Orion HCCA Subwoofers

A subwoofer (or "sub") is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker typically between 8" and 21" in diameter, which is dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies (the "bass"). The typical range for a subwoofer is about 20?200 Hz.http://www.crutchfield.com/S-5VsEXVgtser/Learn/learningcenter/home/speakers_glossary.html Subs are used to augment the performance of main loudspeakers. Subwoofers are constructed by mounting one or more woofers in a well-braced wood or plastic enclosure. Subwoofers have been designed using a number of speaker enclosure designs, including bass reflex (with a port or tube in the enclosure), infinite baffle, horn-loaded, and bandpass designs, each of which has advantages and disadvantages in efficiency, size, distortion, cost, and power handling. Passive subwoofers have a subwoofer driver and enclosure and they are powered by an external amplifier. Active subwoofers include a built-in amplifier.

The first subwoofers were developed in the 1960s to add bass response to home stereo systems. Subwoofers came into greater popular consciousness in the 1970s with the introduction of Sensurround in movies such as Earthquake, which produced loud low-frequency sounds through large subwoofers. With the advent of the compact cassette and the compact disc in the 1980s, the reproduction of deep, loud bass was no longer limited by the ability of a phonograph record stylus to track a groove,AES E-Library: Tracking Ability Specifications for Phonograph Cartridges by Kogen, J. H. and producers could add more low frequency content to recordings. As well, during the 1990s, DVDs were increasingly recorded with "surround sound" processes that included a Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel, which could be heard using the subwoofer in home theater systems. During the 1990s, subwoofers also became increasingly popular in home stereo systems, custom car audio installations, and in PA systems. By the 2000s, subwoofers became almost universal in sound reinforcement systems in nightclubs and concert venues.