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The Daily Insight

Do subwoofers wear out?

Author

Matthew Barrera

Published Mar 10, 2026

Do subwoofers wear out?

Of course subwoofers wear out, everything wears out given enough time. Whether or not they wear out at a rate that makes a difference is another question. All of the soft parts will loosen up, the surround will start to deteriorate, and tinsel leads and voice coils can be damaged.

Do you have to have a subwoofer in front of Your Speakers?

If you don’t have a subwoofer, then your front L and R speakers can only be Large. You don’t have a choice. Small simply means: “send the bass to the sub”. If you don’t have a sub, you can’t set the front speakers to Small. You can, however, set the other speakers to Small. In that case, their bass will be redirected to the front L and R speakers.

Is it OK to set Mythos St speakers to small?

Audyssey is not allowed to make this determination. The AVR manufacturer makes it based on the info it receives from the Audyssey measurements. Definitive advises to set speakers to Large/Fullband for MYTHOS ST. Is it Ok to set them as small. Small only has meaning if you have a subwoofer in the system.

What to do if you are not receiving SMS verification codes?

Check that SMS messaging has not been disabled on your cell phone. Call your telecom service provider to confirm whether the phone number was DND (Do-Not-Disturb) If you have followed the steps above and still cannot receive SMS verification codes, please try restarting your mobile phone.

Can a MultEQ run without a subwoofer?

MultEQ will run just fine if you don’t have a subwoofer. It is not in charge of redirecting the content to the sub. It just measures whatever speakers and sub are in the system and creates a correction filter for each one to undo the effects of room acoustics. If you don’t have a subwoofer, then your front L and R speakers can only be Large.

Can a subwoofer be set too far?

If you check your receiver settings after some sort of “auto setup” (Audyssey for example) and it sets the subwoofer further than seems correct. Don’t automatically assume it has made an error. Most high performance subwoofers use state-of-the-art micro processor controlled amplification these days.

What should I do if my subwoofer makes an error?

Don’t automatically assume it has made an error. Most high performance subwoofers use state-of-the-art micro processor controlled amplification these days. This tends to increase efficiency, longevity, and overall sound quality for reasons I will dive into at a later date.

How long does it take for second subwoofer to arrive?

The second subwoofer (10 ft away) will have its output arrive approximately 7 millisecond later (remember, one foot = one millisecond). We cannot “speed up” the speed of sound (this isn’t star trek) so we have to delay the subwoofer closer to the seating position as needed.

Can you hear where a subwoofer is placed in a room?

So, although the bass itself is folded down to mono, the impression of stereo imaging is actually preserved perfectly satisfactorily. This theory is all well and good, but I often hear people comment that they can hear where a subwoofer is placed in the room.