In this article, we’ll explain how to improve the bass in your car, whether it’s by upgrading to a better amplifier and subwoofer, or by adjusting your system’s controls for a more balanced sound.

The cold, hard truth is that you can’t get really good bass from a sound system that doesn’t have both a subwoofer and an amplifier to drive it. The problem is that car speakers, even really good car speakers, aren’t big enough and built-in car stereo amplifiers aren’t powerful enough to reproduce deep, distortion-free bass.

That said, upgrading your stock car speakers can still yield some pretty powerful results. Replacing just the speakers does put some hard limits on what you can expect from an upgrade, but the higher quality materials used in aftermarket speakers can make a world of difference in both overall sound quality and bass response.

The biggest problem is that even the best coaxial speakers can’t match a real subwoofer, so while it’s possible to get better bass response with a simple speaker upgrade, it’s important to manage your expectations. The sound quality will almost certainly improve, but the bass won’t boom.