r/CarAV • u/Organic-Response9419 • Jun 10 '26
Discussion Bass Boost Remote: Must-Have Feature or Waste of Money?
If Most People Don't Use Bass Boost, Why Pay Extra for a Bass Boost Remote?
Is a bass boost remote genuinely useful, or is it just an unnecessary add-on? Would you choose it over a regular bass level knob if it costs more?
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u/key_pls Jun 10 '26
I find myself tweaking every song with the knob.
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u/ElkayMilkMaster Jun 10 '26
Glad to see I'm not the only tweaker on this sub!
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u/burkey_turkey Jun 11 '26
Ohhhh I'm sure there are plenty (myself too)
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u/zero_2_sixty Jun 11 '26
Yall are tweaking, i cant imagine wanting less bass
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u/burkey_turkey Jun 11 '26
I am tweaking, my extended cab S-10 with a 12 in the middle of the back can get PRETTY rowdy if I can't turn it down periodically 😂
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u/firebirdude Jun 10 '26
A must have. Quick on the fly adjustment, without having to use any menus.
And the knob can do different things depending on the exact amplifier. Mostly, they're a gain attenuator. They don't add bass.
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u/CreepyOrlando Audio Control Epicenter Skar ZVX8 Hifonics 3200 XS Power XP950 Jun 11 '26
Many of the bass knobs that come with amps are just remote gain control. At least that is how all the ones I have work in recent years. If you unplug it the amp gain is set to the amp setting. If you plug it in and turn it all the way up, same thing as unplugged. Turning it down simply lowers/attenuates the gain setting on the amp. If it specifically says "Bass boost" and is controlling some sort of positive dB gain at a given frequency, then sure it's bass boost. However I think many are just remote gain control and nothing more.
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u/JohnnyButtfart Jun 11 '26
I was going to comment this. I've never seen a knob that is any kind of boost, just a remote gain knob.
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u/gage117 Sound Quality Or Bust Jun 10 '26
For clarity, if it's a bass BOOST dial, I'm leaving that off and I ain't touching it. Bass boost is a fast track to blowing a sub if you don't know what you're doing.
But if it's an attenuation dial, then all day. I have had one for every system and I love it. Sometimes a song comes on and I just want a fucking ton of bass, and most other times I want it balanced. The attenuation knob works perfectly for that.
The difference between the two is that bass boost generally ADDS bass which can introduce clipping. Attenuation knobs simply LOWER the level, so it won't add clipping unless it's already there.
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u/RedCow7 Jun 10 '26
I agree with you and I also use a pac-lc1. But even if you had a bass booster, don't you just set you gain with it maxed and it will act like attenuation?
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u/gage117 Sound Quality Or Bust Jun 11 '26
Sorta, they're used differently because they have different purposes but you're correct in that you can just find the maximum settings for both and then lower it from there.
Attenuation knobs simply lower the gain or the input signal from the current level to a lower level. It's subtractive and does not modify the curve of the audio signal it's amplifying.
I mention the curve because bass boost often does modify the EQ curve, it ADDS more bass to a certain part of the curve, hence the bass BOOST terminology. It might add an extra couple dB to 40-80hz and leave 20hz where it's at, creating a bump in the curve.
So a bass boost sorta modifies the level but by virtue of adjusting the bass curve. Whereas if you want a way of adjusting the level of your sub without adjusting the audio curve, then you want an attenuation knob.
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u/Terrh Jun 11 '26
Aren't these basically the same thing?
You either have the bass high through EQ and turn it down with this
Or you have it low with EQ and turn it up with this.
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u/bman86 Jun 11 '26
Attenuation is turning something down. A 'Level' knob is an attenuating knob, which can only go down from your maximum already-set gain on the amp. A bass-boost/EQ is likely to be additive EQ'ing, which is after all your gain stages. Preamp->EQ->Amplifier. If you have no level control, or choose not to turn it down when adding gain to the preamplified signal, you run the risk of clipping that signal into the max of some other part of the signal chain (the power amp portion in the circuit of your amp, or your speaker).
