How to Select the Correct Custom Subwoofer Enclosure for Your Vehicle

The correct car audio subwoofer will add that deep rich sounding bass that is missing from any OEM car sound system. Matching the correct components is very important to creating great sound. The challenge comes in selecting the correct subwoofer for your specific car or truck from the hundreds of subs on the market.

Usually the best choice of a subwoofer will be made after considering the space available for your installation. Through the years, I’ve met many shoppers after they had made the wrong decision and were unhappy with the results. While car audio subwoofers are available today in sizes from six to fifth teen inches in diameter, shoppers are sometimes surprised at the volume produced by even the smallest of subs. Nothing will effect the subwoofer’s performance more then matching it to the correct enclosure.
In most cases, your available space will tell you how large a sub enclosure you might install and this will lead you to the correct subwoofer selection. Custom subwoofer boxes will produce excellent sound quality even from a wide range of subwoofers. A custom-fit subwoofer enclosure is a sub box that has been made to fit in an “out of the way” location and usually results in a factory look when installed.

The alternative to a custom box is a standard truck subwoofer box. Your choice of sealed or ported will be governed by the specifics of the subwoofer you select. To select the correct sub box, check your subwoofer’s specs. While ported enclosures generally produce louder bass, they also require more space then sealed boxes. So measure your install area first, match a subwoofer that you like to the boxes volume or air space.

After the selection of sub and enclosure, you have to find an appropriate subwoofer amplifier. Again you have to check your subwoofer’s spec sheet to determine the proper power requirements. This all might sound like a lot of work but the results are well worth the effort. As you might guess, there are several variables in the selection process that I can’t discuss here. Be sure to click through to see detailed articles on selecting the correct components for a subwoofer installation.