Kako odabrati najbolji subwoofer za vaš automobil?
Odabir pravog subwoofera za vaš automobil može se činiti zastrašujućim, ali ne mora biti! Uz malo istraživanja i korisne savjete, možete pronaći savršeni subwoofer koji će vam zatresti auto.
Ali kako odabrati najbolju podmornicu za svoju vožnju sa svim različitim opcijama na tržištu? Saznajmo.
Da biste odabrali najbolji subwoofer za automobil, provjerite njegovu veličinu, cijenu, snagu (RMS) i osjetljivost. Kontinuirana snaga (RMS) je najvažniji čimbenik za subwoofer za stvaranje snažnog i dubokog basa za bilo koji automobil. Ako prostor u vozilu dopušta, odaberite 12" ili 15" ugrađen u za to predviđenu kutiju.
U članku u nastavku detaljnije ću opisati različite vrste subwoofera i kako odabrati pravi za svoj automobil.
Što tražiti kod subwoofera?
Prilikom odabira subwoofera trebali biste razmotriti četiri glavna čimbenika:
#1. Upravljanje snagom (RMS)
Ovo je najvažniji faktor koji treba uzeti u obzir pri odabiru subwoofera.
Što su veće RMS snage, to je subwoofer snažniji. Ako kupujete novi subwoofer, ugrađeni automobilski zvučnici trebali bi vam otprilike reći koliko vam je snage potrebno, što znači da bi subwoofer sam trebao imati jednak ili veći RMS od svih ostalih instaliranih zvučnika.
Na primjer, ako imate dva zvučnika od 100 W, trebat će vam subwoofer s najmanje 200 W RMS. Vršna snaga je sekundarni parametar, ali što je veća razlika između RMS ocjena i vršne snage, to bolje.
#2. Veličina
Veličina subwoofera će odrediti koliko će prostora zauzeti u vašem automobilu. Ako imate manji automobil, možda biste trebali odabrati manji subwoofer kako ne bi zauzimao previše prostora.
S druge strane, ako imate dovoljno mjesta i želite solidan jak bas, odaberite veći subwoofer od 12" ili 15".
#3. Osjetljivost
Osjetljivost mjeri koliko basa subwoofer može proizvesti iz zadane količine snage na određenoj udaljenosti.
Kao i kod standardnih zvučnika, subwoofer s osjetljivošću od 88 dB bit će dvostruko glasniji od onog s 85 dB. Ako želite čuti bas na većoj udaljenosti od automobila, odaberite sub s većom osjetljivošću od najmanje 87dB.
Veća osjetljivost također znači da vam je potrebna manja snaga pojačala za isporuku istog SPL-a kao za nižu ocjenu osjetljivosti.
#4. Trošak
Cijene subwoofera mogu varirati od oko 50 USD do preko 1000 USD. Trošak će ovisiti o gore navedenim čimbenicima, kao io marki i kvaliteti subwoofera.
Ako ste ograničeni proračunom, možda biste trebali odabrati jeftiniji subwoofer kako ne biste morali potrošiti previše novca. Međutim, zapamtite da obično dobijete ono što platite, a jeftiniji subwoofer možda neće imati tako dobru kvalitetu kao skuplji.
Koju veličinu subwoofera trebam za svoj automobil?
Veličina subwoofera ne ovisi samo o akustičnom prostoru u automobilu, već i o pojačalu, žicama i, naravno, efektu basa koji želite postići.
Možete birati između 6,5" do 18", ovisno o audio postavkama i vašem cilju.
6,5 inča, 8 inča
S ograničenim prostorom, možda ćete morati pogledati manje sabvufere, bilo 8″ ili 6,5″. Oni su jeftiniji i mogu biti jedina opcija da dobijete bas kakav želite bez odricanja od previše prostora u prtljažniku.
Ako odaberete manji sabvufer, obratite pozornost na rukovanje snagom i osigurajte da može izdržati snagu koju vaše pojačalo može dati.
Manji subwooferi nemaju visokofrekventni odziv, ali i dalje mogu zvučati dobro, poput Skar EVL-65 .
10″
Međutim, manji wooferi daju vam više slobode u odabiru pravog mjesta za njih. Osim toga, oni su u većini slučajeva jeftiniji i ne zahtijevaju "elektranu" za učinkovitu igru.
Zlatna sredina može biti subwoofer od 12 inča. Međutim, nezgodno je to što su subwooferi od 12 inča najpopularniji na tržištu, tako da možete odabrati vjerojatno sve vrste zvučnika koji vam padnu na pamet.
