Subwoofers are speakers made specifically for base production in audio systems. They are categorized into two that is under seat subwoofers and box-type subwoofers. The two categories of units are usually installed in vehicles.
The box types are installed where space is not a matter of concern, while an under seat subwoofer car unit is installed under the seat when the car owner needs to save more on space.
Under seat subwoofer is compact and small-sized hence installed beneath the car seats. They produce crisp and clear bass from audio files played via the car stereo system. They have good peak power and mean power, RMS hence has good quality bass at an economical rate both space-wise and financially.
An under seat subwoofer is cheaper to buy as compared to the bigger box-type subwoofers. The main features the car owner should consider when buying these units is considering the power output in terms of RMS since it is the most accurate way to know the power of the subwoofer.
The next item to consider is the size where they range from 6.5 inches to 10 inches and installation options to avoid too much space and time used to have the unit working.
The material of construction of both the cone of the subwoofer and the enclosure box is a factor worth considering. The better-built materials used, the better the bass sound quality reproduced.
Our top picks in under seat subwoofer units are:
Contents
JBL BassPro Nano under seat subwoofer
This is one of the smallest under seat subwoofer units, which you can find in the market without compromising on quality. The unit delivers exceptional at-the-limits performance by employing high-pass filters and limiters.
The unit has an RMS output of 100 watts and a peak power output of 200 watts. JBL named it Nano because of its small size where it can fit into any car under seat. The subwoofer unit measures 6 inches while the under seat subwoofer box measures 10” by 3” by 8”.
The enclosure is made up of die-casting aluminum design, which is anodized textured matte black, which eliminates rattles hence delivering clear bass sound in the confined space. It produces a thumping sound quite audible even in noisy car interiors.
It has a frequency response of 30-50Hz, which will capture most of the audio bass frequencies. The bass volume is controlled remotely from the driver’s seat hence eliminating too much hustle of adjusting the volume from under the seat.
Pros
- JBL BassPro Nano delivers a clean and neat bass despite its compact physical size.
- It delivers good audio quality without heating up as other units would do hence it draws minimal current from car batteries and car charging systems.
- The rugged all die-cast-aluminum enclosure with anodized texture matte finish gives a cool and techy appearance, which is appealing to the eye.
Cons
- The compact size of the unit may limit the device performance as compared to box-type subwoofers.
Pioneer TS-SWX2002
Pioneer delivers great audio quality and they have built a great reputation especially amongst car stereo systems enthusiasts in the under-seat subwoofer category. This unit delivers tight bass from a shallow compact design of 5.5 inches.
The under seat subwoofer box for this unit is made up of carpeted, non-slip, and scratch-resistant enclosure surfaces. This makes the unit easy to install hence the right under seat car subwoofer box design.
The cone of the subwoofer is made of reinforced MICA injection-molded resin preloaded cone structure. This makes the cone able to produce accurate bass with less distortion.
The subwoofer speaker includes a dual spider to provide more cone motion control for optimized stiffness stability hence stabilizing the excursion of the cone and support of the subwoofer linear movement for crisp and clear accurate bass response. The enclosure measures 11.35 by 9.25 by 5.5 inches.
The subwoofer has patent-pending, angled push terminals for connection with wires during installation. This makes installation easier even if low gauge wires are used. Traditionally subwoofer terminals are either horizontal or vertical hence making installation cumbersome in tight and confined spaces such as under seats. Under seat car subwoofer installation is easy for this model.
Pros
- The subwoofer construction is high quality. It is made up of MICA injected molded resin which is quite durable and rigid.
- The dual spider provides cone motion control hence better sounding loud bass output.
Cons
- The Pioneer subwoofer unit requires an external amplifier, which comes at an extra cost and needs more space for installation.
- The box enclosure is made up of thin fibreboards, which may rattle when vibrated at higher power levels.
- The unit has a sensitivity of 86 dB, which may not be quality in low-volume bass production.
Kenwood KSC-PSW8
Kenwood produces amazing under car subwoofer units in the car audio industry world. They have high-tech designs to suit their market and consumer needs. This KSC-PSW8 unit has a class D amplifier where it outputs a whopping 150 W RMS and 250 W peak power output.
