Kenwood's compact bass system will get any vehicle boomin'.

I originally saw the Kenwood wOOx (KSC-WA62RC) (MSRP: $220) at the press event where Kenwood introduced many of its new products and was a little skeptical of how well a speaker that small would perform, let alone fill up any certain amount of an area with effective bass. When they let us hear the sub in a vehicle I was even a little more skeptical as I always am with a system that I'm unfamiliar with (you just never know if there is a hidden sub somewhere.) So, I jumped at the chance to perform a subjective test of the woofer in a real world situation - let's face it, an objective test bench test of a product like this is really not going to help anyone. A regular sized woofer in a properly built enclosure with adequate power will kick this unit's butt every time, but it will also take up about four times more space, and space is exactly the point with this unit. So, let's take a look at the wOOx, the technology that helped to bring it about, and the features that it has.

Really, It's That Small
When I received the box from Kenwood for the test I was surprised by the size. It was not as if I had never seen the unit before, but, like anything, when placed in perspective of things that you know, you really notice its attributes. I was shocked further as I took the wOOx out of the box, it was small, light, and pretty simplistic.

The box contained everything possible for the installation of the wOOx, including a couple different types of metal brackets for attaching it to a vehicle, all the wiring needed, and the cool wired remote control that I'll get to in just a little bit. The size of the unit is 15-3/16 inches x 4-5/8 inches x 8-1/4 inches - as you can see by the dimensions, it can fit just about anywhere. Places like behind the seat of a truck, in the trunk of a Miata, or tucked neatly away in the corner of a regular trunk are not a problem at all.

I wanted to find out what the possibilities of the wOOx were, so I put it to the test in a couple of different situations. First off was my '99 Miata (no, it is not a chick car). In this vehicle, I wanted to see how well the wOOx would complement an already existing system and deal with the rigors of top down performance. While the wOOx didn't do 150 dB at the dash in its testing, the overall performance was very surprising! If I were to guess at the price of what that performance would cost, I would have doubled what the unit actually retails. The wOOx has become a definite suggestion for those with a Miata that want to add some bass and still be able to use any of their trunk, and I mean any.

Did I Mention That It's small
With the Miata test successfully done, I wanted to move onto a more normal test situation; one that most people would find themselves in. I decided to put the woofer in a vehicle that was probably larger than it was intended for. While the wOOx was designed for use in smaller vehicles where space is a premium, I wanted to see how it could be used in an average to larger sized vehicle. Would it provide bottom end or get lost in the rumble of the road?

The vehicle used was a 2000 Mazda 626, this mid- to full-size vehicle (depends on who you rent cars from) is a good example of a typical American sedan and proved to be a good test bed. The installation of the wOOx was straightforward; I detached the rear speakers and used their signal as the input to the wOOx. This put the wOOx at a further disadvantage as the reduction in overall cone area meant that the wOOx would have to make up the difference. The remote unit that I mentioned earlier was placed at the center console.

The nice part about this remote is that it gives the user total control of three very important parameters of a subwoofer. The first is the overall level of the bass, which is controlled by the level adjustment. Second, is the frequency at which the bass cuts of, or crossover frequency, which allows the user to adjust the wOOx to the vehicle as well as the music. The final adjustment option is a phase selector that allows the bass to be best optimized for impact. While all of these features have technical explanations of how they work, placing them up front and in the hands of the user allows them to try different settings and adjust according to mood and music type. The result: very very good! I was surprised to find that wOOx provided bottom end, not only while sitting in the parking lot, but while driving down the road as well. The real test was the removal of the wOOx from the system. When this was done, and the rear speakers reconnected, there was a definite lack of bass, to the point that it was bothersome and the wOOx had to be reconnected.

Did I mention I Love the Woox
Overall, the wOOx is the perfect tool to infect someone with the car sound bug - it gives them a taste of excellent sound without emptying their wallet and proves that bass is an important part of the music that they're missing. Once a person has experienced the wOOx, I doubt that they'll stop there - the end result is inevitable. Don't expect to find the wOOx occupying space on a shelf in the garage as it will quickly find itself in another vehicle, its value is that good.

For more information, contact Kenwood at 310-639-9000, or visit them on the Web at www.kenwoodusa.com.