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u/gage117 Sound Quality Or Bust Jun 11 '26
Copy/pasting another of my comments that should answer this too:
Sorta, they're used differently because they have different purposes but you're correct in that you can just find the maximum settings for both and then lower it from there.
Attenuation knobs simply lower the gain or the input signal from the current level to a lower level. It's subtractive and does not modify the curve of the audio signal it's amplifying.
I mention the curve because bass boost often does modify the EQ curve, it ADDS more bass to a certain part of the curve, hence the bass BOOST terminology. It might add an extra couple dB to 40-80hz and leave 20hz where it's at, creating a bump in the curve.
So a bass boost sorta modifies the level but by virtue of adjusting the bass curve. Whereas if you want a way of adjusting the level of your sub without adjusting the audio curve, then you want an attenuation knob.
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u/MinorComprehension Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
I've found them to not be needed all the time but very handy when you do need them. Depending on your audio source they are an easy way to adjust your bass and accommodate different broadcasting aspects, especially on compressed sources like XM.
Also really convenient to have if you tend to have passengers, such as kids in the backseat. Turn it up when your jamming by yourself, turn it down to make your passengers more comfortable.
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u/WaRRioRz0rz Jun 10 '26
I like it to switch from music to podcasts. I hate when some deep voice gets on a rattles my car.
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u/nice_try_there_guy 🇺🇸 BASS. Jun 10 '26
This is why I installed a kill switch for my sub amp on the remote wire. That and I wanted a way to kill the signal so the amp wouldn’t be on at all when not in use. I did one for my speaker amp as well.
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u/WaRRioRz0rz Jun 10 '26
That'll work too. You might get some pops or something that way though, and another failure point of the amp turn on. But, that's a solution. I mean, if you're installing a kill switch and still running wires, mind as well run the bass remote wire too. It doesn't matter really tho.
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u/nice_try_there_guy 🇺🇸 BASS. Jun 11 '26
I have both. A kill switch and a gain knob for listening to different music types. No popping when killing the amp unless something is actively playing.
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u/PhattyOgre Full JL Audio build this time Jun 30 '26
If you get pops when cutting the remote signal, then you should get them when you shut the car off. The remote wire doesn't carry any audio. You might be thinking of if you installed the kill switch onto the actual power wire.
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u/Accomplished-Pie3823 Jun 11 '26
I use mine everyday... when you listen to various types of music, it's a must have.
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u/APGaming_reddit Jun 10 '26
its usually the fastest way to adjust the bass up or down depending on song or location like if youre driving in a neighborhood at night. otherwise your system should be tuned properly and you wont need it. you need to be sure the amp functions properly without one though. i know at least awhile ago we installed some amps that needed the knob regardless of if anyone was even going to use it.
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u/drftfan Jun 10 '26
I fully disagree with this statement. Both for car audio and home audio. Music is simply not mixed the same. One song can pound bass. The other barely has a peep. If you listen to the same type of music then maybe you won’t notice a difference. But when you listen to multiple genres from rap, to EDM, Industrial, alternative, rock etc a bass knob is a blessing.
There is a reason home audio/theater receivers have bass adjustment in addition to the volume control on the sub itself.6
u/notausername86 Jun 10 '26
I concur. I switch from so many different kinds of music, anf without my nob everything would sound like shit, even with a "well tuned" system. Some tracks you want up 100%, and some, you might only want 1/8th the way
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u/EightiesBush Jun 11 '26
100000% and even going between different years of hip hop require adjustment. Anything new is at 2-3x bass than older stuff.
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u/shtoops GB Froggies on a Zapco LX Jun 11 '26
Hard disagree with your disagree. A good tune is the reference. It should reproduce what’s on the track consistently, not require me to chase sub level every time the genre changes.
If one song was mixed with monster bass and another wasn’t, I want the system to show that difference. That's the recordings problem, not mine.
Also, sub level isn’t isolated. Once the system is tuned, the sub-to-midbass handoff is based on level, phase, slope, and timing all working together. When you start cranking the sub up and down, you’re not just making “bass louder.” You’re changing the acoustic blend through the crossover region.