Prije nekoliko godina bio sam pomalo razočaran kvalitetom basa mog novog 12″ kada sam ga usporedio sa starijim 10″ wooferom.
Srećom, problem nije bio u samom zvučniku već u njegovoj snazi. Samo je bilo potrebno dvostruko veće vanjsko pojačalo u usporedbi s onim što sam ja imao, a smanjio sam frekvenciju niskopropusnog filtra.
Nakon ovih promjena, bas je bio izvanredan i svira i danas.
12"
Kada je riječ o subwooferima od 12 inča, oni imaju jednu veliku prednost u odnosu na sve ostale veličine.
Oni su mješavina brzine od 10 inča i, u isto vrijeme, mogu proizvesti dubok, snažan bas poput 15 inča. Također mogu stvoriti fantastičan zvučni tlak zraka.
Kako biste postigli ono što želite i ne biste se razočarali pri odabiru subwoofera za automobil, morate imati odgovarajuće kućište, kvalitetno pojačalo i vrhunske žice, a sve to treba biti pravilno postavljeno.
15 inča
Iako wooferi od 15 inča sviraju najniže tonove, ponekad su spori i trebaju snažna pojačala . Također, kućišta za zvučnike od 15 inča u većini slučajeva ne pristaju u mnoge automobile, no njihova prednost je snažan i dubok bas.
Kada imate svu odgovarajuću opremu ispravno postavljenu, ne trebate više od jednog subwoofera, a bit ćete oduševljeni s 15″.
18"
Subwooferi od 18 inča najveći su i mogu stvoriti ogroman zvučni pritisak.
Treba im puno snage pojačala i veliko kućište, ali ako imate sve to, jedan subwoofer od 18 inča može učiniti da vaš automobil zvuči kao klub na kotačima.
To je istina, posebno u slučaju čudovišta kao što je Skar ZVX-18v2 , koji, kada je spojen na 1 ohm, stvara iznimno visok zvučni tlak, ali da bi to učinio, potrebno mu je dosta snage.
Različite vrste automobilskih subwoofera
Vrsta kućišta ovisi o parametrima zvučnika, dizajnu automobila i preferencijama jer svaka vrsta proizvodi malo drugačije zvukove.
Prilikom odabira subwoofera za automobil pronaći ćete tri popularne vrste bas kutija, ali koje su razlike među njima?
Zatvorena kućišta
Zatvorene kutije za subwoofere izvrsne su za male prostore i mogu proizvesti precizan, visokokvalitetan bas poput ovog malog Kicker 43TCWRT84 svojim kompaktnim dizajnom.
Zahvaljujući konstrukciji koja zvuk čini snažnijim, nećete čuti nikakve "ekstra" neželjene zvukove poput bas refleksa.
Jedini način da "ugodite" zapečaćenu kutiju je da promijenite njenu veličinu za isti zvučnik, što znači da možete manipulirati odgovorima istog zvučnika nakon što ga stavite u različite kutije.
Osnovno pravilo za odabir veličine kućišta je da će bas zvučnik u manjoj kutiji svirati više, dok će isti zvučnik u većoj kutiji svirati nešto niže frekvencije.
Zatvorena kućišta također su sigurnija za zvučnike, posebno njihove glasovne zavojnice. Ekstremni pokreti stošca lakše se kontroliraju i ograničavaju zrakom komprimiranim u kutiji koji radi poput opruge.
Zrak u zatvorenom prostoru je otporniji, što znači da stožac nema mnogo slobodnog kretanja.
Da bi bile potpuno učinkovite, zatvorene kutije zahtijevaju više snage od otvorenih konstrukcija. Nažalost, ne može svako pojačalo ispuniti ovaj zahtjev.
Još jedna prednost zapečaćenih kutija je njihov jednostavan dizajn i relativno niski troškovi.
Za zatvorena kućišta preporuča se ispuniti ih akustičnom pjenom, ali vidjet ćete da nemaju svi proizvođači zvučnu izolaciju svojih kutija.
Možda se pitate treba li zapečaćena kućišta napuniti.
Tehnički da, zatvorena kućišta trebaju biti ispunjena akustičnom pjenom jer se akustični valovi ne vole odbijati od ravnih površina. Zbog toga ćete u mnogim kutijama bez zvučne izolacije pronaći stražnju stijenku nagnutu, ali to nije dovoljno.
Vrijedno je razmisliti o punjenju subwoofera akustičnom pjenom ako želite čuti najvišu kvalitetu zvuka, a ne samo imati glasan automobil.
Povezana bas kućišta
Kućišta s portovima (bilo ventilirana ili bas-refleksna) imaju potpuno drugačije karakteristike od zapečaćenih kutija.
