Best Under Seat Subwoofer 2023

Rockville is one of the best manufacturers in the truck subwoofer industry. It is the pioneer of building window-rattling, gut-wrenching bass, and earth-shattering subwoofers. It has brought some of the evocative imagery that most people want to have with the under-seat powered car. It can deliver the power as well as the clarity for low frequency sounds to explore the real and sonic space. In fact, Rockville always provides the best under-seat active subwoofers with superior sound, quality, and ease of installation.

Rockville SS8P is a powered subwoofer that comes with exquisite design and builds quality. It ensures the stellar sound quality at all frequencies, excellent durability, and performance. It generates decent bass and handles up to 400-watt power load at peak. The bodacious bass, as well as the solid sound quality, gives much pleasure while riding the car or truck. Though it doesn't come with big size, its compact size and sleek design will amuse you.

By the way, the Rockville SS8P under-seat car subwoofer comes with many excellent features. It features MOSFET power supply and thermal and overload protection for safe operation. It also comes with auto turn-on technology to remind you of listening to music. The slim and space-saving design subwoofer fits well for trucks, cars, and all other small vehicles. Ultimately, its build quality makes it one step ahead with many other top-rated 10-inch under-seat active powered car subwoofer.

Furthermore, it's the sound quality that makes the real difference. Like the build quality, audio quality ensures to deliver mesmerizing sound in terms of quality. It always provides solid sound quality with effective bass performance and excellent value. With the prodigious power certified by CEA-2031 industry standards, you can continuously increase the volume without worrying about damaging itself. It also features adjustable input sensitivity and soft delayed remote turn-on technology. So, your subwoofer gets ultimate proficiency as well as delivers superior performance.

Highlighted Features

• Made out of cast aluminum that ensures durability and remains cool at all times.
• Capable of handling RMS power handling 100 watts with peak power handling 400 watts.
• PWM MOSFET power supply with low-level RCA input and high-level inputs with auto turn-on technology.
• It comes with an overload protection circuit to keep it safe from overheat, overload, etc.
• 2-Ohm impedance with 20Hz-150hz frequency response to cover all sorts and ranges of music.

2. Rockville RW10CA 10" 800 Watts Slim Low Profile Active Powered Car Subwoofer Sub

Another good pick from Rockville has enriched our list of the best under seat subwoofers. Rockville has brought a revolutionary change in the car subwoofer industry. Here, RW10CA is a 10-inch low profile active powered subwoofer that comes with a sleek design and slim size. It comes with fantastic control to help you tweak the sound as you like it. Even it has a level of control with a subsonic filter to filter out the low frequencies so that you can hear word by word of a song.

The power of a subwoofer defines how much volume a subwoofer can deliver. Here, Rockville RW10CA comes with 200 watts of RMS with 800 watts of peak power. This amount of power can empower a party song. By the way, the power is certified and approved by CEA-2006 so that you can be ensured with actual power. Though it uses a massive amount of power, it is one of the slimmest under-seat subwoofer available in the market. It also features a low pass crossover filter, phase control, and bass boost.

Most of the car owners think of power as well as the size of the subs. Usually, high powered subs look too large to fit under the seat. Here, Rockville is quite exceptional. The enclosure is 2.7-inch thick that easily fits under the seat. Also, it comes with a built-in amplifier to make the installation and wiring easy and clean. In fact, it is an all in one solution pack for the music lovers who want bass, low frequencies pass crossover filter, and phase control in a single unit. Also, with all these features, the unit remains tiny to fit anywhere in the car.

One amazing part of the unit makes it different from all other models available in the market. From start to finish, it makes the entire process neat and clean. The high-level inputs of the sub abstain from buying any additional wire to turn on or off of the receiver. It is the fastest and easiest way to install the aftermarket amp as you don't need to remove the receiver. It also features a smart circuit to sense the audio signal present on the radio. So, when you turn on or off the music, the built-in amplifier will simultaneously work with the signal.

Highlighted Features

• Thermal protection circuit as well as short protection circuit to protection from excess power.
• Low-level RCA input with high-level inputs with auto on-off technology to connect the amplifier.
• Made of cast aluminum to ensure longevity as well as performance.
• Regular 200 watts RMS while 800 watts peak power with PWM MOSFET power supply.
• Adjustable input sensitivity with soft delayed remote control to turn on or off the sub.

