Home Theater Subwoofers: Basics

What are they and why do I need one? Where does the subwoofer go?

Congratulations you have purchased your Plasma or LCD 32" flat screen and have it set up for HDTV and the picture is phenomenal, but there is something missing in your home theater experience. Whether it's when you are fighting the horrifying alien civilization "The Covenant" as "Master Chief" saving the last of human kind in Halo 3 or swinging through New York fighting infamous supervillains like Doc Oct and the Green Goblin as your favorite action hero "Spider Man;" you are just not feeling the adventure like you thought you would after shelling out all that dough. Something's missing, you say? I will tell you what's missing...it's the thundering, rolling explosions and sounds of war fare, that sound that you actually feel; the deep bass that shakes you up and gets you right in your gut. That is why you need a Subwoofer (powered sub for me, please).
So you ask, now that I know why I need one, what is a Subwoofer? A Subwoofer is a specialized speaker that is dedicated to the reproduction of bass audio frequencies also called low frequencies, typically from 150 Hz down to 20 Hz. It has become a home theater must, even if you do not game or watch movies; music is recorded and produced with multiple sub woofers, there for in order to get the rich, clean experience musically the artists and producers intended; your system should be supported by a subwoofer. I like to call it the action woofer, because it's what brings those action movies alive. After you get your subwoofer installed try watching Jurassic Park all over again. It's great, be careful if you have little one's (small children) the enhanced sound may make a movie that was once viewable for them, too scary.

There are two categories of subwoofers: Powered or Passive.

Powered subwoofers, also known as active subwoofers have internal circuitry to amplify the incoming audio signal, and therefore saves reserves power for your amp/receiver to output to the mid-range and tweeters. The powered sub is usually designed as a cube shaped boxes with one or two speakers inside, and exterior controls and switches, such as volume and range controls.
Passive subwoofers are basically just the speaker element alone and are powered by an external amplifier. These units are often designed to be installed in a wall or ceiling or similar to your other speakers in your system. The main consideration here is that since extreme bass needs more power to reproduce low frequency sounds, your amp/receiver needs t be able to output enough power to sustain bass effects in the sub woofer without draining the amp. Also, if space is limited, then this may be your best option.
Where do I put it? It's up to you! No really, it is. There are some ideas, but because we all hear and pick up sound differently and there are so many variations such as room size and shape, the viewing and listening point (couch or chairs), and your height, and the fact that low frequency or bass sounds are the most omnidirectional of all the audio frequencies, there is no absolute when selecting a location for your Subwoofer. One of the most common locations is in the corner usually behind the listener, but many individuals will say right below the screen is the best location, and certainly more convenient as far as connecting the wiring goes. I recommend that you try it out in a few locations and go with what sounds best to your ears.

By: Sasha Letourneau http://www.onlyfactorydirect.com
Source: www.amazines.com