Things You'll Need:
- Car Subwoofer Enclosures
- Car Stereo
- Car Subwoofers
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Step 1
Think about the kind of music you like to listen to and what you like about it. The more bass that is in your music the larger subwoofers you should get.
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Step 2
Decide where you will put the subwoofers. Subwoofers commonly go into an enclosure in the trunk, but by using special enclosures subwoofers can go under seats or in side panels. This is mainly going to depend on how much space you have, often smaller cars cannot afford to sacrifice much space to sound quality.
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Step 3
Decide exactly how much you are willing to spend. It is going to cost at least $300 and it is best to set yourself a price limit before you go shopping.
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Step 1
Go to a store that sells subwoofers or browse the internet. See the Resources section below for some suggestions. You will also need to purchase an amplifier to power your subwoofers.
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Step 2
Decide whether you want one subwoofer or two. This depends mainly on your music preference, but may also be affected by the space in your car. One is good for those who listen to classical, rock, or country, while two are more suited to those listening to rap, r&b, or techno.
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Step 3
Decide what size subwoofers you want. Common sizes are 8-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch and 15-inch. The larger the subwoofer, the lower the frequency it will produce (which is especially important for techno).
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Step 4
Decide what kind of enclosures you will put the subwoofers in, as this may be dictated by the speakers you've chosen.
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Step 5
Consider sensitivity. Sensitivity is how much sound you get for how much power you put into the speaker, higher is better.
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Step 6
Consider maximum wattage RMS. Max wattage RMS is how much power the subwoofer can handle. Usually the more power they can handle the more sound they are capable of producing, but also the more expensive they will be, especially since you will need to purchase an amplifier that can produce all that power.
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Step 7
Consider the cone. Options include kevlar, polypropylene, aluminum, or carbon fiber cone, getting better in the order listed. What you don't want is a paper cone.
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Step 8
Consider the surrounds. Rubber surrounds are best; foam is okay. Do not buy woofers with urethane surrounds. Cones and surrounds affect not only the quality of the sound the subwoofer will produce, but how long the subwoofer will last.
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Step 9
Pick the one that fits the above guidelines best. In the lower price bracket MTX is probably the best brand, and Infinity and Polk dominate the higher end market.
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Step 10
Choose an amplifier to power your new subwoofers. You want something that comes as close to producing RMS power equal to the max RMS rating of your subs without going over that rating. Other than that, total harmonic distortion (THD) is the most important rating of amplifiers. THD is expressed as a percent, and you want the lowest number possible.
Comments
dosage said
on 6/13/2009 How can a subwoofer react faster?Is it related to the diameter of the woofer or the liter that woofer has?What types of woofers do you suggest for metal music fast as hell? (talkin' about death grind metal)
bbrady145 said
on 1/26/2009 Volfenhag is a very high quality brand that wont make you go bankrupt. i have 2 12" 1000W and they bump hard enough that the cops have pulled me over before... Enjoy your music
pkicker1000 said
on 11/6/2008 to answer the question about the 2 12s
i have 2 kicker 12 comp series subs which also run at 400 rms and to power thoes i have a highfonics 1000 watt amp and it kicks real hard its a realy nice set up
pkicker1000 said
on 11/6/2008 to answer the question about the 2 12s
i have 2 12 kicker comp series wich also run at 400 rms and to power thoes i have a highfonics 1000 watt amp.
dinhle said
on 10/13/2008 thank you