subject: Home Theater Subwoofer - Things To Know When Buying [print this page] Imagine a high-speed chase scene where there was no sound. The danger, intensity, and suspense of the film would probably be lost on the audience, if not for sub woofers. These speakers enhance the perception of the events shown, making them critical to a true home theater experience.
The importance of sub woofers when it comes to sound production cannot be over stressed. So important to the home theater system that some manufacturers have taken the sound wave level all the way down to 5 Hz. At 5 Hz, it is no longer audible but it is powerful enough that the body is able to feel it.
In comparison to other options in speakers, home theater subwoofers modulate lower frequency sounds that add life to an action movie or movie soundtrack. Forget tinny, hollow sounds and enjoy a great, low frequency deep bass sound that only a subwoofer can deliver. Home theater sub woofers are omni-directional and produce low frequencies.
The sound which a subwoofer puts out travels in all directions, but resonance is frequently affected by the size of the room and its acoustic properties. Changing the positioning of the it will create different results. On the other hand, the speakers in a 5.1 home theater system will placed in a more permanent location. It is possible that you may have to continue changing the locations to find out which produces the best possible sound.
Two important factors that will help you decide on the best configuration for your home theater sub woofer configuration are the size of the room and the amount (level) of sound you want. Other considerations include do you want a passive or powered sub woofer, and it may be down firing or front firing. An effective choice will be one which takes these factors into consideration.
Home theater subwoofers that are passive are those whose power is supplied by an amplifier, much in the same manner where the other speakers in your system is connected. The main thing to consider here is that passive home theater sub woofers will require more power to produce the low frequency sounds that are needed and so may require a more powerful amplifier for the amp not to be drained.
Depending on the size of the room where the home theater will be placed or if you can handle more amounts of bass, you may be better off with the active sub woofer. Home theater sub-woofers that are active or powered are self amplified. An added benefit of this configuration is that the amplifier receiver could easily supply the power that the other five speakers require.
