Just wattage alone doesn’t make a subwoofer good or bad but it sure makes a difference. There’s no real need to always go for high wattage subwoofers, it depends on the situation and your own preference. And so back to the question, how many watts does a subwoofer need?
When we are talking about using a subwoofer at a nearfield listening distance or inside a small room, generally you won’t need a large sub, and a minimum amplifier power of 100-150 Watts (RMS) or as high as 300 Watts would be good enough. The subwoofer’s bass driver size of 8″ to 10″ would be sufficient as well. If we are looking at mid-sized rooms, the subwoofer should have about 500 Watts of RMS power. For large listening rooms, a subwoofer with 600-700 Watts and above RMS power would be needed.
You may need dual subwoofers to cover the area of a large listening room. This also gives you higher wattage as you will be tapping on the amplifier power of two active subs.
Table of Contents
Higher Wattage to handle Peaks
Having a subwoofer with higher amplifier power is a wise choice especially if you like to watch movies at reference levels. Reproducing subterranean bass frequencies at high volume takes a lot of power and the deeper the low frequency, the more watts it needs to produce it. If the subwoofer doesn’t have enough power to handle sudden movie peaks, it will clip and may damage itself. Not to mention, the ‘horrifying’ distorted sound the subwoofer makes when it clips.
If you know that you like to watch movies at a loud volume level inside a large-sized HT room, then you should consider getting one or two powerful subwoofers. We are talking about the SVS PB16-Ultra level of performance and this beast has up to 5000+ Watts of peak power. If you are going with two subwoofers, then choosing SVS PB-4000 or subwoofers of this caliber would be sufficient. You can read up more about subwoofers for large rooms here.
What if your listening room is small, then you might want to take a look at JL Audio f110v2 which is a powerful and compact high-end sealed subwoofer. The entry-level SVS PB1000 Pro will be an affordable option but it is larger in size. The aforementioned subwoofers are not cheap and if you planning to get a lower quality sub, you might not want to push it too hard. You can find out more about subwoofers for small rooms here.
High Watts in Subwoofer does not mean loud
Higher wattage does not equate to higher volume levels. A subwoofer with lower watts may play louder than a subwoofer with higher watts spec. This is due to how they are designed and the components that are being used to build them.
Subwoofers with High Watts do not mean better Bass quality
Power does help with the subwoofer’s performance but that doesn’t mean it will have better bass quality. A low-powered subwoofer can sound better than a high-powered subwoofer. The experience and technology that the subwoofer manufacturer use is some of the crucial factors which will affect the bass quality.
To Conclude
The power of the subwoofer is only part of an equation, don’t let the number of watts get in your way of choosing the right subwoofer for your sound system. A poorly designed subwoofer with high amplifier power will still provide a subpar performance and ruin your listening experience. A well-designed subwoofer with lower watts will still provide its users with a greater listening experience. Still, higher amplifier power does have its own advantages. Do read up about Good Vs Bad Subwoofer on our website, it will give you more information on bass quality and performance.
There are a few companies that specialize in making high-performance subwoofers and you should certainly check them out. We have already mentioned two of them in this blog post which is SVS and JL Audio. You should also take a look at Ken Kreisel, Rythmik Audio, and HSU Research. You are likely to be able to find a subwoofer that will fit your price range from these companies. For budget subwoofers or more affordable options, you might want to check out Polk Audio, Klipsch, and Monoprice.
Looking at the specs of the subwoofer such as power/watts might help to give you a rough idea of how good the sub might be. It is still important to have an audition with the subwoofer you are interested in. By listening to them, you will be able to tell if the bass quality is what you are looking for. For listeners who are looking at bass output and max SPL, a ported enclosure subwoofer will suit you better.
We hope this blog post has answered your question on how many watts a subwoofer needs and would enable you to make a more informed decision in the future. More importantly, is that it has helped you to find the subwoofer of your dream and to give you an exhilarating music listening or home cinematic experience.
