USB powered subwoofer

any usb powered subwoofer?

 

Probably, but anything that's powered by USB isn't really going to have sufficient power to classify it as a subwoofer. Maybe a sound equalizer, but I don't think you will find a true subwoofer powered by USB.

 

Yeah, I think USB has a maxium out put of only a few watts. Subwoofers take alot of watts, my sub amp will put out 1500 watts RMS to the sub. So as you can see, you need a bit more power than what a USB port will give you.

 

Even relatively weak 10-watt subwoofers already exceed the USB power output limit. Unfortunately, if you want subwoofers, you're going to need an AC plug.

 

You really seem to love your 1500 Watt subwoofer don't you?

 

This thread is an oxymoron OP.

Agreed. A true subwoofer takes tremendous power. Although it doesn't have to go as high as 1500 watts.

 

It sounds exquisite and I just wanted a good example on what a real subwoofer uses for power.

 

I may be wrong, but i remember reading that the wattage of a surround sound system/subwoofer is not the actual wattage the system draws. So youre 1500 watt system may in reality draw 400 watts or something like that. I wish I could find the link I read but I cant seem to.

But in all honesty, youre not going to get much from your USB hub. It will output 5V at 1Amp, or 5 watts. Thats it.
So maybe a 1/2" subwoofer may be able to be powered, but whether or not they even make those is up to you to find out.

K-TRON

 

Actually, its a stand alone subwoofer that I use with my 2.1 system. Its got a Bob Carver amp that is capable of 1500 watts RMS. And thats the little one, the bigger model is 2700 watt RMS. heres a link http://hometheaterreview.com/sunfire-true-subwoofer-super-junior-reviewed/

 

http://www.everythingusb.com/twelve-south-bassjump-usb-subwoofer-18056.html

It's expensive, and no it's absolutely not worth it. But yes there is such a thing as a USB sub.

 

It's a real pity it's Mac only.

 

interesting but only for mac

 

No need for a 1500w Sub but more than USB is definitely needed.

A good sub with a good efficiency doesn't need more than 50-100w depending on how big it is.

I think my Klipsch Sub 10 I use is a 400w sub.

My old Infinity Perfects 12" only used 1000w max between two of them and it was enough to break the windows out of my car almost and vibrate about every part of it loose.

 

i would rather go for good headphones which offer tight bass.

non-AC powered subwoofer is a joke imo

 

Yeah, its very rare for the sunfire jr to use the full 1500 watts, and when it does then it is only for an instance. But due to the technology of the amp it is capable of 1500 watts RMS.

 

If USB power is all that's available, I'd recommend sticking with headphones.

That's a mighty big generalization.

 

You'll probably be better off with some expensive headphones like the Sennheiser HD600, or HD650. They'll have audio quality that will blow any USB powered subwoofer out of the water.

 

Yeah im generalizing a little laptop sub, not some home theater system or a spl chamber on wheels.

 

There's a lot more to subs than just the amount of wattage. And peak watts is not the same as RMS. In any event, the amount of power a sub uses depends greatly on their design, since there more than one way to produce low frequencies. Ported bass modules use significantly less power then do sealed ones

 

Sealed boxes are generally the way to go if you want frequencies well below 30 Hz, and looooooow frequencies require a LOT of power.

Also, the size of a sub is inverse to its efficiency, generally.

This isn't an audio forum, so I'd go super simple and just say get the system with the most rms watts that you can afford and that sounds decent for what you're playing.

No offense to you, but that's a pitiful review. It's like they wrote it without ever being in the same room as one.

 

Oh.. I didn't even read it. lol. It was just the first thing on google that popped up when I searched.

 

You know how some notebooks come with a tiny "subwoofer" built in?

You could mod one of those.