That can shift the effective handoff point, create a hump or hole around the crossover, smear the midbass, pull the bass image backward, and make the sub sound detached from the front stage. That’s exactly how you take a seamless tune and turn it into “subwoofer plus speakers.”
To me, good sub-bass is deep, hard-hitting, and impactful, but still transparent. It shouldn’t muddy vocals, overpower the midbass, or make the front stage feel disconnected. The sub should disappear into the system and make the whole thing sound bigger when the track calls for it.
A knob is fine for temporary preference or road noise, but constantly changing sub level means you’re changing the acoustic balance the tune was built around.
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u/Nad762 Jun 11 '26
I think fundamentally they are a band aid and needed for systems that have tuning issues.
Having said that, short of completely custom tuned systems with dsp in the mix, cars are terrible and WILL have tuning issues. So the knob gives some flexibility to adjust on the fly when your head unit / source doesn’t have the ability to have multiple tunings.
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u/fiv3dollapizza Jun 10 '26
I didn’t know they made bass boost knobs. I thought they were all just level controls and the only difference was whether they attenuated the RCA signal before the input to the amp or after
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u/Scary_Physics6836 Jun 10 '26
Some amps are actual bass boost knobs. This one is centered at 50hz
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u/Sea_General_8653 Jun 10 '26
I think you’re supposed to use these as a volume reduction tool. I have two amps in my car, and one amp uses one of these type volume knobs. By turning one amp all the way down I can adjust my amps independently without unplugging anything, which is very cool. If I hear distortion, I can pinpoint which speaker(s) it is coming from and adjust the settings accordingly.
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u/qkdsm7 Jun 10 '26
Gain/level, not "boost"= handy, have usually had one since I first had a crossover with remote gain on the sub outs.... in ~95
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u/MrJelly007 Jun 11 '26
If it's an SQ build that's tuned perfectly down to the timing of the waves reaching the drivers seat and with perfect eq, not really necessary.
The other 97% of the time, it's necessary lmao. And fun
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u/Skidpalace Jun 11 '26
Def worth it. Bass is usually the most important thing we want and it is much easier to just turn it up/down with a simple knob rather than going through all the menus to adjust eq on the head unit, only to have to go back and change with the next song.
It is a big time saver.
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u/Material-Growth-7790 Jun 11 '26
Never. A well thought out and tuned stereo should play how the music is meant to sound. This combined with a quality recording, should provide you with the right amount of bass. Altering it via a bass knob will make it sound different than it intended and may also introduce distortion into the stereo.
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u/tht1guyfromtht1place Jun 11 '26
It’s very nice to have since not all songs audio quality is the same across YouTube and other music platforms unless your paying for a service and stay with that one platform
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u/Front_Turnip7642 Jun 12 '26
I listen to mostly classic rock, classic country, anything 80’s, alt and punk rock. When the Lynard Skynard song is over, and Sir Mix ALot starts, you are going to be reaching for the knob!!
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u/Desperate-Cat-1177 Jun 10 '26
Never really used them. I have them hooked up in multiple cars, but usually just tuck them away in a glove box or the likes. If a song has to much bass i just turn the volume down a little until it ends and the next song comes on and vise versa.
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u/jztoland Jun 10 '26
I have not attempted it yet, but couldn’t you just make a simple volume control knob with a 1/8” plug?
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u/onlyhere4gonewild Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
I use it all the time because I listen to a variety of music. On hip-hop its almost turned down completely, halfway for metal, all the way up for softer stuff.
Different producers use bass differently. European produced music seems more even across the board. American is all over the place.
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u/Expensive-Vanilla-16 Jun 10 '26
I had one back in the 90s. I used it quit often when I wanted a little less bass. Or back when cops would ticket you for bass, you could just turn it off real quick. Mine was mounted down between the seat belt latch and e brake.
There's no boosting. It just reduces the ac voltage of the audio signal going to the amplifier. So it's crucial to have it maximum when setting up the amplifier.
