If you’re looking for the best under seat subwoofer but don’t have the space for a large stereo system, don’t fret. There are tons of outstanding underseat subwoofers out there that can completely transform your current stereo system!
We love the Kenwood KSC-SW11 but check them all out and decide for yourself!
Best Under Seat Subwoofer
If you’re looking for a quick snapshot of each product and don’t want to take the time to read a full in-depth review, we’ve got you covered here!
Kenwood KSC-SW11
Kenwood KSC-SW11
Rockford Fosgate 300–12
Rockford Fosgate 300–12
Kicker HS8
Kicker HS8
Sound Storm Laboratories LOPRO10
Sound Storm Laboratories LOPRO10
Rockford Fosgate PS-8
Rockford Fosgate PS-8
Pioneer TS-WX210A
Pioneer TS-WX210A
Kenwood KSC-PSW8
Kenwood KSC-PSW8
Alpine PWE-V80
Alpine PWE-V80
Product Reviews
1. Kenwood KSC-SW11
We love the slim dimensions that allow this underseat subwoofer to fit in almost any vehicle. Furthermore, the high-quality audio output and insanely simple setup easily make this subwoofer our top pick!
If you’re looking for an easy to install underseat subwoofer that delivers a punch, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat the Kenwood KSC-SW11. It’s incredibly light at 6 pounds, and it’s one of the thinnest subwoofers we reviewed.
At only 2.75″ high, it easily slides under most seats, and it comes with Velcro strips to easily attach the subwoofer to the carpet underneath your seat. It’s incredibly easy to install and works great with both stock and aftermarket stereo systems.
Even if you’re not an audio wizard or amplifying pro, you can install this subwoofer in about 30-minutes. The only real drawback is the remote control for the subwoofer is wired – but most subwoofer controllers are.
You can easily adjust inputs and outputs and generate the perfect sound quality you’ve been looking for to take your stereo to the next level!
Pros
- Easily connects to both aftermarket and stock stereo systems
- 2.75″ height lets this fit under almost any vehicle’s seat
- Lightweight at only 6 pounds – easy to install and move!
- Velcro design allows it to stick to the carpet easily
Cons
- Remote control is wired to the subwoofer
2. Rockford Fosgate 300–12
Just because you're looking for a compact subwoofer doesn't mean you need to sacrifice power output. This compact subwoofer puts out 300-watts of crisp, high-quality sound you can enjoy.
If you’re looking for an ultra-powerful compact subwoofer, the Rockford Fosgate 300-12 is a great choice. It has a maximum power output of 300-watts, providing clear improvements to your aftermarket or stock stereo system.
It produces 150 Hz of high-quality sound and is insanely easy to install and use. It comes with an auto on/off feature that prevents you from accidentally draining your battery and ensures you never forget to turn your subwoofer on before you pull out of the driveway.
There are two main drawbacks to this underseat subwoofer. First, it’s more expensive than most compact subwoofers. But since you’re getting significantly more power this isn’t surprising.
Second, it’s 16 pounds, which is on the heavier end of the compact subwoofers we reviewed. But once again, you can expect the subwoofer needs a little more weight for the added power output.
Pros
- Powerful 300-watt output significantly improves your stereo system
- Crisp 150 Hz sound quality
- Works with both stock and aftermarket stereo systems
- Easy to install and use
Cons
- Higher price tag – but you get more power than most compact subwoofers
- Heavier subwoofer at 16 pounds
3. Kicker HS8
Kicker is one of the top brands in the subwoofer industry. They produce high-quality products that do precisely what they promise. This 150-watt compact subwoofer is no different!
If you’re looking to purchase a subwoofer from one of the top-rated brands in the industry so you don’t have to worry about if it’s going to last or produce high-quality sound right out of the box, you can’t go wrong with a Kicker subwoofer.
Weighing in at 13.5 pounds, it’s a little heavy for a 150-watt subwoofer, but that’s because Kicker made it from a solid metal construction that ensures it will last for years to come.
Of course, when you buy from a top brand, you often get slapped with a higher price tag. That pattern holds true with Kicker. You’ll get an ultra-durable product that delivers crisp and powerful sound, but you’re also going to spend a little more.
Pros
- Top-rated brand that gives you quality you can trust
- Solid metal construction makes an ultra-durable subwoofer
- 150-watt output delivers clear, crisp, and powerful sound
Cons
- Higher price tag – especially for a 150-watt subwoofer
4. Sound Storm Laboratories LOPRO10
If your top concern is power, this is the compact subwoofer you want. It produces an insane 1,200 watts of peak power, and it comes with a 3-year warranty if you blow the speaker pushing all that bass.
