The 10 Best Car Subwoofers

For more bass without a wiring project, the Rockford Fosgate Punch P300-12 is the simplest strong choice. A woofer and a 300-watt amp share one sealed box, so you connect power, ground and a signal wire. It works with a factory radio or an aftermarket one, and a small dash knob sets the bass level. Sealed bass sounds tight rather than boomy. The wedge-shaped box fills much of a small trunk, and Rockford backs it for one year.

For bass you feel in your chest, the JBL BassPro 12 pairs a woofer with a wide port, which gets more volume from the same power than a sealed box. Its built-in amp makes 150 watts, plenty for daily driving but not for rattling mirrors. It takes speaker or line signals, so it suits factory radios. One detailed review found it punchy but light on the very lowest notes, and it turns boomy if the bass boost is set high.

Pickup trucks and small cars with no room for a box are where the Kicker Hideaway 51HS10 earns its place. The flat case slides under most front seats, with the amp inside and a wired remote for the bass level. Expect fuller, firmer bass than factory speakers give, not trunk-rattling depth. Where it sits changes the sound, so try a couple of spots before you bolt it down. For the money, its output is modest.

Builders after clean bass for the money should look at the Rockford Fosgate P3D4-12. It's a bare woofer, so it needs its own box and a separate amplifier. In return it handles 600 watts of steady power and sounds good in a sealed or a ported box. Two voice coils let you wire it to suit the amp you already have. The catch is the extra gear: a box, an amp and wiring can double what you spend.

Cheap and compact, the Pioneer TS-WX106B puts a woofer in a slim sealed box that fits a small trunk or a hatchback corner. There's no amp inside, so plan on a small mono amplifier and a wiring kit. Its 250-watt steady rating means a modest amp can drive it well, and the sealed box keeps bass tight and clean. It won't shake the car, and we found no independent review of it, so its sound rests on Pioneer's specs.

Loud bass on a tight budget is what the Skar Audio SDR-1X10D2 is built for. A woofer comes installed in a vented, carpeted box that's already wired, so you only add an amplifier. The vent adds the deep boom that rap and electronic music lean on. Its 600-watt rating calls for a mono amp that's safe at a 1-ohm load, which narrows your amp choices. The box is heavy and bulky, so strap it down well.

Listeners who care more about accurate bass than raw volume should start with the Alpine R2-W12D4. This bare woofer handles 750 watts of steady power, and the retailer World Wide Stereo picked it in its guide for output and accuracy. It works sealed or ported, and its two voice coils give you wiring choices. Like any bare woofer, it needs a box, an amp and careful setup, and it's expensive before you buy any of those.

Where a normal woofer won't fit, such as behind a truck seat or under a floor panel, the Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-12 mounts in a fraction of the usual depth. It handles 400 watts of steady power and suits a thin sealed box. The trade is output: a shallow woofer moves less air than a deep one of the same width, so it won't hit as hard. It's still a bare woofer, so you need a box and an amp.

The Rockford Fosgate P3-2X12 is for drivers who want serious volume and have a trunk to give up. Two woofers sit in a vented box that's pre-wired for a single amp, and together they handle 1,200 watts of steady power. That calls for a large mono amp, heavier wiring and maybe a stronger battery. The box is huge and heavy, and bass this loud carries far enough to break local noise rules.

Boats, side-by-sides and golf carts are where the Kicker TB10 makes sense. Its woofer sits in a weatherproof plastic tube with a passive radiator at the other end, and it can stand up or lie on its side. There's no amp inside, so pair it with one that suits a 400-watt load. It's a common pick for boats and golf carts, where a carpeted box would soak up water. That is a high price for one woofer and no amp.