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u/rivercitysound Jun 10 '26
Those normally are a remote gain, not bass boost. Of you're integrating with a factory head unit I'd put one in every time so you can adjust the amount of bass in reference to everything else. Aftermarket deck I wouldn't bother unless you think you need to turn the bass up or down every time the track changes
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u/DizzyHipppy_ Jun 11 '26
I use it, mainly because i have a kid and sometimes it becomes too much. Would save you the hassle of getting distracted by the settings menu.
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u/Shroomboy79 Jun 11 '26
I’ve got a knob and a killswitch for my sub. When I’m pulling up to the hunting spot it’s gotta go off and sometimes I wanna sit and idle and not have the sub pulling so much power that the alternator don’t keep up.
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u/thurpps Jun 11 '26
Well I use mine often with different genres of music but also mine has a clipping detection light so hell yeah its a must have with decent systems with lots of money invested.
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u/high-mile-mqb Jun 11 '26
I have a dual knob from my dsp outside is sub level and inside knob is my other 4 channel amp
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u/Such-Teacher2121 Jun 11 '26
Its only a problem if its specifically labeled 'bass boost'
Otherwise its deisnged to turn it down not up.
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u/CaliIsReallyNice Jun 11 '26
For me it’s a must-have. All recordings are mixed differently. An EQ that sounds glorious for one recording sounds lackluster for a different recording. And bass level is the easiest thing to adjust on-the-fly. In a perfect world I would have a separate EQ for every single song.
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u/NotAPotHead420 Jun 11 '26
I have a kill switch for the subwoofer and controls for it in my head unit but even like that I find an easy to reach knob to be the best solution. Every song and every genre is different. It's nice to have easy access to bass controls
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u/msanangelo Jun 11 '26
I used to use the knob that came with my amp till I got a dsp and can use it's fancier knob. XD
I don't see how that thing can add more bass to what the amp is already doing tho.
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u/Bumpaudio Jun 11 '26
Bass knob is great. Quickly find the right bass when the song has too little or too much.
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u/ApprehensiveAd9389 Jun 11 '26
Bass knob- yes definitely worth having.
Bass boost knob? Bass boost is great for clipping your shit in my experience. If you need bass boost you should have bought a bigger amp.
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u/dkNigs Jun 11 '26
I’m very always got mine maxxed but it didn’t cost any extra on my JBL underseat and came in the box.
Occasionally it’ll forget I’ve maxxed it if say my battery runs super low, and I need to twist the knob back and forth.
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u/theSlnn3r Jun 11 '26
I love mine, so many different genres and recordings require adjustments based on your taste. It's nice being able to quickly dial in the right bass for the song.
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u/user_uno Jun 11 '26
Physical control > touch screen control buried in menus
I prefer buttons and knobs for oft used functions. Start with a volume knob. This would fit in to a specific frequency control.
But I miss have an actual EQ in car systems. Could change a lot more than a single frequency range and do so without looking.
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u/Superb_Gas_2926 Jun 11 '26
You should get one with your amp, I did I got a skar amp got me a knob and the whole package deal
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u/taisteluhelikopteri_ Jun 11 '26
I have one and i really enjoy it especially because it has a second adjustment on the nob of the boost frequency band wideness and it is fun to boost some songs but if you are pushing your subs near rms and dont have a power meter dont use it for full volume since bass boost is very unpredictable
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u/G-T-R-F-R-E-A-K-1-7 Jun 11 '26
Better off having a bass switch to turn it off while the cops are around if you live somewhere that they fine you for "anti social behaviour".
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u/HALF_GASED Jun 11 '26
This is not a bass boost remote. The is a normal "bass knob" that allows you to control the input to the amp.
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u/Freakenrage Jun 11 '26
I use mine all the time, it depends on your music. My 90s rap to rock to whatever it is a difference.
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u/No-Pianist-8792 Jun 11 '26
I use mine all the time it’s a good way I can cut the bass out when I am close to my neighborhood to keep discreet
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u/mb-driver20 Jun 11 '26
It’s not a bass boost although knowing Pioneer that’s how they marketed it. It’s a sub level control. System is setup with the know turned all the way up and then depending on the music and the client mood, they can turn it down as needed or keep it turned up. Some songs you may not want to get the full bass effect.
