Subwoofer's
Much of today’s music features digitally produced or enhanced bass response – which means your existing speakers, with their small speaker cones just can’t reproduce the low tones with any fidelity.
Many of us have stopped listening to our home stereos in favour of streaming music out of our computers. We buy a small set of computer speakers and are disappointed with the results.
So how can we add some “oomph” to our bottom end without chucking our existing speakers?
The answer lies in a sub-woofer. These are speaker enclosures specifically designed to deliver these lower, bass frequencies.
Many computer speaker systems come with a subwoofer as part of the package. Many are fine, but I encourage you to ensure you try them out before plunking down your cash.
You want a system that works for your application. If all you are doing is playing music at your desk at home while you surf the net you don’t need much power or size. But if you want to use it to add onto your home stereo and you want to sound to fill a large room you will need to spend a bit more time and money to get something large enough to push a large volume of air at higher volume levels.
If you are looking to add a sub to your home theatre system you will need to ensure that your regular speakers and your sub match well and that there are no glaring sonic gaps. Many subs let you adjust the frequency you want them to take over at. I suggest you experiment a bit and listen carefully to see if you notice a sonic difference between your normal speakers and the sub. They should blend seamlessly rather than there be an obvious difference in tone, volume or character.
With subwoofers it’s all about size. An 8-inch speaker won’t be as loud or go as low as a 10-inch or 12-inch. Some systems use multiple smaller speakers, which is fine, as long as their surface volume equals or is greater than 12 inches.
Many companies add ports and other physical modifications to make smaller speakers deliver better bottom end. Many work well and some are frankly remarkable, but don’t read the marketing hype, listen to them and make your own decisions.
Most subs come with a built-in amplifier. Bass frequencies eat up power, so if your home stereo puts out 50 watts when cranked, then the sub may need triple that to keep up.
Remember too, that bass sound waves are physically longer than normal and so you don’t want to place the subwoofer too close to your listening position as the waves need time and distance to fully “bloom”.
Place your subwoofer under the desk or at a distance away from your listening position. Low frequencies are difficult for the human ear to place and are not directional. This is why you only need one subwoofer rather than two. Turn it on and listen. Move the sub around until you find the spot that gives you the most pleasing sound.
Be careful with corner placements, as this will increase the bass response or accentuate certain frequencies at the expense of others.
Have fun.
Chris Brown
Many of us have stopped listening to our home stereos in favour of streaming music out of our computers. We buy a small set of computer speakers and are disappointed with the results.
So how can we add some “oomph” to our bottom end without chucking our existing speakers?
The answer lies in a sub-woofer. These are speaker enclosures specifically designed to deliver these lower, bass frequencies.
Many computer speaker systems come with a subwoofer as part of the package. Many are fine, but I encourage you to ensure you try them out before plunking down your cash.
You want a system that works for your application. If all you are doing is playing music at your desk at home while you surf the net you don’t need much power or size. But if you want to use it to add onto your home stereo and you want to sound to fill a large room you will need to spend a bit more time and money to get something large enough to push a large volume of air at higher volume levels.
If you are looking to add a sub to your home theatre system you will need to ensure that your regular speakers and your sub match well and that there are no glaring sonic gaps. Many subs let you adjust the frequency you want them to take over at. I suggest you experiment a bit and listen carefully to see if you notice a sonic difference between your normal speakers and the sub. They should blend seamlessly rather than there be an obvious difference in tone, volume or character.
With subwoofers it’s all about size. An 8-inch speaker won’t be as loud or go as low as a 10-inch or 12-inch. Some systems use multiple smaller speakers, which is fine, as long as their surface volume equals or is greater than 12 inches.
Many companies add ports and other physical modifications to make smaller speakers deliver better bottom end. Many work well and some are frankly remarkable, but don’t read the marketing hype, listen to them and make your own decisions.
Most subs come with a built-in amplifier. Bass frequencies eat up power, so if your home stereo puts out 50 watts when cranked, then the sub may need triple that to keep up.
Remember too, that bass sound waves are physically longer than normal and so you don’t want to place the subwoofer too close to your listening position as the waves need time and distance to fully “bloom”.
Place your subwoofer under the desk or at a distance away from your listening position. Low frequencies are difficult for the human ear to place and are not directional. This is why you only need one subwoofer rather than two. Turn it on and listen. Move the sub around until you find the spot that gives you the most pleasing sound.
Be careful with corner placements, as this will increase the bass response or accentuate certain frequencies at the expense of others.
Have fun.
Chris Brown
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