The history of subwoofers is littered with decades of advancement, from the first-generation elementary units to their current-day successors. Since their creation, Subwoofers have been a vital part of home theatre, Hi-Fi, and car audio systems. They take the low bass and make it much more audible to your ears, allowing you to enjoy your movie or music to its full potential.
When Was The First Subwoofer Invented?
The first official subwoofer was created in California in 1964 by Raymon Dones. The motivation behind the first subwoofer was in response to the lack of bass from regular speakers, enhancing the sound quality and improving the overall listening experience. The subwoofer could reproduce frequencies as low as 15 Hz while remaining distortion-free.
Dones’s design was called “The Octavium” and was utilised by multiple recording artists throughout the 60s and 70s, as well as several theatres for the release of the blockbuster movie Earthquake in 1974.
Similar subwoofer technologies produced in the 1960s include the Servo Statik 1 (SS-1) by Arnold Nudell and Cary Christine (later known as Infinity) and a design by Ken Kreisel, the former president of the Miller & Kreisel Sound Corporation during the late 1960s.
Subwoofers in Music and Cinema
In 1973, Ken Kreisel was asked to bring a prototype of his subwoofer to Village Records for the very first use in a recording session. During the 70s and 80s, various improvements and modifications were made by Kreisel. In addition, Kreisel created the first satellite speaker and subwoofer system. He named it David and Goliath.
Thanks to the cinema, subwoofers continued on their trend of popularity with movies such as Earthquake (1974), Midway (1976), and Rollercoaster (1977) that took full advantage of the subwoofer’s low frequencies and rumbling effect.
Furthermore, in the mid-1970s, hip-hop and disco tracks were recorded on 12-inch vinyl, allowing a higher bass volume. DJs took advantage of these tracks paired with subwoofers to play more bass-heavy music that dancers could hear and feel, which was a huge success.
Residential Subwoofers
In the 1980s, the Bose Acoustimass AM-5 was released and revolutionised home listening. It became a popular subwoofer and small high-range satellite speaker system. Following the success of the AM-5, other manufacturers began to produce their own subwoofer-satellite speaker systems, such as the Cambridge SoundWorks Ensemble systems and the Boston Acoustics Sub Sat 6 and 7.
Origin Acoustics developed the first in-wall subwoofer for residential use in the mid-1980s. This new subwoofer design was called the Composer and was made to be mounted into wall studs when new homes were built.
From Niche to Mainstream
During the early days of subwoofers in the 1960s and 1970s, their popularity reached only as far as audiophiles and large audio production companies. However, by the 1990s, subwoofers became a much more widely used product due to varying sizes, capabilities and accessibility.
After the release of the Compact Disc (CD), it became even easier to add more bass to recordings which meant listeners could experience music like never before. Residential subwoofers also gained popularity due to their easy integration with existing multimedia speaker setups. In addition, up-to-date subwoofers became much easier to position or hide.
Fast forward to today, subwoofers are used more than ever and are only rising in popularity. People can hear and feel the music in the comfort of their own homes. Subwoofers provide an enriched experience for listeners, regardless of their taste and genre of music.
We stock the highest quality subwoofers from some of the biggest brands like Yamaha, REL Acoustics, Bowers and Wilkins, Dali and more. Alternatively, you can speak with one of our product experts on 02476 631 707 to help find the best subwoofer for you.
