20 Best Cheap Subwoofers For Cars (2023 Updated)

The folks at CT are genuine and passionate about their creations. I used 2 of their TROPO-12 subs in a high end design, and I’m loving them so much that I’m replacing the reference KRK 10” subs on the bottom of the towers with some TROPO-10’s now.

These drivers are very musical, pristine, fast, and POWERFUL in properly built enclosures. I’d already designed and built my speakers, and the TS parameters actually were a perfect fit for the sub enclosures! Make sure you have a killer box that’s well made and internally treated, and these subs will be reference level material (which is what I’m using them for in a serious hifi mastering far field monitor suite).

Killer! Thanks guys and gals!.

if this is your price range and sound quality is a must don’t hesitate. I’ve never had a skar but I was torn between this or the svr and I think this I made the right choice. Definitely likes to be inverted but response is much more profound in a very narrow hz range.

They take clipped power at 800 plus watts for up to 5 minutes and I just smell the coil getting hot moderately. This was done accidentally of course my stock alt couldn’t support rp1500. 1 power thirst.

It’s definitely stout can’t wait to build a custom enclosure but 1. 5 cubes seems too small when it sounded louder and cleaner down low inverted in a 2 cube prefab at 36 hz tune. But idk definitely best I’ve owned will see how long it lasts.

This sub straight pounds deep deep lows crisp chest pounding everything shaking from the dbs it can produce. Take the time to tune your box. I’m punishing my cab of my truck quad cab with 6dbs. With ONE of these.

I have been involved in car audio since a kid Rollin his very first ride. I have had the the top name brands like Kicker Kenwood,Fosgate,Memphis. None of these can even compare to this sub. with the money you save here you can take your time and tune your box correctly, and with your left over money you saved and could have spent on other top brands, get your self some dyno mat.

You will feel every thump this sub puts out. Mines been running a week now and not even close to break in point when it really comes alive. Definitely worth money and time to invest in. Definitely getting more to set up my other vehicles.

My set up maybe cost me approximately 400-500. But the results sound like I paid 5gs. Way to go Rockford!! You have seriously impressed me and will be back for more of your products. Dual din Kenwood head 2 3 way 6×9 boss 400w front door speakers 2 3 way 6.

5 boss 200w back quad door speakers Boss 600w Amp for highs and mid 5000w audio bank class D monologs Amp 1. 8″ 2000w rockville w8k9d2 Box setup W-13. 50″x H-12. 50″ x D 15. 70 Materal thickness -1/2 Net internal volume 1.

20cf Tuning frequencies 35H Port area 3. 56″ square Pipe inner diameter 2. 13 Pipe length 10. 95.

The sub came at least a day earlier than I expected. I pulled that heavy monster out of the double shipping boxes and immediate I could tell this was one serious monster. I guess the 11 lbs. Magnet was the first clue.

I loaded it into my 1. 5 cubic foot t-line vented box( tight fit cuz box wasn’t quite cut out for that large of a diameter sub- some modification required. no biggie. ) popped in some godsmack, and turned up the volume to about 8 and realized this thing POUNDS!! Let me tell u.

the difference was amazing. I was running a little power acoustic 800 watt crypt subwoofer b4 @ around 600 watts @2 ohms and it was pretty loud. but running the Rockville @ 1 ohm and closer to 1200 watts was like night and day!! This speaker hit almost twice as hard at probably half the volume level!! Needless to say.

i was impressed!! The price was reasonable to say the least. i havent even had the volume on the system past 14 yet nor even broke in the sub and I think it’s probably the best my system has ever sounded.

I had to make a minor adjustment to the gain on my kenwood 4 channel to compensate for more bass. but other than that my little pos isuzu rodeo sounds pretty damn good. I dont see the need for any other upgrades in the bass department.

I’d say that probably the speaker should last for a good long time. the super high temp 3 inch voice coils haven’t barely even heated up and no smell whatsoever has come from the box. ( last couple of subs I ran smelled of burning voice coils if played to loud for too long).

the speaker in my opinion is really stout and all parts that matter are of high quality so I expect to problems with it over long term. I highly recommend this speaker to anyone!!!! I would definetly buy again without hesitation!!!.

I have been around the block with car audio having products such as alpine pdx, soundstream tarantula, hifonics Brutus. After having kids and needing to budget my cravings for car audio I have a new favorite.

