Can’t live without bass? You’ll be needing a good subwoofer then! If you’re looking at different options and working out how it will run with your music system then you’ll need to understand the sound output and power consumption. Knowing these details enables you to get the perfect complement to your system. Plus, you can work out how much electricity is required to run things smoothly.
Below we will discuss and test subwoofer wattage, explain how to work it out for yourself, and calculate the total electricity required.
How Many Watts is a Subwoofer?
The average subwoofer uses between 100 and 300 watts.
The exact number depends on the size and model of your subwoofer. For example, a smaller home subwoofer draws up to 100W while louder versions can use 300W or more.
The difference in this power level comes down to the design and output of your equipment. In simple terms, the louder the subwoofer the higher the wattage rating.
How to Find Out Your Subwoofer Wattage
There’s 3 ways you can work out the wattage of a subwoofer.
- Check Product Specification
The quickest way is to look at the subwoofer’s specification. The watts (W) is usually written on a sticker on the base of the appliance. If not, you can check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for technical details.
- Use a Wattmeter
A wattmeter is brilliant for getting a live wattage reading and tracking total energy usage of any appliance. You can simply plug it into your subwoofer to get instant information.
I used one to test my subwoofer which gave a live reading of 115.2W.
- Wattage Formula or Calculator
If you know the amperage and voltage of your subwoofer you can use this to find the maximum watts. Simply use the formula Amps x Volts = Watts. Or you can head over to the ‘Watt Calculator’ to work this out.
Subwoofer Wattage Examples
Let’s take a look at specific examples of how many watts a subwoofer outputs. Below is a collection of modern subwoofers with their listed power ratings.
| Subwoofer Model | Watt Rating |
| Polk Audio PSW10 | 100 |
| Sony SACS9 10-Inch | 115 |
| Samsung SWA-W500 Subwoofer | 130 |
| Elac SUB1010 | 120 |
| BESTISAN 8 | 100 |
| Klipsch Reference R-10SW | 300 |
| Monoprice Subwoofer – 8 Inch | 60 |
| Polk Audio HTS 12 | 400 |
As you can see, the power output varies between different subwoofers. So you should take the time to check your own appliance.
How Much Electricity Does a Subwoofer Use?
You can use subwoofer wattage to work out how much electricity it uses. Plus this can be useful in understanding how much it costs to run your subwoofer.
A watt (W) is a measurement of power at a single point in time. A watt-hour is the total amount of electricity used in an hour. For example, a subwoofer drawing 100W would use 100Wh when running for an hour.
Happily, electricity bills are recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is simply 1000 watts. So a 100W subwoofer running for 1 hour uses 0.1kWh.
In reality, you use a subwoofer for 2 hours a day. This means the average subwoofer uses upto 200Wh or 0.2kWh electricity a day. That’s 6kWh a month and 73kWh a year.
That’s a rough electricity cost of $0.03 a day or $11 a year to listen to music on your subwoofer for upto 2 hours every day.
Using a Subwoofer Off-Grid
If you’re planning to use your subwoofer in an off-grid situation like a power outage, RV, boat, truck, or car, the information above is important. Knowing the power draw allows you to select the right power products and work out how long you can run.
You can either use a power inverter, portable power station, or generator to produce AC electricity.
To make sure everything runs smoothly you should check two things on this equipment – wattage capacity and total energy capacity.
Your AC power source, like an inverter, should have a wattage capacity of at least 20% more than your subwoofer. This ensures it will be able to deliver enough power as they are never 100% efficient. To listen to music, you will need at least 200W of power capacity. This will be the minimum size to run your subwoofer, speakers, and music device. You might need to upsize further to 400W or more.
Secondly, you need to ensure your energy source, like a battery, has enough energy to run the subwoofer for the required amount of time. As we already know, it might use about 100Wh electricity per hour. This is the equivalent to 8.3Ah on a 12V battery.
How Many Watts Does a Subwoofer Use Summary
I hope you now have a better understanding of how many watts a subwoofer uses.
When choosing your subwoofer knowing the wattage gives you an indication as to the volume and performance of the equipment. For smaller homes, a 100W system is enough for a TV or cinema system. If you want extra power, then take a look at 300W or more. Some car subwoofers can reach over 1000W peak power!
