How to Power a Car Subwoofer at Home?
Are you looking for a way to put your old car subwoofer to use at home? Or are you a guy like me who is obsessed with the car audio bass & this obsession made you want a car subwoofer in your home audio systems at any cost? Well! Whatever the reason is. I am here with a guide on How to power a car subwoofer at home?
Read the whole guide carefully so that you don’t miss the point & make any trouble throughout the process.
Requirements to Use a Car Subwoofer at Home:
You will need the following things to make your project successful.
- An old car sub or a new one (If you’re on a budget, choose the old subwoofer as they are cheaper)
- An amplifier (Old car amplifiers can also work better if chosen wisely, or you can use a class d amp)
- A 12V DC Power Supply or Power Inverter (You may also use a computer power supply, but it takes some extra knowledge)
- RCAs (For connecting the amplifier with the subwoofer).
Now, let’s start with the guide. Follow each & every step very carefully, so you can avoid any mistakes.
5 Easy Steps to Power a Car Subwoofer at Home:
First of all, you need to have a car subwoofer. If you don’t have one, buy it from any online store or nearby market. Make sure that the subwoofer is in good condition & works properly.
1. Choose a Suitable Inverter for the Car Subwoofer:
The first & most important thing is to choose a suitable inverter for your car subwoofer (This is because the subwoofer works on a car battery, and you can’t power it directly through a wall outlet). If you choose the wrong one, then it may damage your subwoofer or may not work correctly. So, be very careful while selecting an inverter.
There are two types of inverters:
- Modified Sine Wave Inverter
- Pure Sine Wave Inverter
Modified Sine Wave inverters are cheaper & readily available. But, they are not suitable for subwoofers as they produce low-quality sound. So, it is better to go for a Pure Sine Wave inverter. It may cost you a bit more, but it is worth it.
2. Connect the Car Subwoofer to the Car Amp:
Now, you need to connect the car sub to the amplifier. For this, you will need some cables or wires. Make sure that the RCA cable & wires are of good quality.
3. Connect the Car Amplifier to the Home Amplifier:
The next step is to connect the car subwoofer and car amplifier to the home stereo. Connecting the car amplifier to the home stereo receiver is very simple, as you need to connect the input terminal of your car audio system with the output terminal of the home theater’s amplifier through RCA wires.
Make sure to connect the wires with the same colors, i.e., the red wire in the red spot and the white wire in the white zone.
4. Connect Other Speakers With the Home Amplifier:
Now, it’s time to connect your centered speakers with your main amplifier (Home Stereo), not the car audio’s amplifier. Use five speakers for better performance, two to the left, two to the right, and the last at the center.
Now, turn on the amplifier & you will see that all the speakers are working correctly.
5. Plugin the Car Subwoofer in Power Inverter:
Now, it’s time to plug the car subwoofer into the power inverter and the inverter into any suitable wall outlet.
A power inverter ⁽¹⁾ is necessary because the subwoofer requires low DC power to work & the inverter provides that.
Some Important Things to keep in mind:
- While doing all this, there are some things that you need to keep in mind. First, ensure that the wires & RCA cables are of good quality. It may damage your sub or subwoofer amp if they are not.
- Secondly, make sure that the inverter & amplifier are compatible with each other. If they are not, then it may damage your subwoofer or amplifier.
- If you use the power supply, ensure it has enough power to provide the optimal supply.
Pros & Cons of Using Car Subwoofer at the Home:
Pros:
- High sound quality – A car subwoofer can significantly boost the overall sound quality of your home stereo. Their designs make it possible to reproduce the low frequencies with high accuracy, resulting in well-defined, tight bass that amazes your overall experience with movies & music.
- More powerful bass – Besides sounding great, car audio subwoofers can also deliver more powerful bass than traditional home theater subwoofers. This is due to their larger size and higher power handling capabilities.
- More flexible placement options – Since car subwoofers are designed to be used in vehicles, they are often more compact than traditional home theater subwoofers. However, you can quickly place them in various locations within your home stereo, including behind furniture or corners. Furthermore, you can also quickly put the subwoofer box in any suitable place in your room.
- More aesthetically pleasing – Let’s face it, car subs look cool. Using a car sub is a great way to do it if you want to add a touch of style to your theater at home.
Cons:
- Limited selection – Due to their niche nature, there are fewer car woofers on the market than traditional home theater subwoofers, making it challenging to find the perfect model for your needs. Also, in some cases, you must use a subwoofer box too.
- Higher price tag – Car subs tend to be more expensive than traditional home subwoofers. This is because they are designed for a specific purpose and typically offer higher quality than their house theater counterparts.
- Requires sufficient power – Since car subwoofers are designed to reproduce low frequencies with high accuracy, they require more power than traditional house theater subwoofers. This means that you will likely need an additional amplifier & power supply or inverter that can handle the higher power demands of a car subwoofer.
- Can be challenging to integrate into existing systems – If you have a current home theater system, adding car audio subwoofers can be complicated. Most home theater receivers are not designed to power car stereo subwoofers. As such, you may need to purchase an amplifier specifically for your car woofers.
Despite their drawbacks, car stereo subwoofers offer several benefits that make them a great addition to any home stereo. Vehicle subwoofers are worth considering if you want increased sound quality, more powerful bass, or more flexible placement options. Please take the time to research your options and choose the suitable model for your needs.
General FAQs:
Can I Use a Car Subwoofer in My Home?
The answer is yes; you can use a car subwoofer in your home. But there are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you do so:
1. You must first know that subwoofers require amplifiers to work correctly if they are not active subwoofers. (You may also use a class d amp).
2. Remember that car subwoofers are designed to work with a 12-volt power supply. So, if you want to use a car subwoofer in your home, you will also need a 12-volt power supply or power inverter.
3. The third thing you must remember is that only some of the car subwoofers are usually weatherproof.
So, if you want to use a car subwoofer in your home, you will need to make sure that your car subwoofer is weatherproof. However, If you don’t know how to check if your car subwoofer is weatherproof, try to keep it dry.
What is the Difference Between a Car and Home Subwoofer?
Car subwoofers are typically smaller and have more robust power-handling capabilities than home subs. Also, car subwoofers can reproduce low frequencies at high volumes without distortion.
On the other hand, home subwoofers are designed to reproduce low frequencies at lower volumes with less power handling capability. Regarding sound quality, car subwoofers typically have a tighter bass response than home subwoofers. The ability to work in smaller spaces with less cone area enables them to produce deeper bass than home ones.
On the other hand, home subwoofers have more giant cones that can produce a broader range of frequencies.
Regarding price, car subwoofers are typically more expensive than home subwoofers. This is because car subwoofers need to be more durable and have more power-handling capabilities.
On the other hand, you can find home subwoofers for a lower price since they can be less stable or robust. Also, both need different levels of power supply to work correctly.
Final Words:
I hope that you understand entirely to power a car subwoofer at home. If you still have questions about the dc power supply or any other related things, you may ask me freely, or you can consult any subs pro.