You’ll struggle to find a 10″ subwoofer that puts out more power than this one. With 1,200 watts of peak power, it’s far more powerful than anything else we reviewed.
But that’s not even its most impressive feature. This speaker comes with a comprehensive three-year warranty. If you end up breaking your speaker in the first three years after installing it, Sound Storm Laboratories will replace it for free!
But with several built-in safety features, like phase control that keeps you from overheating or overloading your speaker accidentally, it’s unlikely you’ll break your speaker within the warranty period, or after for that matter.
We love how easy this speaker makes it to customize your listening experience. A variable input control lets you set the perfect mix to match your taste for sound quality. Whether you’re looking for a little extra bass or a purer combination, it’s easy to customize and enjoy!
For all these great features, you might think that you’ll need to spend a ton of cash. But the truth is this is an extremely affordable subwoofer that will easily meet all of your needs.
Pros
- Insanely powerful 1,200-watt subwoofer
- 3″ height lets it easily fit under most seats
- Comes with a 3-year warranty
- Built-in short protection keeps your subwoofer from breaking
- Comes with innovative phase and variable input control for better sound quality
- Very affordable option for what you get
Cons
- Size – this 10-inch subwoofer is smaller than what some people want, but you won’t be able to find a larger one that fits underneath a seat
5. Rockford Fosgate PS-8
While this compact subwoofer provides clear and crisp sound up to 150-watts, there are far too many reviews claiming it failed after just a few months for us to be comfortable with it. Compounding the issue, Rockford Fosgate doesn't offer any warranty on their PS-8 product.
This compact 8-inch subwoofer delivers crisp and clear audio with a peak power output of 150-watts. It’s insanely easy to install and comes with an auto on/off design that ensures you’ll never forget to turn it on before you hit the road or off after you park.
While there are many features to love about this 8″ subwoofer, there are some major red flags too. First is the subwoofers height. With a height of 3.5,” it’s too tall to fit under a lot of seats. Furthermore, its 8″ design doesn’t produce as much bass as some other models.
But both of those things you can work around. What you can’t fix is the fact that tons of this brand’s subwoofers stopped working after four to six months. Rockford doesn’t offer any warranty, so if you’re one of the unlucky ones to get an inferior subwoofer, you’re out of luck.
Pros
- Provides clear and crisp sound quality with 150-watts of power
- Easy to install
- Auto on/off design prevents accidental battery drain
Cons
- 3.5-inch height means it doesn’t fit under some vehicle’s seats
- Small 8-inch subwoofer doesn’t produce as much bass as other models
- No warranty and lots of complaints about a short service life
6. Pioneer TS-WX210A
We love the ultra-durable design and the high-quality sound it produces. Its low-profile is perfect for most vehicles – making it one of our top choices!
If you’re looking for a small compact subwoofer to take your stereo to the next level with high-quality audio, this Pioneer subwoofer is an excellent choice. It delivers up to 150 watts of peak power, and its small size lets it fit into just about any space.
It has some of the best reviews of all the subwoofers we looked at, and customers loved both the sound quality and durability. It’s incredibly easy to install and fits just about any stereo system – whether it’s stock or aftermarket.
The only drawback to the Pioneer TS-WX210A compact subwoofer is that it’s only an 8″ subwoofer, which means it won’t deliver the same bass level as larger subwoofers. If you know what you’re getting, that’s not a problem – just don’t expect this to be the most powerful subwoofer on the market!
Pros
- The 150-watt subwoofer delivers powerful and clear sound quality
- Glowing customer reviews indicate a high-quality product
- Small size lets it fit into a wide array of spaces in your vehicle
- Extremely easy to install, fits both stock and aftermarket stereo systems
Cons
- Small 8″ size might not deliver the bass you’re looking for
7. Kenwood KSC-PSW8
We love the extra bass and more wattage this compact underseat subwoofer provides. It's extra power without the extra size, so it'll fit under most seats!
These powerful 250-watt compact subwoofers are more than enough to boost your vehicle’s stereo system. Even better, despite their added power output, the speakers’ overall height is still under 3″. This means they can easily fit under most seats.
Furthermore, they’re built with a durable cast aluminum frame, adding to their overall appearance and longevity. Another nifty perk – an auto on/off feature that makes it easier than ever to use your new subwoofers.
You don’t have to worry about accidentally draining your battery or forgetting to turn them on before you head out! However, like all the other high wattage subwoofers that we looked at, this subwoofer is more expensive than the smaller wattage alternatives.
But for a speaker with extra wattage and more bass, they’re reasonably priced against other options.
