Woofers & Subwoofers

Difference between a Woofer and a Subwoofer

While they share a lot of similarities, the difference between a woofer and a subwoofer is

• Woofers typically have a wider frequency response to play both bass and mid range frequencies.
• Subwoofers typically are used for low end, high-impact bass frequencies and often for high power levels.

Subwoofers and Woofers have different characteristics

In many cases you’ll notice them right away. To clarify a bit, here are some woofer vs subwoofer characteristics:

• Woofers are usually part of a 2-way or 3-way speaker system, especially the main speakers for a home stereo. In this case, they produce a frequency range that includes both bass and midrange up to the tweeter’s cutoff frequency.
• Subwoofers are typically used alone in a sealed or ported enclosure designed only for low frequency audio. The frequency range they produce is often about 30 to 100Hz and they’re used to complement a full range sound system.
• Woofers tend to be more limited in their power handling, have a slightly different construction, and often use smaller magnets than subwoofers. Their cones also tend to be made from lighter materials than a subwoofer may use.
• A subwoofer’s excursion (range of cone motion it can tolerate) is often bigger than that of a traditional woofer. This allows them to handle slamming bass at higher power levels.
• Subwoofers often are built with voice coils that can handle higher power levels and vented subwoofer magnets with a “hole” (air vent) through the center to help keep the voice coil cool.
• Especially tough subwoofers may have a much larger & durable cone surround to make very high sound pressure levels possible.
• A subwoofer may also use larger speaker wire terminals for larger gauge wire and larger braided wire connected to the voice coils.
• Most woofers are not dual voice coil (DVC) while you can easily find dual voice coil subwoofers when shopping. They offer additional wiring configurations, configurable impedance, and share power handling between the coils.
• Subwoofers often have a thicker and stiffer cone than woofers in order to be able to produce extreme output levels when driven hard.

The wide range of subwoofer variants out there means you’re bound to find some that are essentially the same as a woofer...

Powered & Passive Subwoofers

The difference between a powered sub (also called active subwoofer) and a passive sub is that a powered sub is a self-contained enclosure with an amplifier and low pass crossover preinstalled.

A passive sub, often pre-installed in an enclosure, requires an amplifier and crossover separately to work.