A good sound system can take your listening and viewing experience to the next level. Upgrading your subwoofer is needed to achieve this but it can be difficult if you are on a tight budget.
Our sound experts did the legwork to list these budget-friendly tips and tricks on how to get more bass out of your subwoofer.
12 Tips & Reminders to Get More Bass From a Subwoofer
Here are the tried and tested ways our engineers swear by to produce the optimum low-frequency sound from your quality subwoofer:
Tip #1: Observe Proper Placement
Subwoofer placement can greatly affect the bass sound quality. Where you place it will play a crucial role in how the waves travel and how will it affect general bass performance.
When setting up in your home theater, our experts suggest to properly position the subwoofer in the corner of the room. This will increase the volume of the bass sounds.
To improve the sound further, we recommend placing it between the two main speakers, about 8 to 12 inches facing away from the wall, which will result in a much clean bass.
If you are setting up a car subwoofer, it is best to place your car audio system in the trunk as this is the part with big space for storage. Placing it in your trunk will not affect the car bass performance as sounds can permeate surfaces.
Remember not to position the sub facing other car speakers as it will not give you your desired bass but instead a muddy sound. You may need to move around your sub in your trunk to achieve the best sound.
A dedicated subwoofer amplifier can also greatly improve the sound system. Active subwoofers have their own amplifier installed so they are used commonly in a single subwoofer configuration. In this case, its position greatly affects its sound quality.
Passive subwoofers, on the other hand, require multichannel amp, more power, and connections from multiple subs in order to achieve more bass.
Tip #2: Add or Adjust Enclosure
Subwoofer enclosures are meant to produce a better bass response. They should be made of high-quality materials in order to produce powerful bass.
There are two types of subwoofer enclosures: the ported enclosure and the sealed enclosure.
Ported models allow for louder and more powerful bass, while sealed ones allow for more accurate and perfect bass performance. A sealed sub is often used for compact space as there is less area that needs to be filled with bass.
When creating the subwoofer box on your own, you can add ports or adjust the enclosure size in order to achieve the quality sound that you prefer. A tip is to make a big subwoofer box for large room spaces.
Another trick our experts suggest is to buy aftermarket speakers and use the enclosure for your sub. Attach the sub to the enclosure and fill the remaining space with pillow stuffing.
This will allow the sound waves to pass through the stuffing. This method will affect bass performance for the better as less air is moving within the box.
Tip #3: Adjust Crossover
Crossovers are meant to separate the audio input into different outputs depending on frequency. These frequencies are then delivered to their specific speaker. Low range frequencies are delivered to the sub, while higher range goes to the tweeter.
Crossovers are meant to prevent improper frequency response in order to deliver the right frequency to each speaker driver.
In order to improve bass quality, you have to fine tune the subwoofer’s crossover frequency. The crossover frequency is the frequency where your subwoofer starts to roll off bass notes.
To adjust the crossover frequency of your home sound system, you have to identify the main speaker’s frequency range. Normally, they have a range of 80Hz to 200Hz. Then set the subwoofer’s crossover frequency about 10Hz higher than your main speakers.
This setting will instruct your subwoofer to roll off once there is an audio frequency of lower than 90Hz and the main speaker to roll off once the audio frequency delivered is higher than 80Hz.
When adjusting your car stereo, identify the speaker’s lowest frequency range. Then, like in the home audio setting, set the subwoofer crossover frequency 10 Hz higher than that of the car’s stock speakers.
This will greatly improve your system’s sound quality as it will no longer produce muddy and distorted sounds.
Tip #4: Adjust Phase Control
The best audio system comes with a harmonized sound output from all the speakers in the system. A fine-tuned phase control will allow all the speakers to produce sounds at the same time.
The phase switch of subwoofers is found on either bottom or on the side. In adjusting the phase switch, you should have good ears for listening to the sounds. Fine-tuning it just involves switching from 0 to 180, whichever setting sounds better.
Play music with deep bass so you have an easier time adjusting the settings.