Pros
- The powerful 250-watt output gives you more power than most underseat subwoofers
- Height under 3″ lets it easily fit under most seats
- Durable aluminum frame
- Auto switch on/off makes it easy to use and prevent accidental battery drain
Cons
- Higher price tag compared to some smaller subwoofers
8. Alpine PWE-V80
We love how easy this subwoofer is to install for beginners. It comes with everything you need for installation, and it fits under the seat in just about every vehicle!
It’s easy to use and install this underseat subwoofer. It’s great for those who don’t know much about audio systems – it comes with everything you need to complete the install yourself, and it works with both stock and aftermarket stereo systems.
Its final height is slightly higher than the thinnest compact subwoofers, but at only 3.1″, it’s far from thick. That’s still plenty thin enough to fit under most car seats.
It produces high-quality sound with a maximum power output of 160-watts – which is slightly more powerful than the 150-watt speakers that we looked at. However, that 10-watt difference is going to be mostly negligible when you’re listening to your stereo system.
Like many other compact subwoofers we looked at, the Alpine PWE-V80 only has an 8″ design, which isn’t going to create a ton of bass compared to some of the larger subwoofers out there. But for a compact under seat subwoofer, it brings plenty of bass.
Pros
- 160-watt power is slightly more powerful than other small subwoofers
- Easy to install in both aftermarket and stock stereo systems
- 3.1″ design allows it to fit under most seats
- Comes with all wiring needed for installation
Cons
- Smaller 8″ design might not give you the bass you want
Buyer’s Guide
If you’re looking to buy a set of subwoofers for your vehicle, you’re likely to have questions. That’s why I took the time to break down the basics here. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to pick out the best under seat subwoofer for your vehicle!
Measure Before You Buy!
One of the most used proverbs around is “measure twice, cut once.” It applies perfectly to this scenario. The last thing you want is to get your subwoofers out of the box and find out that they don’t fit underneath your seat.
Before you buy, take the time to complete ALL the measurements. You’ll need to take three – the height, width, and length. Don’t forget about the height – if your compact subwoofer is too tall, you’ll never be able to install it under the seat!
How Many Watts Do You Need?
More watts aren’t necessarily better. If you’re looking for more noise, all you care about is watts. But if you’re more interested in high-quality sound, you need to know a little more.
A subwoofer’s max sound frequency capability is a great place to start! Make sure it can handle the frequency of your stereo before you buy.
From there, you should look at the size of the subwoofer. For underseat subwoofers, you generally have two options, 8″ and 10″. But which one do you need and what’s the difference?
Do You Need an 8″ or a 10″ Compact Subwoofer?
When you get into larger sized subwoofers, the larger the subwoofer, the better the bass – at the expense of sound quality. But for smaller subwoofers like 8″ and 10″, that’s not entirely true.
That’s because a 10″ subwoofer isn’t large enough to distort sound quality yet. So, instead of getting louder bass and less sound quality, a 10″ subwoofer will give you better bass AND better sound quality than an 8″ subwoofer.
If you can afford a 10″ subwoofer and it’ll fit in your vehicle, you’re going to get better quality sound than if you opted for a smaller 8″ subwoofer.
What Do I Need to Hook Up My Subwoofer?
The subwoofers we reviewed come with everything you need to hook them up. You’ll need to connect the subwoofer to your battery, and the cable to do this is included. Furthermore, you’ll need to connect the subwoofer to your stereo system.
If your stereo system is fully installed in your vehicle, you’ll need to be able to reach the back of it to get to the proper outputs. From there, you’ll have to run the wire from your stereo system to your subwoofer.
This can be a bit of a challenge if you’ve never taken the stereo system out before, but with a little research and hard work, it’s easily manageable. Even better, almost every stereo system has universal inputs and outputs that your new subwoofer will hook up to.
Other than that you’ll need to mount your subwoofer. While the best way to mount each subwoofer is slightly different, there are some tips and tricks you can follow if you’re looking to mount the subwoofer under your seat.
Tips to Mount Your Subwoofer
By far, the easiest way to mount your subwoofer under your seat is with Velcro. Simply apply Velcro to the base underneath your carpet and the bottom of your new subwoofer.
Our top pick comes with its own Velcro to mount the subwoofer, but even if you go for one of the other products we looked at, you can get Velcro to mount it for just a few bucks.
If you’re not looking to Velcro your new subwoofer into place, you have a few other options. Depending on the subwoofer, you can mount it to the seat brackets. Just be sure you’re not running any bolts or washers through the areas your seat moves along when adjusting.
Summary
Just because you can’t dedicate the entire backseat of your vehicle to your stereo system doesn’t mean you can’t bring the bass. There are some tremendous compact underseat subwoofers out there for you to take your stereo system to the next level!
Next time you’re taking your kids to the game or the crew out to the club, rock the car out with an underseat subwoofer that really lets you feel that bass!
