Subwoofers come to be more and more important to your home theatre experience. By looking at the film theatre, you marvel not simply at the images projected on the cinema screen, while the sounds emanating near you. What really grabs you, though, is the sound you actually feel; the strong bass that rumbles you up and gets you in the middle of your gut. A complex speaker, referred to as a subwoofer, is mainly responsible for this experience. The bass speaker was developed simply to reproduce the lowest of audible frequencies.
Passive Subwoofers Passive subwoofers are powered by an external amplifier, within the same fashion as alternative speakers in your system. The top consideration here is that since extreme bass needs more electricity to reproduce low frequency sounds, your amplifier or receiver really should be capable to output enough power to sustain bass effects in the subwoofer with out draining the amp. Just how much power is dependent upon the needs from the speaker as well as the size of the space (and just how much bass you could stomach!).
Powered Subwoofers To eliminate the problem of inadequate power or other characteristics which may be lacking in a amplifier or receiver, powered sub woofers are self-contained speaker/amplifier units wherein the characteristics of your amplifier and subwoofer are optimally synchronised. As a side benefit, all a powered bass speaker or subwoofer needs is known as a line output from your receiver. This arrangement needs a lot of the energy load out from the amp/receiver and allows for the amp/receiver to power the mid-range and tweeters with less effort.
Front-Firing and Down-Firing Sub Woofers Front-firing sub woofers contain a speaker mounted so that it radiates the audio from the side or front of the bass speaker enclosure. Down firing sub woofers utilize a speaker which is mounted so that it radiates downward, towards the floor.
Ports and Passive Radiators Some sub woofer enclosures also employ an extra port, which forces out quite a bit of air, maximizing bass response in a more efficient manner than sealed enclosures. Yet another kind of enclosure runs on the Passive Radiator along with the speaker, rather than a port, to increase preciseness and efficiency. Passive radiators can either be speakers having the voice coil removed, or else a flat diaphragm.
Cross-overs The crossover is an electronic circuit that tracks all frequencies below a precise point to the bass speaker; all frequencies above that point are reproduced to the main, center, and surrounding speakers. Typically, a very good bass speaker features a "crossover" frequency close to 100hz. Gone may be the need for those large 3 way speaker systems with twelve or fifteen inch woofers. Smaller satellite speakers, designed for mid-and-high frequencies, that take up a lesser amount of space and generally are now common in many home cinema systems.
Deep Bass is Non Directional In addition to that, while the deep bass frequencies reproduced by way of the sub woofers are non-directional (as frequencies that are at or below the threshold of hearing). It's very hard for our ears to actually pin-point the direction in which the sound is originating from. That's the reason we are able to only sense that an earthquake seems to be all around us, rather from from a particular direction.
Bass speaker Placement Because of the non-directional sound that is reproduced by way of the subwoofer, it can be placed any where in your theater room. However, the best results will depend on size of the room, furnishings, wall construction and floor type. Typically, best placement for a subwoofer is within the front of your room, just to the left or right of the main speakers, or even in a front corner of the room.
The Results Despite all of the technical specifications and design elements of subwoofers, the type of subwoofer you select for your personal system depends upon the characteristics of your room and your own preferences.
Passive Subwoofers Passive subwoofers are powered by an external amplifier, within the same fashion as alternative speakers in your system. The top consideration here is that since extreme bass needs more electricity to reproduce low frequency sounds, your amplifier or receiver really should be capable to output enough power to sustain bass effects in the subwoofer with out draining the amp. Just how much power is dependent upon the needs from the speaker as well as the size of the space (and just how much bass you could stomach!).
Powered Subwoofers To eliminate the problem of inadequate power or other characteristics which may be lacking in a amplifier or receiver, powered sub woofers are self-contained speaker/amplifier units wherein the characteristics of your amplifier and subwoofer are optimally synchronised. As a side benefit, all a powered bass speaker or subwoofer needs is known as a line output from your receiver. This arrangement needs a lot of the energy load out from the amp/receiver and allows for the amp/receiver to power the mid-range and tweeters with less effort.
Front-Firing and Down-Firing Sub Woofers Front-firing sub woofers contain a speaker mounted so that it radiates the audio from the side or front of the bass speaker enclosure. Down firing sub woofers utilize a speaker which is mounted so that it radiates downward, towards the floor.
Ports and Passive Radiators Some sub woofer enclosures also employ an extra port, which forces out quite a bit of air, maximizing bass response in a more efficient manner than sealed enclosures. Yet another kind of enclosure runs on the Passive Radiator along with the speaker, rather than a port, to increase preciseness and efficiency. Passive radiators can either be speakers having the voice coil removed, or else a flat diaphragm.
Cross-overs The crossover is an electronic circuit that tracks all frequencies below a precise point to the bass speaker; all frequencies above that point are reproduced to the main, center, and surrounding speakers. Typically, a very good bass speaker features a "crossover" frequency close to 100hz. Gone may be the need for those large 3 way speaker systems with twelve or fifteen inch woofers. Smaller satellite speakers, designed for mid-and-high frequencies, that take up a lesser amount of space and generally are now common in many home cinema systems.
Deep Bass is Non Directional In addition to that, while the deep bass frequencies reproduced by way of the sub woofers are non-directional (as frequencies that are at or below the threshold of hearing). It's very hard for our ears to actually pin-point the direction in which the sound is originating from. That's the reason we are able to only sense that an earthquake seems to be all around us, rather from from a particular direction.
Bass speaker Placement Because of the non-directional sound that is reproduced by way of the subwoofer, it can be placed any where in your theater room. However, the best results will depend on size of the room, furnishings, wall construction and floor type. Typically, best placement for a subwoofer is within the front of your room, just to the left or right of the main speakers, or even in a front corner of the room.
The Results Despite all of the technical specifications and design elements of subwoofers, the type of subwoofer you select for your personal system depends upon the characteristics of your room and your own preferences.
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