Once considered a novelty item, the Bazooka tube has become a household word for bass.

Bazooka BT1014 10" subwoofer tube
Bazooka's BT1014 is a different animal: a 10" woofer housed in a ported polypropylene cylindrical tube. Originally designed to fit behind the seat in small pickup trucks, the Bazooka tube is known for producing big bass from a relatively small enclosure. Another plus — the tube design eliminates bass "standing waves," the booming distortion created as low frequencies resonate within an enclosure. The down side — more than other designs, the bass tube depends on proper location for best performance. It works best facing into a corner, so you have to experiment a little before mounting it.

The Bazooka is more compact and much lighter than the other three enclosures, so I was curious to see how it would fare in the matchup. Again, I played the reference Buddy Guy cut, then switched from the Kicker ported box to the Bazooka tube. To balance the bass in my system, I faded 2 notches forward, so the Bazooka had just a little more impact than the sealed box. The overall sound of the Bazooka seemed closest to that of the sealed box, surprisingly tight for a ported design. Oddly enough, the Bazooka seemed to be more "invisible" than the other three enclosures — it sounded like my front speakers were suddenly kicking out big bass, not at all like there was a sub in the back of my car.

The kick drum had plenty of impact, and the electric bass stayed well-defined into the upper ranges. Even with the bass-heavy Alpha Blondy cut, the bass stayed tight, focused, and balanced, with very little resonance. The acoustic bass sounded clean, with the string sounds clearly audible. The Bazooka did not have the ultra-heavy impact of the bandpass and ported boxes, and it even seemed a little lighter in the lowest octave than the sealed box — but still plenty loud and plenty fat. I could swear I was hearing more midbass production (even though the low-pass crossover on the amp was set at 80 Hz) than with the other enclosures.

Conclusion: " Punchy" is the first word that comes to mind to describe the BT1014. This bass from this compact tube tied in with my front speakers beautifully. In the past, the rap on the Bazooka tube has been that it sacrificed accuracy to achieve its compact size — well, I sure didn't hear it. With the Bazooka hooked up, my system sounded very big and extremely natural. Whether or not space is an issue in your vehicle, the tube is a great-sounding, user-friendly option.

Which enclosure is right for you?
We've taken a look at four different enclosures, each with its own distinctive sound, so you can form some general impressions of the strengths of each design. Hopefully, we've taken some of the mystery out of finding the right sub/enclosure combo for you. There's no substitute for listening, though — if you have any bass-loving friends, check out the subs in their cars to see what appeals to you. And, whichever type of enclosure you choose, may you safely reach the ultimate goal of low frequency enlightenment!