3. Pioneer TS-SWX2502 10 inch Shallow-Mount Pre-Loaded Enclosure

4. Kicker 11HS8 8" 150W Hideaway Car Audio Powered Subwoofer Sub Enclosure HS8

Whether you have experience of aftermarket subwoofer or not, here is Kicker that has brought a formidable model to install easily. The Kicker 11HS8 is one of the most popular and successful models to fill the audio enthusiasts' thirst. It is a compact but powered subwoofer to fit a tiny space. The 8-inch under seat subwoofer comes with 3-inch tall to fit under many seats and in storage areas. It features Hideaway™ to fit such a space where you don’t find powered subs. In fact, the plug-and-play installation of the sub helps you hook it up to your audio system.

Kicker 11HS8 features 150 watts RMS rating to produce decent sound for the sub. With this amount of power, the sub delivers loud and deep bass with the right amount of punch and depth to any track. It also enables you to hit lower notes to enhance the performance, you really can't imagine. In fact, it gives you enjoying real music without compromising storage space in the trunk. It seems tiny but delivers high powered sound with decent volume. Though you won't get earth-shattering bass any means from this sub, it won't disappoint you with the sound quality.

Kicker 11HS8 is a complete package in a tiny unit. It comprises an amplification and a room correction. Also, the compact enclosure includes EQ controls, crossover, and a driver. The sub can finetune itself with the existing system through the measurement mics and DPS engine. These duo features of the sub can handle all the heavy work to tweak the system. So, you don’t need to tweak it manually. Fit the enclosure and wait to get rich deep bass without any distortion or vibration.

Furthermore, the Kicker 11HS8 comes with a patented Hideaway™ along with remote control. It allows you to control the bass as well as to adjust the level on a track on the fly. The unit comes with an automatic turn on-off feature along with variable phase control. It covers low-frequency bass so that you can listen to each word of music clearly. By the way, the Velcro nylon straps ensure fast installation and quick-connect power plug. Also, it ensures durability and performance.

Highlighted Features

• 150 watts RMS rating delivers decent sound with rich deep bass without any distortion.
• Measurement mics and DPS engine can handle all heavy work to tweak the sound system.
• Velcro nylon straps ensures fast installation and quick connect power plug.
• Automatic turn on-off feature to adjust the level of soundtracks on the fly.
• Patented Hideaway™ feature to fit a tiny space along with plug-and-play installation to hook it up with any sound system.

5. Alpine Electronics PWE-S8 Restyle Compact Powered 8-Inch Subwoofer

If you are looking for an enclosure with a tiny footprint to simply fill out the lows in your car, the budget car subwoofer fits perfectly. It delivers sound loud enough to jam you out when your favorite song comes on, but it’s not obnoxiously loud. It is a compact powered 8-inch subwoofer to add powerful bass in your vehicle sound system. It is housed with a cast aluminum enclosure with a built-in amplifier. So, it ensures long term performance along with more durability. Also, it fits well under the seat as well as in a tiny space.

The tiny unit comes with 13.5” x 9” x 3” dimensions to fit in an SUV's hatch or in a car's trunk easily. It delivers low, punchy, and accurate bass to the music system without taking too much space. It gives you the flexibility of installing the unit under or behind the seat. Also, the subwoofer features RCA and auto-sensing speaker level inputs to adjust the unit to the sound system automatically. Also, it comes with a built-in amplifier where you can connect the power, ground, and remote control, etc. The amplifier enables to provides of 120 watts of continuous power to the unit.

In addition to the features mentioned above, the Alpine PWE-S8 features to gain control, crossover control, and remote sub level control. The quad-coil subwoofer delivers a 32Hz to 150Hz frequency response. It's a wide range to cover all variety of songs. It literally delivers the low keys that resonate from the piano and bass guitar passages. It seems that sound fills all over the car from an invisible source. By the way, the RCA and auto-sensing speaker level inputs are located on the side panel conveniently. So, it gives you proper control to set up the phase, gain, LP crossover, and remote sub level controls.

Furthermore, the Alpine PWE-S8 is capable of producing a clean and crisp sound. It fits nicely under the seats, even in a sports car. It is easy to install as well as connect to the sound system using the speaker level inputs. The surprising fact of the speaker is its low-frequency response. Everyone will amaze who enters into the car while music is on.

