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Powered subwoofers
Reasons to buy
What you get
Powered subwoofers
A powered subwoofer is a box containing one or more woofers that only reproduce the lowest bass notes, typically no higher than about 150Hz. The box also contains a built-in amplifier to produce the loudness desired so you won't have to strain your existing amplifier. Most powered subwoofers can get their signals through a subwoofer output or other output jack on your amp or receiver. Many can even be hooked up to conventional speaker wires. Since the human ear cannot locate where deep bass comes from, the powered sub can be placed anywhere within your room, even behind the couch.
Reasons to buy
There are several reasons to own a subwoofer, including:
• You own or plan to buy a DVD player or DIRECTV. Dolby Digital and DTS have a dedicated channel just for subwoofer output.
• You don't have room for big speakers but you want deep bass. A subwoofer can be combined with a quality pair of small speakers to create a wonderful full-range system without big tower speakers.
• You rent a lot of movies but Godzilla sounds like a Teletubbie through your small system. Pump him up!
• You are a music lover but those big speakers you spent a lot of money for don't reach down low enough now that you heard your buddy's system. You need a deep bass solution that doesn't require you to throw away your existing speakers.
What you get
Subwoofers have a broad range of vendors and prices. As you go up the line in price what you get sonically is:
Added volume: Thanks to the bigger built-in amplifiers. Small subs have 50-watt amps while top of the line subs have at least 250 watts with 500-watt peak capability.
Deeper bass: Larger cabinets, larger and multiple drivers that go deeper.
Better bass: Using better components and materials means that what you hear will have less distortion and be quicker and cleaner—like real music!
Guide created: 12/22/05 (updated 03/19/09)
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