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One or more powered subwoofers are a must-have
part of any decent quality home theater surround sound or home audio system. Without a powered subwoofer, you miss the most satisfying DEEP BASS on music CDs, and special effects on
Blu-ray discs and (HD) DVD movies. Sometimes referred to as an amplified or active
subwoofer, a powered subwoofer contains one or more large cone speaker drivers called woofers, typically ranging in diameter from about
6 to 15 inches, and mounted inside an enclosure along with its own power amplifier.
When you see a digital surround sound / audio system
listed as 7.1, 6.1, 5.1, or 2.1, the number before the dot signifies how many surround sound speakers are placed
throughout your home theater room, and the number .1 after the dot stands for the dedicated subwoofer channel(s),
often referred to as LFE (Low Frequency Effects). Over the last several years,
it has become increasingly common to hear about higher-end digital surround sound audio systems including two
(or more) subwoofers instead of just a single subwoofer. (Check out the $5000 Yamaha RXZ11 11.2 channel home theater receiver!) Setting up a home theater surround sound system with more
than one powered subwoofer can significantly improve
your bass response and dispersion.
Velodyne SPL-1200R 12 inch 1000 watt subwoofer |
Infinity Cascade Model Fifteen subwoofer
with four 6 inch woofers, 800 watts RMS
Because powered subs have their own source of power (as opposed to passive, non-amplified subwoofers that steal their power from the rest of your speaker system), they can add considerable low-frequency, deep bass performance to virtually any home theater speaker system or stereo speaker system.
Subwoofer Placement A subwoofer typically produces its best
quality bass response when placed somewhat near a few feet from the corner of your room or near the front left and right speakers.
You'll want to experiment a bit before deciding on its permanent location. We also recommend that you try to avoid using your
powered subwoofer inside a perfectly square room. A powered inwall subwoofer may also be a
good solution, depending on your particular situation.
Also, don't forget to invest in a long
enough and good quality subwoofer cable, and possibly even a separate power center to plug
your subwoofer into, since it will likely be located in a corner away from
your home theater receiver and the rest of your A/V equipment.
Common misspellings of subwoofers include subwoffers, subwoolfers, subwolfers, and subwooofers. |