Highlighted Features

• Cast aluminum enclosure ensures performance as well as durability.
• 32 Hz to 150Hz low-frequency response to delivers crystal and crisp sound quality.
• Regular 120 watts RMS power rating to deliver loud sounds to fill the entire car or vehicle.
• RCA and Auto-sensing, Speaker Level Inputs, are located on the side panel conveniently.
• Featuring a built-in amplifier along with connecting the power, ground, and remote control, etc.

Some Renowned brands in the Car Audio Industry

The car audio industry is a vast industry with so many revolutionary inventions and technologies. Many brands have enriched the industry with newly invented technologies. Here, the manufacturers are always trying to rejuvenate different parts to prefer the customers' choices. Among them, here are some brands that lead a part of the car audio industry, especially the under-seat subwoofer.

Rockville Audio

Rockville Audio is one of the great companies and changemakers in the car audio industry. It is the pioneer of inventing many revolutionary products and equipment. Rockville Audio is the culmination of years of development involving a team of engineers, dreamers, and designers. It is the manufacturer of many high-end gears for the professional car audio, car stereo, marine audio, and home theater. Even, it also manufactures Karaoke and Powersports tools to make life vivid.

Also, Rockville is specialized in making audio and video solutions for mobile and pro applications. It continues to expand the real value of the performance of the tons of electronic gears. Finally, it makes itself a dependable and formidable manufacturer in pro and audio applications and equipment through its determination of quality.

Alpine Electronics of America

Since 1978, Alpine Electronics of America has been striving in pursuit of better sound quality, high-quality, and competitive-priced products. It is a subsidiary of the premier manufacturer of electronics ALPS Alpine CO LTD. Alpine always prefers intelligent engineering and robust materials to manufacture products that delight your ear in musical love. So, it leads to the forefront of the innovations with different leading categories, especially when it comes to audio-visual products for the vehicle.

Alpine Electronics of America also delivers products that meet and exceed the needs of audiophile customers. So, it has a considerable investment in research for continuous development to create such products that give the pleasure of sound to the music freaks. As the vehicle sound system is quite far from the usual home audio, Alpine has a particular research team to continue the development process on different characterizes that impact the sound quality. Hence, Alpine has made a significant difference in quality in the vehicle audio system.

Pioneer Electronics

Founded in 1938 in Tokyo, Japan, Pioneer has been concentrated on the passion for music you want to share with the world. Since the beginning of the journey, Pioneer has been manufacturing high-quality audio speakers. Now, it's an international stature in audio and video products for use at home, at an office, or in business environments. It never loses the path of delivering the passion for audio and video products.

Pioneer is enriched with the world's best engineers, designers, trainers, and employees. The engineers always focus on quality assurance while the employees look for the "Next Big Thin" to enrich the audio industry. The trainers and researchers still work to know the views and passion for the new technologies of the customers. As a result, Pioneer always delivers an unbeatable entertainment experience to the audiophiles.

Kicker

Kicker knows music well as it invented the first full frequency range speaker box designed especially for the vehicles. This speaker box delivers concert-like sound quality across a wide volume range with rich and deep bass. Also, it never compromises sound quality.

Since 1973, Kicker livin' loud Legacy has been started its journey with an intense love for the music. Kicker is now an evolving brand with 35 years of top-notch service. In the meantime, it has delivered tons of digital media devices, high-performance headphones, and noise-isolating in-ear headsets. Moreover, Kicker continues its race on the industry's cutting edge, pushing the limits of audio design technology, performance, and integration in the pursuit of ultimate sound experience.

How to Buy an Under Seat Car Subwoofer

The best quality product of anything is quite troublesome and tricky. Though finding the best under seat car subwoofer is not difficult, but quite tricky. You must know the essential elements of the car subwoofer to get the best deal done. Here, go through the buying guide and know how to choose the best one from thousands of available car subwoofer in the market. 

Size

Size matters most when it comes to fit in a compact space. It is a deciding factor, and you should take it into account as you may face a problem if the subwoofer gets more extensive than the space reserved for itself. However, an 8-inch subwoofer is the standard and widely used subwoofer for under-seat car subwoofer. You may find smaller than 8-inch but don't get enough, rich, and deep bass from that sub. An 8-inch sub provides excellent sound clarity along with the bass response. But it can't add bass to the songs. Also, 10-inch and 12-inch subwoofers are available in the market. 

