A subwoofer is essential if one desires to experience top-notch audio quality with robust and intense bass. However, a test is needed to guarantee that the subwoofer works properly and improves the sound system.
Understanding how to test subwoofer will help you discover issues and enhance performance.
This article tells you several ways to test your subwoofer, whether you’re setting it up or trying to fix it. You can make sure your subwoofer has the low-frequency effect you want.
Contents
What is a Subwoofer?
A subwoofer can be described as a Loudspeaker that produces lower Bass frequencies. The frequency is what makes a woofer different from a subwoofer. A subwoofer has a lower frequency or bass level than a woofer.
A consumer subwoofer can produce frequencies between 20 and 200 HZ. For a professional car subwoofer, the frequency range is below 100 HZ. THX-certified systems are below 80 HZ.
Subwoofers can be used with other devices, but they aren’t the only option. One or more subwoofers can be mounted on a sound frame to make a subwoofer.
It can also be made of wood, which can withstand air pressure and won’t bend. These are just some of the many subwoofers available:
- The Amplifier power subwoofer is ideal for car enthusiasts.
- A subwoofer with active power source is for those who want to use it without or with an amplifier.
- You might be interested in SVS 1000 vs 2000 SVS
Subwoofers can be used in the following ways:
- It’s used to upgrade your audio system.
- This not only increases the bass system but also reduces distortion by lowering the acoustic requirements of the main speaker.
- The stereo low-frequency localization cues help to enhance soundstage reproduction.
What Tools Do You Need To Test the Subwoofer
You must follow the steps to test subwoofers in order to complete the task correctly. There are several essential tools that you will need. These tools are:
- 9 Volt Batterie
- A Wire
- Multimeter or Tester
Ways of testing Subwoofer without an Amp (Amplifier)
Music plays an important part in our mechanical lives. Music can make someone feel better, bring out their feelings, or make them feel calmer and more relaxed.
We can relive any feeling we’ve ever had thanks to the power of music. Depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders can all benefit from listening to music.
Music is a great tool for traveling. It makes it so much more enjoyable. Most vehicles now have a music system.
Most people are interested in adding subwoofers to their cars.
Before buying, the importance of a better subwoofer for a better tone of the music is inevitable. The best results come from testing a subwoofer without an amplifier.
If your sub doesn’t deliver the bass sound it is supposed to, you can check it and see if it is a problem with the blown speaker.
How To Test Subwoofer With Multimeter
A multimeter is the best way to determine if the subwoofer has blown out. A multimeter is a great tool for testing other types of stuff.
In this instance, the purpose of a multimeter is to test the voice coil resistance. This will let you know if your subwoofer is still working or if it has broken. These are the steps to determine the resistance of your voice coils.
- You must first turn off the subwoofer and cut the power supply. You will only get the correct measurements if you do this.
- After we need to monitor the cone of the woofer rises upwards when it is connected with the battery and rises downwards when disconnected from the battery.
- Next, remove all cables and wirings from your subwoofer. You should also remove any power or input cables from your subwoofer.
- To access the subwoofer properly, remove it from the enclosure. Now you’ll have to take the subwoofer out of the box so you can get to the voice coils. This will depend on the subwoofer that you have.
- Once you can get to the subwoofer’s voice coil, you must connect your voltmeter to the terminals. The positive terminal of your voice coil will be visible, so ensure you use the positive end.
- Attach the negative probe to your negative terminal.
- Turn on your multimeter and you will see the resistance of the subwoofer.
This is how you test. But what about the results? You don’t have to worry about that. There are three possible readings that your multimeter may give you.
If there is no resistance in your multimeter reading, it means that the subwoofer’s voice coils have already been damaged. If the reading shifts too often, it could indicate a subwoofer is blown coil.
If the resistance reading on the multimeter is greater than 1 ohm, it’s safe. This is a sign that your subwoofer may be having problems.
Test the Sound Produced
Bad subwoofer speakers will produce terrible bass. You want to know how well your bass speaker sounds, so this will help you figure out if it is working right. For this test to work, you will need music or a sound system.
Listen to some soft music or lower the volume. After a while, raise the volume. If you can still hear the subwoofer sound test from the sub speaker, it is not fully blown. The speaker will be completely blown for subs that produce static sounds or totally silent.
How to Determine If the Cone is Bad
A suspension system is used to keep the cone in place on every subwoofer. The suspension system allows the cone to vibrate (move back and forth) during sound disturbances. It is an indicator that the cone is having trouble moving if it stops moving after a disturbance or if the movement is slow.
You need to remove the grille from your subwoofer to verify that the cone is not the problem. This test should be done with both hands. If there are no problems, you don’t want them to create one. Place your hands on the speaker cone and gently push. If the cone moves, it’s okay. If the cone doesn’t move, it is a problem.
But, moving is not enough. It must move within a defined area and should do so smoothly. So listen. It’s bad if the movement is rigid or lax. A problem is if you hear something that sounds like scratching. These sounds could indicate a weak suspension.
How To Test A Subwoofer If The Coil Is Bad
Attached at the end of the cone is the voice coil. The magnet is the part that generates a magnetic field to produce sound. The voice coil has a positive and a negative terminal. You can also blow the voice coil and have your subwoofer’s bass leak.
You will need a multimeter to verify that the sub’s voice coil has failed. Multimeters check electronic devices like subwoofers’ voltage, current, and resistance.
To do this test, turn off the speaker and take the voice coil off of both the positive and negative wires. Place the probes from the multimeter in their place. Place the right probe into the right terminal and the left probe into the left terminal.
Ensure you have a good voltmeter to get accurate results when checking the electrical resistance of your coil. If your coil’s electrical resistance is more than 1.0 Ohms, it’s good.
If the coils don’t read an electrical resistance value, they are probably blown subwoofers. A result of fewer than 1.0 Ohms, or between 1.0 and 1.0 Ohms, indicates something seriously wrong.
Relevant posts:
- How To Connect Two Wireless Subwoofers To One Soundbar?
- How To Recone A Subwoofer? Top Full Guide 2023
- How To Fix A Blown Subwoofer?
FAQs
How can I test my subwoofer without music?
You can test your subwoofer without music by sending it a low-frequency sound with a test tone generator or a frequency sweep tool. You can then listen for distortion or rattling noise, indicating a problem with the subwoofer’s driver or enclosure.
Can I use any music to test my subwoofer?
Using music specifically mixed for testing subwoofers is recommended to get the most accurate results. These songs test the subwoofer’s bass response, depth, and clarity, among other things.
Can a faulty receiver or amplifier affect the subwoofer’s performance?
Yes, a faulty receiver or amplifier can affect the subwoofer’s performance. The subwoofer may fail if the receiver or amplifier doesn’t produce enough power or signal.
Can a damaged subwoofer be repaired?
A broken speaker can sometimes be fixed. If the damage is small, like a torn spider or a broken cone, the part may be able to be replaced. But if the damage is serious, like a blown voice coil, it may be cheaper to replace the whole speaker.
How can I check the phase of my subwoofer?
To check the phase of your subwoofer, you can use a test tone generator and a multimeter. Set the tone generator to produce a 50Hz sine wave and connect the multimeter to the negative and positive terminals of the subwoofer.
Slowly adjust the phase control on the subwoofer until you get the highest voltage reading on the multimeter. This indicates that the subwoofer is in phase with the other speakers in your sound system.
Conclusion
A subwoofer is a type of speaker that makes low-frequency sounds, which are usually called bass. A good subwoofer can make your music or home theater system sound better overall and make hearing more immersive. Contrary to what most people think, a subwoofer is useful in any size room, not just big ones or home theaters. Thanks for reading!
