How Subwoofers Work
Subwoofer Frequencies
Low frequencies are often missed in most Hi-Fi and Home Cinema Systems. Understanding why helps to know how subwoofers work. Low frequencies can only be heard from larger drive units. Plus, of course, a more powerful amplifier, hence the popularity of active subwoofers.
Some of the more expensive floor-standing speakers can reach down to approximately 30Hz. Of course, bookshelf speakers start dropping off at an even higher frequency, completely missing all the very low frequencies that the record producers and film directors intended you to hear.
At Lower frequencies, the speaker driver must be larger, which takes almost all the available power from your existing amplifier even to play at reasonable levels. Many larger floor-standing speakers can reach down to 30Hz, while smaller bookshelf speakers can’t go much below 50Hz or even higher. At the bottom of this range, the output from these speakers begins to reduce, robbing you of what an artist or director intended you to hear (or feel).
A typical floor-standing speaker displays a frequency response that starts to fall at lower frequencies.
Notice how the frequency response starts to fall off – a well-designed subwoofer will continue this curve to below 20 Hz within a 3dB falloff. This highlights how subwoofers work to deliver more profound, more impactful bass, completing the frequency spectrum.
A well-designed subwoofer is a speaker specifically designed to reproduce only low frequencies, leaving your other speakers to handle the mid to high frequencies. Also, more importantly, active subwoofers have their amplifiers built in, which means your amplifier can drive your front speakers more efficiently with more musicality and gain so much more musical enjoyment. Plus, more accurate bass enhances music and movies.
Subwoofer connections
Most subwoofers typically receive a line-level signal from your amplifier or AV receiver, and this is connected by a phono lead directly to the subwoofer input. Should your amplifier or AV Receiver not have a line-level output, you can connect directly from the speaker terminals, providing your subwoofer has speaker-level inputs. This provides its own built-in low-pass filter to allow all low frequencies to pass through to the built-in amplifier.
To truly appreciate how subwoofers work, it’s important to understand that they are essential for enhancing the low-frequency range of any home cinema or audio setup. Why not upgrade your system? Here are some of the subwoofers we recommend for an incredible increase in the overall performance of your existing systems.
Technical Benefits
At the core level, a subwoofer needs to be able to produce deep and loud bass. KEF subwoofers are anything but basic. Each subwoofer is full of exceptional engineering and innovation in the form of cutting-edge technologies, such as Uni-Core™ and KEF’s Music Integrity Engine, and is designed to deliver depth and accuracy in equal measures. KEF subwoofers are versatile, whether you want them for music, movies, or a mixture of both. For small spaces and large listening rooms, a comprehensive line-up has a high-performance subwoofer to suit.
Along with its own internal power amplifier, the finest subwoofers (including all SVS models) include a DSP (digital signal processor), which offers several advantages. The best DSPs rely on sophisticated technologies to handle all the complex functions and the designers’ acoustic expertise to program them to do everything needed for breath-taking and accurate bass reproduction.
DSPs allow designers to accurately tailor the subwoofer’s frequency response and ensure that the driver remains under control, even at extreme playback levels. DSP also allows the subwoofer to take advantage of Room Gain in sealed-cabinet subwoofers. This is more noticeable in smaller rooms and gives users precise control of many parameters like phase, polarity, and parametric EQ from a smartphone app or rear-panel controls. How subwoofers work with DSP technology ensures greater precision and performance in various acoustic environments.
For further information and advice on suitable Subwoofers for your system, contact us now on 02476631707.
