More Than You Cared To Know About Subwoofers
A new audio system featuring surround sound may include a sub woofer. So what is a sub woofer anyway? Subwoofers are speakers that process sound below the normal operating range of a woofer. A woofer is one of three speaker types; the tweeter, the midrange, and the woofer.While the tweeters, midranges, and woofers play the high, middle and low frequencies respectively, subwoofers play sound well below the normal operating range of a woofer. They create a true bass sound, and are indispensable to systems that play music with heavy deep bass. A good sub woofer produces sound that you can not only hear, but you can feel it as well. The thumping feeling that you can feel in your chest is usually produced by the sub woofer. What is a Subwoofer?
The construction of subwoofers is not entirely unlike an ordinary speaker, except the design is slightly different to create the dynamics for all bass output. There is a cone/dust cap, the surround the sub woofer, the spider element, the basket, the magnet, and the voice coil. These are all highly specialized items, and are designed to create a bass sound that you can feel, standing right next to it or a distance away, and are used to magnify and amplify the heavy bass feel and sound many types of modern music. It also gives that low-end rumble in a movie soundtrack such as the sound of an explosion or a racing jet engine. Types And Sizes Of Subwoofers Not all subwoofers are alike. They come in many types, sizes, and price ranges. Some are of a higher quality than others, and create better effects, and the best of them are considered to be what are called "high-end". Average subwoofer sizes run from 6 inches to 15 inches in diameter. Some are even larger, but these are the common sizes that you will find most often. As to types of subwoofers, there is a great deal of variation among this class of speaker. Many times you will find them already in an enclosure with powerd amplifiers built in. A powered amplifier requires AC or DC power to drive this massive speaker. What You'll Need For A Subwoofer Each subwoofer needs to be contained in an enclosure for maximum performance. In addition, each requires an amplifier either built into the subwoofer system, or other external amplifier to power the subwoofer system. The classic place in car audio for a subwoofer is inside the trunk of the car, however newer systems can be placed in nooks and crannies of the unused space in your car. Since the amount of air the sub woofer can move helps to determine its performance, a trunk works great for this purpose. Additional Information Due to the size of the subwoofer, and the enclosure that is necessary to harness the sound from it, choosing the right place in your car to install them can be a large challenge. Optimal placement is either in the rear window area, or the traditional trunk space. You may either want to consult a stereo expert, or specialized car audio shop to help you select your system, and/or install it for you. If you choose to purchase and install a subwoofer and its system yourself, it is wise to educate yourself about them in advance as much as possible. When shopping for you next sub woofer, listen to various makes, sizes and models. Typically, the larger the sub woofer the better the sound. However, you can find a 10 inch subwoofer with a better sound than a 12 inch subwoofer. The amplifier and the enclosure can make a big difference in the sound quality. |
