So you don’t have enough space inside your vehicle to accommodate larger subwoofers? Well, you don’t have to feel left out, because under seat subwoofers can get the job done just fine.
Under seat subwoofers feature a very compact design. They can easily fit into tight spots. Their relatively easy installation and tiny size make them suitable for vehicles with very limited space such as compact hatchbacks and sport cars.
That being said, keep in mind that under seat subwoofers won’t produce ground-pounding bass by any means. However, these subs are a great add-on to factory stereo systems.
Although these subwoofers aren’t going to turn your ride into a rolling thunderstorm of bass, they’ll certainly add some depth and punch to your music.
So, if you’re wanting to add some bass without compromising space, consider an under seat subwoofer.
Under Seat Subwoofers Comparison Chart
Best Under Seat Subwoofers Reviews
1. Alpine PWE-V80 Review
Alpine is a Japanese electronic component manufacturer that specializes in car audio equipment. They were founded in 1967.
They are, and always have been one of the most recognized brand in in car audio industry.
Alpine offers a wide range of quality products including car speakers, amplifiers, headunits (both single and double din stereos) and subwoofers of different types.
The PWE-V80 by Alpine is one of the best under seat subwoofers on the market. It’s also one of the most expensive. However, this is a very well-engineered slim subwoofer and would be a great investment for anyone who’s looking for a solid ready-to-use subwoofer that’s designed with quality in mind.
If you want to upgrade and add some decent bass to your factory stereo system setup no muss no fuss, then the PWE-V80 is a great option to consider.
It can be added to your stereo sound system in just a few easy, simple steps. Its super shallow design makes it ideal for under-seat installation or into tight spaces.
This tiny subwoofer is fitted with a compact 8″ subwoofer powered by a decent built-in amplifier.
The PWE-V80 has a variable low pass filter of 50Hz – 100Hz. It comes with speaker-level and RCA inputs, as well as a phase selector switch. A wired remote control is also included.
In terms of cons, it’s really difficult to think of any. If anything, I’d say that this slim under seat subwoofer is a bit pricey.
However, something this good is naturally expensive. Our purpose here isn’t to convince you folks to go out and splurge on the most expensive under seat subwoofer.
Quite honestly, this subwoofer isn’t even close to the most expensive powered subwoofers we’ve seen.
Alpine PWE-V80 Specifications
- Subwoofer size: 8 inches
- Power handling:
- RMS: 75 Watts
- Peak: 160 Watts
- Frequency range: 50 Hz – 100 Hz
- Dimensions (mm)
- Width: 342
- Height: 80
- Depth: 238 mm
Alpine PWE-V80 Features
- Sealed Die-Cast Housing for Stealth Installation
- Built-in Amplifier
- Phase Selector Switch
- Wired remote Control
- Speaker-Level and RCA Inputs
- 160W Max power
- 100W RMS
- Driver size 8"
- 20Hz - 159Hz
- X-Over (LPF) 50Hz-100Hz Dimension (mm) 234 x 80 x 342
2. Pioneer TS-WX130DA Review
We’ve reviewed a ton of Pioneer car audio equipment on this site before. Pioneer Electronics is one of the most authoritative brands in this industry.
They’ve been around for a very long time. They have made a name for themselves in the audio industry developing and marketing a wide array of audio equipment including car speakers, subwoofers, amps, head units as well as Hi-Fi home and personal audio, and amateur radio (“ham”) equipment.
The Pioneer TS-WX130DA is one of the best selling powered under seat subwoofers on the market.
It’s very reasonably priced, and it would be a great solution to anyone who’s wanting to further enhance the bass in their system without taking up a lot of space.
The TS-WX130DA incorporates a 8 inch subwoofer powered by 160 watts RMS by the built-in amplifier. This compact powered enclosed subwoofer features a very high sensitivity rating of 95 dB.
Which is quite impressive. And as a matter of fact, a subwoofer with high sensitivity rating requires less power to play louder than a sub model with lower sensitivity.
The TS-WX130DA comes with a wired remote control so you can adjust the bass from the driver’s seat.
Although, the TS-WX130DA is designed specifically for cars, I don’t see anything wrong if you use it in home theaters or media rooms to ensure that every chunk of music you hear reaches its full potential and simulate movie going experience.
TS-WX130DA Specifications
- Woofer Size (inches) : 8 x 5.25
- Built-in amplifier
- RMS : 160 watts
- Peak : 150 watts
- Frequency response : 20 – 200 Hz
- Sensitivity : 95 dB
- Warranty : 1 year
- Features: Compact powered subwoofer, 8" x 5-1/4" sub with aluminum cone, Built-in amplifier: 160 watts RMS, Dimensions: 11"W x 2-3/4"H x 7-7/8"D
- Wired remote for control over: Gain, Low-pass filter, Selectable phase control (0°, 180°)
- Bass Mode settings: Deep: 20 to 200 Hz frequency response, 95 dB sensitivity, Dynamic: 40 to 160 Hz frequency response, 100 dB sensitivity
3. Kicker Hideaway Compact Powered Sub Review
Kicker is one of the most legendary when it comes to clear-sounding, ground-pounding bass.
They produce some of the best hard-kicking car subwoofers on the market, and the “Hideaway Compact Powered Sub” is no exception.
It’s one of the best compact powered subwoofers under $300. The KICKER Hideaway Compact Powered Subwoofer delivers surprising low frequency output from a remarkably small enclosure, setting a new standard in plug-and-play bass performance and convenience in a vehicle.
At just about three inches high and nearly 14 inches long, the Hideaway houses a 150-watt built-in class D amplifier and an 8-inch heavy duty subwoofer to add decent thumping bass to any vehicle from the tightest spots.
