If you are slowly beginning to build your house entertainment system, the very first thing that you probably picked out was a pair of speakers. This is only the start, however. Whether your setup is for movies, games, music, or all of the above, a powered subwoofer is one of the vital components to a complete audio system. We’re here to answer some common questions about subwoofers and how they could elevate your house theater experience. It is the speaker that produces the lower frequencies — specifically 20-200 Hz — that a conventional two-channel or surround sound setup can’t replicate by itself. These low frequencies come from instruments such as the kick drum, bass guitar, and pipe organ, in addition to picture sound effects like explosions.
While you may hear the bass out of your bookshelf or floorstanding speakers, a subwoofer allows you to feel the noise. Listening to bass-heavy music like hip hop or EDM or watching a full-throttle action flick with no subwoofer leaves a great deal to be desired. Additionally, you are not having the song or movie the way in which the artist or director intended.
Surea subwoofer is a bass-thumping juggernaut, but that is only scratching the surface. A great subwoofer helps remove the heavy lifting out of the loudspeakers, enhancing your entire system. The dynamics are somewhat more compelling, the soundstage widens, and the stereo imaging gets more accurate. Even if you prefer turning folk records and viewing dialogue-driven indie dramas, a subwoofer will help create a more lively, all-encompassing sound.
Honestly, you can put your subwoofer anywhere. But because all chambers are constructed differently, the results will change. If you’re serious about getting optimal bass performance from your subwoofer, there can be some trial and error involved.
We get it. Not everyone has a dedicated home theater or listening room together with the flexibility to put your subwoofer everywhere. Most likely, your system is located on your living room, meaning décor, furniture, and other items are competing for floor area. You may have to rearrange some stuff, but it’s well worth it to get the”sweet spot.” A wireless subwoofer such as the RW-100SW can make the process much smoother.
Along with placement, acoustic treatment is one more factor to think about if you want to get the maximum from a subwoofer. You can have the very best subwoofer on the planet, but if it is within an acoustically poor area, anticipate subpar bass functionality. Additionally, many modern A/V receivers come equipped with space correction technology such as Audyssey and AccuEQ. It calibrates each speaker to make a more harmonious home entertainment experience. A subwoofer works great as it doesn’t draw attention to itself. Your subwoofer and loudspeakers should behave as a single unit.
On the back of our subwoofers, you will find a low-pass crossover knob. Crossover is the frequency where your speakers begin to roll-off, along with the subwoofer begins to produce bass notes. Establish your crossover stage about 10 Hz over your speaker’s lowest frequency range. For example, 35 Hz is the lowest frequency that the R-820F can manage, so you would set your crossover at about 45 Hz.
The 0/180-degree phase switch is just another subwoofer control. The mechanisms behind the stage can become pretty complicated. To dial in your stage, play a few bass-heavy music, listen to a bit, and also have a buddy switch between the two settings. Whichever one sounds better, leave it there. If you can’t hear a difference, place it at 0 degrees.
A sizable subwoofer such as the SPL-150 may take any home-theater installation to another level. However, as your system grows, adding a second sub can help ensure the bass is equally distributed throughout the entire room. Two SPL-150s increase your output capability by close to 6 dB, meaning everyone in the area can feel those powerful, low tones while viewing actions and sci-fi movies.