On the one hand, a 10-inch subwoofer also gets popularity because of its fitting ability under the rear seats or replacing the original woofers of the car. It delivers excellent bass response and excellent clarity. On the other hand, you may find an uncommon 12-inch subwoofer for the under-seat sound system. It's quite large and mostly can't fit in the same space where the original one stays. However, it generates deeper and richer bass with crystal clear sound quality. It's quite hard to install and occupies ample space of the car inside.

Power

Power determines how loudly your sound system delivers sound. Each sub features two types of power ratings. One is peak power, and the other one is RMS power. RMS power is the regular follow of power an amp delivers to the sound system. It ensures producing sound without distortion or harming the sound system. If the amp delivers more power than the regular RMS, the music can be distorted. So, always choose an amp than can be capable of providing at least 75% of the subwoofer's watts.

However, peak power defines the maximum wattage an amplifier can handle in short bursts. Here, if an Amp delivers more watts than it is featured, the sound can be distorted, and the system vibrates. Even it can damage the whole sound system because of excessive voltage. Here, manufacturers make the customers fool of advertising more peak ratings on the subwoofer. In fact, a higher peak power rating doesn't matter on the sound quality. The RMS rating matters as it defines the sound quality.

Here are some tips you can follow

• A sub designed in a sealed box helps to generate subterranean-level deep bass. Even a sub with ample wattage and low-frequency response help to produce ultra-low bass notes.
• Pack the unit into a correct amount of polyester fiber delivers the performance of a large unit. You can reduce unwanted resonance inside the box by using this method.
•  You can hook up a sub and an amp in the factory system instead of replacing the factory one to get to the high-level stereo.
• You can increase the volume until the sound is crystal clear. When it distorts, decrease the volume as you surpass the peak power rating.

Pros & Cons of Under Seat Car Subwoofers

An under-seat subwoofer is a significant choice of car owners. It makes a difference in the sound quality of the factory sound system. However, it also comes with some pros and cons. So, let's dig into it.

Pros of Under Seat Car Subwoofers

The under-seat subwoofer delivers good quality sound on the road. It enhances the sound when you play music on the way. Also, the compact design requires the least space of the car inside. Also, it comes incredibly lightweight, and hence you can remove the unit from the sound system as you like it. Its small dimension helps you to fit it under the seat but delivers sound with high, deep, and rich bass. Moreover, it is easy to install, and as the amp is associated with the unit, you don't need to spend additional bucks on buying other components.

Cons of Under Seat Car Subwoofers

Though under seat car subs come to provide some exceptional advantages, it has some demerits too. Sometimes, it may be disfunction and produce annoying sounds. Even, sometimes it may not produce enough sound due to mechanical and electrical defects. Also, your passengers may not feel comfortable sitting on a sub. The vibration of the sub may make them uncomfortable.

Under Seat Subwoofer Vs. Trunk Subwoofer

A car owner goes into confusion when he thinks of buying a car sound system. A comprehensive debate goes on choosing between under seat subwoofer and truck subwoofer. Here, you can go through the comparison of the dual models for different features.

Space

The under-seat sub requires the least space due to its dimension. It won't occupy a large space, and hence it won't be an inconvenience to the passengers. Trunk models come large and require more space. It doesn’t come with an installed amp. So, you have to manage space for the amp of the trunk subwoofer.

Sound Quality

It's the ultimate feature for which car owners want to replace the factory sound system. Here, as trunk sub comes large, it can produce louder sound with more RMS power rating. Also, it requires an additional amp to provide many amounts of power. The combination can improve your driving experience dramatically. On the contrary, the under-seat sub comes with a factory-installed amp with a moderate RMS rating. It also delivers excellent sound quality with rich and deep bass.

Installation

As it has been already said, the under-seat sub comes with factory-installed amp, it requires no additional components to connect the sound system. It is effortless to install by following the proper instructions. But the trunk sub follows a complicated procedure to be installed. It also requires a separate amp, which makes the task even more complicated.

Final Words

Under-seat car subwoofers are the best choice for the car owners who want to save space inside the car. Here, the models, as mentioned above, are superior in quality. They are reliable, durable, and formidable. They all produce clean and crisp sound. The tiny enclosures fit well under the seat and improve the sound system.

Also, the buying guide helps you a lot about the ins and outs of the subwoofer. If you are a newbie, you may follow the guide. Also, let us know about your thoughts and queries on the under-seat car subwoofer by leaving a comment or reply.