Best 10-Inch Subwoofer

What is the best 10 inch subwoofer?

 It really depends on what you’re looking for, your budget, your music taste, how much space you got available, if you are looking for component subs or for a 10 inch sub with built-in amplifier and box all together.

Maybe what suits you better is a 8 inch sub, or even something bigger, like a 12″ sub or a 15″ subwoofer. 

Let’s have a look at the best options around.

We’ve tested hundreds of subs in this last year and selected the best:

Best 10 Inch Subwoofers Reviews

Here are the products that we believe are the best 10” car subwoofers that you can buy:

1. Rockford Fosgate P3D4-10 Punch

An excellent speaker for when you really want to feel it. Like the name says, these speakers deliver the punch!

Specifications

• Sensitivity: 82 Db
• RMS: 500 Watts
• Peak Power: 1,000 Watts
• Frequency response: 28-250 Hz
• Impedance: Dual 4-Ohm

Featuring anodized aluminum cones and dustcaps, the P3D4-10 is a 10” subwoofer that delivers an insane amount of sound. Comes with a unique “spider-venting” design to help keep the subwoofer cool no matter how much juice you’re funnelling through it at the moment.

Power and Sound

This speaker can sound really great and crisp – as long as it’s fully powered with at least 500 Watts at all times. Anything less than that and you might start to notice some slippage in the audio quality.

Construction Quality

Some customers have complained that these speakers can start to fall apart way earlier than you would expect for something that carries the Rockford Fosgate name. While these reports are definitely the minority, it’s important to keep this in mind as you’re making your decision.

All in all, the Rockford Fosgate P3D4-10 subwoofer is an extremely solid subwoofer that gets the job done.

Pros

• Power Handling
• FlexFit Basket
• Aggressive, Clean Bass

Cons

• Price
• limited placement

2. Rockford Fosgate P300-10 Punch Powered Loaded

One bestseller in this category. Everyone was speaking about this 10 inch subwoofer with box lately in one of the bassheads facebook groups we follow and we decided to give it a try.

We were inmensely surprised with it.

For the price, you get a P3 punch which we’ve reviewed a few times and do really like, with a box and a dedicated amplifier that is just the right power for it.

If you had to buy everything separately, you’d end up paying twice as much.

Specifications

• RMS: 300Watts
• Peak Power: 600Watts
• Sensitivity: 82 dB
• Frequency response: 27-250 Hz

Power and Sensitivity

The base db output of this sub is 82db, and with just 300 watts you shouldn’t expect something mind blasting.

The output is good anyway, almost as good as the 12″ version of this same subwoofer.

Conclusion

If you want a hassle-free sub and have a few extra bucks to spend this is definitely the sub you’re looking for.

This subwoofer with amp and box is powered by a 300 watt amplifier.

You only need to run power, ground and signal from your car’s stereo to get some sweet bass from this sub, making it super easy to install.

Pros

• Super simple, just plug and play!
• GREAT value for the money.
• Massive advantage on space use.

Cons

• We’d like it to be more powerful.
• The box isn’t as small as other options.e only.

3. Orion HCCA104

The loudest subwoofer from our selection. This Orion is a competition subwoofer that blasts way louder than any other sub from this list. We’ve reviewed bigger versions on this subwoofer on this post.

Specifications

• RMS: 2000Watts
• Peak Power: 4000Watts
• Sensitivity: 84 db
• Frequency response: n/a
• Impedance: 4ohms DVC

Power and Sensitivity

With 84db sensitivity for the 4 ohms version of this sub, and some sick 2000w RMS, this is guaranteed a freaking loud sub.

The only problem that we find with this speaker is that that much power will require you to upgrade your electrical system, meaning the Big 3 and a more porwerful battery at least, unless you run it with less power.

Voice Coils and Cone

This subwoofer incorporate black dual voice coils, which are one fo the most advanced technologies in the market. The advantage is a greater heat dissipation which will allow us to bang this sub really hard. 

Impedance.

The Orion HCCA 104 has dual 4-ohm coils for a total impedance of 8 ohms. The duality allows for a couple options in terms of wiring. You can wire it as either a 2-ohm or 8-ohm load.

Conclusion

If you are looking for the loudest 10 inch subwoofer, this is the one.

The price is relatively high although it prices cheaper than the JL for instance. All in all, a great subwoofer.

If we have to find it a downside, it would be that for the price, you might aswell get yourself the 12 inch version of this subwoofer and bring your sound system to the next level.

Pros

• Great dB output.
• Dual Voice Coils

Cons

• Prices as much as a 12″ or a 15″

4. Pioneer TS-SW2502S4 10-Inch

The Pioneer TS-SW2502S4 is a shallow-mount subwoofer that doesn’t necessarily sound like a typical shallow-mount, delivering decent sound quality at an extremely affordable price.

Specifications

• RMS: 100-300 Watts
• Peak Power: 1,200 Watts
• Sensitivity: 91 db
• Frequency response: 20-125 Hz
• Impedance: 4-Ohm

Overall, this speaker is a good choice for those with a limited budget or limited space for mounting. It does come with a few things to keep in mind, however.

