Round out your sound with an added subwoofer!
From Vehicle specific sub replacements like Match and Audison to Universal add-ons like Kicker’s downfiring lineup, we can find the right solution to add a bit of oomph.
Subwoofers can be added to any factory audio system. Depending on your vehicle, extra parts like a Line Out Convertor may be necessary. Our go to LOC: Audio Control’s LC2i Pro at $139
Some vehicles have ANC microphones that interfere and would need to be deactivated.
Electric vehicles can also be outfitted with a subwoofer, but the amplifier must have a DC to DC power supply. Certain amps work well in these vehicles.
We can fabricate a subwoofer box for your vehicle, but with fiberglass enclosures taking hours and sometimes days to finish, it’s often more economical to get a pre-fab enclosure.
Here are some sites we have found that make quality enclosures:
Atrend vehicle specific enclosures
Your Subwoofer power handling will determine how powerful your amplifier should be and wire gauge that is required. For example, the Kicker 12″ CompR subwoofers ($169) handle 500 watts of power each. A good match for a single sub would be the Kicker 500.1 mono amplifier ($279) and an 8 awg wire kit ($59) would be sufficient. The impedance of the subwoofers will determine how much power you’re able to get out of the amplifier. In this scenario, the dual 2 ohm CompR would get you to 500 watts, while the dual 4 ohm would only get 300 watts from the same Key 500.1.
Powered subwoofers can take the math out of the equation. They have perfectly matched amplifiers built into the enclosure. A few of our favorite Powered Subwoofers include:
Audison’s 800 W Peak Power 250 mm Active Subwoofer APBX 10 AS2 $769
The Prima APBX 10 AS2 active subwoofer, with the 10-inch driver, features a dedicated high-performance amplification module that enhances all the passive box technologies, such as the 2S²(2 Sides / 2 Sounds) design, the Plug & Play terminal block and ultra-compact size. The amplification module, with power outputs of 400W RMS, is developed with he-li technology (high efficiency / low impedance), which thanks to the absence of the DC-DC voltage booster reaches the impressive 90% efficiency level, very close to the theoretical limit of the D-Class. New input stage DBT (Dynamic Bass Tracking) technology allows 100% use of the he-li (High-Efficiency Low Impedance) amplifier power and to enjoy a tense and dynamic bass even at very high listening volumes. Eliminating the voltage booster was made possible thanks to the development of the new dual coil drivers, which inherit all the technological background of the Prima subwoofers, but differ for the ultra-low impedance (0.16 ohms for APBX 10 AS). This feature ensures a perfect synergy with the he-li (High-Efficiency Low Impedance) technology, maximizing the combination of amplifier, speakers, and sealed box, to obtain low, powerful, and crisp frequencies. The controls section is complete and provides optimal regulation of the low-frequency emission in the car cabin. The Butterworth low pass filter at 12dB/Oct. with variable cut-off frequency (50-200 Hz) can be bypassed when used with an AP bit processor with pre-out output dedicated to the sub. The adjustable bass-boost control (0 ÷ 6 dB) at 45 Hz allows the user to emphasize the response on the lower side of the spectrum. The high-level speaker-in input on the multi-pole connector eases the integration with OEM audio systems while the low-level input on RCA is dedicated to the connection with after-market sources. The subwoofer automatic turn on/off function ART (Automatic Remote Turn-On) can be configured to be controlled by the source remote signal, by the voltage variation on the high-level input, or by the audio signal on both inputs. Phase control (0-180°) completes the equipment. The SSP (Sub Smart Plug) terminal block is provided with a single Plug&Play connector to be able to disconnect the box easily and safely.
Diamond Audio Spare Tire Powered Subwoofer $449
- Power Handling: 150W RMS, 600W MAX
- 11” Amplified Spare Tire Subwoofer