Gibbo
21-10-07, 08:29 PM
Most people looking for sub woofers and amplifiers are solely looking to add BIG BASS to their vehicles.
Lets talk about the types of sub woofers:
RMS is a technical term referring to the continuous amount of wattage a sub can handle. When shopping for subs, DO NOT look at PEAK power, its a stupid marketing/sales aspect of a sub. Apparently PEAK is how much power a sub can handle if the power peaks, such as a kick drum hitting, etc. Do not factor PEAK power into anything, always know the RMS, if you were to hook up a 1000 watt RMS amp to a 1000 WATT PEAK sub, it would blow after a day, maybe sooner.
8 inch woofer: These subs are best used in the back dash of a car, or maybe in a bazooka tube in a car. Basically for people that don't really want to take up much space in their vehicle but still get some decent bass. Putting these in a trunk would be a waste of money, you'd barely hear them! An 8 inch woofer will not make the hair on your arms stand up, but will fill the car with a better than factory sound. It really depends on the quality of the sub and the number of them installed, a pair is best I think. Most 8's will not be able to handle low frequencies, 40 Hrtz or below I believe, but can hit higher ranges of bass safely, up to 110 hrtz(see below about crossovers). A good 8 will be able to handle up to 400 watts RMS, some sound good at lower RMS, some expensive ones can handle power higher than 400 watts RMS. The sound of an 8 kinda gets inside your head, some people find this annoying, the frequency is just too high.
10 inch woofer: These subs are good for putting a pair in a car and still having some room. Only putting one in a trunk would, in most cases, not produce enough sound unless you bought one that can handle 500 to 1000 watts RMS, then you'd hear some strong bass from the trunk. There are certain 10's that can handle lower frequencies of bass, around 30 Hrtz. Most people get 10's because they produce a better punch and higher frequency, but not annoying like the 8's. 10's seem to be the preferrence of rock music listeners. Rap will sound ok, but for many songs it won't. A 10 should be able to handle having the crossover(see below)
set to 90 Hrtz, though a little lower is always safer.
12 inch woofer: Referred to as the most dynamic woofer. The 12 inch woofer is definately made for the car and for producing BIG BASS! Two quality 12's will make your hair stand up. One 12 of good quality, such as 1000 watts RMS, would shake the car and make your hair stand up pretty well. 12's are able to hit bass frequencies from 30 Hrtz up to 80 Hrtz, but its safe to keep the crossover lower around 60 Hrtz, its just not worth possibly blowing the sub for a minimal boost in volume. Fully powered 12's are both punchy for rock songs and can be thunderous for rap songs. Definately the most popular sub around.
15 inch woofer/ 18 inch woofer: These big things will shake the crap out of your vehicle, definately for the BASS maniacs! They can hit really low frequencies to thunderous proportions. The box size required for these subs will definately fill the entire car, in some cases may not fit, depends on the vehicle. These subs can hit frequencies 50 Hrtz down to 25 Hrtz for 15's and 20 Hrtz for 18's. Some 18's can go even lower than 20 Hrtz, but thats so low the volume starts to drop off and most songs don't go that low, except for BASS cd's. The best thing about 15's, you can buy 2 of them that can handle only 300 WATTS RMS, and they can sound louder than 2 12's that can handle 600 watts RMS. They are just so big and push so much air. Any kind of 15 or 18 will add some serious bass and take up tons of space.
Lets talk about the types of sub woofers:
RMS is a technical term referring to the continuous amount of wattage a sub can handle. When shopping for subs, DO NOT look at PEAK power, its a stupid marketing/sales aspect of a sub. Apparently PEAK is how much power a sub can handle if the power peaks, such as a kick drum hitting, etc. Do not factor PEAK power into anything, always know the RMS, if you were to hook up a 1000 watt RMS amp to a 1000 WATT PEAK sub, it would blow after a day, maybe sooner.
8 inch woofer: These subs are best used in the back dash of a car, or maybe in a bazooka tube in a car. Basically for people that don't really want to take up much space in their vehicle but still get some decent bass. Putting these in a trunk would be a waste of money, you'd barely hear them! An 8 inch woofer will not make the hair on your arms stand up, but will fill the car with a better than factory sound. It really depends on the quality of the sub and the number of them installed, a pair is best I think. Most 8's will not be able to handle low frequencies, 40 Hrtz or below I believe, but can hit higher ranges of bass safely, up to 110 hrtz(see below about crossovers). A good 8 will be able to handle up to 400 watts RMS, some sound good at lower RMS, some expensive ones can handle power higher than 400 watts RMS. The sound of an 8 kinda gets inside your head, some people find this annoying, the frequency is just too high.
10 inch woofer: These subs are good for putting a pair in a car and still having some room. Only putting one in a trunk would, in most cases, not produce enough sound unless you bought one that can handle 500 to 1000 watts RMS, then you'd hear some strong bass from the trunk. There are certain 10's that can handle lower frequencies of bass, around 30 Hrtz. Most people get 10's because they produce a better punch and higher frequency, but not annoying like the 8's. 10's seem to be the preferrence of rock music listeners. Rap will sound ok, but for many songs it won't. A 10 should be able to handle having the crossover(see below)
set to 90 Hrtz, though a little lower is always safer.
12 inch woofer: Referred to as the most dynamic woofer. The 12 inch woofer is definately made for the car and for producing BIG BASS! Two quality 12's will make your hair stand up. One 12 of good quality, such as 1000 watts RMS, would shake the car and make your hair stand up pretty well. 12's are able to hit bass frequencies from 30 Hrtz up to 80 Hrtz, but its safe to keep the crossover lower around 60 Hrtz, its just not worth possibly blowing the sub for a minimal boost in volume. Fully powered 12's are both punchy for rock songs and can be thunderous for rap songs. Definately the most popular sub around.
15 inch woofer/ 18 inch woofer: These big things will shake the crap out of your vehicle, definately for the BASS maniacs! They can hit really low frequencies to thunderous proportions. The box size required for these subs will definately fill the entire car, in some cases may not fit, depends on the vehicle. These subs can hit frequencies 50 Hrtz down to 25 Hrtz for 15's and 20 Hrtz for 18's. Some 18's can go even lower than 20 Hrtz, but thats so low the volume starts to drop off and most songs don't go that low, except for BASS cd's. The best thing about 15's, you can buy 2 of them that can handle only 300 WATTS RMS, and they can sound louder than 2 12's that can handle 600 watts RMS. They are just so big and push so much air. Any kind of 15 or 18 will add some serious bass and take up tons of space.