Rockville ! Rockville has a new fan with amps with solid features such as Siemens crossovers and separate preamp and amp circuits. CEA COMPLIANT !! Distortion limit circuits ! I currently have the RDX-M2 amplifier pushing 750 RMS to the Rockville W12K6 and its Amazing combination of power and precision.

I was using an American bass XD12 @2 ohms getting 550RMS but at [email protected], the Rockville W12K6 is cleaner, very efficient, and shakes my whole civic with authority ! If paying more for another brand makes you smile then go ahead but Rockville has a new fan.

I bought the subs expecting good things from MTX having owned mtx subs and amps in the past but. As soon as they arrived I noticed how bad the condition the exterior (cardboard) box was in, bring them inside, open them up, and the first thing that hits me is that “blown subwoofer smell”.

Anyone who has been round the block knows that smell. So I hook them up to an amp matched perfectly to the RMS Rating (having purchased it specifically to match the subs) and wouldn’t you know it the mf’s are blown.

Straight out of the box. rattling and smoking so bad you would have thought they were on fire. Idk if it’s the quality of manufacturing or if the dealer I purchased them from made a mistake and sold me garbage.

So like the title states Its unfortunate that it happened because I will not purchase MTX products in the future nore from the dealer.

I bought this to replace my Cerwin Vega woofers and planet audio 2500 watt amp and I was so happy with the sound. This MTX speakers have a prolonged bass when my Vega have a more isolated bass. I recommend this MTX set up for those that like that old school bass where the bass over shadows the voice.

Very happy with my purchase.

Easy to install, subwoofer is action when it pounds hard for a 8 inch sub running off a 1000 watt 2 channel pioneer amp. The Rockford subwoofer speaker has a fat and heavy magnet and a fat rubber to handle for the flex wen the volume is turned up and that is what I like about this speaker and it can handle more than 10-12 inch subwoofers.

I am gonna purchase one more of the same subwoofer.

Hooked up two of them in a sealed box and was not disappointed. Have the dual channels (each sub, not together) hooked up at 2 ohms, and pushing 500 watts to each subwoofer. A lot of basses. Hits the lows very nice and adjusts to the highs good as well.

You pay for what you get, and this subwoofer is well worth the money.

Nice tight bass from this little thing. I have only one in my truck, installed in a bass tube and that is all I need. Makes a big difference especially when thumping my reggae tunes. This is not meant for people to hear you from 2 blocks away but you will absolutely hear and feel the difference when you are locked inside your cab and this thing turns on.

I have absolutely no regrets buying it.

Put these in my gt350 in the rear deck. Had to get the adapters and put them in upside down then hang the speakers. Theres no way to get these in the stock location, from the top, without taking out the back glass.

The magnets on these are HUGE. I am still waiting for my amp to get here but theyve already added bass. Very happy with the purchase already.

These are great for small enclosures I upgraded from a skar ix-10 and I call tell you that it’s true, you get what you pay for. This sub performed much better and the sound was superior. It love low notes 20-30Hz in my 0.

87 cu. ft truck box.

Ds18 Genx subwoofers, the 10 inch dual voice coil pair, are pleasantly far better than the photos reveal. They are heavy duty, and they are compact as can be while still delivering a knockout. The mounting depth is great, and the push terminals are of good quality.

You can tell when you unbox them, they are far better than the proce point suggests I wish I had gotten two Genx 15. 4 d subs to go with them, after seeing the capacities of these tens. And the red is identical to the Elite Z-+5.

4 d sub I got.

So I had some Memphis mojos that were older and the surrounds were falling apart. Bought two of these to replace them temporarily until I wanted to spend 1500+ for two new mojos. Can actually say I may never replace them.

Have them on an Orion XTR 3500. 1 bridged at 1 ohm and they perform awesome. Never thought I would say they compare to the mojos but they basically do. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a great sub at a great price.

Okay, I spent about 120/150 ish for kickers comp rs a while back. They got stolen out the car and finally I wanted to puzzle up my system again. I have a crunch gtr 2 2000 with only one channel cause one blew, have this running on one channel, 2 ohm, and wow.

