What Is The Best Hz For A Subwoofer?

Why do we all love subwoofers so much? It’s because of the good bass it produces that makes parties and other gatherings so much fun. But do you know that you need proper settings for example proper frequency to produce such bass? And, what is the best Hz for your Subwoofer?

The best Hz for a Subwoofer is 20 Hz to 120 Hz. Also, it depends on your music taste and what you use it for. For cars and homes, the general frequency is 20-120 Hz. Also, some prefer hard crunchy bass while others prefer to listen to music at a medium level. So Hz needs to be adjusted accordingly.

While you are looking through your subwoofer spec sheets, I think you’ve come across things like “20 Hz -20 kHz”. So what do these numbers mean? Well, this is an audio spectrum.

Pro-tip this can be divided into six different frequency bands which I will discuss later. Here we will focus on which Hz setting is best for bass and overall your subwoofers.

Understanding Frequency 

A middle school science book can easily tell you that sound is a wave. Now the key point here is this sound wave has two ways of measurement. A for Amplitude and λ for Length of the wave. Now, where does frequency fit in here? Well, frequency is the inverse of Wavelength. Simply speaking, how closely the peaks of the waves are packed. 

What is Hz?

Hz is in simple words a measurement of the cycle (Not the one you ride, obviously). So this sound wave has a ton of peaks. And the distance between two of these is a cycle. In mathematical calculation, it’s defined as one Hz.

In other words, the cycle of a wave takes approximately 1 second to pass through a specific point in space.

Frequency Ranges

So why bother with Frequency and Hz? Because Frequency is directly related to Pitch. So lower pitch means lower frequency. Now to understand all these talks we need real and practical examples. Thus we will discuss six frequency bands.

Sub-Bass; Range (20 Hz to 60 Hz):

As the number suggests this is a low-frequency bass. There are lower ones (Like infrasonic, but humans can’t hear those). Don’t be deceived by the low numbers, people can hear them and they produce deep bass which can easily be felt. Why? Because this low-frequency bass has rumbling or shaking behaviors.

Bass; Range (60 Hz to 250 Hz):

This is a low-midrange frequency. The sound is a mix between the Sub-Bass range and Mid-range. Many people enjoy it, so try it and see if you do too.

Midrange; Range (250 Hz to 2.5 kHz) [Not Suitable for Subwoofer]:

At this Hz setting your ear is most sensitive and the most responsive. And you can easily hear most sounds in this range. Be careful when boosting the frequency beyond 1k, because the sound may feel a little bit muffled. 

Tremble; Range (2 kHz to 4 kHz) [Not Suitable for Subwoofer]:

Be careful because your ears are extremely sensitive in this range. Take caution if you are thinking about boosting the range in this range because it can cause high-pitched noise that can induce listening fatigue. So be cautious if you don’t want to damage your ear.

Know more about the subwoofer making rumbling noise.

Presence; Range (4 kHz to 6 kHz) [Not Suitable for Subwoofer]:

If you want to hear clarity in your sound, put your frequency in this range. This frequency is used in most home stereos for centering their trembles (Look at point 4 in the subsection).

Also, you have to be careful both while lowering or increasing the frequency. Because boosting the range will create an irritating harsh sound while lowering may cause distant or transparent sound.

Brilliance; Range (6 kHz to 20 kHz) [Not Suitable for Subwoofer]:

The last one and this is the one you probably can hear in your home stereo system. This one is above the treble range and you will get crystal clear sound as a result.

Also, there is a huge problem that occurs if you boost this range carelessly. Boosting may cause clipping which in turn harms your speaker, especially the tweeters.

Understanding Bass

Now that we’ve covered six different frequency ranges, let’s return to one of the most crucial aspects of Hz settings, which is bass. I’ll tell you the majority of what you need to know about the sub-bass. Also, the best Hz for bass.

Now, recalling what we discussed in the previous section, sub-bass is a very low-frequency sound that ranges from 20Hz to around 160Hz.

So what is the best sub-bass frequency? It starts from 60Hz and goes down to nearly 20Hz. You will start to feel the crackling and thumping vibrations of the subwoofer at this moment.

Quick tip, Bass notes are generally generated by instruments like bass guitars, drums, pipe organs, and a stand-up bass.

