Sunday, June 22, 2025

Infinity Reference 1000SSL 10 Inch Car Subwoofer With Passive Radiator

Most stock our stereos have a lot of room for improvement. There are a lot of options to upgrade your car speaker system. One option, with decades of experience, is Infinity. You also don’t want to forget the subwoofer. Up for review today is the Infinity Reference 1000SSL. MSRP is $399.

 


Feature and specs:

Subwoofer:  10" (250mm) Aluminum Driver

Power Handling:  350W RMS, 1050W peak

Sensitivity (1W/1m):  82.5dB

Frequency Response (-6dB):  35Hz – 400Hz

Nominal Impedance:  2 ohms

Voice Coil Diameter:  2" (50mm)

Enclosure dimensions:  334mmD x 630mmW x 115mmH 13-1/8"D x 24-7/8"W x 4-1/2"H

Enclosure materials:  3/4” (18mm) MDF with black carpet covering

 


The Infinity Reference 1000SSL came in a standard cardboard box with images and specs of the subwoofer. Opening the box revealed a well-protected enclosure held in place by Styrofoam. Materials used for the construction was mostly MDF for the enclosure, aluminum and rubber for the subwoofer, and cloth. Quality of the materials used in the construction, as well as the fit and finish, was very good. Also included were the rubber feet, screws, logo sticker, and owner’s manual.

 


I absolutely love the design of the Infinity Reference 1000SSL. But lets first talk about subwoofer enclosure designs. The most common are sealed and ported. And I know this is over simplified, but it’s the basics. Sealed gives you a nice tight sound, good power handling, in a smaller size, but not as loud as ported. Ported isn’t as tight sounding, and is louder, but requires a much larger enclosure. Using a passive radiator gives you the best of both worlds. It’s sealed so you get a tight sound in a smaller sealed box. Yet the passive radiator almost acts like a port. It’s not quite as loud as ported, but it does increase its volume output when compared to a regular sealed enclosure by a good amount.

 


The Infinity Reference 1000SSL taps into that passive radiator design. It uses two 10’s in a sealed enclosure. One driver is active, and the other is the passive radiator. The box is small enough to give you some installation location options, depending on your vehicle. And if it gets installed in your truck, the enclosure uses ¾” thick MDF so it’s strong, and the drivers are down firing. So you can stack things on top of it, like groceries, if needed. The 350 watt RMS also gives you some amp flexibility. You can use a smaller sub amp, or most 5 channel full system amps have a sub amp part that are big enough to power it. Installation was also easy. Let’s see how it sounds.

 


Queen: Another One Bites the Dust: Bass beats were extremely dynamic, played with a ton of authority with excellent depth. And it hit really hard like a punch to the chest.

Brandon Beal: Drop that Booty Down Low: bass beats were nice and tight, with really good extension and authority. They were really dynamic and hit really hard. And when the booty got dropped down low, it shook the whole car!



Tiesto & Severn: Boom: some bass beats were not as deep, but were still really dynamic and hit hard. Others were deeper, and hit even harder. And then others were so, so deep, and yet, hit even harder! It was a subwoofer torture track that the sub smiled and danced to the whole time it played. And the whole car constantly shook as if under attack!

 


Infinity is one of those brands that are known for quality products, and I’m glad to see that they don’t sit on their laurels.  Their reputation for great products continues.  The enclosure is very well made, as are the drivers.  And given its down firing design and sturdy build, it also does not take away from trunk utility.  And, it also sounded really good!  Based on its design, features, quality, and performance, the Infinity Reference 1000SSL has earned our Editor’s Choice Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.harmanaudio.com. 



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