Use & Enjoy Your A/V Gear : subwoofer

Big bass in a small-car world

Charlie — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:52:00 GMT

Gas mileage is a big issue with an ever-increasing number of people. Most recently, the "Cash for Clunkers" program has resulted in a lot of people driving more compact vehicles. A smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicle is great news for your...(read more)

Top Down Sound, Part 4: Equalizing the audio system in a convertible

Charlie — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:23:00 GMT

Jeff and I meet at the Crutchfield Research Bay for the final system tuneup. In the last installment , we set the crossover points and adjusted the gain structure in the Sebring's system. Now, we've borrowed an AudioControl Real Time Analyzer...(read more)

Top Down Sound, Part 3: Tuning up the audio system in a convertible

Charlie — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:24:00 GMT

In Part 2 , we ripped my Sebring apart to install a high-performance audio system. Since then, I've been playing lots of music over my system in the last two weeks, and I spend a little time in my garage every night making adjustments. I've got...(read more)

Better car audio, Tip #10: Use a capacitor if you're going to push your subs hard

Jim R — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:26:00 GMT

They didn't have subwoofers in mind when they built your vehicle. Big bass sucks up a lot of power, and most car electrical systems aren't equipped to deal with it. A capacitor acts as a buffer between your amps and your car's battery. You connect the...(read more)

Better car audio, Tip #9: Add a sub and hear what you've been missing

Jim R — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:50:00 GMT

A good subwoofer will bring the bottom octave of your music back into proper balance, so you'll hear familiar tunes in a whole new light. It'll take a load off your full-range speakers too, since you'll be playing your tunes with the bass control set...(read more)

What HiFi 2.0 means to me

ZakB — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:06:00 GMT

I really love the new HiFi 2.0 movement here at Crutchfield. Helping people achieve and enjoy great sound is what we're all about, whether you're trying to do it in your house or in your car. And this building is full of people who are knowledgeable and...(read more)

Better home audio, Tip #4: Adjust your subwoofer

Ralph — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:59:00 GMT

One of the easiest ways to get great sound from your audio/video system is to check the settings on your components. Optimal performance depends on proper settings. It's a pretty simple fix with a potentially big pay-off. And your subwoofer's a good place...(read more)

Subwoofers rule: finally, I get it

ZakB — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:12:00 GMT

Before I started working at Crutchfield, I associated car subwoofers with punk kids that roll up on you at traffic lights, sporting that low-frequency rattle that reminds you of the Space Shuttle taking off. But after a tall glass of Crutchfield Kool...(read more)

My Top 10 Car Audio Myths

Charlie — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:16:00 GMT

1) I don't need a subwoofer because I never listen to loud music, just classical and jazz. Subwoofers go great with heavy metal, rap, and other types of high-impact music, but they're not just for people who like to turn it up. In fact, a well-tuned subwoofer...(read more)

How to tune a car sound system, Part 2: Adding Bass

Buck P — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:13:00 GMT

You had your car stereo sounding pretty good. But then you noticed that something was missing. You had enough volume and clarity, but no real bass. You like the hit in the gut you get from a real live kick drum, and you want the same thing from your car...(read more)

Save at the pumps with a little less thump

HollaDay — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:45:00 GMT

I'm in the car for 3 hours a day because of my commute to work. This time on the road has taught me that nothing is more important than a good stereo and a variety of music -- until gas prices practically forced me to skip meals so I could fill the tank...(read more)

Bass Basics: Adjusting your home theater subwoofer

Jim Ralston — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 18:11:00 GMT

This post was originally written as a collection of tips for CrutchfieldAdvisor.com's "The Audio Files℠" column.

You've just fired up a DVD on your new home audio system. The screen momentarily goes blank: here comes the main feature. No — it's a THX demo! (You weren't expecting that.) Imaginary objects zip around your head in 3-D space...this is promising. And then that famous tsunami-wave of sound, THX's audio "logo"....But wait, where's the bottom-end? Where's the spine-tingling bass?

If your home theater system's bass output sounds too lean, or if it's muddy and distorted, a few key settings on your powered subwoofer and receiver can make all the difference. Here are a few tips to help you get your sub performing at the top of its game.

Set the crossover point

For the best possible sound, you want your front, center, and surround speakers to play only the frequencies they can handle, and your powered sub to play the rest — the deep bass frequencies. That's the job of your system's crossover. To use a common analogy, a crossover works sort of like a "sonic traffic cop," sending the right frequencies to the right speakers. But where should your sub leave off, and your other speakers begin?

To determine the optimum crossover point for your system, you should know what frequencies your main speakers can handle. In my own system, I've got small satellite speakers all the way around. The owner's manual told me they could go down to about 120 Hz, and I set my system's crossover accordingly. (For larger speakers, this number is usually lower — it's not uncommon for bookshelf speakers to get down to 50 or 60 Hz, for example.) Once you've set your crossover frequency to one that matches your speaker setup, sit back and give a quick listen. You can even experiment by adjusting the crossover frequency a little bit one way or the other...after all, what matters is getting your system to sound good to you.

Check your subwoofer's "LFE" setting

What some folks may not know is that their system probably has two subwoofer crossovers, one inside their surround sound receiver and another built into the powered subwoofer itself. And these two crossovers don't play nicely together. If they're both engaged simultaneously, you're probably not getting all the bass that you could.

That's where your subwoofer's "LFE" setting comes in. This acronym stands for "Low Frequency Effects" (not "Loud Family-room Explosion" or "Looking For Explanation"). "LFE" is just the technical name for your home theater receiver's bass channel. This setting tells your subwoofer whether to use its own built-in crossover or the one inside your receiver. In most cases, the latter is the better way to go. That's because most home theater receivers these days have advanced digital bass management that not only tells your subwoofer what frequencies to play, but also tells the rest of your speakers what frequencies not to play.

This Polk Audio subwoofer has a separate unfiltered "LFE" input for use with a home theater receiver.

The LFE control lets you bypass your sub's built-in crossover, so you can use the filtered signal that's coming from your home theater receiver's dedicated bass channel. Some subs accomplish this with a switch that lets you toggle between LFE (unfiltered) and "normal" (filtered) mode, while others have a separate unfiltered LFE input. And if your sub doesn't have either one of these, don't worry — just turn its crossover dial all the way up to help ensure that it won't interfere with your receiver's built-in bass management.

Find the level that sounds best

Finally, there's your subwoofer's level control. It's a straightforward concept, no doubt. But this setting makes a big difference, so it's worth spending a few minutes tweaking and listening to get it right. Keep in mind that more bass isn't necessarily better bass. Try starting at a lower level and gradually bumping it up to where you're feeling plenty of punch, without sacrificing clarity. If you resist the urge to crank your sub's level control way up past twelve o'clock, you stand a better chance of achieving tight, clean bass, and well-balanced overall sound.

Of course, it's all a matter of taste. I'll admit that, for my own part, I probably tend to push my sub a little bit more than others might. But then again, when I pop in a THX-mastered DVD, and that huge-sounding THX demo kicks in, it's like audio nirvana.

For tips on positioning your subwoofer in your room for better bass, check out this article about home theater speaker placement.