Whatever sound system we consider, when we need rich bass, we cannot achieve it with basic speakers. It is necessary to add another component for the bass. Woofers and subwoofers are used. With both having similar functionalities, woofer vs subwoofer comparison gets difficult for people, especially those unaware of the technical differences.
What Is A Woofer?
The woofer is made to deal with low-frequency signals in the sound system. Using it, we can achieve good-sounding audio with a decent volume and no distortion. That’s why sound systems often use woofers as front and rear channel speakers.
How Does A Woofer Works?
A woofer converts electrical signals into movements at specific frequency ranges that create the sound we hear. Woofers come with an operating range of 20 to 2000 Hz, which makes these the perfect choice for your mid-range frequency sounds.
With this mid-range frequency support, the woofers can provide a wider range of sounds than tweeters and subwoofers, making them perfect for your speaker system. The wider range of frequencies also makes woofers suitable for several applications.
Benefits Of A Woofer
The following are the top 3 benefits of a woofer.
- A woofer can provide an all-in-one experience without tweeters and a subwoofer because of its middle-ranging operating frequency range.
- Woofers are compact and can easily fit inside compact places without compromising sound quality.
- Woofers are cheaper than subwoofers when comparing woofer vs subwoofer.
What Is A Subwoofer?
A subwoofer is made to provide rich bass within a specific frequency range. Subwoofers have various frequency ranges depending on how extreme you want the bass to be. Hence, the price range varies significantly for different products with varying specifications.
How A Subwoofer Works
The critical difference in the working of subwoofers is their frequency range. These are designed to work at low-frequency ranges which we hear as deeper bass. While the subwoofers cannot work alone to provide all the sound frequencies, they add great value to the hearing experience by adding bass. The frequency range of a subwoofer ranges from 20 to 200HZ only.
Benefits Of A Subwoofer
The following are the top 3 benefits of a subwoofer.
- Subwoofers are known for their consistency because they add to the sound quality by producing low-frequency tones known as bass.
- Adding a subwoofer to your sound system reduces the distortion and creates clearer audio.
- Adding a subwoofer to any sound system can improve bass, making movies and music much better because woofers can focus more on the mids.
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Woofer Vs Subwoofer: Main Differences You Need To Know
Now that you have a basic idea about the working principles and benefits of both the woofer and subwoofer, here we will compare the main differences you must know before buying yours.
1. Frequency Ranges
The first and one of the main differences between these two is their operating frequency ranges. The woofers can usually work on frequencies ranging between 20 and 2000 Hz. As it is a wide range of frequencies, Woofers can produce different sound frequencies.
However, when producing quality low or high-frequency sounds, woofers may start creating distortions. On the other hand, a subwoofer is specifically made to work on frequencies between 20 and 200 Hz. So, these are dedicated to producing rich bass.
2. Sizes
Next up is their size. While both are available in a wide range of size options, woofers are usually used in smaller sizes. The common sizes used for woofers range between 3 to 6 inches. It is also because multiple woofers are used in a system.
However, subwoofers are only used once in most systems, whether we consider a car audio or a surround sound system. That’s why these are relatively big, usually starting from 10 inches.
3. Number Of Drivers
As mentioned earlier, woofers are not used alone in most cases. Mostly you will find at least 2 or 3 woofers in a sound system. Along with these woofers, there might be some smaller tweeters focusing on higher frequencies only. However, the subwoofers are alone in most systems. You can configure several woofers and tweeters using the right drivers and other hardware with one subwoofer.
4. Prices
The differences here are also about the prices of these two. Woofers are usually cheaper, and these units are available for less than $100. However, the quality of the subwoofers needs to be much better, and premium subwoofers cost much more than a normal woofer would.
Normally subwoofers start from $150, and a single unit can also cost over $400 if you are up for the premium options.
5. Power Consumption And Amplifier Requirements
The difference between their power consumption is significant, where woofers need no additional power. These are driven by the same amplifier you use to power the regular speaker. That amplifier can be built-in into your speaker system, or you can use an external one. So, these use much less power.
On the other hand, the subwoofers need much higher power, so using an external amplifier to power them is essential. So, their consumption is also higher. This power requirement also makes the setup process a little more complicated.
Woofer Vs Subwoofer: Which One Makes The Better Option For You?
This comparison can be a hard one to conclude without knowing your requirements. It is because these two are different and serve different purposes. So, your requirements may change the decision. For instance, if you want to improve the bass in your home theater system, then adding a subwoofer may solve the problem.
On the other hand, if you are satisfied with the bass but want more volume and audio range, then going for woofers will be a perfect choice.
Verdict
With their names overlapping and both being a part of most audio systems, people often confuse these two. One can say that the woofers are made to create the body of sound, while subwoofers put more detail into it with deeper bass. With this woofer vs subwoofer comparison, you can easily select among these 2 depending on your requirements.
