About the use of a subwoofer in a music system. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering / Speakers

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Note: all of the following applies exclusively to MUSIC systems, i.e. systems on which listening to music is expected.

 I think many people know what a subwoofer is, but not everyone knows the true meaning of this word.

Subwoofer - a low-frequency speaker system that reproduces frequencies below those that are reproduced by broadband speakers working with it.

Consider how the subwoofer is integrated into the sound reproducing system.

System without subwoofer

Initially, there is a stereo signal at the output of the source (CD player, DVD player, etc.). (I will only talk about stereo recordings, because they are the vast majority.) So this stereo signal is fed to the input of a stereo amplifier and from its output the amplified signal is fed to broadband speakers. With this implementation of the audio path, the signal passes through the minimum number of components, and is fed to the speakers in the purest form.

Subwoofer system

Here options are possible.

1. The stereo signal is fed to the stereo amplifier and subwoofer filter, so the full signal from the source comes to the speakers, and the low-frequency component of the signal from both channels comes to the subwoofer.
2. The stereo signal is fed to the subwoofer filter, in which it is divided into two ranges - bass and mid/high. From the mid/high filter, the signal is fed to the input of the stereo amplifier of the front satellite speakers, and the low-frequency signal is fed to the input of the subwoofer amplifier.

In general, other options are possible, but they all boil down to the fact that either the full spectrum of the signal or the midrange / HF component is fed to the front speakers.

So, in the first case, the use of powerful broadband systems as front speakers is implied, and the subwoofer is used as additional support for the front at the lowest frequencies. In the second case, satellite speakers of small dimensions are used as front ones, and the power and the low-frequency spectrum of the signal are reproduced only by the subwoofer. With this approach, it is possible to create a system characterized by a wide frequency range, low price and small dimensions. In such systems, the subwoofer is really not bypassed to get any acceptable frequency range of the system as a whole. This solution is typical for low-level budget systems.

Now let's look at what gives us the use of a subwoofer in a music system.

Adding a subwoofer to your system can significantly increase its dynamic range, lower its cutoff frequency, provide higher volume levels without distortion, and in the case of an active subwoofer, improve mid/high range reproduction by offloading the stereo amplifier for the front speakers, and the speakers themselves. An additional amplifier and bass system allow you to increase the maximum sound pressure level, and the removal of the low-frequency signal from the fronts improves the sound of the midrange, because. The woofer does not oscillate with a large amplitude, and the amplifier operates at a lower signal level, processing small levels of midrange and high-frequency signals as clearly and purely as possible.

And now let's look again (a bucket of tar).

Practice shows that the use of a subwoofer in a MUSIC system often reduces the sound quality. This is possible when the quality of the subwoofer itself is poor, or it is not properly configured to work in a particular system, or the fact that it is designed to reproduce all sorts of low-frequency effects, explosions, etc. in DC systems and not to convey the subtle nuances of music.

Now let's think about why this is happening.

To begin with, it is worth noting that the use of a subwoofer always introduces additional electronics into the path. Not the fact that the subwoofer filter will be of high quality, it will introduce additional distortion and noise into the original signal. But this is far from the worst.

The sound quality of the subwoofer may not initially be high. Of course, you can assume the use of a high-quality subwoofer, but there are very few of them, and they cost a lot of money. Most of the subwoofers on the market have dull, slow, booming bass. They are clearly intended for use in theater systems, as a source of low-frequency noise, booms and booms. In such a sound, it is extremely difficult to hear the distinct height of individual notes (usually it looks like low-frequency mumbling on one note) on such subwoofers, the sound of a bass guitar is indistinguishable from the sound of a double bass. Very rare models are distinguished by their musicality, high articulation, bass clarity. While high-quality outdoor broadband speakers for the most part have such qualities in full.