Tip #5: Tweak Equalizer Bass Settings
Adjusting the stereo audio equalizer can greatly improve your listening experience. However, this is one of the most labor-intensive and time-consuming processes to get more bass from your subwoofer.
There is no perfect equalizer setting, and it changes based on the listener’s personal preference. However, when adjusting the equalizer bass settings, remember to adjust it slowly using small increments and listening intently to identify the setting that you want.
The low pass filter can also be adjusted together with the equalizer settings in order to achieve a powerful bass.
Tip #6: Adjust the Volume
Another adjustment you can do to have a better listening experience is to tweak the subwoofer’s bass volume. Just like the equalizer settings, there are no perfect bass volume levels as it is dependent on the listener’s preferences.
To help you properly adjust the volume properly, try to turn the bass volume to the lowest level until you can no longer hear the bass. Then slowly turn up the volume until your desired settings.
As mentioned earlier, it would help to play a song with bass-heavy sounds that will be enough to hear the minor differences in the volume of the subwoofer.
Tip #7: Check If Wires and Other Connections Are Properly Plugged
This is one trick that is often overlooked when trying to improve the sound system. Wires are very important as it is where the audio signals travel.
If the speaker wires are loose or connected improperly, then it will affect the bass performance. It may produce distorted sounds or even cause electrical damages. Hence, it is very important to check the wires and connections.
Tip #8: Get High-Quality Wires and Connectors
High-quality materials contribute to the excellent bass produced for subwoofers. In order to get more bass from your subwoofers, choosing the best quality of wires and connectors is a must.
Wires that are made of 100% copper are recommended for your subwoofers as they have very good conductivity and can be bent easily.
However, if you are looking for the cheapest way to connect your speakers, then using copper-plated or copper-clad aluminum wire is your answer. This will still provide good sound quality.
Tip #9: Enhance Audio File Quality
Aside from adjusting the settings of your subwoofers, you can also check and enhance the quality of the audio file in order to have better and more output. Poor quality audio files will transfer poor audio signals which result in muddy sounds.
Tip #10: Consider a Subwoofer Horn
Some listeners look for the powerful bass even when they are far from their subwoofer. Using a subwoofer horn can help you achieve it. This will improve the interaction of the speaker and the air near it.
Subwoofer horns increase the quality of bass by directing the sounds to the location of the listener. Hence, even when farther from the sound source, you can still feel the intensity of the bass.
However, subwoofer horns may also distort audio quality due to air resistance. Making sure that not too much wind enters and pushes against the horn’s surface will lessen the distortion of the sound coming from the subs.
Tip #11: Check Power Source
Low-frequency sounds need more power to be produced than those of the higher frequencies. This is why it is very important that the subwoofer draw enough power. If the power is not enough, then it may not be able to properly boost bass tones.
An unreliable power source will also cause electrical malfunctions which can cause damage not only to your subwoofer but to all other parts of your audio system. A voltage protector [1] can be used to prevent voltage spikes that can damage electronic equipment.
Tip #12: Check Other Subwoofer Settings
Aside from the tips and tricks mentioned above, you should also check other settings that can affect bass performance. This includes identifying electrical resistance, gain volume, and connection to other drivers.
If all the tips mentioned above do not get you your desired output, or if you don’t have any spare time to tweak your subwoofer to achieve that excellent bass, then buying new speakers of higher quality might be the next best option.
FAQ
How can I make my subwoofer hit harder?
To make sure my subwoofer hits harder, adjust its location, phase control, crossover, and equalizer settings. Using high-quality wires and subwoofer cones can also produce more bass which will then have harder hits.
How do I get the most out of my subwoofer?
To get the most of your subwoofer, you need to ensure that the equalizer and crossover settings are set to their optimum position. Aside from that, the volume, power source, and position should be improved. Lastly, enhancers like subwoofer horns and high-quality wires can be used.
Conclusion
Our experts suggest the following tips on how to get more bass out of your subwoofer. These include placing the subwoofer in a proper location, inputting enough power, identifying the best crossover and equalizer settings.
Another is using subwoofer horns, playing high-quality audio files, and making sure that wires are properly connected, among others, we shared on this list.
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