It has a frequency response of 35-150Hz and a sensitivity of 81 dB. Its subwoofer speaker dimension is 8 inches while the enclosure dimensions are 13.75 by 3 by 10 inches. The enclosure is finished with aluminium making it an acoustic suspension enclosure and the speaker unit is covered with a metal grill.
The unit comes with a long wired remote to allow easy control of the unit from the driver’s seat. The driver can vary the volume and frequency from 50Hz to 125Hz by using the inbuilt low pass filter.
The remote also allows the unit’s phase to be adjusted from 00 (normal) to 1800 (reverse) if needed to suit the driver’s taste and preferences. The remote control has the controls for the device, and none is available on the unit itself.
It features a rotary knob for volume control; hence, the driver can vary the input sensitivity, hence matching the head unit’s volume and other speakers in the car stereo audio system.
It is equipped with a rotary frequency control knob so that the driver can cut off the frequencies of the low pass filter between 50Hz and 125Hz. It has an easy installation procedure where the wires pass through a channel from below the unit to the side. The wires available are for the remote control, power and signal connections.
Pros
- The Kenwood under car subwoofer is equipped with a Class D amplifier, which delivers crisp and clear audio bass with less distortion.
- Sound frequencies range from 38Hz to 150 Hz, which is a good frequency range for under seat subwoofers.
Cons
- Under seat subwoofers come with the challenge of delivering soft bass volumes; hence the sound will appear to be low due to the 81 dB.
Alpine PWE-S8
The Alpine PWE-S8 is a compact powered 8-inch diaphragm under seat subwoofer unit system. It is manufactured out of high-quality materials. It has a quad coil subwoofer, which produces 120W RMS output at a frequency response range of 25Hz to 152Hz.
The subwoofer unit is made up of polypropylene and aluminum material and a rubber surround. This makes the unit to provide a clear and deep base without taking much space in the car.
It has an inbuilt amplifier with a low pass crossover of 50-150Hz and an input sensitivity (RCA) of 0.1-0.4V and a speaker level sound, input sensitivity of 1.5-30.0V. This Alpine under seat subwoofer has a shallow mount of just 3 inches deep to its deepest point.
It also measures 13.5 inches wide by 9 inches tall hence easy to install as an under seat truck subwoofer box. It offers easy installation to the rear of seats in pickup trucks, sedan boots, or in the hatch of an SUV vehicle.
It has a tough under seat subwoofer box design, which is made up of cast metal construction for ultimate durability, fewer vibrations, and distortion for peak performance. To the side of the speaker, here is where you find easy access to RCA and auto-sensing speaker inputs, phase, gain, LP crossover, and remote sub-level controls, which offer great ease and flexibility during installation.
Pros
- The Alpine subwoofer unit has great bass sound due to its inbuilt class-D amplifier unit with an output rating of 120W.
- Connectivity ports and controls are mounted to the side of the unit for easy access and installation of the unit under the car seat.
Cons
- Customers who have purchased the unit and installed it in their cars have recorded broken amplifiers after continuous usage.
- Weak bass output is reported when the subwoofer is paired to other speakers, where they tend to overpower it.
Rockville RW10CA under seat subwoofer
Rockville also produces under seat subwoofer units such as the RW10CA variant, which is one of the units with the slimmest under seat subwoofer box. It has a 10-inch cone that produces 800 watts of peak power and 200W RMS.
Its power rating is matched to industrial standards as compared to other manufacturers that exaggerate the power output values. It features several quality features hence enhancing its longevity. These features include an overload protection circuit, thermal protection circuit, and short protection circuit. It has a built-in subsonic filter at 29Hz and a bass boost at 45Hz of 0-18dB. The phase of the subwoofer unit can be adjusted from 00 to 1800. It also has a low pass filter of 50Hz-150Hz. The unit is controlled via remote, which also has auto turn on technology and soft delayed remote turn on.
Pros
- The subwoofer unit has many protection features against overloads, including a thermal protection circuit, a short protection circuit, and an overload protection circuit.
Cons
- The unit is made in a slim, compact way, which may reduce the clarity of the bass due to the thin enclosure box.
Kicker 11HS8
The Kicker 11HS8 is an under seat car sub with an 8-inch cone speaker with an RMS power rating of 125 watts. It has a compact enclosure of 3.75 inches, which fits nicely into tight spaces.