Proizvode glasniji, ali mnogo manje precizan bas, pa ako želite biti iznimno glasni i vidjeti kako vam vrata u automobilu ili krov vibriraju, trebali biste odabrati prijenosno kućište za bas.
Prednost priključnih kućišta je produženi životni vijek pogonskih programa zbog bolje ventilacije.
Svježi zrak koji ide naprijed-natrag kroz kanal hladi magnet, za koji je manja vjerojatnost da će se pregrijati nego unutar zatvorenih kutija, gdje je pritisak zvučnika viši, povećavajući temperaturu zraka.
Portirana bas kućišta također su veća; zbog toga kako se zvučni valovi kreću unutar kutija, one su i dublje.
Zbog svoje veličine, možda nisu najbolja opcija za manje prtljažnike s nedovoljno prostora ispred zvučnika. U slučaju malih sportskih automobila, pregradne kutije možda neće ni stati unutra.
Postavljanje prevelikog subwoofera za prtljažnik bila je pogreška koju sam napravio prije mnogo godina s jednim od svojih prvih subwoofera. Do tada nisam imao pojma o odabiru subwoofera za automobil i odabrao sam nešto malo preveliko...
Na auto je dobro pristajao, ali razmak između stošca i poklopca prtljažnika bio je jedva tri inča, pa možete zamisliti što se dogodilo kada sam povećao volumen. I na kraju je cijeli auto treštao.
It took me a lot of time and effort to isolate the back of the car with anti-vibration foam, and still, I could not use its full power. Well, lesson learned…
These types of enclosures are straightforward to tune. However, they are more efficient when appropriately designed, meaning you will need a less powerful amplifier to achieve the same volume as the sealed boxes.
The port tuning is critical to maximizing the subwoofer’s output capability. In addition, ports allow subwoofers to reproduce the low frequencies commonly used in Rap and Hip Hop.
But what is the port tuning?
Port tuning is nothing else than designing the port (channel) inside the enclosure, allowing your subwoofer to strengthen specific frequencies.
For example, when you make your enclosure and want to achieve the strongest bass at 54Hz, you must calculate the port’s exact location and size.
Ports can have different shapes, from typical round plastic called bass-reflex to the form of triangular or square, and cannot be placed anywhere in the box.
Bandpass Subwoofer Enclosures
When choosing a car subwoofer, you will find the most complicated design in the bandpass enclosures. In simple words, I can say that they are a combination of both sealed and ported bass enclosures.
The bass from bandpass boxes significantly outperforms other types of enclosures, and it focuses on narrower low-frequency sounds. The best bandpass boxes I have found are from SKAR .
The frequency peak is usually set around 60Hz, which can be perfect for Rap music, but other music types like Pop or Rock will not benefit from this construction.
Although the most common 60Hz, you can fully customize the frequency peak when ordering a custom box, it is up to you in which area you want to make the “bass kick.”
However, you must remember that the bandpass enclosure should be designed as a part of the complete car audio system rather than a single box just added to any speakers in your car.
There are two types of bandpass boxes design:
- Single reflex, with the speaker placed in the sealed subwoofer box, but the front area looks like a vented box.
- Dual reflex, with one speaker, mounted in the middle of the big box with two ports. One in the front of the speaker and another at the back of the speaker.
The difference between these two types is not just the number of ports they have but also the size and type of bass they can produce.
The design of these most complicated boxes has to be perfect, meaning you have to consider the speaker type, size of the trunk, and acoustic in the car, to name a few.
Otherwise, you will not achieve more than a poor bass experience in the vehicle, even with the highest quality driver. Well, unless your only priority is to create thunders in the car, completely ignoring music quality.
Bass Tubes
Bass tubes are known for their narrow frequency response, which means they can be really large but not so efficient at the same time.
They can produce a loud “boomy” bass, but its quality is low. So if you are looking for a solution that will give you a high-quality clear bass, bass tubes are not the best choice.
They have, however, an advantage, and that is their cost. Tubes are cheaper than the typical bass enclosures; in most cases, they are active, so you do not need an amplifier.
They are straightforward to install and can be usable with a simple car sound system to increase overall dynamic, but something is missing, and this missing part is the quality of the bass.
If you want a simple boost to your car audio, Amazon has a wide selection of bass tubes .
What Is Free Air Subwoofer?
When your car has a small trunk, or you do not want to use the entire available space for the enclosure, you may choose a free air subwoofer.
The free air subwoofer is a speaker that does not require to be installed in the enclosure. Typically, free-air subwoofers are installed in the back seat or the rear deck.
