Summary
- A subwoofer delivers deep 20-200Hz bass you feel, which regular speakers/headphones can’t reproduce.
- It adds cinematic depth to games, movies, and music; explosions and bass feel like they happen in the room.
- You can add it to an existing system or get plug-and-play 2.1 speakers for easy setup.
If you regularly use speakers on your PC and feel like something’s missing, there’s a good chance it’s the bass. That’s because true, full-bodied bass requires a specialized speaker called a subwoofer, and without one, you’re seriously missing out.
Nothing Sounds and Feels Like a Subwoofer
If you’re a basshead, you’re likely already aware of what a subwoofer is and how it works, but if you’re new to this, allow me to explain. Subwoofers are a specialized type of loudspeaker optimized for producing low-frequency sounds, usually in the 20Hz to 200Hz range. This range includes the deep kick of a drum, the bass guitar, the low growls of wild animals, explosions and gunshots in movies, and so on.
These low soundwaves have long wavelengths, so reproducing them accurately requires the speaker to move a lot of air. This, in turn, requires a lot of power and space, which is why subwoofers use much larger speakers housed in large enclosures that allow them to move all the air they need in order to reproduce low frequencies.
These rules of physics are the reason why full-range speakers, the kind that are probably on your desk right now, simply can’t replicate the bass coming from a subwoofer.
Most of them can’t reproduce sounds below around 40Hz, which is the domain of the deepest and most powerful bass frequencies. These are the frequencies that you can not just hear but also feel, and for that, you need a subwoofer.
Frankly, I’d go so far as to say that even decent audiophile-grade headphones can’t capture the full extent of bass like a subwoofer. Headphones can make bass sound punchy, and you can sometimes even feel it a bit, but they still can’t move enough air to reach that concert-like physical sensation of bass that you can feel resonating in your chest.
What a Subwoofer Does to Your Games, Music, and Movies
When it comes to bass, you don’t realize how much you’re missing out until you try a subwoofer and then go back to using speakers without it. The difference is comparable to watching a movie through your TV speakers versus seeing that same movie in a cinema.
Whether it’s music, movies, or games, a subwoofer makes sound feel more lifelike and immersive by adding depth and power to the content you consume. I know it sounds like I’m exaggerating, but it’s something you have to experience yourself to truly feel the difference.
An explosion in Battlefield or an action movie is no longer just something that happens on-screen. With that loud, deep grumble accompanying it, the explosion almost feels like it’s happening in your room, even when the speakers are set to a reasonable volume.
Ever since I bought my cheap Logitech 2.1 speaker system five years ago, I’ve been in love with how it sounds. Even though I have a couple of nice headphones now, I still use the speakers most of the time.
Whether I’m listening to tunes on Spotify while I work, playing single-player video games when it’s not too late to use speakers, or watching a TV show or movie on my TV that’s hooked up to my PC with my wife, everything sounds so much livelier thanks to the subwoofer.
Even if you don’t listen to a lot of music or play games, you’ll notice the benefits of a subwoofer immediately. Regular YouTube videos, movie trailers, Facebook clips, and pretty much any audio content will sound more immersive and cinematic. You simply can’t lose by adding a subwoofer to your speaker system.
You Can Add a Subwoofer to an Existing System
If you use an audio interface or sound card, it may have a dedicated subwoofer or LFE output that you can connect directly to the subwoofer, while keeping a separate connection for the speakers.
And if your subwoofer has pass-through outputs, you can instead connect your PC or interface to the subwoofer first and then run a connection from the subwoofer to your speakers. This allows the subwoofer to also double as a crossover (if it has a low-pass filter) and handle the low frequencies, passing the rest to the speakers, which keeps your speakers from being overloaded with bass.
If you want an even easier solution that doesn’t involve audio interfaces and is completely plug-and-play, simply get an all-in-one speaker system with a subwoofer that uses a 3.5mm audio cable and is designed to work with PCs. A solid budget-friendly option is the Logitech Z313, but if you’re looking for something that’ll make your walls shake, get the Logitech Z625 or Edifier M601DB.
- System Control
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Control Pod
- Connection Type
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Wired
The Logitech Z313 2.1 speaker system is an affordable audio solution that delivers big, balanced sound with a compact subwoofer for deep bass that easily fills any room. It’s a plug-and-play solution for any device with a 3.5mm jack, such as your PC.
Once you get a subwoofer, be careful about where you place it. My subwoofer isn’t that powerful, which is why I’ve placed it in the corner of my room to give it a boost. While the bass is a bit boomy, the subwoofer still does a fine job at filling the whole room with low frequencies.
Remember, bass frequencies are omnidirectional, which means the sound travels in all directions, so you have a lot of freedom with where you place your subwoofer, and it’ll still sound like it’s coming from the center. That said, depending on your room’s acoustics, the subwoofer may sound more defined in some spots, so do the subwoofer crawl to find where it sounds best.
If your content sounds flat, you should try adding a subwoofer to your PC’s speaker system. It’s one of the best investments you can make, as it’ll completely transform your movie-watching and gaming experience, and it’ll add depth to your music. Trust me, they’re proof that you don’t need an expensive home theater system to get the cinema experience at home.