Pug106 ICE - Subwoofers

Adding a sub is the point where your system will move to a new level. The extra low end punch will make the overall sound much more like you'd hear on a home hi-fi.

To run a sub, you'll need to use an external amp as your head unit wont pack enough power to drive the sub. The sub will also need to be mounted in a special enclosure. The size of the subwoofer's speaker cone, the magnet configuration driving it and the type of enclosure that it is housed in all have effects on the resulting sound.

Choosing a Subwoofer Cone Size

Subwoofers

Subwoofers are available with code diameters ranging from 4" up to 15" with some specialist models being available with even larger cone diameters. However, in a relitivly small hatchback, the largest size that should ever be considered would be a 15" unit.

The cone size is a factor in each the potential volume of the speaker, the sound quality reproduced by it, and the power required to drive it.

Generally, smaller subwoofers, 8" to 10", will produce a higher qulaity sound than larger units when powered by the same amp, but they wont be able to reach the extreme low end of the sound range, or produce the same sort of volume that larger units can, although larger units require a more powerful amplifier to provide a similar quality.

10" and 12" units provide a good balance between quality, volume and frequency range, with the 12" having the edge as long as it's powered by a suitable amplifier.

Enclosure Types

Subwoofers

There are three differing types of sub enclosure to be considered.

Sealed enclosures will provide the best sound quality although they wont produce a very high volume unless driven by a powerful amp.

Vented (Ported) enclosures allow the box to be fine tuned to respond to a certain frequency. This can be useful if you listen mostly to a certain type of music and can set the system up accordingly, but sound quality on other music types will suffer as the sub wound respond well outside the frequency that the 'port' is tuned to.

Bandpass enclosures basically combine the two types to produce a louder sound without sacrificing too much quality. However, this means that more space will be required to install such a box and a high power amplifier will be required to drive it. Not really recommended in the 106 as boot space is limited.

Multiple Driver Configurations

Subwoofers

Although most people upgrading their ICE will opt for a single sealed or vented sub, there are advantages of using more than one sub, although there are disadvantages too.

In a small car, such as the 106, a popular alternative to a single 12" unit, would be two 10" subs, which will provide a high quality, and powerful sound.

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