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The Home Theater Subwoofer - Types and Features

by Milos Pesic
(home-theatre.need-to-know.net)

Home theater enthusiasts are increasingly recognizing the importance of the home theater subwoofer to the whole movie viewing experience.

What captivate the audience while watching a movie in a movie theater are not just the images on the screen but the sound that surrounds them as well, especially the deep low sounds or the bass.

The home theater subwoofer produces the bass, or the lowest frequency range, and is therefore critical in engaging the audience.

A home theater speaker system is made up of different components, each with a specific function – one for the main soundtrack, another for the sound effects and the main dialogue. The home theater subwoofer is especially responsible for creating just the bass segment of the soundtrack.

Obviously, a home theater subwoofer is not as booming or loud as those used at real movie theaters but they are capable of producing very powerful sounds, too, enough to bring your neighbors over and ask you to bring the volume down a little.

Types of Home Theater Subwoofers

There are two main types of home theater subwoofers – the passive subwoofer which uses an external receiver or amplifier to power it and the self-contained powered subwoofer;  a good powered subwoofer is the Polk Audio PSW125 12-Inch Powered Home Theater Subwoofer pictured above.

The usual problem with the first type is that the amplifier does not produce enough power to handle the deepest bass of the subwoofer. A powered home theater subwoofer does not have this problem because it is already built in with a perfectly suitable amplifier.

Features to Look for in a Subwoofer

Apart from the issue of self-powered, there are other features to look for in a home theater subwoofer such as the ability to produce sound downwards or from the front and sides of a mounted subwoofer. You can also choose a home theater subwoofer with an extra port that pushes out more air than a sealed case to increase the bass response. A necessary feature of a good subwoofer is a crossover with a frequency cut-off of around 100 hertz, to channel all frequencies below the said frequency to the subwoofer.

When shopping for a home theater subwoofer, test different units using a DVD or a CD - that you are familiar with - with a lot of bass portions so you can check the quality of the speaker. In addition, make sure the dealer has a return policy acceptable to you just in case the unit does not work in your home theater environment. The user’s manual will guide where to place the subwoofer but, typically, you would need to do some experimentation with the placement yourself.

Milos Pesic owns a popular and comprehensive Home Theater web site. For more articles and resources on home theater systems, projectors, seating, home theater reviews and much more,  you may visit Milos Pesic home theater site at http://home-theatre.need-to-know.net

Article date: May 20, 2008

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