In theory, human ears can hear the 20 to 20,000 Hertz frequency range. That said, that last low-end stretch - so from roughly 20 to 60 Hertz - is barely represented by regular near-field studio monitors. That's where the studio subwoofer comes in, which is specifically designed to take care of those ultra-low frequencies.
Expanding Studio Monitors with an Active Subwoofer
Our range of studio monitors is mainly home to near-field monitors, which are designed for close-range listening and shape a very direct sound. Near-fields rarely drop below 40Hz, and even if they do, it's likely accompanied by distortion and other unwanted noise. A subwoofer is basically a low-frequency speaker that you can add to a standard (studio) speaker system.
A Subwoofer Set-Up with a Crossover
If you decide to add a sub to your studio monitor set-up, then it's important to properly distribute the workload among all units. If the frequency ranges that your subwoofer and monitors cover overlap too much, you'll end up with a kind of lump in the frequency response. To help distribute the frequencies, most studio subwoofers come fitted with a crossover. A crossover is a kind of filter that ensures the frequency response of your monitors stops where the coverage of your subwoofer begins. If possible, we'd recommend buying a subwoofer from the same series as your monitors so you're fully assured that the speakers and crossover are correctly 'calibrated'.
One or Two Subwoofers?
In closed spaces, humans struggle to locate the source of low frequencies. As such, setting up a second subwoofer is never going to result in 'stereo bass' if you will. On the other hand, high-end mixing and mastering studios do often opt to set up two subwoofers - one per monitor - to make sure that the low frequencies reach the ears of the producer or engineer at the same time as the middle and high frequencies, resulting in a more detailed sound with more sonic cohesion.
20Hz in Your Home Recording Studio
If you're listening to music in a smaller room, you've probably noticed that some sounds drone while other frequencies almost disappear. This phenomenon is caused by 'standing waves': frequencies with a wavelength that’s the same as the size of the room. The smaller the room, the worse the problems can get. If you're serious about music production, we recommend installing some absorber panels and bass-traps, especially if you're thinking about plopping down a studio subwoofer.
