What is the best 500 watt RMS subwoofer? We know the right answer.
It does not bear the emphasis that adding a sub to your car audio system will give the vehicle’s stereo a massive boost. Instead, it’s only when you install a subwoofer in your car that you’ll appreciate the low-end bass- and the midrange notes you’ve been missing.
Simply put, if you want to listen to the entire audible frequency range and enjoy your favorite music to the hilt, then opting for a sub is indispensable.
And when it comes to selecting a suitable sub, it’s the power rating, voice coil and enclosure type, and impedance that matter more than the woofer’s size. This review takes a close look at four of the best 500W subs that’ll add plenty of oomph to your car stereo.
The 4 Best 500 Watt RMS Subwoofers
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Rockford Fosgate P3D4-10 (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | Sundown Audio E-10 (Close Runner-Up) | Check Price |
 | American Bass ES 1044 | Check Price |
 | Skar Audio VD-10 | Check Price |
Rockford Fosgate P3D4-10 (Editor’s Choice)
Constituting one of the most performance-driven subs of Rockford Fosgate’s P3 Series, the P3D4-10 dual 4-ohm sub puts out a colossal 1000W of peak power. In addition, this ultra-powerful subwoofer now comes reinforced with aluminum anodized dust caps and cones and exclusive spider plateau venting for better cooling.
Spider venting entails microscopic openings encircling the voice coil positioned between the spider and the motor – the sub’s section – that tends to become the hottest.
The excellent air circulation allows the sub to prevent the voice coil from getting overheated while handling massive power. This convenience goes a long way towards enabling the P3D4-10 subwoofer to perform beyond your expectations for generating maximum bass. The Rockford Fosgate P3D4-10 sub also excels thanks to a FlexFit tub that helps with tricky installations.
On the other hand, the integration of VAST technology significantly contributes towards augmenting the overall surface area up to 20%. However, the USP of this sub has to be its all-new composite stamp-basket that minimizes resonance and weight and offers maximum strength. In addition, the hefty motor assembly, massive surrounds, and parabolic core profile all coordinate to let the sub reproduce aggressive, deep, and booming bass.
The P3D4-10 power handling capabilities comply with CEA-2031 industry standards implying that this sub is supremely capable of coping with continuous power usage requirements and not just on-the-spot power demands. If your speaker has to handle peak power or more power than it’s capable of dealing with (i.e., peak power rating) more often, then the sub can get damaged sooner than later.
Unlike their standard plastic versions, the anodized aluminum voice coil formers serve as a super-efficient heat-sink facilitating quick dispersal of thermal upsurge on the voice coil.
Multipoint “periodic” stitched lead wire system lessen every tinsel lead’s (one kind of electrical wire used in areas that call for low current-carrying capacity but excellent mechanical flexibility) mass. Additionally, the technology helps distribute the stress and strain of the tinsel lead cords over a larger area, eventually boosting the sub’s performance and durability.
Pros
- The most performance-driven sub from Rockford Fosgate exemplary and unmatched bass
- Near instantaneous responsiveness
- RMS is relatively higher than most comparable subs
- Anodized aluminum dust caps and cone with proprietary Vertical Attach Surround Technique (VAST) for quality sound
- Compatible with both vented and sealed cabs
Cons
- Consumes too much power
- Somewhat pricey compared to other sub-models with similar features
Sundown Audio E-10
The manufacturer of Sundown Audio E-10 has made the most of their extensive experience of making 8” woofers for coming up with the state-of-the-art Audio E-10. As part of the EV.3 Series, the Audio E-10 V.3 D4 10” 500W RMS Dual 4ῼ Subwoofer offers the same high-level performance that you’d expect from premium subs.
Sundown designed and developed this speaker driver following more than ten years of grueling and thorough research and testing, collating data from earlier versions.
The Audio E-10 D4 is Sundown’s 3rd generation subwoofer that drives and tests the limits of entry-level subs onward. Sundown has raised the bar for this 3rd gen E-Series woofer in thermal performance, mechanical robustness, and linear excursion. This EV.3 Series subwoofer now comes with an upgraded full 2.5” diameter voice coil compared to previous generations’ 2” coils.
The tinsel lead wires have an all-new “Mini-XL” lead comprising 63 conductor wire strands that help thwart potential breakdown from amplifier clipping. In addition, an enormously long voice coil and a double-stacked magnet assembly enable the sub to accomplish superlative linear X-max of 14mm one-way besides exceptional mechanical clearances.
The sub’s spider is a super-strong, heavy-duty poly-cotton hybrid that is painstakingly engineered to deal with the motor’s full potential effectively.
The spider is firmly fastened to the framework and ruggedly bolted down to render it an additional toughness layer. The new stamped steel bodywork also happens to be beefier compared to the earlier gen E series subwoofers. The stamped steel chassis also comes with a superior “Sundown-style” high-pressure vented spider surface.
This Sundown-style vented spider landing works in perfect conjunction with a class-leading motor ventilation module. So if you need an affordable yet performance-oriented sub for your vehicle’s stereo, then you don’t have to look any further.
