What is Bass Extension & Why is It Important?

Whenever a music lover buys a speaker, radio, or subwoofer, he wants to get maximum performance from it.

The peak performance of any audio device can be possible when the device is allowed to work on its optimum tuning frequency.

The addition or lowering of the tuning frequency is important to tune your audio device at the minimum possible frequency to work perfectly.

In short, the bass extension is the Extension or Lowering in the minimum tuning frequency on which an audio device can work without any distortion or unclearness.

I know you are confused between bass extension, tuning frequency, and other related terms. Don’t worry, I will explain them in the easiest and most understandable way with examples.

WHAT IS A TUNING FREQUENCY?

This is a simple concept. A tuning frequency is a minimum frequency on which an audio device can work perfectly without any disturbance or distortion.

Example:-

Suppose, you have bought a subwoofer. The frequency range of that subwoofer is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

It means this subwoofer can work perfectly between the frequency of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Here the frequency 20 Hz will be the tuning frequency because this is the minimum frequency on which your subwoofer can produce excellent bass without any distortion.

WHAT IS A BASS EXTENSION?

The amount of frequency and the quality of the bass is inversely proportional to each other.

As you lower the bass of a subwoofer (or any audio instrument or device), its sound or bass quality will become more marvelous.

As you know the tuning frequency is the minimum frequency at which that device produces joyful sound without any distortion.

But what will happen, if we lower the tuning frequency further?

A bass extension is a phenomenon in which we further lower the tuning frequency of a subwoofer or any audio device so it can work perfectly even at a lower frequency.

 Example:-

Here I will mention the same above example of tuning frequency.

As I said, your subwoofer can work perfectly between 25 Hz to 20,000 Hz. 25 Hz is its tuning frequency.

But If we lower down its tuning frequency from 25 Hz to 20 Hz, this phenomenon will be called bass extension.

If your subwoofer is still working well and producing outstanding bass at 20 Hz without any noticeable distortion, it means the experiment of bass extension has been successful.

Some Important Things You Should Keep In Mind

You shouldn’t lower the tuning frequency than 20 Hz. Because a human ear can’t listen to sounds that are below 20 Hz.

You can lower the tuning frequency of every musical instrument as well as the subwoofer.

If your subwoofer is producing noise or distorted sound after bass extension, undo everything or run it at its tuning frequency rather than a bass extension.

The bass extension frequency is also indicated as Hz.

I will not suggest you lower your tuning frequency in order to obtain bass extension, because it is a risky and blind experiment. You may lose your previous music settings.

Stop the bass extension, where you feel an unpleasant or noisy sound is coming.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF BASS EXTENSION?

The bass extension is not a time-wasting thing. It actually takes you to another world of music where the deep and crunchy bass welcomes you.

Here are some reasons why you should go for a bass extension.

Boost The Bass

The first and most important reason is obvious. The bass extension is used to increase the bass of a subwoofer or any audio device in your home theater system.

Enjoy The Full Range Of Frequencies

Your subwoofers or other audio equipment have a range of frequencies. Very few people can enjoy the whole range of frequencies.

By using the bass extension you can compare or test your other frequencies with bass extended frequency.

Applicable For All The Instruments

The music instruments like guitars, drums or pianos, etc can be tuned at extended bass frequencies.

This phenomenon has a range of applications from audio devices to music equipment.

Excellent For Movies

The bass extension is a golden piece for movie lovers.

 I know there are different genres of movies but the bass extension is special for horror movie lovers.

Horror movies should be watched with full volume and bass with your family or friends. In this environment, the bass extension will help you to achieve your goals.

Gives Realistic Sound

Not only movie lovers but also game and music lovers want a realistic and deep sound. Bass extension can’t only give a great experience of realistic feel but also cover your whole room with an outcoming sound.

You will feel that the sound is actually coming from my room, not from the TV.

BASS OF DIFFERENT MUSICAL GENRES

There are multiple genres of music. They vary from Pop to Classical.

The pop and rock singing are incomplete without deep and crunchy bass. I wouldn’t suggest this for classical singing.

How To Setup Bass Extension For Different Genres Of Music?

First of all, you need to understand that not all genres are suitable for bass extension. You can’t tune your device or equipment lower than 25 Hz for listening to slow or classical singing.

This will only work for pop or rock singing.

The other thing is that there are many songs that give deep or good bass by just adjusting their volumes at the right position or doing some Equalizer Settings.

If you are fond of every type of music, then I will not suggest you go for a bass extension. Because the bass extension will give you chills while listening to only pop or rock music. At the time of classical singing, you will lose your interest.

HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OR ADD THE BASS EXTENSION?

Here are some tips: by following them you can enjoy the bass extension in your equipment or devices.

Equalization Settings

The most important thing is the equalization setting. First of all, do the best equalization setting for all your devices.

A home theater system has more than one audio device like subwoofers, speakers or soundbars, etc. You have to equalize them individually.

Tune The Subwoofer Box

The tuning of the subwoofer’s box is equally necessary as the subwoofer’s itself.

There are a variety of boxes from ported to free-air subwoofer boxes, and all of these have their own tuning frequencies.

Break-in Your Subwoofer

The first thing you have to do with your subwoofer after buying it is break-in as soon as possible.

You can’t enjoy the crunchy bass without this.

Buy A New One

If you have tried all the methods and still you are unable to extend the bass. It means your device has completed its lifespan and now you should buy a new one.

Add A New Subwoofer

If you have a budget and you can’t live without a proper bassy environment. You should add a new subwoofer to your home theater system.

That subwoofer should have a tuning frequency of a minimum 25Hz.

Upgrade The Connectors

Connectors and cables are the most integral part of an audio system. An incompatible or out-of-order connector can spoil your taste of music.

