How To Power a Car Subwoofer at Home-4 Steps

If you have a car subwoofer and you want to power it at home and use it with your home theater, you can do so in very simple steps.

To power a car subwoofer at home, just convert your AC voltage at home into DC voltage by using a computer power supply or any AC-to-DC converter.

As you know the subwoofer installed in your car works on a battery that delivers 12 volts to all your audio setup. On the other hand, our home has AC current of 110 volts or higher.

It means that it is not so easy to power the car subwoofer at home as it may cause damage to all your home audio if you don’t know about wiring and voltage distribution.

How To Power a Car Subwoofer at Home

Knowledge of AC and DC current can help you power the car subwoofer very easily at home without any technical support. However, if you have a friend with knowledge of wiring he can set all this up for you in a short period of time.

Powering The Car Subwoofer at Home

Step 1: Converting AC to DC

The first step before you start is to make a proper conversion between the current. To run your 12-volt subwoofer on 110 volts or higher current you need a power converter like the power supply of a computer.

A power supply of a computer also converts AC current into DC 12 volts. Depending upon which AC current your country has (110 volts or 220 volts) you can get a power supply that converts from that particular AC current to 12 volts.

Step 2: Selecting the Power Converter

The power supply of the computer is not the only option available for you. There are many AC to DC power converters available in the market that you can get.

But getting a used computer power supply is the cheapest option. Just keep in mind that you have to convert your AC current into 12 12-volt DC current.

Also, keep in mind the maximum watts the power supply can deliver and your car amplifier can handle.

For example, if your car amplifier has a peak power handling capacity of 25 amps, you should use a power supply that delivers current very close to it. If high power is delivered, it may blow out your amplifier subwoofer, or even both.

Must Read: Cheapest 15-Inch Subwoofers

Step 3: Connecting Car Subwoofer and Amplifier Together

After you have converted AC current into DC current, the next step will be to connect your subwoofer and car amplifier. Do not turn on the power supply during these steps as it may cause an electric shock to you.

Take a wire 12 gauge or 16 gauge depending upon your subwoofer. Take help from the manual if you don’t know which one to use.

Now strip the wire and connect between the subwoofer and car amplifier. Make sure to twist the wires of the same colors together.

All is done now. You have powered your car subwoofer completely at home.

Step 4: Connect To Home Amplifier

Now connect wires from the output terminal of your home amplifier to the input terminals of your car subwoofer. Make sure to twist the same color wires together.

Also Read: Best 10-Inch Subwoofer For Home Theater

FAQs To Power Car Subwoofer at Home

There are several questions that may appear in your mind while making this type of change in your car and home audio systems. That is why we have tried to answer these questions in advance to give you a clear idea of what you are going to do and what could be the results.

Is it 100% safe to power a car subwoofer from your home?

No, it is not a safe practice especially if you are doing it yourself as it can blow either one or more of your audio equipment. If you have decided to do it yourself then be ready to face the result if anything goes wrong.

Related: How To Hook Up a Powered Subwoofer In a Car

Does using a car subwoofer at home costs a lot?

Of course, it is an expensive method because it charges you extra even when you have a subwoofer. You need to purchase a power supply that may cost you $40 to $150 depending upon the power rating.

On the other hand, you can buy a used powered subwoofer in this price range. In this way, your car subwoofer will not be used and you can have a subwoofer installed in your audio system.

Final Thoughts

You have completely powered your car subwoofer without any help at home. This was all you need to do to enjoy listening to the same car music at home theater.

Hi, I'm Noor Alam, founder of SpeakersMag.com. I love music and got my Bachelor's degree in Sound Engineering. Now I have started my own blog about music products. Just like you, I also love different music products and in my spare time, I share my knowledge with audio lovers on this site. Read more about me
Hi, I'm Noor Alam, founder of SpeakersMag.com. I love music and got my Bachelor's degree in Sound Engineering. Now I have started my own blog about music products. Just like you, I also love different music products and in my spare time, I share my knowledge with audio lovers on this site. Read more about me

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