Different Types of Subwoofers

Subwoofers may seem like an important addition to your sound system and nothing more to those who don’t typically involve themselves too deeply in the ins and outs of audio choices and sound systems. If you’re putting together a decent sound system, it may surprise you to know that there are a lot of choices.

Depending on who you ask, there are roughly 6 to 10 different types of what is categorized as a subwoofer. Some of them are classified by their aesthetic qualities while others are more technical, focused on the features and whether it’s downward-firing or the level of low, narrow frequencies.

Subwoofers are generally big, beefy speakers and they produce frequencies in the range of 20MHz to 200MHz. You’ll recognize these frequencies immediately as the low, deep, thrumming vibration that deepens the sound of the music, lending it a richness and quality that it wouldn’t normally have.

Subwoofers are typically between 10” and 22” in height and about ⅔ of that in width. As mentioned above, there are several types and they each have their own qualities and drawbacks, depending on what you are looking for.

• Enclosed
• Down Firing
• Ported
• Two Chambers-separated
• Passive Radiator
• Band Pass

Depending on who you are dealing with, there may be different variations on the naming terminology or outright different names. However, these eight subwoofers are generally going to cover almost everything that you will find on a store shelf.

It’s worth the effort of sorting the wheat from the chaff, however, and learning what the different subwoofers do and offer, especially if you are trying to set up the best sound system your money can buy.

Different Types of Subwoofers

Subwoofers are definitely one of those products where you get exactly what you pay for. With that being said, you want to carefully consider your options and pick the best subwoofer that will accommodate the rest of your system without either overwhelming or underwhelming it.

Enclosed Subwoofer

This woofer is great for beginners, as you don’t have to get heavily involved in the customization process. The term “enclosed” comes from the fact that this subwoofer is pre-mounted in the box.

It will definitely improve the quality of your bass and, as a result, the entirety of your system. In order to power it, however, you will also have to go with an external amplifier. Enclosed woofers are generally smaller, so it’s also an excellent choice if you need to save space around the room.

They’re also very easy to set up and they have the added benefit of optimized SQ ability. With enclosed subwoofers, you have air trapped behind the cone, which almost serves as a stabilizing element that reduces distortion and improves the accuracy of the bass.

Inside of a vehicle, that’s something that is ideal and enclosed subs are a great fit for a vehicle anyway, due to their smaller size. As for the above-mentioned amplifier, there is a significant reduction in the overall efficiency of the sub for the same reason that the cone is stabilized.

The amplifier is necessary to make up for the lost efficiency in enclosed subwoofers. The unwanted side effect is the added power consumption. In terms of being inside your house, while it won’t run up your electric bill in a ridiculous fashion, it’s comparable to running a space heater.

Pros

• Great beginner subwoofer
• Tight, precision bass
• Optimized SQ
• Smaller and space-saving

Cons

• Reduction in efficiency
• Requires an amplifier
• Can affect your energy bill

Down-Firing Subwoofers

Down-firing subwoofers owe much of their advantages to gravity and physics. Down-firing subwoofers don’t shake or move around as much as subwoofers of other types do.

It gives it a kind of anchor since the meat and bones of the speaker, including the magnet and driver. With all of the weight centered it holds the speaker in place better than other directional firing speakers and it’s more convenient within a highly active household.

In other words, the most fragile part of the speaker is facing down on the floor and protected from dogs, kids, and other, inadvertent damage. It may not seem like that has much to do with the subwoofer’s features, and it doesn’t, but it’s a nice little side effect of owning one.

Unfortunately, there’ the downward-firing side effect of most of the bass energy being absorbed into the floor. It steals some of the raw power of the bass and, especially if it’s powerful enough, will cause the floor to shake for obvious reasons.

Pros

• One of the more stable subwoofers
• Protected
• Easy to place

Cons

• The floor absorbs the raw power of the bass
• Floor shakes

Ported Subwoofer

A ported subwoofer is very much like an enclosed subwoofer with a lone exception. The ported subwoofers have a single hole or slit in the front that allows for some level of ventilation. As aforementioned, enclosed subwoofers entrap air in the box, which acts as a stabilizer for the cone.

The ventilation port gives the ported subwoofer far more raw power to send its energy forward. It also only requires a subpar amplifier at a minimum. The enclosed subwoofer requires a powerful amplifier to handle the efficiency loss within the entrapped air.

Since the ported sub isn’t losing that level of efficiency, the amplifier requirement is far less important. You get a rich and intense sound with ported subs at the sacrifice of some level of stability with the cone. If your setup is a little off, it can produce rattling and reduce the longevity of your cone.

Pros

• Increased efficiency
• Less robust amplifier required
• Louder, richer sound
• Uses less energy

Cons

• Sacrifices cone stability
• Sound can become raspy

Two Separate Chambers

This sounds like exactly what you are thinking, two subs for the price of one. One is enclosed while one has a port, yet each is separated from the other. You get all of the benefits of an enclosed sub, but it’s double.

The port in one releases the radiation emitted from the other. The system is a synchronization from one to the other. Two Separate Chamber subs can get pretty complex, very quickly, especially as the price climbs, along with the technology.

Fortunately, that price comes with a level of sophisticated but clean and natural bass that you will love from the moment you first hear it.

Pros

• Increased efficiency
• Less robust amplifier required
• Louder, richer sound
• Uses less energy

Cons

• Sacrifices cone stability
• Sound can become raspy

Passive Radiator Subwoofer

Passive radiator technology is designed to get a whole lot more elbow grease out of your subwoofer. You will often find these in much smaller subs, such as for computers for gaming and movies. The reason is that even from such a small speaker, you’re getting a ton of bass.

In a passive radiator sub, the majority of the power that you assume is coming from a single, large speaker, is actually passive energy captured and reused by smaller cones inside the speaker casing. Using a small amount of electricity, plugged directly into the small cones, the large cone derives all of its force.

This is why you often find small, Bluetooth speakers that pack a surprising amount of bass. The downside is that the technology doesn’t work as well for much larger systems, which require something else. It does avoid the higher energy requirements of larger systems, however.

Pros

• A lot of power in a small package
• Requires less energy
• Works through passive energy

Cons

• Best for small speakers only

Bandpass Subwoofer

A band pass is a compound, enclosed subwoofer that uses pressure to accumulate plenty of raw bass. The driver sits between the compound subs and, like the “two separate chamber” version, only one side is ported.

It’s a complicated setup, but the design of the compound subs with a dividing driver wall and a single, ported side creates the band pass. The end result is a powerful bass with very low levels of distortion when maxed out.

It is a very large speaker, so if you’re looking to make it a sub for your vehicle then you had better be sure that you have plenty of trunk space. Inside the home, it can take up a good deal of space as well.

Some subwoofers don’t work very well within a bandpass type of enclosure, so be sure about the reputation of someone if you’re having them build your system for you. If you’re doing it yourself, make sure that you have the right sub for a bandpass setup

Pros

• Deep, rich, and natural bass
• Low distortion
• One or two port versions

Cons

• Energy draining
• Takes up a lot of space

All Things Considered

There are more subwoofers than what we listed here. The problem is, most of them are really the same as what’s listed with slight variations and names, according to where it came from. It can all be pretty confusing at times, especially if it’s your first foray into building your own system from the bottom up.