Home Theater Subwoofer Types And Features

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 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.

There are two main types of home theater subwoofer - a passive subwoofer which uses an external receiver or amplifier to power it and a self-contained powered subwoofer. 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.

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 home theater subwoofer is a crossover with a frequency of around 100 hertz, which channels 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 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.