Are Bazooka Subwoofers Good? (buy or avoid?)
If you are into heavy bass music, you most likely have a collection of subwoofers decked in your home or car. But have you heard about Bazooka subs? If not, are they another flop with heavily distorted delivery or a genuine subwoofer worth investing in?
Bazooka subwoofers are renowned for their tube-style design with power handling capacity often ranging from 100watts to 150watts. Most of them have variable gain control and a fantastic tube enclosure that allows maximum sound delivery. More remarkably, Bazooka subwoofers are some of the most affordable subs in the market. That said, Bazooka subwoofers are not the loudest we have seen.
Of course, we do not expect you to decide on buying a Bazooka subwoofer from just that summary. That is why we took our time to dive deeper into reviewing these subs. Among other critical aspects, we examined their durability, sound quality, frequency, power, and price.
Let us tell you what we found.
Who produces Bazooka subwoofers, and where?
Bazooka subwoofers belong to Bazooka Mobile Audio. The latter is a division of Southern Audio Services.
Southern Audio Services is an American electronics brand with a huge market presence in Louisiana. The bulk of Bazooka subs is designed and manufactured in Southern Audio Services factories in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Power
Most of the Bazooka subwoofers we saw had a peak power handling capacity of 200watts and 100watts RMS.
In unique cases of marine-optimized boat-mounted models like the Bazooka MBTA10250D, we saw their power handling capacity jumping to 250watts.
Such modest power handling capacity means Bazooka subs are not the loudest you can get for your money.
Frequency
Most Bazooka subs had a variable crossover frequency, ranging from 50Hz-250Hz. The frequency response could rise to 1,000Hz as in models like the Bazooka BT1014.
Most bazooka subs come with variable gain control, significantly upgrading the bass response in the calibration procedure. Here is how this comes into play.
With such a gain control feature, you can more readily modulate your bass levels, enabling compatibility with your existing speaker setup, say in your home theater system.
Sound quality
For the affordable price of these subs, we couldn’t complain about the sound quality these subwoofers delivered.
We loved how enveloping the bass delivery was. The sound appears to fill the room completely. This was primarily due to the unique tube enclosure of these subs.
Several Bazooka subs are fitted with high-grade low-pass filters. This contributed to shaving off undesirable frequencies from the delivered signal.
This led to minimal sound distortion, allowing low-end frequencies to pass through for enriched bass performance.
The sound was generally clean, albeit with minor obstructions at high excursions. Overall, if you are the type that doesn’t mind sacrificing some loudness for richer bass, you would be in good company with bazooka subwoofers.
Durability
Bazooka subwoofers are built to last. The longevity of Bazooka subs is rare.
This is especially given that most subs in Bazooka’s low-end price category barely survive months.
We saw a keenness on durability best reflected in Bazooka’s boat-mount models. These subs were designed to withstand sustained exposure to damaging weather elements.
They were UV resistant and held their integrity against salt fog. More than being waterproof, their mounting straps were fortified with velcro material.
Aside from physical durability, we also saw a technical emphasis on longevity in the design of these subs.
Except for Bazooka models like the BT Series 10″ subs, most Bazooka subwoofers come with subsonic filters.
In addition to improving the amplifier’s efficiency, these filters ensured we could enjoy reasonable subsonic frequencies without risking the rapid deterioration of our subwoofers.
This filter facility manages to hit the delicate balance between enjoying a rich sound intensity and deep bass-centric frequencies without wearing out the subwoofer’s amplifier.
Installation
When we initially saw the tube design of Bazooka subs, we thought we would need some specialized expertise to integrate them into our setup.
It turns out our predisposition was wrong. Bazooka subs were super-easy to install.
The universal mounting brackets that come with these subs contributed substantially to such ease of installation.
These brackets – typically designed from cast aluminum – were fitted with a base and interlocking cradle.
More than making it easy to remove the subs, these brackets ensured that when installed, Bazooka subs were firm and secure.
Versatility
Bazooka subwoofers have a broad range of integration. They can easily upgrade your system, whether aftermarket or original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Still, on versatility, we were impressed with the dual voice coil design we saw in many Bazooka subs.
This saves you from speaker-to-speaker connection, allowing you a broader range of wiring possibilities.
Price
As we previously established, Bazooka subs are some of the cheapest in the market. From our investigation, these subs had a price spectrum of $99 to $350.
The BT Series 6″ Passive Bass Tube was the cheapest we came across. It went for around $100. In the Bazooka mid-range category, we had models like the BT Series 8″ Passive Bass Tubes costing around $170.
As of writing, the 10″ Marine Amplified Bass Tubes were the most expensive we saw. These guys go for around $320.
Do Bazooka subwoofers have warranty cover?
Not the most impressive warranty cover, we would say, but Bazooka still has some modest protection on its subwoofers.
A 1-year warranty policy accompanies every sub from Bazooka. For 12 months after purchase, Bazooka Mobile Audio will handle any repair or replacement from defects related to manufacturing and material choices.
We will also add here that Bazooka subwoofers also have a return window. Let us assume you got a bazooka sub and were unimpressed with the product.
You may return that product within 30 days of purchase. You can report your dissatisfaction with Bazooka and initiate a return procedure by emailing info@bazooka.com.
If your request is successful, Bazooka Mobile Audio’s returns department will give you a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. With this RMA number, you can accurately track the return exercise.
Best Bazooka Subwoofers Review
We got our hands on some Bazooka subwoofers to critically investigate their quality. We would add that some flopped while some impressed. But two models easily won our hearts.
Let us tell you about them.
BT Series 10″ Amplified Bass Tubes & Free Universal Mounting Bracket
The Bazooka’s BT Series 10″ readily captivated us for its corner-loading bass output. Thanks to its patented bass tube enclosure design, this woofer delivered rich bass sounds at superior efficiency, filling up the space.
The amplifier was modest, with a power handling capacity of 250watts and an RMS output of 100 watts. We would love it louder for sure, but at its cost, we found this relative deficiency easy to forgive.
This subwoofer had a variable crossover frequency range of 50-250Hz. This made it easier to integrate this sub into our existing high-fidelity setup.
We love things being easy. Therefore, we enjoyed the convenience the remote control facility (that comes with this sub) introduces to our user experience.
On the less optimistic side, we were saddened that this subwoofer lacked a subsonic filter. This was questionable because many of the subs we saw on Bazooka’s lineup were decked with such filters.
BT SERIES 8″ Marine Amplified Bass Tubes
It is practically illegal to mention the best subwoofers Bazooka has and ignore the BT Series 8″ woofers. We will state that this speaker is more optimized for an aquatic listening experience.
By this, we mean if you love chilling with some deep bass when in your boat, this is the sub for you. For car audiophiles, this sub is not your type.
This subwoofer comes with a dual voice coil enhanced with an inbuilt 2-channel amplifier. At 100-watt, we will agree the amplifier is a bit on the lower side.
That said, we admired the crossover facility of this sub. This ensured cleaner bass delivery as frequencies above the upper limit was effectively canceled. This means integrating this subwoofer into your boat’s audio system becomes way easier and more enjoyable.
On the longevity side of things, this woofer is produced from stainless steel hardware that is sustainably resistant to salt water, fog, and UV radiation.