 

a little research on subwoofer technology and methodologies go a loooong way. to be honest, i'm not sure if acoustic suspension or bass reflex have an advantage over each other when it comes to low frequency. if i had to guess, bass reflex would get you lower with less power. acoustic suspension (sealed boxes) require more power than a ported subwoofer for db/loudness, but provide much tighter cleaner bass. these are generally used in sound systems for people who prefer to listen to all the details of their music without the distortion and ambient rumble. otoh, bass reflex, ported subwoofers provide a LOT MORE BOOM! than their acoustic suspension counterpart. these are generally employed in home theater systems and/or persons who prefer that extra rumble, and cool ambient rumble it provides. these types don't need as much wattage to go loud. part of the reason for the extra rumble is the port. i don't know the science behind it exactly, but basically a lot air is going in and out with the speaker, and if not ported correctly/efficiently, you will hear chuffing and/or distortion. the reason i "think" bass reflex goes lower, is because alot of do it yourselfer's go with port/open designs and i think they do it for extra low frequency and rumble. technically, the human ear can't hear below 20hz, but these diy subs go real low, and you can DEFINITELY FEEL that <20hz. these subs usually employ multi 15" subs or one or more 18" subs. these subs will make the inhabitants of a 2 story house think their the victim of an earthquake, and a lot of the subs are around 1000w RMS.

 

I don't remember what the reason was for ported boxes being unfavorable for low frequencies. I guess I could pull out my audio books and manuals if someone really wants to know. I pretty much only care about sealed boxes and horn loaded boxes. My wild guess is that at low frequencies, the air in a sealed box acts as a cushion or additional suspension to help control the driver.

Back to ported again... I do like passive radiators, which are kind of a variation of a port.

If I were to get subwoofers right now without checking out what's available on the market and without a budget, I'd get an array of Servodrive's servo driven subwoofers with passive radiators located close to the listening position for single digit lows, and then their horn loaded subwoofers in the corners. I'm sure there's other good things out there, but I know Servodrive's stuff gets low, does it accurately, has low power requirements and the horn loaded boxes are within a few db's of anything out there at any price.

 

Well if thats the case then I'll opt for one of those subs that goes down to 5Hz, yes you can't hear it but you can FEEL it. I'll take two please.

 

get a usb aquarium

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...0000003142050&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=10264036

or a usb rocket launcher

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/8a0f/

 

duplicate post. Whose idea was it to eliminate the delete button?

 

They don't go that low. And anything much under 20 hz is pretty meaningless anyway.

That would be the musical bass associated with a string bass, or the ultra lows of a pipe organ

An inexpensive way to produce bass. These are the ones that produce the unnatural bass heard in rap music

That's good hearing. However, there's no music that low anyway.

Actually the entire block, as low frequencies can travel a very long way.

 

I wouldn't mind having a system that can easily play the brown note to great effect.

 

Lol.

Anyway, aren't we getting a little off topic? We're supposed to be discussing USB powered subwoofers, not the difference between ported box and sealed box subwoofers...

 

Banging your fist off the desk will give more bass than a USB powered sub

 

I guess I'll join in on what's discussed:

1. USB powered subwoofer: well it is doable, but useless. Not enough power. If you want bass without an outlet - you are going to have to go for headphones. Reason: you can evaluate what power you need to get low frequencies to audible level and you'll find out that USB port does not provide that much electrical power, even if assume that nothing is lost when transforming to acoustic waves. Also voltage is not enough for anything but chocking on every drum hit.

2. Different designs of subwoofers...:
ports work by using resonance. Same idea as a guitar or a horn - fall into resonant frequency and your power loss during conversion from one type of energy to another is much smaller. Problem...resonance =). If a subwoofer has design focused on say 60 hz resonance, than 20 hz AND 120 hz will not be so good. This issue comes from all kind of sides with dynamic speakers actually, not just ports on woofer - dynamic coils also have resonant frequencies and so on.