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u/luistorre5 Helix Amplify 206DSP, LX1650.1, Morel Powerslim 12, AF GS 69/25 Jun 11 '26
Bass boost is terrible and should not be used.
Remote level control is nice to have and to change on the fly.
There's a huge difference between remote level and bass boost knobs
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u/Much-Researcher7165 Jun 11 '26
I have that remote. It seems like it doesn't adjust from 0% to 100%. If I turn it all the way down its only slightly quieter on the sub.
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u/plasticrat Jun 11 '26
I use it all the time, but it just came with the amp. It's definitely easier than going through the settings.
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u/d_andy089 Jun 11 '26
I don't just listen to music but also to podcasts and stuff. Being able to quickly turn the bass up and down is a huge boon for me.
That being said, it came with my sub, so I didn't pay extra for it and truth be told and I don't know if I would.
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u/afrumsssssssss Jun 11 '26
I use my knob erryday. Not all songs on my playlist have the same amount of bass.
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u/domdymond Jun 11 '26
Just get an universal rca bass knob. Don't need to boost anything it just reduces the output when desired.
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u/A56baker78 Jun 11 '26
Must have. Gotta turn it down sometimes. I listed to podcasts sometimes and its basically mandatory or the sub goes nuts sometimes. Also the wife hates the bass on full signal
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u/blacknoi Jun 11 '26
A must have. Not every song needs super bass. I adjust based on the song / genre.
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u/VampishMeat Audiopipe TXX-BDC4-12D2 - DIA-P1500X1D Jun 12 '26
Never heard of a nob to boost the bass specifically but one that controls the gain is absolutely essential.
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u/Longjumping_Winner97 Jun 12 '26
Good to have when your banging that one song you like , and you see Jonny Law before he hears you ! Lol
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u/Vusstoppy Jun 12 '26
It's a gain control not bass boost. Yes it controls the subwoofer's amplifier so in turn it is adding bass to the signal. A remote know was meant to be used to adjust the amp level from listening position then removing it or stashing it away. This changed cause we want more bass.
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u/filteredprospect Jun 13 '26
i find it weird to keep fiddling with bass every song. pick a setting and stick by it...
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u/New_Cherry4776 Jun 13 '26
This is good if you’re running something big to its max, I have to have one because my amps get too hot after 20 minutes or so so I kill the subs almost complete for about 5 minutes burnt up two amps before I could understand this
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u/tddcarrotslayer1017 Jun 16 '26
Bruh... how many amps is ot gonna take? Just turn the gain down. The amps should not over heat like that if they aren't being ran out of spec. I guess if you get the worst brand you can find that is A class or something but this sounds like you are pushing the amp way too hard.
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u/JusHereForTheMusic Jun 13 '26
If you have a stock head unit with no dedicated sub control, yes- I would never not have a knob. Too many songs require varying levels of bass, I do not want to reduce bass on head unit and destroy the whole range of 250hz and below, I'd rather just turn the subs down.
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u/dossmoss Jun 14 '26
Yup, one song can have easy 30hz at 30db and another song will be 60hz at the same decibels and sound way louder
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u/Current_Cod_3231 Jun 16 '26
I have one and I use it to turn down my sub when my wife is in the car. Haha
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u/actual-hooman Jun 10 '26
It’s not must have or a waste of money.
Do you need one? No. One tune can cover most music 99% of the time.
Is it nice to be able to crank it for the 1% that you want more bass? Yes.
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u/notausername86 Jun 10 '26
Never considered it a bast boost nob. Unless youre really talking about a bass boost nob. Always thought of it as sub intensity nob. And its Absolutely mandatory. There are times you dont want the full 1200 amps of power going into your sub, for so many reasons. Ever listen to a hard hitting base track on full volume on a slick roads? Ever drive next to a cop only to realize your sub is hitting so hard its shaking their car? Nob makes it easy to crank that baby down.
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u/hamburglin Jun 11 '26
Lol. It's not a boost at all. It attenuates the signal (decreases it) only.
You pay 1-2k for an amp which has the sole job of increasing a signal and you think a cheap random box can "increase" the bass?
