When we talk about subwoofers and what we like the most about them we have to agree that it is the possibility to feel the music with our body. The low frequencies coming from the subwoofer are what makes you move and for most of us, music is what makes us move whenever we hear it.

It isn’t too complicated to get the exact bass sound from the subwoofers, and once you finish tuning them you will be more than satisfied. The following article will guide you through some simple steps required to fine tune the subwoofer in your car so you can truly enjoy the power and full and clear sound coming from your system.

Setting the Speaker Levels

The worst thing that can ruin your tuning efforts is distortion. Therefore, it is important to properly set up the amp gain in case you want to power up your car speakers. This will prevent distortion. Let’s see what we can do about that.

Eliminating the distortion

The first we need to do is to remove the distortion. To do this we need to set the amp gain to low and play some music. After that we need to increase the volume on the receiver slowly until we hear distortion. When that happens, we need to lower the volume until the distortion disappears. Write down the volume, this is the maximum volume you can play your music without distortion. 

Now we have to do the same but with the amp gain. Turn it up until you hear distortion and then down slowly until the distortion vanishes. Now we can say that we have set the amp gain, so we can lower the volume on the receiver for a more comfortable listening experience. 

Now we have to fine tune the bass.

Signal flattening and opening the low-pass filter

Set the subwoofer amp to the lowest. Switch on and set the low-pass filter to high. If you notice a bass boost, switch it off. In case you have a remote to control it make sure to set it up to a middle position so you can boost or lower the bass later. 

In case your receiver has a bass boost, low-pass filter and a crossover, it is important to turn them off. These shouldn’t be used simultaneously on both the amp and receiver. The main reason for that is that you will get a buddy sound because the crossover frequency gets boosted and a phase distortion is created around the filters.

Gain and low-pass filter adjustments on the subwoofer

Now set the volume on the receiver at one quarter and play some music. Now slowly increase the subwoofer amp’s gain until the sound coming from the subwoofer suppresses the other speakers without any distortion. In case you notice distortion, turn the gain back until the distortion disappears. 

Now it’s time to fine tune the low-pass filter on the subwoofer amp until the mid- and high-frequency notes go away.

And finally adjusting the Bass boost and subsonic filter

Now slowly increase the bass boost (if you have it) and pay attention to the bass drum and the way it sounds when you increase it. A small amount of bass boost is desirable but you have to pay special attention if you decide to use it because this is the most frequent reason for distortion in the system. In case a distortion appears, you can lower the gain of the sub amp until it vanishes. 

In case you have powered subwoofers and you want to control the too loud low notes you can use the subsonic filter for that. This will eliminate the notes that make the enclosure resonate. It is vital to fine tune your system until you get the sound you like best. 

Now we are done with the tweaking so it’s just the right time to pay special attention to music. 

It is important to match the receiver volume and the subwoofer level 

All you have to do at this moment is to increase the volume to the maximum level where no distortion is present. After that you need to increase the gain of the subwoofer amp until you notice that the bass is well balanced. 

You can also check your bass and turn the volume up and down just to see how it sounds. It is important to know that the acoustic space inside your vehicle can make the subwoofers sound a bit out of sync with the other speakers. If you notice that the volume of your bass is just right but doesn’t have enough punch, you can reverse the subwoofer leads and check whether it sounds better. 

Resolving minor problems

If you notice any distortion coming from your subwoofers, the gain of the subwoofer amp should be turned down. However, if you notice that now your subwoofer doesn’t give you enough bass without distortion, maybe you should think about getting a bigger amp and subwoofer combination. 

Whatever you do, please don’t decrease the gain of the amp to make the subwoofer volume better. This will make it impossible for the other speakers to achieve and deliver crisp and clear sound. If you remember this was the main reason you have included a subwoofer in the setup. It is always better to have more power and bass than constantly not having enough.

After you fine tune everything you will have the pleasure to enjoy your music. You will notice that the subwoofer is able to play shoulder to shoulder with your system and just the way you like it. And one more thing, no matter how good you feel when listening to music with your perfect audio system, it is good to turn the volume down if the people around you are bothered with it. Not all people like the same type of music as we do and they definitely don’t like to listen to it at the same volume.