I did overkill the wiring, everything on sub is wire with 4gauge wiring, output from sub to amp is also 4 gauge. Ordered one to see if it was enough and this thing put those 2 kickers to shame. Im going to buy one more but after I replace my amp, best bang for your buck, cant go wrong, these weigh about 20/25 pounds each.

Absolutely will be back for another. maybe lmao. and I never thought Id drop down to just one sub thank you audiopipe happy customer.

You cannot be ready. big 3 +300 amp alt burping 158db at 37hz. 2 sk2 1500. 1d pushing 2 12’s @ 1ohm each. There’s not enough body panel clips, bolts or pins to stop the insanely violence that is going on in my trunk, approx 96 sqft of deadening is far from sufficient.

Hope you got Velcro shoes and good audiologist. South East Pounders Car Audio Club Cleveland TN.

These sub hit hard. Much bass! Worth every penny. Not bad for the price. Delivery was on time also.

I love this. It’s the perfect size for all my needs.

I have always been a fan of Alpine, and now that I have the woofers to match all of the rest, it should sound nice.

They lasted few month because they cannot handle my monoblock that has 3200 rms. Its all about you need to tune the sound properly they will last more. They really blast all f**king neighbors every time you turn the sound on piss them off all you want but they will last less if you keep abuse that bad.

They are great for whose keep it down and go easy on it. Thats it. Great price for max sound but wont last you more than 3 month. If you want max the number, keep look.

Bought 2 to put in a ported box with a SSL 4000 watt 1 ohm stable amp because according to these subs power ratings they should be able to handle 4600watts. WHAT A JOKE!! Even running a 1ohm load, a Sound Storm Labs amp is not truly putting out 4000 Watts! Maybe half of that if Im lucky.

I fried 1 of the 2 subs within 5 minutes with the amp up half way just trying to tune it. I figured maybe I shouldve given it some break in time. so I ordered another! Blew that one too the first day I turned it up to half power! Total pieces of Crap!.

The Boss Audio Chaos CH12DVC 1,800 watts subwoofer is an excellent buy without a doubt. The Chaos 1,800 delivers performance on par with any of the top name brands. Believe me when I say any of the top brands.

I went to bed tonight with amazement written all over my face. One word of caution, please play at half volume for 3 to 4 hours before pushing them hard.

I’d been thinking about installing a sub for a while but wasn’t sure if I would get the results I wanted, I didn’t think it would be as simple as it ended up being! It was really easy to install, I have no experience of this kind and it didn’t take me long to get my head around.

Really brought out the lower end of my music, the bass is so much richer! Isn’t going to bust your windows but it’s perfect if your set up sounds a bit flat like mine did! I fitted it into a 2014 Fiat Doblo Van, using an aftermarket Sony Head Unit, was really easy.

Depending on how you’re wiring it up you might want to order/buy a RCA wire as it doesn’t come with a long one. All In all would definitely recommend!.

Decent sub woofer but no ground-pounder. It is always hard to review something like this because so many things can affect the results you get. How’s your radio. where did you mount the Sub. how did you mount it.

what is YOUR idea of good base and what is the quality of the music you are playing? For me, I replaced the stock Bose system in a C4 Corvette convertible with a JVC KW-HDR81BT head unit pushing 12″ oval kicker speakers.

Now, for small cars like mine, there is not a ton of room in the speaker cubbyholes for the sound to resonate (especially for the low tones) so I wanted to add a little more support for the low end without overdoing it and thought this would fit the bill.

Now before I bought this Sub I wanted to make sure that my radio was capable of pumping out decent base so I borrowed my 400 Watt home entertainment system Sub Woofer and piped the JVCs SUB signal through it.

Lets say that the neighbors were NOT as happy with the results as I was in confirming that my radio had more than enough guts while I listened to “Long Cool Women in a Black Dress” whose base-thumps bulged my garage windows.

So. I went ahead and purchased this unit knowing that my radio or the way I had configured it would not be a weak point. The results of my install for this Sub? Well. long story short, this unit does add more depth to the base end but I honestly expected just a bit more.

When I say “a bit more”, I mean that I wish I could overdrive the base just a little with this unit cranked to max volume and be forced to back off a little to get a comfortable sound level. As it is, I have to leave it pretty much at full volume to have it perform at an acceptable level.

