High-quality sound for a complete immersion in the atmosphere of the film is simply necessary. That is why many consider the subwoofer a must-have component of a good home theater. This is not only about enhancing the sound of low frequencies, but also about many other positive qualities of the subwoofer. This article will discuss how to choose the right subwoofer for your home theater.
Why do I need a subwoofer
The content of the article
- Why do I need a subwoofer
- Criteria for choosing a subwoofer for a home theater
- Types of Subwoofers
- How to choose a subwoofer
Most home theaters have subwoofer channels in their design. By connecting the device to the system, you can:
- expand the available low frequency range;
- remove excessive load from the system in the middle and high frequency range;
- make the sound brighter, more detailed;
- give volume sound.
REFERENCE! Often home cinemas are equipped with this type of speaker systems in cases where you need to “help” the old system that can’t cope with the transmission of surround and high-quality sound. It will be much cheaper to upgrade a working system in this way than to completely upgrade it, and the result will be similar.
Criteria for choosing a subwoofer for a home theater
Experts identify just a few basic criteria that you should rely on when choosing a subwoofer. Among them:
- characteristics of the main speakers;
- room size;
- manufacturer.
The main parameter that should be considered when choosing the type of subwoofer for a home theater is, of course, the potential of its main speakers. If we are talking about speakers with a frequency of about 60–70 Hertz, then the choice for the user remains wide, since such virtually any, even relatively inexpensive “sub” model from a not-too-famous manufacturer. The main thing is not to chase an excessively low price and pay attention to quality.
If the speakers can "drop" to about 30 Hertz, then the "sub" should be selected to them appropriate. In this case, the device will have to lower the lower cut-off frequency by about one octave, which is not given to every device.
As for the size of the room, everything is quite simple here: the power of the device should be the greater, the larger the approximate cubic capacity of the room.
REFERENCE! The choice of location for the device is determined “by ear”, however, when placing a “sub” in one place or another, you need to rely on the principle of symmetrical arrangement of the elements of the speaker system.
Important when choosing a manufacturer. Fans of the so-called mono-brand approaches quite reasonably argue that the system will work really high-quality only when all its elements are developed and released by one manufacturer. On the other hand, there are many cases when using the “step-down” subwoofer it was possible to achieve excellent sound.
Types of Subwoofers
The speaker market today provides customers with several types of subwoofers. The most popular types are:
- Closed.
- Phase invertors.
- Striped.
The speakers of closed devices are housed in a closed case. The positive aspects of such a design, experts include small size, simplicity of design, excellent impulse parameters, absence of leaks through the exit surfaces, as well as saturated and deep low frequency.
The phase inverter type of devices implies the presence of a special hole in the housing. The sound from such a device is usually louder and more powerful, but its advantages include not only great power, but also excellent performance due to the tandem port and speaker bass reflex.
As for strip systems, they usually consist of two parts: a bass reflex and a dead tank. The sound pressure in the device is quite high, which affects the frequency range, narrowing it somewhat. Often these types of subwoofers are placed in a sealed enclosure with an acoustic filter. The undoubted advantages of strip devices include:
- high sound pressure;
- proportional relationship between sensitivity and bandwidth;
- small progress of the speaker;
- minimum vibrations of the diffuser.
REFERENCE! Strip systems are rather cumbersome and hardly suitable for rooms in which every centimeter of free space counts.
How to choose a subwoofer
Another important criterion in the acquisition of a subwoofer for a home theater may be the choice between the active or passive type of device. In order to do everything right, it is necessary to consider the following system features:
- Better sound from active systems means a higher price for them.
- Passive subwoofers require a lot of space to install an amplifier.
- Active "subs" are easier to operate.
- Passive systems have a more dense and surround sound, while active ones have even sound.
In addition, active systems have more tuning capabilities and are more practical to install. Installing an active subwoofer not only allows you to “add bass”, but also improve the sound along the entire length of the audio range, although it will cost a little more than passive. The final choice depends not only on the characteristics of a particular model or system, but also on the financial capabilities of the buyer.
