Comparison SVS SB-3000 vs B&W DB1

— Home. General purpose subwoofers not covered by any other specialty (see below). The name “home” quite accurately describes their main purpose, but, of course, the matter is not limited to home acoustic systems: such “subs” can be used in cafes and bars, on skating rinks and rollerdromes and other public places.

— Concert. Subwoofers designed for use at concerts and other mass events are distinguished primarily by high power — hundreds or even thousands of watts. This allows you to cover large areas with powerful rich sound.

— Studio. Subwoofers designed for professional audio applications, primarily in recording studios. They are also called "monitors" (however, this is the common name for all studio speakers). Differ in extremely high fidelity of a sound transmission.

— Landscape. Models designed for outdoor installation — for example, in the courtyard of a private house, on the territory of an entertainment complex, etc. The most noticeable difference between such models and classic home ones is their appearance: landscape subwoofers must fit into the design of the area, so they are often “disguised” as a stone, flower pot, ground lamp, etc. In addition, the cases of such speakers are well protected from moisture, dust and other adverse factors associated with being outdoors. And the placement method m...ay involve not only simple installation on the ground, but also digging into the ground, depending on the model.

Note that the use of a subwoofer for other than its “native” purpose is technically possible, however, usually, it is not justified: a concert model in the house will be redundant, an ordinary home “sub” can be put outside only until the first rain, etc.

Rated power of the subwoofer. Technically, this is the highest average (rms) sound power at which the device can work normally (without sound distortion and damage to components) for an unlimited time. Simply put, the more powerful the subwoofer, the louder it is. The choice for this parameter depends primarily on the size of the space / room that is planned to be covered; detailed recommendations for different situations can be found in special sources.

Also, the power is directly related to the characteristics of the amplifier used with the subwoofer. For active subwoofers (see "Type"), this item actually indicates the nominal power of the built-in amplifier; the speaker itself can be more powerful, but it doesn't matter anymore. For passive models, the power rating corresponds to the highest amplifier power that can be connected to the speaker without the risk of damaging it at high volume.

The sensitivity value determines the volume of the subwoofer when an external signal of a certain power is connected to it. The higher the sensitivity, the louder the sound will be, with equal signal power and impedance.

The highest sound pressure level that a subwoofer can create, in other words, the volume that it produces at its maximum power level. This parameter is measured in the same way as any noise level - in decibels; since the decibel is a non-linear quantity, it is easiest to evaluate loudness using comparative tables. So, the most modest modern subwoofers are capable of delivering up to 95 – 100 dB, this is comparable to the volume of a subway car or a chainsaw. In the most powerful ones, it can exceed 130 dB - this is louder than an airplane on takeoff, a long stay near a subwoofer operating at full power can lead to hearing damage.

Note that sound pressure and sensitivity (see above) are fundamentally different characteristics, although they are measured by the same units.

The range of audio frequencies reproduced by the subwoofer. As a general rule, the wider the frequency range, the richer the sound and the more detail the speaker can convey. However, it is worth remembering that subwoofers as a class are designed for low and ultra-low frequencies in the range from 20 to 150 (sometimes 200) Hz. Therefore, in fact, a significant difference in sound is noticeable only with a large difference in the reproducible ranges (for example, 20-200 Hz and 50-150 Hz).

Also, do not forget that an extensive frequency range is not yet a guarantee of high-quality sound; and in some cases (for example, if the main speakers of the speaker also cope well with low frequencies), it may be completely redundant.

The number of individual speakers in the subwoofer design. The vast majority of modern subwoofers have a single speaker; therefore, it is customary to indicate this number only when it is greater than 1. The speakers themselves usually have the same dimensions and characteristics.

Such "multi-charge" in a subwoofer can serve different purposes. Most often, the manufacturer thus provides high sound power without a significant increase in the dimensions of the speaker — several small speakers are easier to fit into a compact case than one large one. And with 3 or 6 speakers, their diffusers can be located at an angle of 120 ° to each other, thus ensuring uniform sound radiation in all directions.

Note that the use of several speakers significantly affects the cost of the column, this feature is typical mainly for high-end models.

The diameter of the speaker(s) installed in the subwoofer.

It is believed that the larger the speaker ( 15 ", 18 " and more), the more power it can produce and the deeper the bass will be on such acoustics. However, in modern subwoofers, manufacturers use various tricks that allow achieving good sound depth even with relatively small speaker sizes ( 10 ", 8 "). Therefore, it is possible to compare different models only if they differ significantly in this indicator; and even then, in such cases, it is worth paying attention not so much to the speaker diameter as to the price category. The golden mean among sizes is 12-inch subwoofers.

The ability to shift the sound produced by the subwoofer in phase — usually by 180 °, but in some models the option is also available by 90 °.

Sound vibrations can be represented as a sinusoid. In some cases, the sinusoids from the subwoofer and from the main speakers may be out of phase — for example, with a difference in distance, inconsistency in the operation of amplifiers, etc. This degrades the sound quality. And the phase adjustment allows you to correct the situation and coordinate the subwoofer with the rest of the components of the speaker system.

The subwoofer has its own level control, in other words, a volume control. Adjusting the bass with such a control is often easier than digging into the settings of an amplifier or other external device.