To add the frequency range that is not able to be produced by the speakers for a more full experience. Bookshelf speakers and even Floor standing speakers will produce some bass but very rarely you can find a speaker that can go as low a a dedicated subwoofer can. While you may hear the bass from your bookshelf or floorstanding speakers, a subwoofer allows you to feel the sound. Listening to bass-heavy music like hip hop or EDM or watching a full-throttle action flick without a subwoofer leaves a lot to be desired. Plus, you’re not experiencing the song or movie the way the artist or director intended. You might be asking yourself: I don’t listen to rap or watch action movies, so why do I need one? Sure, a subwoofer is a bass-thumping juggernaut, but that’s only scratching the surface. A great subwoofer helps take away the heavy lifting from your loudspeakers, improving your overall system. The dynamics are more compelling, the soundstage widens, and the stereo imaging becomes more accurate. Even if you prefer spinning folk records and watching dialogue-driven indie dramas, a subwoofer helps produce a more vibrant, all-encompassing sound.

Subwoofer placement can greatly impact its performance! As the low frequency waves produced by the subs are large and most systems are setup in peoples living rooms with less than ideal acoustical properties for a sound system you may find some significant changes in how your subwoofer sounds in your primary listening position depending on where the sub is located in the room. You do want to find a spot in the room that make the subwoofer sound best from your audience perspective. There are a few different techniques to find a good place for the sub and a couple things to consider as well. Corner loading - subwoofer output will be amplified if it is placed near a wall or even more so if it is placed in the corner of the room. That being said that extra amplification may not be necessary, if you have a powerful sub and the room sounds a bit "boomy" You may want to pursue a tighter response by placing the subwoofer further away from walls/corners. Since the subwoofer produces only the lowest frequencies that aren't perceived by us directionally, the sub doesn't have to be placed in a specific spot for proper imaging. One of the better methods of finding a good spot for the sub is - place the subwoofer in the primary listening position and play test tone, or a track with consistent bass. Then - walk around the room listening to the track/tone looking for the spot where the bass sounds the best - most likely that will be an excellent spot to place the subwoofer.

A large subwoofer like the SPL-150 can take any home-theater setup to the next level. However, as your system grows, adding a second sub can help ensure the bass is evenly distributed throughout the whole room. Two SPL-150s increase your output capability by close to 6 dB, meaning everyone in the room can feel those powerful, low tones while watching action and sci-fi movies. A pair of subwoofers can also minimize the seat-to-seat variance of bass response, offering an even coverage pattern of low frequencies throughout the room. Depending on room size and placement, one sub alone makes it challenging to deliver accurate bass responses at multiple listening positions. This is because the frequency response of an individual subwoofer tends to have peaks and nulls. A peak is an exaggeration of a bass note, while a null is the absence of bass. When paired together, two subwoofers smooth out those peaks and nulls, offering a more accurate frequency response at more locations in the room. All in all, a subwoofer is an essential part of your system. If you’re on a budget or in the infancy of your home-theater development, start with just one subwoofer. As your system grows, think about adding a second low-toned beast to your setup. You’re adding more bass and evenly distributing it throughout the room. The results? Improved bass performance.