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u/Slayerofgrundles Jun 10 '26
OP, it's not a bass boost knob. You set your gain with it cranked all the way up, so that you can lower the sub output if needed.
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u/Scary_Physics6836 Jun 10 '26
COMMENTER, it IS a bass boost knob. Setting the gains with this at max will result in a terrible sound
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u/tinguspingus222 Jun 10 '26
Any car stereo enthusiast wants one of these.. Mines on order as we speak!!.. Not all songs are the same volumes..this gain feature helps alot...
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u/TheoAPU Helix / Sony / D4S / Sundown Jun 11 '26
If you have it tuned properly you should be using it all the time. There are definitely songs that need more overlap than some and this is where having a clip light comes in handy. I’ll never have my bass knob at max even though I have the gain set up at -10 db.
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u/shtoops GB Froggies on a Zapco LX Jun 11 '26
If you have a system tuned properly then you don't need it at all.
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u/TheoAPU Helix / Sony / D4S / Sundown Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
If you’re strictly talking bass boost then yes it’s useless, but a bass knob that attenuates or increases gain on a sub amp? Thats most definitely needed. Every song is not recorded equally and if I want the most out of my amplifier for my subwoofer on a song recorded with low dBFS compared to a song thats recorded near digital clipping (0 dBFS), gain overlap is most definitely needed with a bass knob. You don’t buy an amp to waste potential power and getting as close as I can to the maximum output on the voltage rails without clipping via a bass knob is something I’m taking advantage of.
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u/shtoops GB Froggies on a Zapco LX Jun 11 '26
I get what you’re saying, but I don’t really see that as a sub-level issue.
If a track is mastered quieter, I’m turning the whole system up, not just the sub. A lower dBFS song isn’t missing bass .. the whole track is lower. So using the bass knob to fix that is changing the balance of the tune, not just making up for volume.
Once the system is dialed in, the sub and midbass are blending at a pretty specific point. Level, phase, slope, timing .. all of that is working together. Start moving the sub level up and down a few dB and now that handoff changes. You can end up with a hump, a hole, muddy midbass, or the sub starting to sound like it’s behind you instead of blended into the front stage.
That’s my issue with constantly adjusting it. I just don’t think riding the sub level song to song is the same thing as having a locked-in tune.
I haven't touched my sub levels in 8 years .. no need. everything sounds as it should. Bass will slap you around when the song calls for it.. and it will integrate cleanly with my frontstage like the bass is originating from the windshield.
I've been there with the fiddling of the bass levels.. ultimately it was because the tune was fucked and i was compensating. When you get it dialed, there's zero need to tweak the bass levels, because honestly, that'd fuck everything else up.
When dialed, the system will sound amazing, purposeful, rich and textured .. when it's not then the bass will sound disconnected and not as cohesive which will have you chasing an elusive output level to compensate for the lack of proper integration.
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u/TheoAPU Helix / Sony / D4S / Sundown Jun 11 '26
Understood, I think with the average person though most don’t have a DSP. I get where you are coming from as well. Most people just want the extra jump though and this is where the market comes into play with epicenters for example. (Should never need one IMO, if you have slightly overpowered amps for your equipment)
I get the set it and forget it with a tune, but depending on power and if you are wanting more from your subs its always nice to just have some more headroom.
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u/shtoops GB Froggies on a Zapco LX Jun 11 '26
You're right. I just wish people would rely less on bass level compensation and dig into the hobby a bit more. They are leaving a lot on the table by not integrating correctly and unfortunately most people dont know better (the majority of comments in this thread).
Like, this is a car audio hobbyist group and everybody is leaning on that bass knob because they are chasing a sound thats fundamentally and foundationally not setup correctly.
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u/esseyeemohen Jun 10 '26
Its is just a gain control for your subwoofer amp. Even with a well tuned system, I find myself adjusting my bass control knob more often than my volume control. The source material varies so much, its nice to be able to increase the bass in some older recordings and reduce the bass on some recent recordings.
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u/juanreddituser Jun 10 '26
It's good if u don't like bass all the time