What Should I Look For When Buying a Subwoofer in Kenya?
What Should I Look For When Buying a Subwoofer in Kenya? If that is your question, you are in the right place. A subwoofer in Kenya is a speaker that can be installed and used to supplement the bass frequency of an audio system.
When you are looking for a new subwoofer, there are many things to consider before pulling the trigger on your purchase.
In this article, we will go over some of the most important criteria when buying a subwoofer in Kenya so you know what features to look for as well as what specifications.
What is a subwoofer?
A subwoofer is a speaker that can be installed and used to supplement the bass frequency of an audio system.
How are they powered?
There are two main types of built-in speakers, active and passive when it comes to powering your subwoofer for sound reproduction.
Active subs have their power amplifier inside while passively driven ones rely on external amplification through either the receiver or pre-amp outputs.
What type should I get?
The best way to go about purchasing a new subwoofer in Kenya is to pick one that matches up with what you currently have or plan on buying down the road.
This way, everything will work seamlessly together without having any issues such as impedance mismatches between components which may lead to underpowered systems, low-frequency distortions at higher volume levels, or even damage to speakers and amplifiers.
If you are planning on buying a new receiver soon then look for one that fits well with the subwoofer as well so it matches up perfectly which will result in maximum performance from your entire audio system instead of just having different components clashing together and working against each other.
Choose Speaker Type First
Choosing which type of speakers (sealed or ported) means first understanding how low-frequency sounds like those produced by subwoofers work.
These lower-frequency sounds move the woofer cone back and forth instead of moving it in a complete circle like with high, mid, or upper bass frequencies.
This is why you can’t feel them as much on your body but they are still very important to provide that “punch” sound when watching movies or listening to music!
Sealed Subwoofer vs Ported Subwoofer
There are two main types of subwoofers out there: sealed and ported (also known as vented).Â
Sealed subwoofers have their internal volume so porting isn’t necessary for extra air movement.
They also tend to be more compact than ported speakers which means better installation options if space is an issue.
On the other hand, ported subwoofers have a vented chamber that lets air in and out which produces more bass output at a lower frequency range than sealed units.
What should I look for when buying a subwoofer in Kenya?
When buying a subwoofer in Kenya, consider the following;
1). Power (RMS Power)
The first specification you will probably notice is RMS power or continuous average power (CAvg) which indicates how much total power the woofer can handle continuously without blowing up!
This number usually ranges from 50-300 watts but can go higher depending on what wattage amplifier you’re using with your system.
2). Sensitivity
This is a measurement of how loud something can play when it receives an input power with the output measured in decibels (dB).
Look for this number to be at least 85dB or higher so that you know your speaker will have enough volume levels without having to turn up the volume too high on either your receiver/pre-amp outputs or amplifier which could result in distortion, damage, and increased risk of damaging other speakers if they are playing above their recommended sound pressure level (SPL).
3). Size
The larger subwoofer in Kenya usually means more low-end frequency extension and overall better performance compared to smaller ones.
Why?
Because there’s more cone area for moving air around to create deeper bass frequencies however sometimes going too big isn’t good especially if space is an issue.
If you are looking for a sub that can handle higher power levels then look for one with at least an eight-inch driver instead of six or seven.
However, this isn’t always the case because sometimes having too big of drivers doesn’t work out well if they aren’t designed to be pushed as hard so it comes down to what kind of sound quality and output performance you want most which will vary from person to person.
4). Type
There are two main types when it comes to powering your subwoofer system, active and passive powered ones.
Active models have their own built-in amplifier inside while passively driven ones rely on external amplification through either the receiver or pre-amp outputs.
The best way is to pick one that matches up with your system’s specs or possible future changes you might want to make.
If your receiver only has two channels of power for subwoofers then having an active powered one is best because they are limited in powering passive ones so it would be more worth the investment to get a model with its built-in amplifier that will work properly and last longer without any problems occurring.
However, if you have a powerful enough pre-amp/receiver unit then going for a passive speaker instead might not be bad especially if space isn’t too much of an issue since these types can handle louder volumes better than their active counterparts.
5). Enclosure Design
Enclosure design varies from product to product so it’s important to know what the others you’re looking at have.
Some might be sealed, ported or bandpass designs which all mean different things for your overall sound quality and performance when in use.
A sealed model will provide a tighter sounding bass that is more accurate and punchy while having less output compared to other types especially ported ones but can also create better low-end sounds because they don’t allow any air leakage during operation.
On the opposite end, we have ported models which generally have a deeper extension but aren’t as tight or accurate as their sealed counterparts however if designed properly these potentially could perform even better than some high-end car audio subwoofers depending on how much money you’ve spent on your system.
Bandpass enclosures are a hybrid design that can produce both deep and accurate bass but have the highest sensitivity out of all three so they will play louder with less amplifier power input which is great for those who don’t want to pay as much money towards powering their subs.
Bass Reflex, DSP Controlled…etc- While these might seem unfamiliar terms at first if you know what each one means then it could be beneficial in helping you find exactly what kind of subwoofer to buy in Kenya within your budget range or requirements because performance varies from product to product depending on how well designed they were by the manufacturer.
6). Number of Voice Coils
This is an important spec to look at when buying a subwoofer because it shows how much control and fine-tuning you can do with your amp’s settings to get the most out of them.
For example;
If one has two voice coils then you will be able to wire each coil in either series or parallel which gives users twice as many wiring options for controlling things like impedance, power distribution, driver protection among other things so having more than one makes getting your ideal sound easier overall compared to single voice coil models that only give you half of those capabilities.
If you are someone who knows what they’re doing then having just one isn’t too bad but for beginners, I would recommend finding ones with multiple coils especially since some might even be DSP controlled which makes things even easier than having just one voice coil.
7). Price
This might seem like the most obvious thing to consider but it’s not as easy as simply picking out a subwoofer with either the highest or lowest prices since those aren’t really good ways of finding ones that will work best for you.
If going after cheap models then there is a possibility they could end up being too weak and lack accuracy compared to more expensive options especially if power output was one of your main concerns which should be because everyone would want their bass loud and proud!
On the other hand, some high-priced subwoofers in Kenya don’t always guarantee quality performance so just because something costs an arm and leg doesn’t mean it’s automatically worth getting over lower-priced alternatives even though they do offer better value in general.
Conclusion
Features to look for in a subwoofer might vary depending on your specific needs so it’s important to know everything you can about them before making a decision.
Most of what we’ve discussed here should give you an idea of how important each spec is and why they’re needed for getting the best possible sound out of anything no matter if its car audio subwoofers or home theater ones as well as other types that might be available on the market nowadays.
For those who are more experienced some things like voice coils, power handling capabilities, sensitivity ratings, etc could mean even more than basic specs but for most people, all they need to find is something good enough will only require knowing about enclosure design and bass response which we talked about in this article!
Still, wondering What Should I Look For When Buying a Subwoofer in Kenya?
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