Music is one of the most entertaining things you can ever find. Regardless of the music genre you like, you definitely want to enjoy the best sound. You can only get the best sound by having full-range speakers. Full-range speakers allow you to enjoy all music details including highs, midrange, and bass. However, full-range speakers are not enough for the best bass. You’d need to add a subwoofer to your sound system for enhanced bass. Subwoofers are specially designed to reproduce low frequencies. Even a full-range speaker cannot deliver the kind of bass that a subwoofer delivers. With that said, here’re the 8 reasons why subwoofers are important for music:
1.Reproduces lows Accurately
A subwoofer is specifically designed to reproduce bass. Basically, a good powered subwoofer comes with a low pass filter. The low pass filter works by filtering audio signals such that only low frequencies are allowed through to the subwoofer driver whereas high frequencies are blocked out. As such, the subwoofer only reproduces low frequencies. Confrequency rangesequently, you’ll get accurate lows, unlike with regular speakers that may reproduce unwanted frequencies while trying to reproduce lows. The benefit of a subwoofer is that you’ll get clean lows that what regular speakers can. Moreover, you can set the low pass filter to the frequency range the subwoofer supports for enhanced bass accuracy.
2. Reveals more sound details that speakers can’t
The human ear can hear sound within the frequency range of 20 to 20,000 Hz. Full-range speakers cover a wide frequency range. As such, full-range speakers can deliver bass, treble, and highs. However, a subwoofer is specially designed to reproduce frequencies below 200 Hz. This means that a subwoofer is dedicated to only reproduce lows. As such, subwoofers add more sound details to the music by ensuring the deepest lows are covered. With a subwoofer, you won’t miss out on the lowest music details from bass guitars, drums, pianos, and any other bass source. Hence, a subwoofer is important for music since it reveals music details that regular speakers can’t.
3. Enhances control in lows
Most music genres comprise of instantaneous starting and stopping of instrumentals and vocals. As a result, most speakers struggle with reproducing these rapid changes. They end up reproducing undetailed sound. Luckily, high-quality subwoofers can reproduce these rapid changes in audio signals. Subwoofers respond smoothly with speed to rapid bass changes such as those involving vocals and instrumentals. As such, you get precise and accurate sound, hence greater control in lows.
4. Makes work easier for the stereo system
Basically, bass demands a lot of power from the amplifier, especially when hitting deeper lows. Low frequencies are usually long sound waves such that they demand more power to generate. When a speaker attempts to reproduce full-range sound, low frequencies take most of the power, thereby weakening the effectiveness of the amplifier. As a result, speakers may distort especially when turning the gain up. Luckily, you can solve this problem by adding a powered subwoofer. You’ll simply connect the subwoofer directly to the receiver since it comes with its own amplifier and leave the speakers to the amplifier. You’ll then set the high pass filter to block low frequencies to the speakers and only allow them to receiver midrange and high frequencies. This means that the speakers will only reproduce midrange and highs and leave the lows to the subwoofer. As a result, the amplifier will work more efficiently, making your music sound cleaner.
5. Blends well with speakers
Although subwoofers are specially designed to reproduce bass, it’s possible for them to deliver bass without overwhelming other frequencies. You’ll only need to equalize the gain and tone levels properly such that the bass, midrange, and highs will all sound equal. As such, you’ll enjoy full-range sound without the subwoofer overpowering other frequencies.
6. Subwoofers play loud and Smooth without Distortion
When playing music loudly, regular speakers may distort. This happens when turning up the volume and gain higher. The drivers that come with regular speakers are hardly powerful enough to handle high gain and volume levels. With a high quality and powerful subwoofer, you can enjoy loud bass without distortion such that you’ll enjoy listening to clear music. As such, a subwoofer adds perfection to music.
7. Bass adds emotion
A subwoofer adds deeper bass than regular speakers. Deep bass creates an emotional feeling of excitement when listening to music. The bass notes hit the ears in such a way that they generate some emotions within the mind of a listener. Deep bass takes the emotions of a listener to a whole new world, making the listener feel more connected to the music. It makes a listener have a feeling of being part of the music.
8. Creates cinematic sound effects
One of the main advantages of adding a subwoofer to a sound system is the cinematic sound effects it creates. Subwoofers are specially designed to create a cinematic experience when combined with regular speakers. They recreate certain sounds more realistically. This is especially important for gaming and movie lovers, but it also makes music sound more authentic and cinematic.
In conclusion
Subwoofers are specially designed to reproduce low frequencies. They reproduce powerful bass, which is not possible with regular speakers. Whether you like jazz, rock, pop, R&B, classical, reggae, or whatever music genre, a high-quality subwoofer will enhance your music listening experience. After going through the aforementioned 8 reasons why subwoofers are important for music, you’ll surely want to add a subwoofer to your sound system right away.
Michael Evanchuk is a San Francisco-based sound engineer with 20 years’ experience installing, troubleshooting, and repairing commercial, automotive, and household sound equipment. Evanchuk owns an auto stereo center, where he offers highly competitive car audio installation and repair services. He has written dozens of articles on different sound engineering topics, all of which have been published in leading journals, blogs, and websites.