The unit is packed with features such as auto-turn on with two-position switches that are +12V, where the amplifier turns on when 12 volts is applied to the remote turn-on wire. The DC switch position makes the amplifier turn on when a signal is present on the speaker-level input. The input level also has a two-position switch, the Hi, which accepts signals from 250Mv to 1O volts, and the Lo option, which accepts signal input from 125Mv to 5 volts.
The unit features a bass boost function rotary dial to adjust the bass boost, which is continuously variable from 0 to 6 dB boost centred at 40 Hz. The crossover frequency has a dedicated rotary dial to control the low pass crossover frequency of 50-120Hz.
A rotary dial to set the amplifier gain also controls the gain of the subwoofer. Gain has speaker-level inputs of 250mV to 10 volts and line-level inputs of 125mV to 5 volts.
The subsonic filter is a great feature in this under seat subwoofer unit. The subsonic filter makes the frequencies, which the subwoofer cannot reproduce as sound, not become sound hence preventing distortion; these frequencies usually damage the speaker and waste amplifier power. It improves the performance of the subwoofer by eliminating harmful distortion.
Pros
- The subwoofer unit produces accurate bass sound from audio files played from the car audio system.
- The equalizer helps in making the sound produced clearer and accurate as compared to units without it. These features include the bass boos function, gain control, and crossover rotary dial.
Cons
- High volumes with the subwoofer unit may be disturbing to ears, so use a moderated volume.
Rockford Fosgate PS-8
The Rockford PS-8 is the best candidate for an under seat car subwoofer if you have limited space and height for installation. It features an 8-inch subwoofer speaker paired with a class D, 150-Watts amplifier system.
The subwoofer box unit has a high-quality, durable enclosure, which makes it suitable for installation under seats or in the car boot area. It has a built-in face switch of 00 and 1800. It has several safety features packed into it, such as short circuit protection, thermal protection, and reverse polarity protection.
It has a closed-loop design where all the under seat subwoofer unit components are designed, manufactured, and assembled by the same company, that is Rockford Fosgate Company. This allows all optimization of each element for the best possible performance.
The Klippel distortion analyzer is a device that uses laser and sophisticated software to do the large-scale analysis of drivers in motion. The company optimized the speaker motor structure, voice coil alignment, and suspension to yield the best possible performance.
Pros
- These units are engineered for the low-frequency power needs for anyone looking to have heavy bass, free of distortion in their car while on a budget.
- Small in size with a good shallow mounting depth.
- Low impedance for better cooling of the system and hence improving on longevity and performance.
Cons
- Bass production is average as compared to other shallow mounts under seat subwoofers in the same category.
- The underneath of the seat or the location of mounting needs to be well ventilated to avoid build-up of heat.
Cerwin Vega VPAS10
Cerwin under seat subwoofer unit is the ultimate choice if you want to upgrade your existing car audio system without compromising on space and costs of installation. It has a compact body and an inbuilt amplifier, which makes it easy to install, and the buyer does not need to source kits and items for installation.
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Cerwin Vega audio company has vast experience on how to build under seat subwoofer box units. This unit produces a lot of power where it has an RMS of 100 Watts and a peak power output of 450 Watts. This is one of the most powered compact subwoofer units under this category.
It has an adjustable bass boost; hence the driver can adjust the strength and depth of the bass where input tweaks are possible via the input adjustment sensitivity feature.
The MOSFET power supply unit has a thermal protection circuit where if the unit’s temperature exceeds normal operating temperatures, it will not be damaged. The subwoofer box is made up of cast aluminum, which caters to vibration insulation and cancelation.
The unit is also remote controlled with the delay turn-on function, which lets you start the subwoofer slowly, which makes it comfortable to the ears since the bass is produced gradually as the system starts up.
Pros
- The subwoofer has a compact design, which allows the unit to be installed in tight spaces and cramped up spaces in the car interior.
- The delay turn-on function helps in gradual bass production. Once the unit is turned on where the bass output can be adjusted, and sensitivity varies according to the driver’s taste and preference.
Cons
- It comes at a high price tag for a compact under seat car subunit in the market.
- The under seat subwoofer unit has a low-frequency response.
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