There is also a very serious problem of matching the subwoofer with the front speakers. The sound of the lowest sounds reproduced by a subwoofer can be very different in character from the sound of the lower middle and upper bass of the front speakers. The result is a strong non-uniformity of the sound of the low frequency range. That is why it is extremely important to use a matched subwoofer, as a rule, you should use subwoofers from the same line as full-range speakers, and certainly from the same manufacturer. This greatly increases the chances of finding an identical-sounding pair. Naturally, when using high-quality broadband speakers, there are simply no such problems.

The problem of matching the sound levels of the front and the subwoofer is easier to solve, but many people exceed the subwoofer volume level above the optimum without noticing it. Such a sound quickly tires, and not everyone knows why this happens. In high-quality broadband speakers, this problem is solved by itself, they are designed based on the most even frequency response.

We must not forget about the problem of phase matching of the subwoofer with the front. Some subwoofers have a phase control that partially solves this problem, but many cheaper models do not have such adjustments. And not all users can accurately adjust the phase of the signal, while clearly noticing the difference between a well-tuned subwoofer and not tuned at all.

Also, a subwoofer filling the room with deep powerful bass can provoke the appearance of resonant phenomena that spoil the sound very much. This is manifested in a louder sound of individual notes, in mumbling, sluggish and not dynamic, not clear sound. Therefore, it is extremely important to correctly position this source of low-frequency energy. You can't just throw a sub in a corner and hope it takes root there. In a system with two or more sources of bass, this problem is easier to resolve, by correctly positioning the systems not only relative to the room, but also relative to each other.

All this is aggravated by the fact that many are prone to setting an excessive subwoofer sound level, so the sound becomes "more powerful, bassist, cooler" and then you have to hear the work of what a lot of money was paid for. The highest compliment to a subwoofer is that its contribution to the sound is not directly audible! It should harmoniously complement the sound of the front speakers without drawing attention to itself. Only in this case it will not spoil the picture of the sound of the system.

Hack and predictor Aviator

A rare subwoofer does not worsen the overall picture of the sound of the system, having the right, dense, collected, accurate, clear, elastic, fast bass, well consistent with the sound of full-range speakers.

Now let's think about whether it is worth taking a steam bath with the choice of a subwoofer for your system, overcoming the problems that arise. It will take a lot of time to slowly carefully, thoughtfully listen to a huge number of speaker / subwoofer sets. Most records don't really have frequencies below, say, 40Hz in the spectrum. Of course, there are no such compositions, but there are not so many of them, so you can limit the requirements for the lower cutoff frequency at the level of 35-40 Hz. As for the required power, a lot has already been written here, and I will not repeat myself, I will only say that for a home system, even when listening to heavy rock compositions in a decent-sized room, about 100W of power is enough. The most demanding music lovers who love to listen to classical works may need all 200W at the peak. But there are not many of them. And in most modern compositions, the dynamic range is lost after mastering, and it is not very large in such works, and therefore you do not need to turn the volume control all the way to hear quiet notes.

And what will we notice? Not so sky-high requirements turned out to be our ideal source of low-frequency energy. Most floor systems, even not of the highest class, easily meet the requirements. And so many well-designed full-range speakers from famous brands will easily surpass any subwoofer in terms of sound quality. So why do we need an extra hemo ** th that will inevitably appear when using a subwoofer? With an increase in the level of components included in a pair of broadband speakers / sub, there are certainly fewer problems, BUT the quality of the speakers increases so much that it becomes simply not clear why the subwoofer is here? And in the case of floorstanding speakers of the highest class, all doubts about the need for some kind of help in the low frequency range simply disappear by themselves. (for the most ardent opponents of my approach, I will give a specific example (not for advertising) Legasy focus 20/20. For those who have any doubts after reading this article, I just advise you to read the description, or even better test these systems, and I'm sure your doubts are just scatter and you will be happy).

This article represents the point of view of an experienced audio enthusiast, which I consider myself to be. Written after reading numerous articles on similar topics, and based on personal experience.

Author: Ioshko Mikhail aka Misterio; Publication: cxem.net

See other articles Section Speakers.

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