3. System power draw:
1500W RMS spec => subwoofer that can handle average flow of 1500 watts. If you use it at that in your living room, you'll lose your hearing and possibly rib-cage. The actual draw of a system tends to be much lower, and the ability to handel alot of power is really good for fractions of a second - aka dynamics in music. A drum hit with alot of power overhead will be faster, sharper, more impactful. If the overhead is not enough, it will sound like a bucket of rubber.

 

Really? The original post seems like a yes/no question, yet you made the first response like it wasn't. That's the way I think it should be taken, but if not, someone posted yes. Either we close the thread or make a discussion of it. I prefer a discussion, although the forum rules or moderation thereof seem to be contrary to my wishes.

Anyway, if fantomasz still really wants a usb subwoofer, he could get something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...60&cm_re=usb_subwoofer-_-34-997-560-_-Product

If it's meant to augment the primary speakers, I suppose he could open it up and clip the wires to the speakers so that only the sub works. Depending on how the device is setup, this could actually give the sub more power than it'd usually get.

 

I recall reading about some tests a long time ago where they tried to find out how much power it'd take to accurately reproduce the sound of a hammer strike...or maybe a gunshot. I believe it took about 20,000 watts to control the speaker well enough to create the results they were looking for.

 

Sounds about right. Strictly speaking, from signal analysis point of view, you need to be able to reproduce a perfect impulse of any magnitude to get a perfect hammer strike. This is not attainable with any speaker since speakers have finite speed while impulse requires the ability to go from A to B instantaneously. With enormous amount of power we can probably surpass the measurements of instruments we have for this purpose, and it will be no different from instant for them.

I also wonder what kind of tech they used - doing this with an Electrostatic speaker is easier than with a Dynamic one - Electrostatics have far shorter distances to travel and far greater speed. They also don't resonate as much as Dynamic speakers - helping with control.

 

Like I said, you can't hear it, but you most definitely can feel it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_woofer

 

I wish I knew, but I read that about 10 years ago and it seemed like that test was performed 10-15 years before then. I'm sure I read it in alt.audio.pro.live-sound if you have the resources and desire to look it up.

 

Well haven't your heard? Everything is connected!

But seriously, this is a more complex topic than usual.

I can appreciate your point, but almost any subject can be reduced to that basic response. However, if that's all this website was good for, there wouldn't be much need for a forum would it?

 

anyone try this speaker?


http://www.alteclansing.com/iml237-orbit-usb-ultra-portable-speaker-for-laptop-notebook-netbook.html

 

Wow, this topic still hasn't died off?

And Fantomasz, that Altec Lansing speaker probably wouldn't be all that much better than your notebook's speakers. It would have very little bass as well.

EDIT: Anyway, you have a laptop with a subwoofer, and virtual 5.1 surround sound. I think that the speakers on the 8940G would far surpass the Altec Lansing speaker.

 

I'd be wary. The description of that speaker is marketing speak for "this sucks".

The only description of bass was in a user rating that said it lacks bass.

I don't think anyone has asked, but why are you asking about a usb subwoofer when there are other options that are arguably better in almost every way?

 

Rest assured that the only true way to increase the volume and quality of the sound coming from you notebook is to add powered external speakers. These range from speakers compact enough to carry in a backpack, to speakers powerful enough to shake the neighborhood. It just depends on the quality of sound you want, and how much you have to pay.

Is there a time limit Jeeves? You do realized that some people buy their computers specifically to use in their media center. In that instance, a high quality speaker is paramount.

Agreed, it's a gimmick accessory.

For the record, a subwoofer on a laptop is also a gimmick accessory.

 

hp with subwoofer has more bass than acer
but acer have 5.1 so it's better except bass

 

But the Acer has the Tuba subwoofer.

 

True, but I think it would still provide better quality than the Altec Lansing speaker.

 

Its apparent your not going to get good acoustics or bass from a usb sub woofer.

Just buy the altec lansing usb woofer and see for yourself or buy yourself a decent set of headphones or speakers.

Enough said.