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A bookshelf speaker is one of the best options to consider for home theater. They are good both for sound and budget. But do bookshelf speakers need a subwoofer?
At A Glance: The bookshelf speakers need a subwoofer. After all, their drivers can’t go deep in the bass frequencies because they are not designed that way.
Keep reading as I will be explaining this in detail along with many more related queries to answer. At the end of this article, you will know many more things about bookshelf speakers.
With Or Without a Subwoofer?
It is the best approach to add a subwoofer to any speaker setup.
Many users go for floor-standing speakers because they think that floor-standing speakers can provide some amount of bass too.
But this is not a great idea. Sorry if my blog readers are thinking the same, but I have to question this approach.
The bass drivers when installed in a floor-standing speaker are not a good idea to use for home theater. Because in the theater room, you need to hunt for the best place for a subwoofer to deliver the bass you need.
No single placement spot can be replicated in every theater room, and that will work the best there. You can’t place the bass drivers in the front speaker. Because they will not always work better there.
You have to keep moving the bass driver around the room to hunt for the sweet spot. There will be a point in the theater room where the bass will hit you the best.
That’s why you need a separate subwoofer to move it around for the sweet spot.
That’s why I prefer bookshelf speakers with a subwoofer over just floor-standing or just bookshelf speakers in the setup.
A separate subwoofer is always the best to use. But read my this guide to know which to use dual or single subwoofer in your theater room.
Do bookshelf speakers have bass?
In-Short: Bookshelf speakers have bass but still, they will play bass from the surface and don’t go deeper into the bass.
In-Depth: The bookshelf speaker drivers are designed in a way that they can’t play frequencies lower than 40-35 Hz. But for deeper bass, you need a driver that can go till 20 Hz.
That’s why the bookshelf speakers can only deliver shallow bass and can’t deliver fuller and deeper bass.
The drivers are not designed to give you complete bass. This thing has one pro and one con.
The pro is that the bookshelf speakers’ only setup will deliver natural sound. They will deliver the sound with the same frequencies that the sound is engineered. If you are a lover of natural sound, then you can go with this setup without a subwoofer.
But if you want thumping and realism in the impactful actions on the screen, then you need a subwoofer with bookshelf speakers. The impact actions such as punching, firing, and slamming doors.
Read my this guide to know how to increase the bass in home theater. The bass will feel like heaven after applying all the steps in this guide.
Did you get something out of this bookshelf speaker guide? Hold On We Have Something Exciting To Share.
[the_ad id=”4771″]FAQs
Are bookshelf speakers better than a soundbar?
A cheaper bookshelf speakers setup is better than a relatively expensive soundbar. The soundbar has all the drivers in front and the bookshelf speakers can be placed all around you. That’s why you can physically feel that the sound is all around you.
The soundbar can replicate the surround sound around you, but bookshelf speakers can provide you with real surround sound. And bookshelf speakers also have some amount of bass in them. That’s why bookshelf speakers are always better.
Are bookshelf speakers good for music?
Bookshelf speakers are the best for music when using them without a subwoofer because they can deliver natural sound.
The subwoofer with bookshelf speakers for music is an exaggeration of the music. Because I like to have the same music hitting my ears that is produced by the producers. And the bookshelf speakers deliver the same to my ears.
But for movies, I love to accompany them with a subwoofer for that thumping effect to the movies.
Can you hook up the bookshelf speakers to the subwoofer?
This depends on the build quality of the subwoofer. Few subwoofers provide connectivity for speakers, and few don’t.
To know that your subwoofer provides connectivity to speakers. You should read the subwoofer manual or look at the back of the subwoofer.
If the subwoofer provides connectivity, you can find connectivity options at the back of the subwoofer.
Are bookshelf speakers Good for TV?
They are good for TV because they are cheaper and can be used easily in small to medium rooms.
They are the best because bookshelf speakers can be scattered around you with your preferred placement. You can place it closer or further away from you.
They are budget, placement, and bass management-friendly options. Bass management is friendly because you are required to install a subwoofer, and can move the subwoofer around the room to hunt for the best spot for it.
You can place it in a spot that can provide chest-hitting bass.
Can you use only bookshelf speakers?
You can use only bookshelf speakers because there is no restriction on not doing so.
In fact, audiophiles do like to use the bookshelf speakers alone without adding floor-standing speakers or subwoofers. Because they love to have pure sound without stretching a few frequencies.
But personally, I love to use floor standings for the front channels and bookshelf speakers for the rest of the channels, with one or two subwoofers in the chain.
Helpful Resources For The FAQs To Read More
- Read my this guide on Front speakers Vs soundbar. Don’t forget to read the point table. You will know in detail where the soundbar is winning and where it is losing. (Resource for the first answer)
- Read my this guide, are smaller subwoofers better for music? You will know which size to choose for the best music. (Resource for the second answer)
- This was my opinion, read more about it from this Reddit discussion. (Resource for the fourth answer)
- This was my opinion, read more about it from Klipsch Blog. (Resource for the fifth answer)
