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Best Subwoofers For Classic Cars
When you think subwoofer, what comes to mind? Are you imagining sitting at a stoplight and hearing the thumping, shaking, window rattling noise from a few cars behind you? Our goal is to help you shake that negative connotation towards subwoofers. When we say "subwoofer", we want you to imagine something along the lines of a high-end home theater system. Think Bose, but better. Most Bose systems sound pretty decent and part of that is because they include a subwoofer.
What does a subwoofer do?
Subwoofers fill in the low-end sub-bass frequency that regular speakers just cannot reproduce. The larger diameter of the subwoofer, combined with a heavier, thicker cone allow the speaker to accurately re-product the sub-bass frequencies.
What is the advantage and How does it do it?
A subwoofer is a large speaker that produces sound frequencies in the bass and sub-bass frequencies, usually below 80hz. Your standard, full range speakers are not able to produce sound down to these frequencies due to physical and power limitations. A subwoofer is going to need an enclosure and an amplifier. The internal amplifier of your radio or head unit is not enough to get these large speakers moving. Of course, you can just add a subwoofer, a mono amplifier, and an enclosure to your radio-powered system and you will immediately have more bass. But, we have found that for the most part, this isn't what the classic car owner is looking for. In order to get the high quality, home-theater quality sound, you should add an amplifier for your speakers as well. You can do this by running two amplifiers, a 4 channel and a mono, or by running a single 5 channel amplifier that can power 4 speakers plus the subwoofer. When paired with an amplifier for the speakers, adding a subwoofer allows you to use crossover your speakers at select frequencies in order to get the most optimal range of sound output. This means that you can send high frequencies to your smaller dash speakers to take advantage of the tweeters, you can complement that sound by sending the mid-bass frequencies to the 6x9’s you have in the rear deck, and then add the subwoofer to play the low, sub-bass frequencies to fill out that bottom end. When you do this, not only are you sending more power to each speaker which will allow them to play louder, cleaner, and more clear, but also, each speaker is playing the frequencies within its output range and the frequencies that it was designed to reproduce, thus improving sound quality and the life of your stereo components.
Subwoofer Styles
Subwoofers are sold as individual speakers or drivers, as loaded enclosures, or as a loaded enclosure with a built-in amplifier. There are three different types of woofers, standard, low-profile, and open air or infinite baffle. Most open-air subwoofers are designed specifically for marine applications and do not apply here. Standard woofers usually come in a large box enclosure that is generally cube-shaped, and are a great option if space is not a concern for you. The second option is a low-profile enclosure which is engineered to deliver the same great sound, but without taking up as much space. Usually, the low-profile woofers cost a little bit more than the standard woofer with the same power handling and output, but we feel they are definitely worth the extra money if space is limited in your classic car.
For classic car audio, we mainly focus on loaded subwoofer enclosures. This takes the guesswork out of the enclosure, wiring, and installation equation. The subwoofer comes pre-installed and the internal wiring is already done. Most of the enclosures we offer are single, 8, 10, or 12-inch woofers. We do have dual subwoofer enclosures, but for the classic car market, single subs usually get the job done.
Standard Enclosures
These standard subwoofer enclosures are the least expensive, "go-to" options that we recommend for Classic Cars. Yes, the JL Audio 10" W0 enclosure is not a "low cost" option, but the W0 is the entry level 10" subwoofer from JL. The Kicker Comp C is a solid performer that will do the trick for most people. The Rockford R2 Shallow is an affordable, low profile option that will deliver bass and save space without breaking the bank. These are three no-brainer options from Kicker, Rockford, and JL.
Low Profile Enclosures
These low profile subwoofer enclosures are a step-up over the standard options above. These subwoofers are all in low-profile enclosures and handle more power than the standard options. The Kicker Comp RT is one of my favorites. For the money, you can't get a better subwoofer. The Rockford Fosgate P3 Shallow is a good choice if you are a Rockford Fosgate fanatic and want something more than the R2 shallow. The advantage of the JL Audio 8" W3 subwoofer is you get similar output in a significantly smaller enclosure. For an 8" subwoofer, the JL Audio CP108LG-W3v3 will surprise you.
Premium Enclosures
These premium subwoofer enclosures as the name suggests, handle more power and will deliver more bass than the other options. The Kicker Comp R is very affordable and less expensive than the 10" Comp RT, but that's because it is a full-size subwoofer. However, if you have the space, this subwoofer performs. The Audison APBX10DS kicks ass. You get a 10" subwoofer that sounds like a 12" in a box that is almost impossibly small. It's not cheap, but there's a reason for it. Finally the JL Audio TW3 subwoofers are gold standard for low-profile subwoofers. The CS112LG-TW3 handles 400 watts and delivers the performance you expect from a JL Audio subwoofer, but in a very thin form factor. If space isn't a factor, it's hard to beat the Comp R, if you are very limited on space, go with the Audison, and if you want maximum performance, but the Kicker Comp R is just too big, the JL 12" TW3 is the answer.
Powered Subwoofer Enclosures
As we mentioned earlier, amplifiers are a very important complement to your subwoofer. Self-powered subs come with the amplifier built right into the box. This combines two pieces of hardware into one, making installation easier. Self-powered subwoofers usually require a positive and negative wire for power and ground, and they can auto-detect a signal from the speaker wire to turn on, making for a very easy, out-of-the-box installation. Usually, self-powered subwoofers use chip amplifiers and they may not have the same output as an enclosure and an external amp, but they usually sound pretty damn good and provide more than enough bass to meet our customers' needs. Here's a chart of some of our favorites:
In conclusion, adding a subwoofer will enhance the sound of your classic car stereo system. It doesn't need to be some big, bass-booming, monster, but rather a speaker that will complement your other speakers to give you high quality, full-bodied sound when cruisin' in your classic.
Need more info? We'd be happy to help.
Feel free to contact us by email at support@classiccarstereos.com or use the contact form below and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Between 8am - 5pm PST, you can reach us toll-free at 888-789-7297 or our local number 760-477-8525
