Typical factory audio systems consist of course the AM/FM/CD player with four speakers. Unfortunately, these speakers generally do not pick up the lower 10-500 Hz sound frequencies very well. As a result, you will not experience a true reproduction of drum or bass sounds, but rather a hollow or tin-can sounding reproduction. This is because your factory speakers will try to reproduce a low frequency sound when it is physically impossible to do so on its own.

A subwoofer is a specialized low-frequency producing speaker. Let your midrange speakers do their job of producing those medium range frequencies, but don't count on them to produce the punching bass that subwoofers should do.

Just like any other kind of audio components, the more features you have in a unit, the pricier it is. Be sure to compare and contrast the features of each subwoofer before you hastily buy them. I will discuss briefly the size and material of subwoofers, two features that will start you off on your search.

Size
The typical sizes for subwoofers are 8", 10", 12", and 15". There are also more rare 6.5" and 18" subwoofers available at some stores. The million-dollar question you're dying to have answered is: "What size subwoofer should I get?"

The answer is as simple as determining what kind of music do you listen to the most. Think about all of your favorite songs-do they have a lot of bass in them? If they do have a lot of bass, do the bass frequencies occur often in the songs? Determining the answer to these questions will help choose the right size because bigger size subwoofers will reproduce lower frequency sounds. Bigger does not necessarily mean better because it really depends on the type of music it plays.

Material
You cannot judge a book by its cover, and in the same way, you definitely cannot judge a subwoofer by the cone material. If you are looking for durability and longevity of your subwoofer, then you should look for denser material; but you cannot really judge the way your subwoofer sounds with just the cone composition.

Though they do effect the way your subwoofer sound, so much must be taken into consideration such as the source unit, the power supply, and the overall design of the subwoofer. I will tell you of some of the differences that the various types of material. The three most common materials are polypropylene, paper, and woven fiber cone woofers.

Polypropylene
The most common today for subwoofer cone woofer material is polypropylene plastic. This type of material allows for a much smoother and typically consistent frequency response. Polypropylene does not react much to the surrounding environment and would therefore maintain its own properties consistently. They're usually the median priced subwoofers and companies like Pioneer, Orion, and JL Audio make great polypropylene cone subwoofers.

Paper
There are also paper cone subwoofers. These are not as heavy duty as they claim to be, but within a well designed subwoofer, paper cones could deliver some of the best bass responses the market has to offer. Paper cones were the original cone material designers used, and for awhile many have thought that more advanced technology would replace the aging design. Paper cones tend to need a consistent ambient environment in order to have consistent performance. Paper has natural properties that are affected by changes in humidity. Nonetheless, brands like MA Audio, Memphis, and Rockford Fosgate have developed, in recent years, lines of subwoofers with paper cone construction-producing some of the best low-frequency sounds available.

Woven Fiber
This type is the most rigid and stiff material available today. They could be considered the most high-tech cone design today. They're tough and because of that characteristic, woven fiber cones react great to low-frequency bass. Woven fiber cones composition could also include carbon, Kevlar, and fiber-glass, all of them unchanged in the harshest environment. They tend to be very consistent but incredibly expensive on average in comparison to the other two discussed above. Brands that manufactured these like JVC (Arsenal Subwoofer Series), Hifonics, and Beyma showcase the high-tech cones in their design.

Surround
Foam
If you're going to use your car subwoofer a lot, especially with high power outputs, you want to make sure that your surround material is tough, yet able to stretch. Though foam is generally more affordable, they tend to crack and crumble under extreme temperature changes like that you would experience in the summer or winter in the interior of the car. If you live in more constant weather regions, maybe foam isn't such a bad idea.

Rubber
Elastic natural properties allow rubber surround to stretch more so than foam. In addition, rubber is much more resistant to the environment, allowing it to have its own unique-but-stretchy characteristic that is unmatched compared to foam. There is also synthetic rubber surround material with Butyl rubber being the second best in toughness and stretching properties, and Santoprene being the best rubber surround available at this point.

Conclusion
These three major features should start you off on your search for the right subwoofer. Remember that each subwoofer will feature different things and you should really check on other features because the discussed three elements above would not be adequate in deciding on which subwoofer to get. Ultimately, you also have to take the time to check your power source, your audio source, and even your wiring in order to have the best sounding subwoofer.