Some folks who are new to the "home theater game" may ask, "Do I really need a subwoofer when building my home theater system?" The answer, my friends, is a resounding "YES!"

Watching a movie without the low frequencies that a subwoofer can recreate is like jelly without peanut butter, homemade chocolate chip cookies without milk, Sonny without Cher… you get the picture. Most of today's movie soundtracks are formatted for systems with subwoofers. Without a subwoofer, you'll notice that something's missing. And what's missing is the ".1" in all of those "5.1" Dolby Digital and DTS recordings. The main purpose of a subwoofer is to reproduce this LFE (Low Frequency Effects) channel. And this is pretty darn important.

Close your eyes and think back to the scene in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones when Yoda used the force to rescue Obi-wan and Anakin from the villainous Count Dooku in the famous light-saber fight scene. Remember when you first saw it in the theater? Your chair shook when the industrial piping and cave walls were sent crashing to the ground. You felt it in your belly when those sabers clashed over and over again. It felt like you were a part of the action. And those powerful, resounding, low-end notes are the culprit in scenes like these.

Some people believe that if they have good main speakers, they don't need a subwoofer. But they're missing out on all the fun. This is because a subwoofer was invented specifically for delivering the low notes. And since it was invented specifically for this purpose, it does it better than any other speaker can. In fact, you could blow out your main speakers by demanding too much from them, and you don't want to do that.

So what makes the subwoofer such a powerhouse? Not to get too technical, what makes a subwoofer so special is its ability to move A LOT of air. The subwoofer speaker cone can range in size from 8" to 18," and the bigger the cone, the more air it can move - and this means more bass. Powered subwoofers create more bass than passive ones, because they don't rely on your amp or receiver for power - they generate their own. For optimum bass, you want a powered subwoofer. Still, some people prefer the more subtle effect of a passive woofer. This is simply a matter of preference.

Not Just For Movies
Although it's true that most listeners prefer more bass when watching movies than when listening to music, subwoofers are not just for movies. After all, all music has bass. Listening to music is so much more enjoyable with a good subwoofer. Regardless of your music of choice, a subwoofer will undoubtedly bring a new dimension to your listening experience. Just think how much more fun that dance remix would be, or how much more fulfilling that symphony would sound, with a little more bass.

Some Things to Look For
Like most things in life, all subwoofers are not created equal… but you need to remember to keep the big picture in mind when you are making a choice. No single attribute should be the factor that determines which subwoofer you go with. Here are some things to consider when shopping for a subwoofer:

• Power: If you have a good-sized room with a large volume of space, look for a higher-powered subwoofer. These are generally better at reproducing louder, deeper,"punchier" bass.
• Woofer size/cabinet size: Traditional thought dictates that a sub with larger woofers - or multiple woofers - will produce much more bass than one with smaller ones. Though this is true to a point, other factors - such as cabinet size - also play a hand.
• Ported design vs. acoustic suspension design: Many smaller subwoofers utilize a "ported" design - they use a tuned port to obtain better, more efficient bass response from their small enclosure. Many larger subwoofers have what is called an "acoustic suspension" design - they utilize an airtight enclosure, and use the enclosed air as a spring to return the woofer to its original state. This allows them to produce more accurate bass at lower frequencies than ported subwoofers.
• Variable crossover frequencies: A subwoofer produces low-end where your main speakers leave off. A subwoofer with variable crossover frequencies allows you to select the frequency where this crossover occurs - so that you can actually tailor your subwoofer to your main speakers.
• Sound quality: Better subwoofers will reproduce more accurate, more clearly defined bass than lower-quality ones, which can sound muddy and distorted, especially at high levels. Sound quality is also affected by external factors, such as room-size and placement. You might want to try out various locations within your listening space before giving your subwoofer a permanent home. You will find that placing the sub in a corner will produce "reflective bass response" - this reduces the need to adjust volume levels. See our subwoofer hookup guide for detailed information on this topic.

The Bottom Line
A subwoofer is an invaluable component in your home theater or home audio system. Your other speakers will sound even better with a good subwoofer, and your audio experience will be exponentially more satisfying. Cambridge SoundWorks designs and manufactures an entire line of subwoofers, and we make a subwoofer for every taste and listening space. Check out our entire line of subwoofers, and see how much more fun your movies and music can be.