Installing Subwoofers in a Car

One of the sensations that we enjoy the most when driving is listening to good music. We cut ourselves off from the world, listen to our favorite music, and enjoy driving more than ever.The problem is that, on many occasions, our vehicles do not have enough power or sound quality for us to enjoy that music. But that has an easy solution: Install Subwoofers sound equipment in the car.

Car Subwoofer are a necessary upgrade if you want to get more out of the audio experience in your car. Taking the time to install a car subwoofer correctly is worth the effort. While increased bass response and depth of sound will be immediately noticeable, placement and installation will allow you to get the most out of your woofer.

The common practice is to place the sub against the rear wall of the trunk, in front of where the rear seats would be, pointing towards the rear of the car. However, woofers are not directional speakers, so they don’t necessarily have to be pointing in any specific direction. However, for the purposes of aesthetics and balance, positioning towards the center of the vehicle is best. Of course, if you have more than one speaker, balancing on each side of the trunk is also an option.

If you want to avoid putting your subs in the trunk, or if you don’t have a trunk, placing them directly behind the rear seats is the next best place. Your closed car will continue to function as a secondary box;however, you will notice a drop in bass quality if you open the windows

Today we will explain how you can install Car Subwoofer from home and without going through a workshop. To listen to good music in the car!

1. What stereo do you want?

First of all, it is necessary to determine what music equipment is going to be installed in the car. Wanting two speakers in front and two behind the vehicle is not the same as adding a subwoofer in the rear or with some secondary speakers.

Define what your budget is, what you are looking for and then you can think about how to install all this in the vehicle.

2. Gather all the Materials

Once you know what you are going to install, gather the necessary material to be able to do it:

  • Speakers and subwoofers.
  • Power, ground and remote cables.
  • Remote cable.
  • Distribution block.
  • Necessary tools like drills, bits and wrenches.

Make sure you have it all, as it won’t be in your best taste to remove the doors and trunk and then notice that parts are missing.

3. Connect the Amplifiers to the Remote Cable

Use a remote cable to gather all the wiring for the amps. In this way, you can indicate to each amplifier when the radio is on and when it is off without the need for additional wiring or elements.

Now looking at each component of the amplifier, we must ensure that it offers technical characteristics such as a high S / L ratio and low harmonic distortion and, above all, that its R.M.S. is enough to properly move the speakers.

Installation: From Wiring to Audio Equipment Configuration

Turning now to the installation part, it is important to note some important details regarding wiring. Speaker cables must have a minimum section of 1.0 mm2, RCAs must have anti-interference shielding and power cables must have a generous and sufficient section (so as not to overheat). In the same way, it is also important to make adequate soundproofing of the front doors, to reduce resonances and obtain a good bass.

You can consider high-quality speaker cables from Baboombaboom.com as they use purer, higher-grade copper which is more consistent in its electrical properties.

Once the equipment has been installed, it is time to configure it. To do this, the first thing we must adjust is the gain of the amplifier, consisting of adjusting the voltage of the amplifier to that of the source output. If we do it correctly, we will be able to maximize the power that the amplifier transmits to the speakers and minimize the distortions caused by the signal-to-noise ratio.

We then move on to filtering, which consists of preventing the front speakers from reproducing the lowest frequencies and only directing them to the car subwoofer. This operation can be performed from the source or the amplifier. We must also carry out the important task of equalizing the equipment, consisting of adjusting the different frequencies one by one, until obtaining a clean, linear sound free of exaggerated peaks and resonances. For this, we can use our own hearing, if we trust it, or specific instruments designed for it.

4. Connect the Power Cables to the Distribution Block

To prevent all amplifiers from going to the same power source or battery, each should go to a different one in a distribution block.

You will need to connect each wire that comes out of the block to the amps. Look for the widest, since that will be the one you should connect.

5. Be Sure to Prepare Grounding

Connect the ground wire to any metal part of the vehicle. Be careful with the wire, as it may burn in the long run if too much current passes, so you should check it every so often to avoid future problems.

6. Check all Connections

Before testing the speakers and subwoofers and starting the vehicle, check that all wiring is in place. Any failure could destroy the amplifiers or speakers and even cause damage to the vehicle battery.

As you can see, installing a sound system in a car does not have complicated steps, although the mess that can form from cables is more than curious. To avoid this, you can buy colored cables to mark the different uses of each one.

7. Secure Subwoofer

They tend to vibrate quite noticeably, especially at high volume or deep bass. Simply wedging the woofer in one corner will not work. Even the screws may not be enough, depending on the sound load the speaker will carry. Many companies on the market make stands that will hold your speaker box to the trunk wall. While these are deliberately built for a specific box size, you can save some money by purchasing a similarly sized bracket from your local hardware store.

When attaching the bracket to the speaker box, make sure that the screws or bolts are not so long that they will interfere with the speaker. Make sure the screw does not protrude and secure, or you will experience bad rattle.

What sound equipment do you have in your car? We would like to know how music lovers are the great readers of test route.