If you're lacking the bass that you'd like in your stereo or home theater system, a subwoofer is an obvious and necessary upgrade. Subwoofers provide the bass that regular speakers lack. Here's a look at the subwoofer and its capabilities.
Identification
The subwoofer is basically a speaker that is designed to play the lowest frequencies in audio, perhaps 20 Hz to 150 Hz. Most speakers cannot accurately produce the bass that a subwoofer can. A subwoofer utilizes a large woofer that is capable of driving low frequency sound waves.
Passive vs. Powered
The majority of subwoofers are powered, meaning that they have a built-in amplifier and require a separate power supply from the stereo amplifier or receiver. The built-in amplification gives the subwoofer the extra power needed to drive low frequency waves. Subwoofers that do not have a built-in amp and rely solely on amplification from an external amp are called passive subs.
Construction
Subwoofers have a woofer or series of woofers, generally 8 inches or larger, mounted in an enclosure made of wood or other materials. A crossover circuit is used to deliver just the low frequencies to the sub. Some subwoofers feature adjustable crossovers so that you can set the frequency at which the subwoofer begins working, routing all higher frequencies to the speakers.
Uses
Subwoofers are used anywhere that greater bass is desired, including in car and home stereo systems. They are increasingly popular in home audio applications due to the prevalence of home theater soundtracks that include a specific channel for low frequencies known as Low Frequency Effects (LFE). The low frequency effects are sent directly to a subwoofer.
Setup
Home audio subwoofers are connected to a receiver or preamplifier with a subwoofer cable from the sub output jack. Alternately, they can be connected using speaker level connections. Low frequencies are non-directional, which means that a subwoofer can be placed anywhere around the room with largely the same audio results.
Tags: bass that, have built-in, home theater, that subwoofer