Free air subwoofers work best in sedan cars and are a cheaper option than the subwoofers in the enclosure. Nevertheless, you will need to add a baffle to the rear deck or back seat, depending on the place you choose for the subwoofer.
Installing a baffle that will hold your subwoofer is mandatory because construction has to be stable. You cannot just bolt a 10″ powerful speaker to the plastic deck. It will simply not work.
There are hundreds of different models to choose from when talking about speakers, and the most challenging part is selecting the right one.
When choosing a free-air subwoofer, you need a powerful speaker with a firm suspension.
Remember also, when you install a free air subwoofer, the whole trunk needs to be correctly sealed because it will become a large enclosure.
If you want to achieve a clear quality bass, your car should not have free air movement between a trunk and a cabin.
Do I Need an Active or Passive Subwoofer for My Car?
Active Subwoofers
Active subwoofers (also known as powered subwoofers) have relatively simple built-in amplifiers. As a result, active subwoofers are usually less powerful and work in a narrower range of frequencies.
Still, they are smaller and cheaper than passive subwoofers, for which you need to purchase an amplifier and make more complicated wiring.
The two main types of active subwoofers:
- Under-seat subwoofer is a flat box with a speaker that will fit into a small space below your seat.
- Another type of active subwoofer is the spare wheel subwoofer designed to fit in an extra wheel space in your car.
Both types have a straightforward installation and do not require additional equipment. However, they usually do not produce a strong low bass.
Active subwoofers can be a good option as an addition to your factory audio system, without other modifications to your car audio.
Passive Subwoofers
Passive subwoofers (unpowered subwoofers) are either speakers installed in the enclosures or free air subwoofers that do not have amplifiers.
They offer much better quality sound, and you have a choice to combine many different amps with even more speakers to achieve your desired bass effect.
Is a Single Voice Coil or Dual Better?
The subwoofer with a dual voice coil offers more wiring options than an amplifier, thanks to possible multiple impedance options.
The number of voice coils does not make a woofer louder and does not affect the power or frequency response, however, it may require more power from the amplifier if you use a low impedance subwoofer.
With a single voice coil subwoofer, you have only one set of wiring terminals and one connection option.
Dual voice coil subwoofers are usually more expensive but offer more flexibility regarding wiring and more options with the amplifier selection. The amp can be either 2 or 4 ohms depending on the connection type.
How Many Subwoofers Do I Need in My Car?
When it comes to car subwoofers, not always more means better. You can achieve the same effect when choosing the right subwoofer as you would do with two drivers.
If you decide to install two subwoofers, remember that they have to be the same. Otherwise, they can fight against each other, which is the last thing you want to experience.
Many cars do not have trunks big enough for two subwoofers. Sometimes even dual enclosures are too big and will not play efficiently. It does not make much sense to spend hundreds of dollars on two subwoofers and, at the same time, not use their power.
A much better option is to get one, even when smaller, but build it into a perfectly calculated box and power it up with a high-quality amplifier. It will bring you real satisfaction.
For the smallest woofers, it is worth installing two or more. There are many pickup trucks with four or more small 6.5″ subs under the back seat in the dedicated enclosure, so the number of drivers depends on the space and personal preferences.
What Is the Best Subwoofer for Small Car?
If you have a smaller car, choosing a smaller subwoofer might be a good and, in many cases, the only idea.
A 10-inch subwoofer might be too big and will not fit into a smaller car. A good option would be an 8-inch subwoofer or a 6.5-inch subwoofer placed in a single box.
Such designs are not large and do not require a big powerful amplifier, and if your trunk space is really limited, you can use a flat active underseat subwoofer, for example, Boss BAB10 .
How to Break in a Car Subwoofer?
It is recommended to break in a brand new subwoofer, especially the high-end types.
When a woofer works at the beginning at a reasonable volume, all stiff elements will fit each other, especially cones with spiders and suspension.
You will not damage subwoofers without a break-in, but by doing so, they will have an extended lifetime, improving their bass.
The best way to break in the subwoofer is to use a frequency of about 30-60 Hz and set the volume so that you can hear it but not too loud. You should do it for at least 12 hours with recommended up to 24 hours.
Zaključak
There is no easy answer to the question of how to choose the best subwoofer for your car. It all depends on many factors below:
- Type of your car and how much space it has for the subwoofers
- Where in the vehicle will a subwoofer be located
- Which music type do you listen to
- What kind of bass effect do you want to achieve?
- Do you need quality bass or just loud “booms?”
If you choose a smaller subwoofer, it will take up less space in your car and will not require a big and powerful amplifier. If you select a bigger subwoofer, it will need more space but will provide better deeper bass.