What Is a Subwoofer Bottom Meaning?
What an audiophile needs is a hard-hitting subwoofer without any problem because a good subwoofer can enhance their music experience to the next level. Sometimes, the subwoofers (especially the car subs) start making weird noises out of a sudden, and nobody can tell what’s the actual reason behind it. However, you can quickly troubleshoot them once detected.
Today, we will talk about one of the common problems, subwoofer bottom. However, you may hear some unusual noise at the beginning when you put the volume at a higher level. However, it’s a sign that the sub is telling you to fix it before it gets permanently damaged. Read the article to the end to find out!
Subwoofer Bottom Out Meaning
A subwoofer bottoming out means when a subwoofer’s cone or driver has reached its limit and can no longer move freely in the system. In simple words, when a speaker cone moves in and out freely, it comes to the bottom, resulting in maximum extension. At the start, you will notice rattling or buzzing sounds at higher volumes. However, if you don’t fix it on time, you’ll start hearing such noises even at a lower volume. Below is the video demonstration of the bottomed-out sub:
6 Reasons: Why Is My Subwoofer Bottoming Out?
Here are the reasons that can cause your subwoofer to bottom out:
1. Coil Hitting the Magnet:
A voice coil is an essential part of any subwoofer. It works by moving back and forth and producing sound waves. However, when you push the subwoofer beyond its limit, the coil gets loosened and moves beyond its normal motion range, resulting in a distorted or muffled sound. This is because the voice coil rubs with the magnet of the subwoofer.
2. Overpowering the Subwoofer:
Overpowering any subwoofer beyond the impedance it can handle will result in bottoming out. In easy words, when you use a large-sized amplifier for such a small subwoofer and put the volume at a higher level, you can face distortion in your system. Also, you will notice that your sub has lost the ability to reproduce bass notes accurately.
3. Incorrect Settings:
Incorrect settings for the subwoofer, such as a low crossover frequency or too much gain, can cause the subwoofer to bottom out. Furthermore, you will push the subwoofer excursion limit or maximum power handling capacity if you set the bass at 10 Hz.
4. Using Mismatched or Faulty Components:
Also, using mismatched or faulty components such as voice coil, speaker cone, driver, or enclosure can cause the sub bottoming out. As mentioned above, if the problem is with the voice coil, it will hit the magnet and produce an unpleasant noise at a high level. Same if the problem is with the driver; it will cause the cone to move back and forth freely without an applicable limit.
5. Wrong-Sized Sub Enclosure:
It does not seem like a problem but yes! If you use a wrong-sized enclosure to mount your subwoofer, you will cause it to bottom out. This happens when the box is too large and unable to control the speaker’s movement, resulting in poor sound quality. When the enclosure is too small, there isn’t enough air resistance which can cause excessive excursion resulting in distortion or “bottoming out“. Also, with some simple steps, you can actually make your subwoofer louder if you are using a sealed box.
6. Poor Quality Signals:
Sometimes, the problem relies on something other than your car audio system. It can be poor-quality signals that may cause the subwoofer to produce bad sound, making you realize that your subwoofer has bottomed out. The soundtrack that you are playing has effects that produce such noise even at a lower volume. You can use high quality soundtracks ⁽¹⁾ for testing.
6 Effective Steps to Fix Bottoming Out Subwoofer:
Now that we know what problems have led you to such unfortunate situations let’s fix them for a happy you.
1. Lower the Volume:
The first and foremost step you should take is turning the volume down to an optimal level where you will reduce the risk of the subwoofer bottoming out. By reducing the amount of power being sent to your subwoofer, you can prevent it from exceeding its physical limits. Not only will you eliminate the rattling sound, but you will also maintain good sound quality and protect the components from further damage.
2. Check the Subwoofer Driver:
Another step that you should take is to check the subwoofer’s driver. You’ll ensure that your car sub is in good condition by visually looking at the subwoofer’s components, such as the voice coil, magnet, or speaker cone. If you find out that your voice coil has visible signs of tear and damage, replacing it with the new one (but with the same model or size) will help you to fix the subwoofer bottoming out.
3. Use a Subsonic Filter:
A subsonic filter ⁽²⁾ helps to prevent the sound waves from your subwoofer from reaching too low and causing it to bottom out. The filter will block bass frequencies below a certain set point, typically 20Hz or lower, which prevents distortion and helps preserve the overall accuracy of sound. Setting up a subsonic filter is an easy process that can help you have great-sounding bass without worrying about overloading your woofer system.
4. Adjust the Crossover Settings:
As mentioned above, using incorrect crossover settings can lead your subwoofer to work inappropriately. However, adjusting the crossover settings can help fix a subwoofer from bottoming out. The HPF and LPF settings on your head unit or amplifier show how much power the subwoofer gets, so it’s essential to ensure that you have set them correctly. Also, if the gain is too high or the crossover is set too low, you may have an overly strong signal going to your sub that can cause it to bottom out.
5. Match Your Subwoofer and Amplifier Impedance:
As I have said above, you will find problems in your car audio system if you use a mismatched impedance between the amplifier and subwoofer. You must ensure that your subwoofer and amplifier are built for each other (Showing love to each other). You can use a multimeter to measure the impedance level of the subwoofer and amplifier. You can either replace your amplifier or subwoofer if you find incompatibility with each other. But your next purchase should follow the compatible level with your subwoofer or amplifier.
6. Check if You’re Using the Right-Sized Enclosure:
In the end, you must check the size and type of the enclosure when installing or using a subwoofer, as incorrect sizing can lead to bass “booming out” or ‘bottoming out’. Like said above, if the enclosure is too small, it will reduce the range of frequencies that your subwoofer can accurately reproduce. Additionally, if your sub-box does not have enough internal bracing or dampening material, it can cause the sound to be muffled and incoherent. Therefore, selecting an appropriate size and type of enclosure for your specific subwoofer is essential to get it sounding its best.
General FAQs
What Are the Parts of a Sub?
The main parts of a subwoofer include the cabinet, driver, amplifier, filter, and crossover. The box houses the driver and other components while protecting them from the outside environment. The driver produces sound waves when electrical energy is sent through it. The amplifier boosts weak signals, allowing the subwoofer to reach higher sound levels. A filter helps adjust frequency response and reduce harmonic distortion. Finally, a crossover splits the incoming signal into two bands so each audio system part can operate independently.
What Is Bottoming Out a Speaker?
Bottoming out a speaker is when a driver’s diaphragm or speaker cone reaches its mechanical or electrical limit, causing it to be unable to respond appropriately when given an audio signal. This can make speakers sound distorted, with distorted bass, and the resulting sound may seem extremely loud and unpleasant. The cause is usually considered too high of power input from an amplifier, but it can also happen from faulty crossover components or wiring in some cases.
Can a Subwoofer Be Repaired if It Has Bottomed Out?
Yup, I had already repaired many subwoofers when they were bottomed out. However, you need to check the severity of the damage as it may require replacing parts or reforming the speaker. Bottoming out is caused by pushing too much power into a speaker resulting in an over-amplified sound that can damage its components.