Pros
- Ergonomically designed vented pole piece with black anodized aluminum 2.5” voice coil formers for better heat diffusion
- More suitable for use in/with ported enclosures or cabinetries
- Heavy-duty stamped-steel chassis for superior performance and extended functional life
Cons
- There’s a perceptible distortion that comes in the way of delivering clean and pure bass
American Bass ES1044
If you’re looking for a high-quality sub to extract the maximum out of your car stereo but lack the required room, then the ES 1044 is your best bet. The American Bass ES1044 10” Slim Cast Basket Dual 4-Ohm 1000W Max 500W RMS Power Subwoofer can give oversized woofers an inferiority complex.
The ES1044 comes equipped with a 2.5” dual voice coil (DVC) mounted atop a 65-ounce magnet shielded by a fiberglass dust cap, which makes this sub-ultra-powerful.
Perched at mounting depths of 3.6” and 4.3” and available in sizes 10” and 12”, this American Bass subwoofer can effortlessly deal with 1500W of max power. In addition, the ES1044 reproduced quality high-decibel sound, the sub’s slim design and compact form factor notwithstanding. Yet despite its tiny footprint, this sub is supremely capable of offering you the acoustic thump you expect from a 2.5-inch DVC.
Don’t judge the ES 1044 subwoofer based on its size alone, as it sports an 86-decibel sensitivity, 4ῼ dual impedance, and a peak power output of 1000W. Furthermore, the woofer assembly stays secure because of the PVC gasket ring and the seamed rubber surround. On the other hand, the fiberglass-reinforced dust cap furnishes an additional layer of protection, thus maintaining your sound’s crunchiness.
Pros
- The compact and slim sub that doesn’t compromise on sound quality
- Dual voice coil resting on lightweight magnet boosts performance
- High-output sub for booming bass
- Rock-solid construction enables the sub to perform smoothly for years
Cons
- More suitable for using in ported than sealed enclosures
Skar Audio VD-10
Audio VD-10 Class D Monoblock 500W RMS Dual 2-Ohm subwoofer for a car has been meticulously designed and engineered to outperform all other subs in its’ size and class. In addition, the VD Monoblock sub comes with RP-350-the smallest amongst all RP Series amps- which has been designed and made with meticulous care for performance.
The RP-350 amplifier is stable at 1ῼ and takes full advantage of a variety of high-quality internal components such as a sophisticated PCB and super-efficient MOSFET power supply.
The amp with a 1ῼ load has a standard 350W RMS power rating but can handle over 388-watts of peak power. An eminently affordable and compact amp, the RP-350 can be comfortably matched with a single sub rated around 400W RMS or dual subs rated at approx 200W RMS each.
Pros
- 500W RMS sub comes with an amp and amp installation kit
- The compact amp has 4-gauge power and grounding terminals for facilitating max current flow for higher-output operation
- Built-in control panel on the amp for complete control over the amp
- Amp features a remote subwoofer-level control that lets you have thorough control over bass delivery
Cons
- The sound quality is not as good as advertised
- A slight distortion may be noticeable
What’s the Difference between RMS and Peak Rating?
When you’re comparing and evaluating different speakers or subwoofers for creating a customized audiophile-grade car- or home stereo system, you’ll come across the terms’ RMS output’ and ‘Peak Power Output.’ Both the terms relate to the speakers’ power handling capacity, and the ratings are more often than not used interchangeably.
While RMS or ‘Root Mean Square’ implies a subwoofer’s or speaker’s continuous power handling capability, peak power refers to the peak or maximum power the device can handle abruptly without burning.
You’ll surely notice that the RMS ratings are always much less than peak power wattage. On the whole, it’s the speaker’s RMS wattage that ultimately matters, as that is the standard power that the speaker has been designed to handle without experiencing distortion or sacrificing sound quality.
On the other hand, the peak power rating indicates the utmost power level that a speaker can deal with without going kaput.
Nevertheless, you should keep in mind that speakers and subs, even the high-end ones, can continue performing at peak power level just for a split second. So now, when you’re shopping for a speaker or subwoofer, always check the RMS- as well as the peak power wattage ratings. Technically speaking, a speaker’s RMS wattage is usually half that of its peak power rating.
In other words, if a speaker’s RMS s rating is 500W, the unit’s maximum or peak power wattage will be 1000W. However, you should be more concerned with the speaker’s RMS rating since that is the power the unit will be capable of handling on a day-to-day basis. Nevertheless, you should also consider the sub’s peak power rating for correctly matching the unit with other components in your home or car audio rig.
So, The Best Subwoofer (500 Watt RMS Rating) Is…
So there you are – the four high-end 500W subwoofers.
The Rockford Fosgate P3D4 dual 4ῼ 500W (RMS) 1000W sub comes out on top thanks to unbeatable features, including its spider venting plateau, hybrid stamped basket, VAST technology, and FlexiFit tub.
However, the other models also offer stiff competition to P3D4-10 and cost much less than the Rockford Fosgate subwoofer.