What is a Subwoofer? Everything You Need to Know About Subs
Learn About a Key Component of Your Car Stereo System
“Sub,” from the Latin word for “under.”
“Woof,” like a sound coming out of your mouth.
A subwoofer is a piece of equipment that makes the “under sounds” - basically, the low sounds. The bass.
There - that’s your education for the day. Now, let’s move on to what these incredible car audio components can do.
If you’ve ever felt the sound of a car’s stereo system in your body, it’s because the car you were in had a subwoofer in the trunk. If you’ve ever seen a rear window vibrate and shake, or heard the metal frame of a car rattle along with the bass sound - again, it’s the subwoofer’s doing.
Car subwoofers are what make a car audio set-up complete, no matter what kind of music you want to listen to.
Rap? You’ll need a sub. Metal? You need a subwoofer. EDM? Same. What about Bach’s Cello Suites? Believe it or not, these could benefit from a subwoofer, too.
When you’re ready for a car audio upgrade, taking a deep-dive into the key components of your car’s stereo system helps you make the right decisions when it’s time to buy. As you’ll discover, subwoofers are an essential element for your audio experience, and with the help of Car Stereo City, you can choose from the best brands and get superior installation at an affordable price.
How a Subwoofer Works in a Car Stereo System
The main piece of equipment needed for excellent car audio is the main unit, also called a deck or a head. This is the main control unit that you interact with. Your dad might have called it a “receiver,” which still makes sense, because it literally receives the power from the vehicle’s battery to create sound.
Of course, you also need speakers. Then, after you’ve snagged both of these items, you could maybe stop there if your budget won’t let you go any further. You’ll have sound, sure, but, then again, any car comes with these components.
This means that the upgrade you’re looking for - the one where you feel and experience the sound - really happens when you get the very best receiver and excellent speakers at a leading car audio installation shop near you - and then you finally get to have some fun adding in the good stuff.
You can include an amplifier to give your system even more power, but, even then, something might be missing. Remember that “underneath sound?” That’s what a car subwoofer can amplify. And, if you get the right piece of equipment, the bass won’t even be an undertone anymore. It will be the heartbeat of your music experience that you can only get from a car audio upgrade.
Here’s how a subwoofer works: the receiver sends low frequencies directly to this device, and these frequencies - such as bass tones - are powerfully amplified to accentuate them. Without this piece of equipment, the beat in your car simply can’t slap, or knock, or whatever else the kids are saying these days.
Does It Matter What Kind of Music I Listen To, You Ask?
Any kind of music you want to listen to is going to have more depth and feel more textured with the inclusion of a subwoofer.
As an example, let’s think of a popular song with some higher-pitched noises in it. Feel free to pick your own, too, if our illustration doesn’t work for you. For now, imagine the high-pitched synthesizer melody in the song “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” by Dr. Dre. Iconic and instantly recognizable, yes, but pretty high-pitched. Do you want that high-pitched melody to drown everything else out? No. That’s why a recording engineer tries to balance the “EQ,” or equalization, so you get a blend of the synthesizer, the bass, Snoop, and Dre.
However, when you balance that song out, you lose some of the thumping bass. Wouldn’t you like a little bit more bass kick while you’re driving in the California sun? If you really want to feel a song, you need bass. We can always do without those high-pitched frequencies, but most music needs the lows to truly feel complete.
It doesn’t matter what kind of music you love, either. Music’s feeling comes from the bass sounds that you can feel in your body, whereas higher frequencies tend to annoy the ear. This goes for metal, electronic, rock, rap, and, yes, we’re serious: even classical music or opera can be felt more intensely with the bass sounds emphasized.
Types of Subwoofers on the Market Today
There are several kinds of car subwoofers on the market today, and they all function a bit differently. The easiest difference to point out is that some are amplified and others are not.
An amplified subwoofer simply provides more power, more depth, and a body-rocking experience - and it also requires an additional piece of equipment: an amplifier.
There are passive subwoofers, too, that still increase the bass tones in your car stereo system, but without the added power.
Deciding what you need may come down to the type of music you listen to, and what you want your car audio experience to be like. Often, an expert at a car audio installation shop near you can give you a sense of how much bass you’ll need, depending on your specific preferences.
From there, you can continue to get more specific, and look at subwoofers that use pressure and ventilation to make powerful bass sounds and limit rattling, or types that face downward to protect the key components from damage.
Again, you can experiment based on the exact sound you’re looking for, and your best bet is to stick with a car audio expert near you who can help make suggestions for your car stereo system’s set-up.
The Highest-Quality Subwoofers You Can Get
As far as makes and models, you’re going to want to stick with a car audio store like ours that carries the following superior brands:
Jensen
Pioneer
Dual
Planet Audio
Alpine
JVC
Kenwood
Sony
And there’s more! Check out our full list of brands here.
Why You Should Stick with Car Stereo City for Your Car Subwoofer
At Car Stereo City, we love sharing our knowledge about the best and latest models from these manufacturers and more, and we’ll make sure you get the exact sound experience you want for your car’s stereo system when we take care of your car audio installation at our store, conveniently located near you.
We’ve installed aftermarket upgrades for customers who love all kinds of music, and we honor their specific preferences for what kind of sound they want, based on the genres they love. We’re experienced with all vehicles, and even the trickiest installs - and that’s why we’re considered the leading car audio installation company in San Diego.
We also offer financing and leasing, which makes our great services even better.
Give us a call at (858) 277-1823, or shoot us a quick message online. We’re ready to show you everything you need to know about how to turn your car’s stereo system into a sound experience.