No matter what you drive, everyone loves going head to head to see who has the best sound system in their car. To be considered the winner, you not only need the right setup, but also a robust and well-defined bass line. Without one, you might as well quit music altogether.
Of course, it’s clear you won’t get anywhere without a bad ass competition grade subwoofer, installed into your car. Fortunately for our budget conscious customers, there are tons of standard subwoofers that put out some decent bass while offering great value for your money. However, if you’re looking to blow away the competition with bass so fat it deserves its own Richter Scale; I’m talking car flex so strong that your windshield cracks, then you need a high impact competition grade subwoofer. Identifying the difference between competition grade and standard grade subwoofers might be tough, so here’s all you need to know to distinguish between the two subwoofers:
Performance
While not considered as a real classification, Competition Grade generally refers to high impact, high power output subwoofers. Thanks to all the extra features crammed into these massive woofers, competition grade subs tend to be quite bulky, heavy, hefty and high priced. Compared to standard subwoofers that come with basic features, competition grade subs have some advantages.
Ever since the first bass box was produced, manufacturers and sound engineers have spent countless hours to redefine what it means to be a subwoofer. While they have largely been successful with standard, run of the mill subwoofers, it was definitely time to kick things up a notch. Hey, we’ll be the first to admit, standard subs can really hold their own when it comes to pumping out the bass. But try adding a little more of everything to a standard subwoofer and see what you get. With a competition grade subwoofer, your neighbors, passengers and everyone else within a couple miles radius will know what’s on your playlist.
Function
Now, hands up if you’ve ever entered your car in any auto show competition. If your hand is up, then it’s safe to say that your vehicle is fitted with a killer competition grade subwoofer. If your hands are down, I’ll go ahead and assume you’re trying to crank up the volume in your system. It’s the intense power levels and output specifications that make the competition grade subwoofers so different from standard subs. While your average sub has an RMS power of a few hundred watts, competition grade woofers set the bar much higher and start in the thousands. This is what is needed if you’re going to enter a sound competition; standard subwoofers just won’t do. Furthermore, competition grade subwoofers will not only sweep the competition away in a gust of airy bass, they are also ideal for delivering extraordinary customized audio for you and your passengers.
Price
Having the best bass on the block doesn’t come cheap. While standard subwoofers are affordable and readily available, the same cannot be said for their heavy-duty counterparts; competition grade. So, how expensive are these subs? Well, let’s just say that competition subwoofers are not average trinkets that you can find cheap. These high prices are supplemented with reliability and durability making this investment worth every red cent. Not only do you get a ton of power output and incredibly high levels of bass, these bad boys allow you to customize your sound bringing it to a whole new level.
Final Words
While there may be no classification, there are certain guidelines that competition grade subwoofers tend to follow. These include:
- Power handling above 1000W RMS
- Voice Coils larger than 2.5 inches
- Spiders larger than 7 inches
- Strong materials like composite cones
- Xmax excursion of an inch or more
