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What Are Subwoofers
What are subwoofers?
Speakers can either make or break the beauty of any home theater system. Speakers that are too loud can overwhelm a viewer while speakers that are not loud enough can create a less than enjoyable experience. But who knows what a salesperson is talking about when they mention subwoofers, tweeters, and watts? A small amount of research might help a consumer make a proper speakers purchase that will satisfy their needs.
Subwoofers are what many speaker purchasers place their focus on. These basically provide the thumping bass that are the most noticeable part of a speaker system. Subwoofers specialize in producing low frequencies of sound. When turned up, the subwoofers are the ground shaking, floor thumping bass that cause so many problems among adjacent neighbors in an apartment building.
There are two main types of subwoofers available for most home theater systems. The first type is a powered subwoofer. This means that the subwoofer works in direct connection with the amplifier to maximize the capabilities of both components. In a powered subwoofer, the setup is also designed to reduce the amount of strain placed on the amplifier to power the three main components of the speaker unit – the mid-range, tweeters, and subwoofers.
In passive subwoofers, the sole source of power is derived from a separate amplifier. In this arrangement, the amplifier accepts more of the brunt of powering the speaker unit and, as a result, adds more wear and tear on the amplifier. The bass that subwoofers provide can be a drain to the amplifier’s system if it is turned up too high. Therefore, with passive subwoofers, consideration must be made in regards to the amount of bass that the listener desires. Researching the amount of bass that an amplifier can provide without a strain to its resources is vital to maintain a long-lasting system.
It is also important to balance out the sound in your system. You do not want too much bass because the other sound frequencies will not be heard. A level of bass that is too low will be drowned out by the other frequencies. Subwoofers are not necessary to get a small amount of bass frequencies. When you leave the bass frequencies to be played by the normal speaker components, you do not get that explosive, gut shaking feeling that a properly balanced subwoofer can provide.
These are the basic types of subwoofers available for any home theater system. There are several others that have more complicated and specific functions. Down-firing subwoofers, for instance, focus the power of the bass in a downward direction. But whatever the specific needs of the home theater system owner, there are speakers and subwoofers that can satisfy those needs. Pinpointing your specific needs and then researching the proper equipment to satisfy those needs are important steps to creating the perfect home theater system.
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