If you find yourself wanting to invest in a new subwoofer but can’t afford it, you’ve come to the right place. After owning your sound system for a while, you might find yourself wondering: How do I get more bass out of my subwoofer?
In this article, I will cover some important information on how to get more bass out of your subwoofer. So, next time you’re wanting more bass, you don’t have to spend a tonne of money to achieve it!
Let’s get started.
How to get more bass out of your subwoofer
Before I get into how you can get the most out of your subwoofer, it is important for you to know that while there are a variety of different methods to improve the bass from your subwoofer, you can only improve the sound so much before you are dealing with a subwoofer quality issue.
Taking this into consideration, you will need to go into this process with realistic expectations based on what your subwoofer is fully capable of prior to taking these methods. When it comes to sound systems, you often get what you pay for.
While these tips can help improve your bass, it’s not going to improve your subwoofer beyond its capabilities. That being said, there are a variety of ways to get more bass out of your subwoofer. These include but are not limited to:
Placement
The easiest way to maximize the bass out of your subwoofer is to consider the placement of it carefully. Placing your subwoofer in an inadequate spot can significantly reduce the overall sound quality and your listening experience as this affects the entire sound system all together.
You could have spent a lot of money and invested in a good quality subwoofer, and it still wouldn’t sound as good as it could if you placed it improperly.
When it comes to placing your subwoofer around your home, you will need to think carefully about where you position it for the most bass. It is typically recommended that you should place your subwoofer within 8-12 inches of a wall for the best quality sound, facing outwards towards the room.
When it comes to using your sound system and subwoofer in your car, the placement is crucial to get the most out of your subwoofer. Bearing this in mind, you should try placing your subwoofer in your trunk. T
he trunk will provide you with more space to position the subwoofer perfectly in your car, and having it concealed in the back out of sight will also minimize the risk of someone breaking into your car and stealing your sound system when it is left unattended.
If you’re worried about not being able to hear the bass, it’s important to know that your subwoofer can permeate through most surfaces. By placing it in the trunk, then, you won’t reduce or hinder the sound quality throughout the car and it’s the safest option all-around. It’s a win-win situation.
Use an enclosure
To improve your bass, always ensure that your subwoofer has an enclosure that is properly fitted. So, why do subwoofers need an enclosure? Subwoofers require an enclosure to balance the front and back frequencies that are emitted.
This will help to minimize any sound leaking and will optimize the sound quality of the bass.
To get a little more technical, there are two main types of enclosures that will impact the sound of the bass when being played:
- A sealed enclosure – Allows for more accurate sounding bass
- A ported enclosure – Allows for more output, or louder sounding bass
The sound from a sealed box can be described as cleaner, more accurate and flatter than other types of enclosures. Sealed enclosures aren’t as efficient as other styles, meaning you’ll need a more powerful amplifier to get the same loudness as you would from a ported enclosure.
Ported enclosures, on the other hand, provide you with more volume with less power because they’re very efficient.
It’s important that you match your subwoofer with the style of enclosure that’s most suitable for them in order to get optimal sound. Therefore, you should always do your research and make your choice in accordance with your specific subwoofer.
Improve the quality of the music that you play
When it comes to streaming your music, you will want to make sure that your settings on the streaming platform are set to the highest music quality as possible for both streaming and downloaded music.
Make the necessary adjustments
Lastly, to get the most bass out of your subwoofer you can make a few adjustments to the crossover, volume, and phase switch.
Before you adjust the volume levels on your sound system, you will need to start tuning the crossover of your subwoofer. In short, the crossover is the frequency level at which your subwoofer begins to kick in with the bass.
Next, you will then need to adjust the volume of your subwoofer to get the perfect balance of bass for the best listening experience. There isn’t a fixed number regarding how much bass should be produced by your subwoofer, so it is up to you to decide this part. Have a play around and see what sounds good.
There are two adjustment options with the phase switch: 0 and 180. Flip between the two settings after you adjust the crossover and volume to see which option of the switch produces the best sound for you.
In summary
There are few methods that you can try to get more bass out of your subwoofer. However, it’s important to remain realistic, and remember that while these methods can help, they cannot improve your subwoofer beyond its own capabilities.
When it comes to buying a sound system, you often get what you pay for. Bearing this in mind, you shouldn’t feel too disheartened if these methods don’t improve the sound quality of your bass as much as you would have hoped.
