has greater surface area. Thus, it will have a higher perceived volume if all other variables are equivalent.
Tone
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Tone, an abstract concept, can be hard to pin down. But generally the larger the speaker cone, the sooner the midrange dispersion decreases as frequency grows. Dispersion designates how wide or beam-like a certain frequency transmits itself through the air. A wider dispersion sounds more natural and is more desirable for most purposes. Again, a square speaker will have better mid-frequency dispersion.
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Efficiency
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Air displacement determines loudness. To have a round speaker sound as loud as a square speaker, it will have to compensate for a lack of lateral area by moving in and out of the casing a larger distance in the same amount of time. While a larger speaker takes more energy to move, a smaller speaker moving a longer distance is still less efficient.
Notes on Frequency
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Generally, larger speakers produce lower frequencies more accurately and free of distortion than smaller speakers. However, as size goes up, ability to properly replicate those higher frequencies decreases as well. Since sub-woofers deal with a comparably narrow band of frequencies, all of which are fairly low, maximizing the bottom end is considered beneficial in most cases. A cone with a larger surface area better accomplishes this goal.
Cautions
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Note that most aspects of speaker performance--tone, volume, response--are affected by a wide range of factors, including size, material, housing, and sensitivity. All the examples here are assuming a square sub-woofer cone whose side-length matches the diameter of a corresponding round cone. Always try out speakers before agreeing on the one that is the best for you. After all, hearing is a subjective experience.
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