Why the fascination with subwoofers?


I have noticed many posts with questions about adding subwoofers to an audio system. Why the fascination with subwoofers? I guess I understand why any audiophile would want to hear more tight bass in their audio system, but why add a subwoofer to an existing audio system when they don’t always perform well, are costly, and are difficult to integrate with the many varied speakers offered. Additionally, why wouldn’t any audiophile first choose a speaker with a well designed bass driver designed, engineered and BUILT INTO that same cabinet? If anyone’s speakers were not giving enough tight bass, why wouldn’t that person sell those speakers and buy a pair that does have tight bass?
128x1282psyop

Showing 1 response by mzkmxcv

1) Most speakers get to maybe 40Hz at reference levels. Even if they state say 30Hz +/-3dB, that’s at only 1 watt, many will dynamically compress.

2) Many songs go down to 30Hz or 35Hz. Some music with pipe organs go to around 16Hz. Movies have gone as deep as 10Hz.

3) Alleviating the bass from your speakers and amplifier(s) will ease their burden, thus usually allowing them to get louder, and thus be more dynamic.

4) Subwoofers have far more headroom, thus you can do a lot more DSP on a subwoofer at 60Hz than you can for a speaker at 60Hz.

5) The best place for baseball in your room is most likely not where the speakers are, having subwoofers allow you to find their best place in the room for where you sit. Of course, if localizability is an issue, keep them near the speakers.

6) People over-estimate how much bass they currently get. I was content with the bass from my cheap 8” sub, I thought it went decently deep and went decently loud, but I was so wrong, once I got a decent 12”, it was night and day, more of a difference than upgrading from $400 speakers to $40,000 speakers.