Can under seat subwoofers overheat?

[W124_Man]

Hi guys,

I bought a compact under seat subwoofer for my car, which is getting installed later this week (among other gadgets). Its an 8 inch sub, pretty much identical to the Boss Bass600. Seriously, its a little creepy, it looks identical, even down to the switches and inputs. Only difference is the brand name, which in my case is AudioBank (will post pictures if requested).

Anyway, so, before my car goes in for the fitment, I've been playing with it to see how it would fit under one of the front seats. I sort of measured the under seat area before ordering, but over estimated how much space I would have. Plus, a spring under the seat is kinda in the way. End result, it looks like with a bit of work, it would fit, but only just. However, what worries me is that if I (or the installer) do get it to fit, it would become impossible to change its settings, should I desire to. Also, it doesnt leave much room for it to "breathe". It has ribbed aluminum on the sides, could it overheat?

Any other suggestions on where to put it? I would prefer to avoid the trunk, if I could, since my car (Mercedes Benz W124) has the fuel tank between the trunk and rear seat, making it very effective at insulating sound.

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[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

If yours comes with a bass knob as does the Boss Bass600, you'll have no reason to access the amplifier to change settings. A competent installer should have that all set up properly, with no need for change, the first time around. The bass knob will be run to somewhere accessible to you and it will allow to have a little control over it. All the reviews I see online of the Boss unit, the people placed it under their seats. Definitely seems like that was the design plan. I don't think you'll experience any issues. Then again, if your location listed here is correct, climate may be a little warmer than desirable for it.

 

[W124_Man]

Yeah it comes with exactly the same knobs, with that remote control that is connected via an RJ11 jack. Plus the velcro and the feet. I think Boss subcontracted out the manufacturer of the unit to a Chinese company, and they decided to sell some of their own on the side. Although, I cant guarantee that the innards are the same!

Johannesburg summer days sit somewhere between 75 and 90 degrees fahrenheit, I think. 30 degrees Celsius is fairly normal. But then I recently had the windows tinted to prevent break ins and cool down the car's interior, plus if its that hot outside, more than likely my aircon will be on. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes. I dont expect to strain it much. Its rated for 400W RMS, but I think thats an extremely unlikely figure. It does have two 15A fuses, but the manual states that its fuse is rated at 15A, so not sure how that works. Anyway, whatever the case, I've heard its sufficient bass which is all I need.

 

[300easy]

I have a w124 body 300E. I put a single 15" sub in the trunk on 1200 watts and have no problem at all with getting deep, clean , loud, bass into the cab of the car.