It comes with a quick-connect power plug and Velcro®-fastened nylon straps for smooth, secure installation and simple but fast removal.
The quick-connect plug and harness entails power, signal and remote turn-on. The Hideaway also comes with a remote bass control so you can easily fine-tune bass levels on the fly, variable +6dB bass boost, adjustable low-pass crossover, two automatic turn-on options and a phase-cancelling switch for max output.
It also features high- and low-level inputs for smooth integration with nearly any aftermarket or factory single or double DIN head unit.
The only downside I can reasonably think of is the price. The Kicker Hideaway is a bit expensive.
However, there are still quite a few people we’d recommend this to. First, like all slim powered subwoofers, the Kicker Hideaway is geared to the needs of people with very limited space in their vehicles.
The Kicker Hideaway will save you the hassle of finding the rights enclosure and amplifier for your subwoofer, wiring, and matching the amplifier to the sub …etc.
Additionally, the Kicker Hideaway is an all-in-one unit, so there’s only one equipment you’ll need to find a mounting place for.
All in all, Kicker Hideaway is one of the best small subwoofers, and when you pick it up, you’ll know where the extra dollars went.
Kicker Hideaway Review
- Woofer Size (inches) : 8″
- Built-in amplifier – RMS : 150 watts
- Frequency response : 25 – 120 Hz
- Sensitivity : NA
- KickEQ boost : variable to +6dB @ 40Hz
- Warranty : 1 year
- RMS Power: 150 Watts
- Ultra-compact powered subwoofer system designed for tight locations
- Dimension: 13 7/8 x 9 3/8 x 3 1/8
- 8-inch internal subwoofer
- 150-watt (RMS, 14.4v) power amplifier
4. SL LOPRO8 Review
You may be asking yourself what this amplified subwoofer is doing on the list.
It’s clearly outclassed by most small underseat car subwoofers we included here. So, why did we list? Price.
While most powered under seat subwoofers are priced at over $200, easily, the SSL LOPRO8 can get the job done for almost half that price tag. It’s one of the best underseat subwoofers under $100.
SSL LOPRO8 is a great entry-level low-profile amplified subwoofer system if you want to test the waters before upgrading to something a little more sophisticated. It’s rated for 300 watts of power on continuous basis.
It comes with a remote level control, a selector switch and an adjustable input sensitivity selector.
SSL LOPRO8 Specifications
- Subwoofer Size : 8″
- Power Handling
- Peak : 600 Watts
- RMS : 300 Watts
- Voice Coil Configuration : Single
- BUILT-IN AMPLIFIER: With a MOSFET power supply you get improved switching speeds, better performance with less power from the driver, lower gate-to-drain feedback capacitance, lower thermal impedance for higher switching frequencies
- VARIABLE LOW-PASS FILTER: A low-pass filter is an electronic circuit that removes all the notes below the filter's frequency setting. You will use the Low-pass filter to primarily keep high notes out of your subwoofer(s)
- HIGH LEVEL INPUTS: Speaker level inputs are commonly referred to as high-level inputs. It will be used to connect the LOPRO8 to your factory radio or an aftermarket radio that does not have low-level (RCA) inputs
- LOW LEVEL INPUTS: Line level inputs, also known as RCA inputs or low-level inputs, use RCA interconnect cables to link the LOPRO8 with the source unit. Most aftermarket radios have multiple pairs of RCA outputs that can connect to multiple amplifiers
- VARIABLE BASS BOOST: Variable Bass Boost allows you to adjust the low bass within the boost range to just the way you like it
5. Boss Audio BASS800 Review
The BASS800 by Boss Audio is another great low profile amplified subwoofer system under $100. It’s fitted with a solid, heavy duty 8″ subwoofer featuring Polypropylene cone woofer and rubber surround.
This great looking enclosed powered subwoofer is capable of slamming out decent thumping bass. It’s designed to handle up to 280 watts power on continuous basis and to accurately reproduce very low frequencies.
The BASS800 comes with a remote subwoofer level control, variable low pass filter, subsonic filter and bass boost for further flexibility. And for safety features, it’s fitted with thermal, overload and short protection circuits. It also comes with high level and RCA low level inputs, making it a universal solution for use with almost any factory-installed or aftermarket head unit. The built-in amplifier features a low pass crossover, and a control for adjusting the input sensitivity from 0.2V to 6V.
BOSS AUDIO BASS800 Specifications
- Subwoofer Size (inches) : 8″ inches
- Dimensions
- Width : 9-7/8″
- Length : 13-7/8″
- Height : 3″
- Power Handling
- Peak : 800 watts
- RMS : 280 watts
- Frequency Response : 20 – 150 Hz
- Class A / B Built-in Amplifier, Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) MOSFET Power Supply
- High / Low Level Input, LED Power Status Indicator, Subsonic Filter
- Adjustable Input Sensitivity, Variable Bass Boost, Phase Switch
- Low Pass Filter, High Pass Filter, Soft Remote Turn-on
- Thermal, Short and Overload Protection
Pros and Cons of Under Seat Subwoofers
First off, the pros: one of the biggest pros of underseat subwoofers is their size. You can mount an under seat subwoofer almost anywhere inside your vehicle.
These small subwoofers are designed to fit within the space constraints presented by some compact vehicles. Additionally, they are light and portable, so you’ll be able to easily to move or transport your under seat sub outside the vehicle.
In terms of cons, the lack of booming bass if one of the major drawbacks of these subs. Obviously, you won’t get the same bass quality with these subwoofers as you’d with larger subs, and that’s mainly due to their smaller drivers (sub and amp).
Most under seat systems are fitted with smaller subwoofers – particularly 8″ inch subwoofers. Additionally, the built-in amplifier isn’t anything to write home about compared to external powerful amplifiers.