Power

The speaker specs state an RMS range of 100-300 Watts. That’s a pretty big range, and several reviews have stated that the higher end of this range might actually be too much. Still, with this range and a max of 1,200 Watts you’re looking at a small subwoofer that can deliver a lot of power.

Sound

Let’s be real: this is a shallow mount, so you can’t expect the frequency range you might expect in some of the bigger speakers. Still, with an optimal response of 20-125 Hz you can expect a decent amount of low-end sound with this speaker, and there’s no reason to expect you’ll be disappointed with the results.

Fit

One thing to keep in mind is that many reviewers have noticed that this 10-inch speaker is not exactly the size of a 10-inch speaker. It seems to play a little larger, so you might have to adjust your space accordingly to fit.

Pros

• Durable
• Accurate, smooth bass
• High Sensitivity

Cons

• Bass isn’t quite as strong as other subs

5. Rockford Fosgate P3 Punch

So this is a slightly different version from the sub you get on the P300 Powered Loaded. 

For those who already have an amp, or want to run two, three or more of this subwoofers, we want to review just the component speaker, because we know it’s one of the bests in this size.

This one isn’t a shallow mount subwoofer, but a regular one that comes with bigger output.

Specifications

• RMS:  500Watts
• Peak Power: 1000Watts
• Sensitivity: 82 dB
• Frequency response: 27 – 250 Hz
• Impedance: Dual 2 or 4ohms

Power and Sensitivity

You really want to power this sub at least 500W RMS. When i say at least, I mean it really can be feed more than that and it will do good, and if you under power it, it’ll sound bad. It reaches really good levels of SPL although it is more geared towards SQ.

Voice Coils and Cone

It has aluminum VCs and an aluminum cone. The heat dissipation is really good on this sub. It features a 2.50 Inch Copper Clad Aluminum Voice Coil and the patented VAST (Vertical Attached Surround) that gives increased cone area for bigger output.

Impedance.

This sub is available on two impedance options. Dual 2 ohms or Dual 4 ohms. 

Conclusion:

The P3 Punch is one of our favorite subwoofers.

We reviewed its bigger, 15 inch version before and this one is just as good.

For the price, we think it is incredibly hard to beat, that it will deliver great SPL and SQ and as every Rockford Fosgate, quality of build is great, so they should last for good years.

Pros

• Amazing quality of build
• Highest value for your money
• Small sub, Big bass

Cons

• None whatsoever

6. JL Audio 10W3v3-4

In the same price racket as the RF P3, we have JL’s W3. A simpler, not as heavy or big or expensive sub as the W6, yet a great component that will require very little power to deliver amazing bass.

Specifications

• RMS: 150-500watts
• Peak Power: 1000Watts
• Sensitivity: 84.87 dB
• Frequency response: 25-250 Hz
• Impedance: 4 ohms

Power and Sensitivity

As always with every JL product, we’re given a “range” of power. For this one, JL recommends working at around 300W RMS for optimum performance.

We recommend go the closest possible to 500W as we know they do withstand more. The SPL levels are great for a sub this size and power.

Impedance.

This sub has one single coil with 4 ohms impedance which makes installation quite straight forward. 

Conclusion:

We believe the Rockford Fosgate P3 is overall a better subwoofer than this JL. The only scenario in which we would recommend the W3 over RF’s Punch is if you already have an amplifier that is not too powerful and you don’t want to upgrade.

Likewise, if you have a 4 channel amp with 2 channels in use for your front speakers and you want to bridge 2 other channels to power a sub, this is a great choice as just 200w will make this sub sing.

Pros

• Prices reasonably.
• Hand Made
• Made in the USA with the highest quality standards

Cons

• Not as loud as the competitors

7. Rockford Fosgate R2S-1X10 Loaded Enclosure

This 10 inch subwoofer with box is the hottest deal right now.

At a super low price, we get a 200w RMS Rockford Fosgate P2 Shallow Mount, with a really thin enclosure made to specifications.

Specifications

• RMS: 200Watts
• Peak Power: 400Watts
• Sensitivity: 83 dB
• Frequency response: 38-250 Hz

Power and Sensitivity

With just 200W RMS we shouldn’t expect the kind of bass other subwoofers on this list deliver.

However, the punch is still there and if you use it under the seat of your truck you get bass without sacrificing much space which is always good.

Conclusion:

A great choice if we want to use it with a 4 channel or 5 channel amp and/or as an underseat sub. They are really cheap priced so they are a fantastic little addition. As a gift, they’re absolutely great.

Pros

• Price.
• You don’t need to worry about getting an enclosure.
• Rockford’s quality.
• Needs very little space.

Cons

• Not the loudest one.

8. Alpine R-W10D4

The Aline R-W10D4 was built to deliver the clearest, crispest sound possible while also providing that elusive thump that only the best subwoofers can deliver. Thankfully, this speaker lives up to that promise.

Specifications

• RMS: 750 Watts
• Peak Power: 2,250 Watts
• Sensitivity: 82.4 Db
• Frequency response: 26-200 Hz

If you’re looking at those specs and thinking some of those numbers seem pretty high for a smaller speaker like this, you’re right – but that doesn’t make it any less true.

Power

This subwoofer definitely delivers an insane amount of power. With an RMS of 750 Watts you can really crank these speakers and expect to get great performance. We’re happy to say that these subwoofers will not disappoint! In fact, you might find yourself needing to go back and upgrade your amplifier just so you can keep up!

Durable Construction

These subwoofers are crafted from Kevlar – well, a Kevlar-treated pulp. Either way, Kevlar is known for being incredibly strong and able to take a beating (it’s what they make bullet-proof vests out of, after all) so you can imagine that these speakers can handle whatever you throw at them.PriceThese are definitely pricier than a lot of other speakers on the market, but as just about anyone will tell you, once you hook them up and turn them on you will definitely feel like it was worth it. 

Pros

• Durable speakers
• Powerful with clean sound

Cons

• you need to have high-quality amp
• large magnet

Finding the right 10 inch sub for your needs

What do you value more? Flexibility or simplicity?

In the first case, you may want to look at 10 inch subs with amp and box.

They are already amplified to their RMS, and come with an enclosure made under the manufacturer specifications. You literally only need to run power, ground and signal to get them work. In just a few minutes you can have your sub working.

For you, we’ve reviewed three different subwoofers, ranging from extremely inexpensive to some more expensive options.

If you prefer to setup your system yourself, maybe you already have an amp and you’re designing a larger sound system adding later more subs… then flexibility is what you look for, and component subs are the ideal ones for you.

For you we’ve reviewed four different subwoofers.

From high sound quality ones, to competition subs, to some hot steals like the P3 punch which is right now the best 10 inch subwoofer for the money.

10-Inch Subwoofer Buyer’s Guide

To further assist you in your search, allow us to share with you the different factors you should consider when choosing a subwoofer.

Size

In our experience, it is true that size matters when it comes to car subwoofers.

Hence, this is definitely one of the first things you should consider when looking for the right unit for your vehicle.

The typical sizes range from eight to 15 inches.

Keep in mind that the sound quality is directly related to the size of the subwoofer because of the bass frequencies that larger ones can accommodate.

Does this mean that a subwoofer with a compact design will not produce the same bass power as a larger one? That depends.

After all, there are other factors that have a huge impact on the sound performance of a subwoofer.

For instance, a lot of 10-inch subwoofers, such as the ones featured here, can deliver optimal performance with minimal distortion.

That is, as long as it is positioned correctly and receives sufficient power.

Power Handling

Speaking of power, another factor to consider is your preferred subwoofer’s power handling.

There are two types of power rating: peak and continuous power.

Peak power refers to the maximum power that your sub can handle during its “peaks” or brief moments.

Meanwhile, the continuous power rating refers to the power rate it can handle for an extended period of time for consistent performance.

Sensitivity Rating

Suppose you already have enough power for excellent sound output.

The question is, does your sub have the necessary sensitivity rating needed to convert that power to a decent punch of volume?

Keep in mind that the higher the sensitivity rating, the better bass response you’ll get.

In other words, your device can already generate those juicy bass frequencies even with limited power.

It can also lead to a compact size sub producing a precise performance that can match even that of a larger subwoofer.

You can enjoy a nice sound with a sensitivity measurement of 84 dB, but our recommended rating is at least 90 dB for a better listening experience.

Enclosure Type

The next factor you should consider for your audio equipment is the enclosure it will be mounted into.

That’s because it will determine the airflow that the sound will need to be projected with adequate volume and clarity.

There are different types, depending on the sound that you’re rooting for. You can even have a custom enclosure made.

Price Range

Price is a factor that shouldn’t be overlooked. Fortunately, there are a lot of subwoofers out there with a solid build quality that comes at a reasonable price.

Other Features

Finally, there are other features you might want to check out, such as the impedance rating, configuration options, and the number of voice coils.

These factors can have an impact on the frequency range of your sub and, thus, should not be overlooked.

10 Inch Subwoofer Enclosure: Our take

Ported 10 inch subwoofer box 

As with every subwoofer, selecting the right enclosure is one of the most important aspects for our speaker to give its full potential.

We want the enclosure to be built as per the manufacturer’s specifications or, if we buy a pre-made enclosure, to be the closest possible to those figures.

We really like the combination of a 10 inch subwoofer with amp and box. We usually recommend going for just the sub and then have a look at enclosures online, but for this size, it is a great choice.

They do a great job as underseat subwoofers and some are really inexpensive. In this list, there’s a total of three 10 inch subs with built in amp.

Don’t allow yourself to get stuck with the factory speakers your vehicle came with.

As you can see, there are a lot of subwoofer options that can take your party time to the next level.

You might have noticed you also don’t need to break the bank to get optimal performance. There are plenty of quality subwoofer options that can give you that at a reasonable price.

So this was our take about  the best 10 inch subwoofer, I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Don’t forget to share it with your friends!

Questions? Leave a comment below!