Hz setting for Good Bass

So you have a music setup. Do you know when subwoofers are considered best in it? When you produce the best punchy bass. Here is a Subwoofer 101: Lower the Hz, the higher the bass will get.

Here is a real-life example, many extremely powerful subwoofers can produce crunchy and deep bass at a frequency range of 20Hz. So that’s how it works?

But don’t forget that, there exist some subwoofers that can push past it with flying colors. So, if your goal is not some commercial-grade music for example like in a nightclub, a frequency range of 20 Hz and upwards is best for you?

Which is the Lowest and Highest Hz of a Subwoofer?

In the previous section, I mentioned that the lower Hz = more bass. But, as your frequency approaches zero, the number of vibrations you experienced earlier when it was near 20Hz will soon start to fade away. Why do you ask? Because you can’t hear sound at such low levels just like we stated earlier.

So, do you want to experience deep or crunchy bass tones at much lower frequencies? Your best option now is to buy a subwoofer with a larger diameter.

Now let’s say you want to put it in the highest possible frequency range. A normal subwoofer can manage a frequency range near 200Hz at best.

On the contrary, normal loudspeakers can break this limit and go higher with ease. But we are talking about subwoofers here.

And Subs are created to handle lower frequency. So if you exceed 200Hz the sound will become quite awful.

What Are Crossovers in Subwoofers?

Crossovers in subwoofers are made to reduce any speaker’s frequency response. You may think of the crossover system in the subwoofer as the low-pass filter. It is used so that only source frequencies of a certain Hz and below can reach the subwoofer. Here is a practical example:

Suppose you have a subwoofer that can produce 20 Hz to 200 Hz sound. You want sounds of only 100 Hz and below. Crossovers will do it for you.

This configuration is really helpful if you have additional speakers that can withstand frequencies above 100 Hz and you want your subwoofer to chime in when incredibly low bass needs to be produced.

Some tips for Crossover Frequency

Here are a few tips to get the best performance possible. Just like any bass management function, Following these tips will hopefully make the listening experience better.

1. Set the crossover point around 10 Hz above the lowest frequency that your subwoofer can control correctly now that you know its frequency range.

2. In the THX standard, one of the most widely recommended crossover frequencies is 80 Hz.

3. Here is a list of crossover frequencies in different situations:

i. (Tiny sized) On Wall or Satellite subwoofers: Range: 150 Hz – 200 Hz.

ii. (Small Sized) Center, Surround, Bookshelves: Range: 100 Hz -120 Hz.

iii. (Medium Sized) Center, Surround, Bookshelves: 80 Hz – 100 Hz.

iv. (Large Sized) Center, Surround, Bookshelf: 60 Hz – 80 Hz.

v. (Extra large Sized) Center, Surround, Bookshelf: 40 Hz – 60 Hz.

vi. Tower speakers with 4”-6” Subwoofers: Near 60 Hz.

vii. Tower speakers with 8”-10” Subwoofers: 40 Hz or Full Range

4. Check for a seamless transition between speakers and subwoofers. The blending should be so smooth that you can’t tell where the bass is coming from, and everything should play in sync.

5. You’ve noticed a bass boost near the crossover frequency. Try setting the volume control to match the output of the primary speaker.

Also, know why your subwoofer doesn’t work.

Takeaways

In the end, Sound System and Subwoofer Hz settings depend mostly on personality tests. The best thing to do is to experiment with what you like. Trying yourself is a hundred times more effective.

So, take the necessary steps and play with the Hz settings to see what suits you. You may like the deep bass or you prefer tamer. But be sure to follow the steps in the article to make your life a bit easy when experimenting. 

FAQ about the best Hz for a Subwoofer

Can you put any Hz you want?

You can but you may not hear anything. You shouldn’t since it’ll harm your system. 20Hz – 20 KHz is recommended range.

What range can the Subwoofer Handle?

20 Hz to 200 Hz, 20 Hz to 120 Hz is for the best experience.

How do I increase bass?

Lower your frequency but try to stay at 20 Hz.

I want to use more frequencies than 200 Hz. So what?

Your subwoofer can’t produce more.

I want deeper bass, what can I do?

Buy a subwoofer with a longer diameter.

Can high frequency damage my Subwoofer?

Yes, it will make your Subwoofer Overheat. So be careful of that.