You know what a subwoofer is, right? It’s a speaker used to amplify bass sounds, giving your car more bass without having to run a large sub in your trunk.
The size of a subwoofer you need for your car depends on the size and layout of the car.
In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know to make sure you get the what size subwoofer do i need for my car.
How to Get the Right Size Subwoofer For Car?
Well, the first thing you need to know is how you intend on using the system, how many speakers you will be using, and where you plan on placing the speakers and subwoofer.
STEP 1: Know Your Subwoofer Needs
The first thing you should do is determine what kind of music or audio you plan to listen to. If you want to listen to a single genre of music (like country), then you may want to choose a subwoofer with a small cabinet size.
You could use a subwoofer with a large cabinet if you plan on listening to a variety of genres, like rock, classical, jazz, etc. You could also try an active subwoofer with a portable sub if you plan on using the sub as part of your sound system while on the go.
If you want to make a statement, you can go with an oversized subwoofer that may look better than your car.
STEP 2: Measure Your Car and Subwoofer
Once you know what type of music you are going to listen to and what size subwoofer you are looking for, the next step is to measure your car and your subwoofer.
The easiest way to do this is to simply use a ruler and measure the width and height of your car and how big the subwoofer is. The ideal subwoofer size will depend on the height of your speakers.
STEP 3: Calculate the Power Needs
You can calculate the power needs of your speakers by taking the output (amplification) rating of the speaker, multiplying it by the number of speakers, and adding the square root of each speaker’s impedance (the amount of resistance that the speaker has to the amplifier).
For Example:
Let’s say you have two speakers with a 2-ohm impedance and you plan on using them with an amplifier that can output 100 watts (100 watts divided by 2 is 50 watts per channel). So the math would look like this: 100 watts x 2 speakers = 200 watts. Then you just add the square root of each impedance, which in this case is 2.
STEP 4: Decide Your Speaker Cabinet Size
If you are using a single subwoofer with multiple speakers, you will want to size your subwoofer cabinet based on the volume of music you plan on playing.
Let’s say you have a subwoofer that can play at 100 watts and you plan on playing country music. Your subwoofer’s power needs are (100 watts x 6.283 = 1807 watts).
The subwoofer has a volume of 1 cubic foot. To calculate the number of cubic feet of space your subwoofer needs, divide the total watts by the watts-per-cubic-foot rating for that speaker (i.e., 1807 watts ÷ 100 watts = 1807 ÷ 100 = 7.7 cubic feet).
So now we know our subwoofer needs to be 8.7 cubic feet in size. If we were going to use three speakers with this setup, the math would look like this: 3 speakers with an amp output of 200 watts would require (200 watts x 9.7 = 52815 watts of power), so the total volume of the system would be 52815 ÷ 200 = 10.76 cubic feet.
To find the volume of the system for a pair of speakers and a subwoofer, you need to subtract the volume of the subwoofer from the volume of the system.
STEP 5: Find a Subwoofer That Fits
If your car has a lot of space, or you plan on adding more speakers, you may want to look into larger cabinets. A subwoofer with a larger cabinet will generally sound better than a smaller one. You also want to make sure that the subwoofer that you buy can handle the power you are using.
Wrapping It All Up!!!
When you buy something, you usually have two options. You can either go with the cheaper option or the better quality one. The same thing applies when you’re looking for the best subwoofer for your car. The cheapest will do the job but it won’t sound as good.
In the end, you have to pick based on what will suit your needs the most. So, to help you decide, we’ve put together this guide. You’ll get to know what features you need to look out for, how to choose the best option for your car.
