• 21 July 2023
• Music System
• By lifestyle audio

Do You Need A Subwoofer With Ceiling Speakers?

Do ceiling speakers need a subwoofer? 

Ceiling speakers don’t require a subwoofer to provide a great sound quality, however adding a subwoofer can dramatically improve your experience by filling in the lower frequencies, adding significant depth to your music.

Good quality ceiling speakers can provide a rich and detailed sound with adequate bass for general music, radio and podcast listening, so your average kitchen, bedroom or bathroom most likely doesn’t need a subwoofer.

If however you’re looking for a primary music listening application where you want the best sound quality possible, or if you’re into bass heavy music, then we’d definitely recommend adding a subwoofer to your ceiling speaker system!

Building a home cinema? The subwoofer is a vital component so don’t skip it in this scenario.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that the size and the quality of your ceiling speakers will directly affect the levels of bass you can achieve without a subwoofer.

For instance, 4” ceiling speakers may be discreet but they’ll definitely lack bass so if you’re going for smaller speakers then consider adding a subwoofer to balance it out.

If you want the most bass possible but can’t or don’t want to put a bulky subwoofer in then consider going for the larger 8” ceiling speakers as these will move more air and provide a deeper, richer sound.

What Is A Subwoofer?

A subwoofer is a speaker with the purpose of producing the lower frequencies, aka bass.

The bass provides depth and control to your music, filling in where your ceiling speakers cannot.

Your mind may be drifting to thoughts of your local ASDA car park on a Friday night, but a correctly setup subwoofer will transform any type of music, whether you’re into classical, rock or DubStep.

Our best selling ceiling speaker, the Q Acoustics QI65C, has a low frequency response of 75Hz whereas a subwoofer will bring that down to the 20-30Hz level.

That 45Hz is the difference between enjoying your music, and feeling your music.

Adding that subwoofer means that your speakers can focus on the higher end (singing etc) whilst your subwoofer builds the foundational bass that enriches the overall experience into a moving masterpiece that makes you forget you’re standing in your kitchen.

Choosing A Subwoofer

There are two main types of subwoofer so your choices come down to a freestanding active subwoofer or a flush mounted in wall/ceiling subwoofer.

Freestanding Subwoofer

These are the easiest and most cost effective subwoofers. 

They are freestanding and amplified so you’ll simply plug it into the mains and then connect it to your compatible amplifier with a subwoofer cable.

You’ll find lots of different options from various brands at varying price points.

Most active subwoofers will feature an RCA subwoofer input which connects to your amplifier.

However, some of our ceiling speaker amplifiers don’t feature a dedicated subwoofer output so in those instances you need to look for an active subwoofer with high-level speaker level inputs.  Such as the AV Link M8S.

Pros: Lots Of Choices At Varying Budgets, Sizes & Powers, Plug & Play With Compatible Amplifiers, Powerful, Easy To Place

Cons: Freestanding, Needs Floor Space In Room