As a long time electronics engineer and troubleshooter I hate the idea of running any electrical device at near 100% for reasons of device longevity. Now, remember that I had already tested my radio and cables so I ( and my neighbors) knew what my radio is capable of so the “limiting” factor is this Sub Woofer and not my setup.

I was able to improve things a bit by moving the Sub from the rear of the cargo bay to behind the drivers seat but I still need to drive this Sub pretty hard. The nice thing about having a separate Sub Woofer is that you can adjust the mid and treble tones so they can stand on their own without trying to give some of their space to the low tones.

Thats a big plus. All that said, This Sub Woofer DOES to an acceptable job and I am not all that dissatisfied it’s just the -near 100% volume thing- that concerns me a bit.

Installed this particular subwoofer for the first time last week. Easy installation and can appreciate the slimline design and solid enclosure. Sound quality is good (keep your expectations in check here) Weight is moderate for the size.

Looks great and nice add on to any kenwood system. The lighted remote is kinda a love-hate thing. It is corded (phone cord), and our installs we normally set it and forget it. If this sub is tied into your stereo RCAs (sub out) then you have full function regardless.

If you use the supplied high output wiring that Is supplied with the sub, then you will need the remote to adjust settings. Good value for the money, and would purchase again. Great for sound enhancement, not for trying to vibrate your license plate off your trunk.

I wanted to like this sub, I really did! Unless you’re playing a song that has a significant amount of base to it, this sub does not work. I have a tundra crew Max, it has very limited space. I needed something that would be able to fit in small places.

I will give JBL credit, you definitely can fit in smaller areas. It does not have the power on most songs to make that much of a difference. You really have to search out the songs I went on the JBL website and could not find the SL pro, it appears as though they stopped making it… I understand why.

If you are looking for something that gives you a TINY bit more bass this for you. That’s it, it barely adds anything. Not sure where all the reviews came from. but I’ll be paying for another system to be added.

If you are looking for big bass, but have no room for a traditional woofer enclosure, the folks at JBL might have a solution for you with the new BassPro SL subwoofer system. The system is specifically designed to augment your existing full-range speakers and provide the bass response you’re looking for, while taking up virtually no cargo room.

The JBL BassPro SL is a self-powered and completely self-contained subwoofer system that has been designed specifically to fit into incredibly tight spaces, like the typically wasted space under your seat.

By designing the system with a profile height of only 71 mm (2. 1875 inches) the subwoofer system will fit under all but the lowest seats. Length and width measure 344 mm (13. 5625 inches) and 250 mm (9.

875 inches), respectively. Included in this compact form factor are a proprietary shallow-mount eight-inch woofer and an incredibly efficient Class D amplifier rated at 125 watts. Standard features on the BassPro SL include an adjustable low-pass crossover filter (variable from 50 to 120 Hz) and a bass boost control that can provide additional output at 70 Hz.

There is also a 0 to 180° phase switch, so you can listen to it in either position and pick the one that’s best for your specific application. For installation convenience and flexibility, the input signal can be supplied by either a traditional RCA signal or a high-level signal from the OEM system.

To ensure compatibility with virtually all OEM systems, a switch provides selection of either 10,000 ohms, or 120 ohms as the desired input impedance of the high-level input. Additional installation convenience comes from the ability to choose signal sensing or traditional 12-volt turn-on functionality depending on the particular vehicle.

An optional wired remote level control (GTO-RBC) is also available to provide level adjustment from the driver’s seat. Connections are pretty simple, with standard terminal strip gold-plated screws for the power, ground and remote wires.

The terminals are more than adequate for the low current demand of the internal amplifier, so there is no need for larger than about 10-gauge power cables. The internal amplifier is a Class D design and has a maximum current draw of less than 12 amperes.

It runs very cool and drives a special low-profile eight-inch woofer designed specifically for the ABS enclosure. The woofer is a robust unit with a large 110-mm ferrite motor assembly, weighing in at over 26 ounces.

It drives a 38-mm (1. 5-inch) four-layer copper voice coil wound on a Til glass fiber former. This moving assembly in turn drives an ABS and polycarbonate cone, which has its periphery anchored by a butyl rubber surround.

The ABS enclosure is very well braced internally and includes dozens of strengthening ribs to prevent unwanted resonances and increase the overall strength of the sealed enclosure. The woofer is also mechanically fastened to both sides of the enclosure, which further enhances the strength and reduces resonances.