Check the ports, whether they are RCA or not, and then buy a cable according to it.

HOW TO CHOOSE AN EQUIPMENT WITH A GOOD BASS EXTENSION?

Here are some buying tips you should follow while buying equipment with a good bass extension.

Choose A Subwoofer With High-Frequency Range

A subwoofer with a higher frequency range can produce deeper and rich bass after bass extending than one with a lower range.

Buy An Expensive Subwoofer

Expensive subwoofers have more options for equalizer settings than cheaper ones. They have more ability to lower their tuning frequency than the budgeted one.

Choose A Device With Lowest Tuning Frequency

An instrument that has an already very low tuning frequency usually doesn’t demand a bass extension.

20 Hz frequency is an ideal frequency for subwoofers or other devices to achieve their peak performance.

Buy A Larger Subwoofer

The size of a speaker or a subwoofer definitely matters. A larger subwoofer can produce deeper bass than the lower one and so for a speaker.

WHAT IS BASS EXTENSION IN A CAR STEREO? (KENWOOD)

If you are looking for a bass extension in your car stereo, please read it carefully. I’m going to clear up many confusing terms here.

Does My Car Have Built-in Bass Extension?

The answer can be Yes or No both. All the latest car stereos are coming with a built-in bass extension.

The Kenwood Car Stereo has a built-in bass extension. (If you are looking for a good and budget-friendly car stereo, I will recommend you buy the car stereo from Kenwood company)

How To Adjust Bass Extension On Car Stereo?

If luckily your car has a built-in bass extension system, you can adjust it easily without any technical skill.

In the case of Kenwood stereo, Touch on the Settings icon. Then touch on the Audio.

Then touch on the Equalizer Settings.

Now here you can adjust the equalizer settings according to your music taste.

The settings of the Q Factor (Quality Factor) and SW Level (Subwoofer Volume Level) are very important.

Range Of Q Factor

The optimum range of the Q Factor should be between 10,000 Hz to 100MHz.

Range Of SW Volume In Subwoofer

The optimum range of SW level (Subwoofer Volume Level) should be 0 to +10db.

WHAT IS THE BASS & TREBLE ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM?

The Bass Extension and Treble adjustment are two different and opposite things.

As we know in the bass extension a subwoofer can produce high-quality bass at the lowest frequency.

But on the other hand, treble adjustment gives excellent sound and bass quality when we increase it (or let the subwoofer work on high frequency).

What Precautionary Measures Should We Take While Adjusting Treble?

As I said, the Treble works opposite to the bass adjustment. It works better on higher frequencies than lower ones.

Therefore you carefully adjust the treble and bass extension to achieve a deep bass.

 Important:- First of all adjust the treble at a slightly high level and play the music, if it feels unpleasant then lower the bass extension to adjust it where you feel comfortable.

How Can We Use Low and High-End Frequencies Positively?

Low-end (bass extension) and high-end (treble adjustment) frequencies can intermix to generate superb sound quality.

All the DJs or music experts used them both in a balanced way to give excellent sound and bass quality.

Lowering down the bass extension frequency and increasing the treble adjustment is a superb duo.

I wouldn’t recommend you adjust them both if you are not an expert.

WHAT IS A BASS BOOST EXTENSION?

The terms Bass Extension and Bass Boost Extension look the same but they have a slight difference.

Bass Boost Extension is the phenomenon in which we achieve the joyful sound or crunchy bass to low-end frequencies by increasing their volumes.

In simple words, we can say that here we don’t need to lower or disturb the tuning frequency.

We can listen to rich or excellent music by just adjusting their amplitude, volume or playing with equalizer settings.

Where We Can Use Bass Boost Extension?

You will be surprised to know that Bass Boost Extension has more vast applications than bass extension itself.

Bass boost extension can be used to louder the speakers of your mobile phones, PCs, car audio systems, or other audio devices.

You can even increase the bass of a subwoofer by this phenomenon. I think this is the easiest way to tune your whole home theater system.

WHAT IS A DYNAMIC BASS EXTENSION?

Dynamic bass extension is the most advanced and latest form of Equalizer Settings and bass extension.

This latest technology was first introduced by the Klipsch company.

The monitors and subwoofers of Klipsch are impregnated with this technology.

In simple words, we can say that Dynamic Bass Extension is the process in which we adjust the bass by lowering down the tuning frequency Dynamically or Digitally.

This has a variety of Equalizer Settings than any other conventional speakers or subwoofers.

 If you have a Klipsch TV monitor of Klipsch, turn it ON and go to the audio settings. You will be amazed to see how big a range of audio settings there are.

Not only the settings of bass and volume but the echo and the direction of sound from your favorite size.

This technology is still in its infancy stage and only acquired by Klipsch.

We hope it expands early and is installed by other big audio brands to ease their customers.

WHAT ARE THE DOUBLE BASS EXTENSIONS?

The double bass is an orchestra-like instrument that is used to produce iconic musical tones. There are many double bass extensions like extension C or E etc.

Is Double Extended Bass Expensive?

Yes, these are too expensive.

It costs around 3000 $ or above. Most of the expensive double basses don’t need an extension to produce low-frequency notes.

They are already set on the best one.

CONCLUSION

Here I would say that bass extension is one of the most useful involvements in the history of audio.

By using it you can turn an excellent audio device into an extra excellent and superb device. But on the other hand bass extension is also a tricky and not easy thing to adjust.

It varies according to the equalizer settings, sizes of subwoofers, and acoustics of your rooms. I would like to thank Kenwood and Klipsch for introducing some latest and phenomenal technology in this field.

If your subwoofer is already working well on its tuning frequency, keep it there and don’t disturb it. Otherwise, it will be tricky for you to undo everything.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS