Know for their premium engineered car audio products, Sundown Audio is a boutique car audio manufacturer based in Claremont, NC. Everything that Sundown builds is top of the line in terms of performance and power.
They design their own cones, motor drives, magnets, and amplifiers to ensure complete quality control of the entire process.
They are revered among bassheads all over the United States as a custom manufacturer that can bring the thunder when it comes to putting some industrial grade rumble in your vehicle stereo system.
They manufacture runs of subwoofers in various series based on wattage, cosmetics, and design.
Even their low-cost products can blow the doors off of most of the name brand competition in terms of bass performance, literally and figuratively.
Related: Best Car Subwoofers
Check out their product lines below:
Sundown Audio Speakers Series
LCS SERIES
The budget series of subwoofers from Sundown are the LCS models.
They are built to throw bass, not look pretty, thus the reduction in cost for the product itself.
They are solid performers for their price point, and they will provide years of excellent low end performance for your daily commute or cruising on weekends.
Sundown prides themselves on total customer satisfaction, and if you are looking for the best on a budget, the LCS series should be the subwoofers you look at first.
EV3 SERIES
In second place from the bottom rung of the ladder is the EV3 series.
These woofers come in double the wattage of the LCS series, and they are available in 8”, 10”, 12”, and 15” sizes.
These subwoofers and drivers may not look fancy, but they can throw some serious bass, and they are built like main battle tanks.
The EV series is meant for those who want to invest a little more in their bass performance, but aren’t looking to cause miniature earthquakes wherever they go. If power and sound quality are your first concern, the EV3 series subwoofers are the ones for you.
SD3 SERIES
Providing a shallower mounting depth than most subs on the market, the SD3 series can handle up to 500 watts RMS, and if you want the earth to shake at your approach, these are the subs to do it.
With their higher quality components and cone materials, the SD3 series produces greater clarity and punch than its EV3 and LCS series siblings, and they are shallow enough to door mount in most cars and SUVs.
All components are geared to cut weight and size without sacrificing bass performance, and Sundown manages to strike that balance quite well. SD series tend to be a bit pricier, but if you are looking for something to really add some thump to your ride’s sound, you can’t do much better than the SD3s for the price.
SA SERIES
For competition grade speakers, these are the starter series that Sundown manufactures for car audio bass competitions.
Everything about these subwoofers is high end, and they are built to an uncompromising standard of quality in every way.
The cones, surrounds, driver motors and magnets are all made from durable materials and are guaranteed to shake up your sound from the ground up.
At 750 watts RMS, these subwoofers can put some serious sonic hurt on just about any other subwoofer in their class.
Like the SD series, these subs are also designed to be lighter and shallower than other Sundown Audio subwoofers.
X V.2 SERIES
Looking to lighten the load without sacrificing performance?
Need better heat dissipation even with heavy power loads?
The X v.2 is just the subwoofer series for you.
Ranging in size from as small as 6.5” to a whopping 18” in diameter, these subs can handle the heat and still bring the noise.
The most impressive sub in the line though is definitely the 6.5” subwoofer, which packs a significant punch despite its smaller size and cone diameter. It really is a little marvel of audio engineering.
Most bassheads will need a massive amplifier to run these since the big cone subs in this series are 1500-watts RMS, so they are not for the timid or the faint of heart.
If all you want to do is feel the bass in your bones though, these are the subwoofers that will deliver.
ZV3 SERIES
The most power for the best value, the ZV3 subwoofers from Sundown are a mid range series that allow competition quality sound at a budget friendly price.
They are a little more stripped down in terms of density and frame, but they are all attitude when it comes to pushing out serious bass performance.
They also tend to be easier to mount due to their shallow depth, and they sacrifice nothing in the way of clarity or punch even with their more minimalistic design
They come in 12”, 15”, and 18” cones, and are designed to be easy to mount, easy to power, and most importantly easy on your wallet.
ZV5 SERIES
Did you come to get down? You can’t get much lower or more powerful than the ZV5 series.
These subs are almost weapons grade powerful subs capable of out-blasting anything else on the street you are likely to encounter outside a car show.
At 2,000 watts RMS and up to an 18” cone, the ZV5s deal massive sonic damage on a near-biblical scale.
With power like this, you are guaranteed not to leave one stone standing upon another after you start these subwoofers up.
If you bring these subs to a competition, you are going to literally level the playing field from the moment you fire them up.
NSV3 SERIES
The Nightshade line from Sundown is their vehicle based WMD series.
They are powerful, thunderous, apocalyptic heralds of the end of the world.
I wish I was exaggerating, but when you see or hear the impact that these subs have on the human ears, body, and brain, you will understand.
They aren’t literally earth shattering, but if you ever hear these babies amped up and pounding live, you will definitely have your doubts about that.
These are near-professional- competitor-only grade subwoofers with a price tag to match.
I guarantee that no one else on your block, in your city, or possibly on the same continent can rock something this powerful in a car stereo though.
Be prepared to do a bit of building for these as well, because they are going to need some industrial grade housings to stay mounted.
TEAM SERIES
The 18” subs for this series are 5,000 watts RMS.
A vehicle kitted out with subwoofers like this is a mobile demolition team waiting to be detonated.
You don’t just fire these bad boys up, you shut your eyes, hit the switch, and hold onto something.
These are made to order only for serious bass competition teams.
Most likely you would not be loading these into a daily driver, and they carry a pro-audio performance price tag to match their seismic performance levels.
However, if you get the chance to see or hear a rig at a competition or car show running Sundown’s TEAM series, you will be suitably impressed to say the least.
Provided you are able to remain conscious of course…
Sundown Audio Speakers Reviews
Here are some quick reviews of Sundown’s most popular subwoofer models.
Check them out.
Comparison Chart
1. Sundown Audio E-12 V.3 D4 – 12″ Subwoofer
Value and quality in a 12” package is nothing to turn your nose up at, and these EV3 subs can definitely deliver the goods.
Specifications:
- Sensitivity: 86.4 dB
- RMS: 500 watts
- Peak Power: 1,000 watts
- Frequency Response: 36.6Hz
- Impedance: 6.1-ohms
The Good
These subs have some serious rumble without necessarily outstripping the performance of most bass amplifiers.
Their sensitivity is decent for a sub their size, and their driver motor mechanism and voice coil are built to last even the heaviest use and abuse.
The Not-So-Good
The impedance is higher than other subs in their class, and they tend to run hotter in terms of temperature for that reason.when blasting at full power.
The D2 model in the line has a lower impedance and better overall statistical performance, even if it may be a bit pricier.
Pros
- High quality materials
- Decent power handling
- Extremely durable build quality
Cons
- Higher impedance means higher operating temperatures
2. Sundown Audio SA-12 D4 REV.3 12″
Looking for more compact subs to deliver performance in a smaller space?
These SA-12s are just the ticket.
With lightweight aluminum frames and compact size, there subs are ready to bring some thunder to smaller spaces and enclosures.
Specifications
- Sensitivity: 84.22 dB
- RMS: 750 watts
- Peak Power: 1500 watts
- Frequency Response: 33.96 Hz
- Impedance: 7.07
The Good
The size and weight of these subwoofers is impressive mostly because of how light and small they are compared to how big they sound.
Sundown definitely did their homework on these in terms of balancing size and weight with performance output.
It’s tough to find better sounding subs that can be so easily mounted in smaller bass enclosures.
The Not-So-Good
While these are more powerful than most of the consumer grade subs, they are still a little short on power and performance.
They are a competition starter sub kit grade, but if you are looking to blow the doors off the competition in the big leagues, these subs are not built for that.
Pros
- Lightweight frames and components
- Shallow mounting depth
- Compact size
Cons
- Competitive and punchy, but not as awe-inspiring as their siblings
3. Sundown Audio SA-15 V.3 D2 15″
With these 15” subs, you are starting to break into the big guns collection from Sundown.
These are competition grade subwoofers that are lighter and smaller to fit into standard enclosures and vehicles without needing to modify either significantly to accommodate them.
Related: Best 15 Inch Subwoofer
Specifications
- Sensitivity: 86.81 dB
- RMS: 750 watts
- Peak Power: 1500 watts
- Frequency Response: 34.88 Hz
- Impedance: 4.61
The Good
Nothing throws bass quite like a big 15” subwoofer.
They are the cheeseburger of the subwoofer world: thick, juicy, and satisfying.
These SA series subwoofers have a markedly lower impedance for cooler operation and better sensitivity, and they can handle sufficient power to put most other aftermarket car audio bass kits to shame.
The Not-So-Good
While they are an improvement in terms of sheer thump over the 12” SA series, these subs are still not quite in the same category as the competition grade subwoofers that are on step up the quality ladder at Sundown.
Pros
- Compact size
- Lightweight frame
- Competition grade components
Cons
- Lowest rung on the competition grade subwoofer ladder
4. Sundown Audio Z-12 V.5 D2 12″
Okay, now we are well into the competition quality bracket for Sundown Audio’s subwoofer lineup. The ZV5 series are capable of that earth shattering, heart-stopping sound of a natural disaster striking a landmass at full force.
You want to go to your state or local bass competition and have a shot at winning? These are the subwoofers for you.
Related: Best 12 Inch Subwoofer
Specifications
- Sensitivity: 85.3 db
- RMS: 2000 watts
- Peak Power: 4000 watts
- Frequency Response:
- Impedance:
The Good
These aren’t subwoofers so much as they are sonic artillery.
You must built them an enclosure if only so that you can contain the sound into a general direction that doesn’t completely devastate the area within the blast radius.
The audio barrage these subs can produce can literally take your breath away.
The Not-So-Good
Umm..the devastating power of subwoofers that could easily be used as an alternative method of riot control?
These are subs for serious bassheads only, and they are definitely not meant for anything beyond blasting bass louder than thoughts inside your head.
Pros
- Insanely powerful
- Thunderous lows
- Excellent clarity even at high volumes
Cons
- The sonic devastation the can unleash upon the unsuspecting world.