First you need to remember the specifications of your new subwoofer, in the first place the number of Ohm and watts RMS. The number of Ohm varies from one subwoofer to another but if you have bought yourself a good subwoofer, it most likely has impedance of 2- or 4-Ohm. Either way, make sure that you pick an amplifier with the same impedance as your subwoofer or lower. Just as important is to determine how much power your amplifier should have. Again, you will need to take a look of your subwoofer’s specifications because the chosen amplifier must have enough power to drive your subwoofer. You will find two power ratings on your subwoofer’s specifications – watts peak and watts RMS. You should select an amplifier that has the same or slightly higher power as your subwoofer’s RMS rating. An underpowered amplifier can start to overheat and cause damage to your subwoofer or even to your car. For instance, if your subwoofer has 500 watts RMS and 4-Ohm, you should get an amplifier that has power of 500 watts and impedance of 4-Ohm.

You are much closer to an ideal amplifier for your new subwoofer when you limit your selection to amplifiers that have the same power and impedance rating as your subwoofer but your job is not over yet. You should pay attention to the number of channels too. If you intend to use the amplifier to exclusively to power your subwoofer, you should choose a mono-channel amplifier because it is specially designed to maximize low frequency output which means more beat. It is also possible to use a 2-channel amplifier to power subwoofer and bridge it. This option is less expensive than mono-channel amplifier but the latter is, of course, a much better choice especially if you have bought yourself a really great subwoofer. However, if you intend to use the amplifier to power your speakers too then you need a multi-channel amplifier. For instance, you should get a 4-channel amplifier if you would like it to power your subwoofer and 2 speakers and a 5-channel amplifier for a subwoofer and 4 speakers.

Power, impedance and the number of channels are the key factors to pay attention to if you want to pick the right amplifier for you subwoofer. Other features are important too but their importance more or less depends on your personal preferences. However, it may be worth to pay attention to the amplifier’s size too in order to make sure that it will fit perfectly into your vehicle. Amplifiers need some space as well to prevent overheating which can be, by the way, very dangerous. Nevertheless, you do not necessarily need a big amplifier to push your subwoofer. Determine how much space you are willing to sacrifice for an amplifier and focus on the models that offer enough power without taking more space than necessary. This is particularly important if you have a smaller vehicle.

Finally, pay attention to quality because power, impedance and the number of channels may not show the whole picture. Just like there is a major difference between different subwoofers of the same power rating, there is a major difference between amplifiers too. If you have bought a really nice subwoofer, you should not save money on an amplifier either if you want it to sound good. Choose a reputed brand or select an amplifier that is made by the same brand as your subwoofer. For instance, if you have a Kicker subwoofer you cannot go wrong if you pair it to a Kicker amplifier.

As already mentioned, installation of a car subwoofer depends on the type of subwoofer you have bought – ready-made, pre-fabricated and woofer without an enclosure. The most convenient are, of course, ready-made versions and if you have a subwoofer box, you can easily skip this part and move on to the third paragraph. If you got a pre-fabricated version, you should first make sure that you have all the necessary tools in order to put the woofer in the enclosure. This part should not take you more than a few minutes. More challenging may be the third type of subwoofer because you first need to get the proper enclosure. You can have it custom made but you can also build it on your own. However, you are highly recommended to keep in mind that the enclosure plays an important role in the overall performance of your subwoofer. It is much more than just an enclosure for the woofer. A quality woofer enclosure can transform an inexpensive woofer into a powerful performer, while a poorly build box can seriously compromise performance of a great woofer. For that reason you should get a professionally built woofer enclosure unless you are absolutely sure that you know what you are doing.

Now that you got the woofer mounted into the enclosure and found a perfect spot for it in your car, you can start with installation. Make sure that you have all the tools and proper wires at hand but before you start wiring, you should decide between parallel and series wiring. The first option enables you to achieve maximum output as it lowers the impedance, while the series wiring raises it. So if you want the ultimate beat, you should wire your subwoofer in parallel to the amplifier. To do that, connect the positive leads to the amplifier’s positive terminal and the negative leads to the amplifier’s negative terminal and you are done, of course, under condition that you have the amplifier already installed. However, make sure that the impedance of your subwoofer matches the power of the amplifier because an amplifier that is not designed to drive low impedances safely can overheat and cause damage to your sub or even to your car. So if you have bought a car subwoofer that has lower impedance or more power than your amplifier is capable of driving safely, you better get a new amplifier before starting to install your new subwoofer.

The last but not at least important is secure the enclosure of your woofer because you do not want it to travel around your trunk while driving. There are several ways to prevent your new sub bouncing around your vehicle but you will not be able to avoid drilling if you consider straps unacceptable. One of the easiest and most effective ways to secure your new “monster“ in place is to use the brackets, however, make sure that you leave enough space to be able to reach the spare tire if necessary and avoid drilling holes near the gas tank or break line.

It is not that difficult to install a car subwoofer if all other components of your car audio system are already in place, of course, under condition that your woofer is mounted in a proper enclosure. All you need to do is to connect the positive sub leads to the amplifier’s positive terminal and the negative leads to the negative terminal, secure your sub’s enclosure and you are done. However, if you do not have all the necessary tools or do not feel comfortable drilling holes in your car, you better leave the installation of your new car subwoofer to a professional.