4 stars because this is my first time getting subs and I just wanted to dip my toes in and see what it was like, gotta say I love it, however I find myself wanting more kick. I’m not experienced well in this field so maybe there was stuff I could’ve done to boost the kick out of it but I noticed that I did give the subs a boost using the amplifier 12 db boost and that worked to please me however this is a review on the subwoofer so I’m that case it’s a great product to start off with or if you want to see what it’s like without spending too much money however I found that it lacked the first kick off the beat.

Or it was just too subtle for me the bass on it is great just the power of the kick for me is the reason why I’m finding myself looking at more powerful subs. However like I said they still offer great bass for those who are on a budget under 500 for a whole setup Also don’t think my amp is giving it its full power @rms rating so that could be the problem as well.

Great price. great sound. one issue though. My 3000 watt Rockford Fosgate mono block amp was a little too strong. The speaker still works fine, however the box the speaker was in exploded into several pieces that went flying through my vehicle and managed to break every window in my car.

Upon further investigation from the installation shop, they have explained to me that the 1. 21 jiggawatt flux capacitor allowed too much amperage to flow through the 0 gauge speaker wires which in turn decimated the box and sent it flying into the future.

Word has it that the box was sent into six different years. I believe I was told by the installer that most of the box was found in 1985. My DeLorean is now useless until I can find new glass to drive legally again.

But like I said, the Kicker 12 is still like brand new. I would definitely recommend this speaker to anyone who likes blowing things up. Cheers to all who like living dangerously. And I am a verified purchaser.

Good luck.

This speaker is without a doubt top of the line. 4 years ago when I first got my truck, I purchased a set 10s with a kicker amp. The power from that system exploded my battery. I sold that system and used my factory setup until a few days ago when I purchased 2 kicker 12s.

So far so good. If you’re looking for deep, clear, bone-shattering, earth-shaking bass, I highly recommend this brand.

Honestly! I have no idea how the product is. For the last year I’d been trying to talk my wife into letting me do a big build. Both where stolen the night I had got them. Sure they would have been awesome.

Glad I didn’t have the 2 Skar amps ordered. I’d of really been lit. Bad enough $800 worth of subs gone. Their tweeters and 6x9s sound great tho. One of the tweeters must have been a dud. But I never got around to sending it back Skar did reach out to me.

(the owner himself) from the Florida shop, called me up on the phone. I was in shock. But because of this review, he just wanted to makes sure everything was ok and let me know they would send me a new tweeter.

Now! that’s! how a business is ran.

As a 35+ yr audiophile and retired DJ With many builds in my past. Pro audio, car, and home theater. I’m very picky about my equipment. I’m def Very happy with my ZVX 15″s. I own alot of other higher dollar big name subs in my other builds.

I wanted to do a 4 X 15″s 4th order style budget build in my 2020 Peterbuilt. Do to all of the positive reviews, I decided to give Skar a chance. I’m very glad I did. These are of excellent build and sound quality.

(WITH DSP To tailor the fs. ,they will hit them lows and sound great doing it) Yes the fs. is a lil higher but it’s excellent for hitting some of your mid bass without taxing your electrical. I beat on them all day every day and they take it like a champ.

They get loud and are very efficient. Great job Skar!.

Highly recommended. Compared to a bulkier ‘Fusion’ 8″ underseat subwoofer that I owned years ago, the Pioneer TS-WX130DA performs much better – in a much more compact size. In a nutshell, the Pioneer just performs like a much higher quality sub and appears to punch above it’s weight.

Depth of bass reaches lower than the Fusion. Not 12″ sub depth, but definitely low enough that it shocks you that it is all coming from an 8″ x 5″ subwoofer cone. I have it set to ‘Deep’ (rather than ‘Dynamic’) and both the Frequency Crossover and Gain Volume each set at 50%.

This should set the crossover frequency around ~87 Hz. This balances nicely with my car’s stock speakers and lifts the lower end very nicely to form a full rounded sound. I experimented with the subwoofer’s positioning in my Suzuki Ignis (hatchback).

For a hatchback, I would HIGHLY recommend mounting somewhere in the boot, if possible. Mounting in the boot appears to produce much deeper bass and more powerful overall presence/volume (as is the case with ALL the Hatches and subwoofers I have owned in my lifetime).

