|
|
|
| Mr. Mobile - Info Center - Car Subwoofers and Enclosures |
|
There you are, sitting there listening to yours or a friends car stereo wondering “what’s missing?” There is no depth to the sound, no impact to the music, nothing to get your groove on with. Well my friend, I’ll bet that system did not have a subwoofer. Subwoofers are speakers that reproduce the lows. Most car audio systems have two way or three way speakers that cover the highs and mids, maybe extend down into the mid bass region, but without a subwoofer, you are missing the last and most dynamic 33% of your music. I have heard it said that a subwoofer is the “emotion” of the music. A subwoofer is the difference between an ok sounding system and a great sounding system. Let me ask you, would you enjoy listening to your home theater system without a subwoofer? Probably not.
What’s a subwoofer?
A subwoofer is a speaker that will pick up the low bass frequencies. A subwoofer will require an amplifier and will also require an enclosure or box to be able to reproduce the lows accurately. Not all subwoofers are the same. They are different quality levels, performance levels, power requirements and box size requirements.
What to look for when buying a subwoofer?
There are a few key things to look for when purchasing a subwoofer:
- Power handling capability – This is the RMS and MAX power rating of the subwoofer. You want to try to match the RMS rating of the subwoofer with the RMS power ratings of the amplifier you are going to purchase or use. Be sure you do not “under power” your subwoofer by getting an amplifier with an RMS power rating below the RMS power rating of your subwoofers. You have a much better chance to blow a subwoofer by turning up an under powered amplifier to the point of distortion than you do blowing a subwoofer by playing it thru an amplifier that is rated higher than the subwoofer.
- Sensitivity – This is the measure of how loud a subwoofer will play. The higher the sensitivity number is, the louder it will play with the same power. [Example – a subwoofer with a 91 db rating will play louder than a subwoofer rated at 88 db when being played at the same power level.
- Impedance – Subwoofers come in various impedances [impedance is the resistance against its power source] and voice coil configurations. The impedance is rated as “ohms”. We have 2 ohm, 3 ohm, 4 ohm and 8 ohm woofers available. There are also single and dual voice coil configurations. To determine what impedance and voice coil set up you need, you need to match the impedance of the woofers with the optimal impedance rating of the amplifier. If you have an amplifier that has a 300 watt power rating at 2 ohm’s but your woofer[s] had a 4 ohm impedance, you would only get about 150 watts out of your amplifier because the woofer[s] impedance was not properly matched.
- Wiring – Once you purchase your subwoofers, how you wire them can effect the final impedance the amplifier will see. There are two common ways of wiring multiple woofers or voice coil. Series and parallel.
- Series is when you take the negative speaker terminal of one subwoofer or voice coil and connect it to the positive terminal of the other subwoofer or voice coil, and then connect the positive terminal of the first woofer with the negative terminal of the second subwoofer. This will double the impedance the amplifier will see. So if you have two 4 ohm subs wired in series, the amplifier will see an 8 ohm load.
- Parallel – Wiring in Parallel is when you take the positive speaker terminal of one subwoofer or voice coil and wire it to the positive terminal on the other and repeat the same with the negative terminals. Doing this will halve your impedance. So if you have two 4 ohm subs or voice coils wired in parallel, the amplifier will see a 2 ohm load.
How can I add a subwoofer?
Now that you know all about subwoofers, you need to choose the best way for you to add a subwoofer to your system. We have solutions that are pre-matched so you do not need to worry about things like impedance or wiring configurations.
- Subwoofers with a separate or custom enclosure - To add a subwoofer this way, you would pick the subwoofer[s] that you want and buy either the enclosure we recommend, or you can make a custom subwoofer enclosure yourself, or have one made for you to match the subwoofers specs.
- Preloaded subwoofer enclosures – These are subwoofers in a matched enclosure that comes with the subwoofer[s] already loaded and wired in the box ready to install. All you need to do is decide which enclosure best fits your needs [single or double woofers, [8”, 10” or 12”] fits the space in your car and matches the amplifier you are going to use.
- Powered Enclosures – These are a matched subwoofer and enclosure with a built in amplifier, so it is an “all in one” solution. These systems are usually built with smaller woofers and are meant to add bass to a factory or basic after market system, but would not be recommended if you are looking for big, loud bass. These systems are best suited for customers that want minimal space taken up in their vehicle or are currently leasing their vehicle and are looking to upgrade the sound of their factory without any modifications.
- Party Packs – These are pre-matched bass systems that include a matched subwoofer[s], enclosure and amplifier. Party Packs are sold at a discount from the price of buying all of the items separately. These are available in single woofer or double woofer configurations with either 10” or 12” subwoofers.
- Vehicle specific enclosure – These are enclosures that are designed to provide a custom look and feel and will take up minimal space in your vehicle. Since they are made specifically for your vehicle, some are available in colors that will match your vehicles interior. These enclosures are available for select vehicles. Please see out fit guide to see if we have one that fits your vehicle.
Now that you know the basics of subwoofers and enclosure, I am sure you will want to add one to your new or existing system.
With all of the choices, impedance, voice coil, wiring, enclosures, sizes, how do you know what to buy to get the best bass solution for you needs? Call or email one of our Mobile Electronic Specialists, they will be happy to help you get the equipment that best suites your needs.
|
|
|
|
|
