Subwoofer Question

I _don't_ know for sure on the newer Soobies, but the late 90s OEM sub wasn't real impressive; a small amplifier using speaker level inputs, putting out at most 20W, and driving a single 6 inch speaker in a more or less free-air configuration. It does provide some bass reinforcement at modest listening levels, but that's about it. Look under the seat; if you find a smallish (~6X8X2 inches) black metal enclosure mounted there, that's it.

ByeBye! S. Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

Yeah, I've seen it but it's not marked on the exterior (at least anywhere I can see). Fortunately, it's clearly better than 20W! I was hoping somebody out there would know - guess I'm still hoping. I was at the dealership for some work acouple of weeks ago and even my salesman didn't know -- couldn't find it in any literature.

"phillystyle" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@localhost.talkaboutautos.com:

The one I have in my '03 Impreza is rated at 120 watts. It's at the bottom of this page:

The power rating provided for these is meaningless. That "120 watts" in the promotional literature is a maximum output that only sounds good for marketing purposes, and does not indicate the actual, usable power output of the sub. The 20 watt number is probably closer to the truth. I have never seen a published RMS wattage figure for the OEM sub but given its small size there is no way to get a lot of power through it. The sub is driven through speaker level inputs (bridged off the outputs to the rear speakers) and has a self-contained amplifier. Don't expect any more information from Subaru, they will only quote what's in the brochures.

A continuous sound output of 20 watts RMS or "real" power is VERY loud in a confined space like a car.

A good quality speaker rated at a genuine 20 watts RMS should be able to produce peaks of power many times that, possibly up to 120 watts for short pulses of power (like bass beats).

As mulder wrote, speaker and amplifier ratings are largely meaningless in consumer product marketing.. Like horsepower ratings of car engines, the reality is a long way from the hype.

Dave