TruckTronics Subwoofers - Barking With The Big Dogs - Truck Tronics

  |   truck Tronics Subs sub The subject of this fifth anniversary TruckTronics column is compression and rarefaction - otherwise known as bump. These are the powerful low-frequency sound waves that rattle your mirrors and surprise your passengers, not to mention the old lady in the Gremlin giving you attitude at the stoplight. No matter what you call it (thump, boom), if your truck hits hard, you are probably the proud owner of a subwoofer. There may be certain sad, pathetic individuals in this world, lost in moral squalor and ignorance, who still don't know that a subwoofer is usually nothing more than a big honkin' speaker. The great American subwoofer, referred to as either a woofer or a sub, is really just a huge, heavy speaker that requires a military-strength amplifier or two to make it pound the way it's supposed to. You may be asking yourself what the point of a subwoofer is. Is it all about conforming to some primitive societal pressure to rule the parking lot by making the other troglodytes feel inadequate? Is it some kind of subconscious revenge motive to get back at the granny in the Gremlin because she reminds you of the mean neighbor who used to yell at you when you were skateboarding over her daffodils? No, of course not. The real reason you want a sub in your truck is so you can feel the full power and glory of your favorite music profoundly in your gut. You want it to feel like a 747 taking off from the bed of your truck. You need to feel that low-frequency energy like you've never heard it before, at least on a stock stereo, at whatever ridiculous volume you feel is appropriate. Wherever you go, there you are. Here's what it's all about: Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and really loud Sound Quality (SQ), not measured in dB and THD and Xmax, but instead evaluated by the thrilling evidence of your own senses. We're talking about the big spontaneous grin of pure pleasure when that really low note in your favorite song suddenly hits like Krakatoa erupting and everything in your truck, including your rib cage, is vibrating at 40 Hz in perfect synchronicity with the music. When that blissful state occurs, you are not just listening to the radio or playing a CD - it's much more profound than that. You are vibrating on a cosmic string expressing solidarity in one of the few ways human beings can with the creation of the universe by the big bang - at least it sounds that way at about 130 dB. At this point, you are truly barking with the big dogs. There are many options for upgrading the sound system in your truck. Whether you opt for a superwoofer such as the JL Audio 12W7, the MTX T9512-44, the Orion H2 12.2, or something more reasonably priced, your local mobile electronics retailer can demonstrate the various options in their sound room and show you first-hand in a vehicle. The point is, once you experience the thrilling power of heavy bass a subwoofer can add, your life will be richer - even if you're not.