Mounting underseat, while space saving, really reduces the depth of bass frequencies. I managed to still save space, by simply bolting it onto the plastic side wall of the boot with the included self-tapping screws.

So no boot space taken and sounds so much better in the boot. Note that boot mounting is mainly recommended for Hatches, with an open cabin – sedan boots actually insulate the bass from the main cabin.

But yes, if you can find it for close to $200 (like at Repco), then it is DEFINITELY worth the money!.

Recently upgraded the stereo and the front door speakers in my Falcon wagon and also my Mitsubishi express van. No separate amp, speakers just running off the new head units. But I knew my front speakers, especially the 4 inch ones in the van, were not up to playing the deep frequencies, so looked for a way to get a fuller sound.

Found this, and installed into both vehicles. Under the passenger seat in the Falcon, bit if Velcro to prevent it moving around. Between the two seats on the floor in the van, screwed to the floor. Huge difference.

I don’t want massive booming bass, but simply music the way the author intended. So I adjust the gain less than half way. I set the low pass crossover, using the remote, at 85 Hz in the Falcon (good quality 5×7 door speakers), and at around 110 in the van, due to the small front speakers.

In this case do not set a LPF on your head unit, but use the remote only. High pass for the speakers can be set on your head unit, I have those values a bit higher, to allow for some overlap. My only gripe is that the remote and its cable are quite bulky and I’d much prefer not to use it, but that would affect the frequency response of the subwoofer.

For some reason the frequency curve in best when the remote is plugged in.

I just finished installing and playing with the EQ. And it is exactly what I was after! Wanted to keep stock head unit, and speakers. But wanted a bit more punch in the Bass to compliment the rest of my premium stereo.

Obviously it won’t provide window rattling bass. It does add a dynamic depth to an existing stock system! Easy to install, everything in the box, except the RCA leads sadly. But a pair of them are cheap enough.

Highly recommend. And the remote is a huge bonus! Hid it away in my centre console, easy to reach and adjust on the fly.

Subs were perfect (can’t go wrong with Fosgate), box was pretty good. Holes weren’t perfect but worked fine, interior sealing needed a small amount of sealant in certain areas, speaker connector holes on interior had excess carpet but was easily able to be trimmed out, carpeting joint area on the bottom was very visible and not straight, luckily on the bottom and was glued tight, and only received 2 wire terminals instead of the 4 on the listing.

Sound and material quality was very good, overall, quite happy with purchase.

Im usually a fan of Rockford subs, have used them many times over my 25+ yrs in the car audio game, but this time I decided to try something different. I needed a shallow mount and, after doing a little research, I settled on a pair of 12tw3s.

I have used JL in the past and have had good luck, plus they have an excellent reputation, so my expectations were high. These subs do not disappoint. I have them in a sealed, downward firing box, under the back seat in my Chevy Silverado.

Theyre powered by a Rockford T750 amp running at 1ohm and they hammer extremely well. especially for a shallow mount sub. They obviously dont hit like my old Rockford T112D4s but thats to be expected as they only require about 1/4 of the interior volume.

Not to mention theyre W3s and not W7s. If you have limited space and need a shallow mount subwoofer you will not be disappointed. Excellent sound, very well made and they hit hard. All in all they are an excellent product and typical JL Audio; High quality.

I have 1x 12tw3-d4 installed in a 2020 f150 crew cab platinum in a down fire under rear seat non ported box powered by a rd500, integrated with a lc2i pro and it freaking slams!!! Nice pure clean real bass! JL audio is the top of the line in my opinion! Don t question it just buy it and you will be overly happy!!.

Ive got 2 of these in a sealed downfiring box in a 2000 Ford F150 under my back seat. These things are legit. Theyre a little pricey but if youve got limited space, theres not a better option out there.

Classic JL. Clean, hard, crisp, deep bass. Just perfect sound. They hit hard, a lot harder than you would expect a smaller woofer like this would, just as hard if not harder than 12 Alpine type rs or kicker cvrs which ive owned in the past.

But the quality of the sound is much better. The one negative is that one of them has blown after about 14 months of hard use. I really dont know whos to blame; myself, the amp, or the sub itself. The other one was perfectly fine, I just replaced the blown one since the 1 yr manuf warranty had expired.

Aside from that, I cant say anything bad about the sub. Highly recommended.