This is the physics of car audio! One of the most common questions is "How do I get louder?", and contrary to popular belief, it is all in the math. The physics of car audio don't change. You can calculate theoretical max SPL within any given system using the Sensitivity or SPL rating of your subwoofer and the actual output power. Every time you double the power, you get 3db. Everytime you double the cone area, you get 3dB. The average human ear cannot detect volume differences of less than 3dB, and it takes 10dB to percieve a doubling of volume. This means that makine small changes to your stereo system will not make any perceptible difference in volume.
Now for clarity (pun intended), small changes will certainly make a difference in the QUALITY of the sound, but in this video, we are talking about the VOLUME, this one is literally quantity over quality.
This math matters, it should absolutely be part of your decision making process when selecting subwoofers for your system. A sub that has a sensitivity 89 vs the same size sub that has a rating of 86 is going to be louder, you will hear it. The trade off is often in power handling. If that 89dB sub has a max power handling of 500 while the 86dB sub can take 2000 watts, then you will be running more power, and that gives you the bigger gains, in fact 500 to 2000 watts in power is equal to 6dB of gain.
Brand, size, shape, color, none of this matters when it comes to sheer volume, only the sensitivity rating, power, transfer function, and enclosure gain. If you like big booming bass and want to get more, then you have to do the math and see where you can go. All things equal in any given system, to get 3dB of gain, you have to double the cone area or double the power.
For more details, check out our website for a printable worksheet!
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