In the mid 70s the audio market was introduced to a relatively new concept in loudspeaker design; small, limited frequency range satellite speakers augmented by high quality subwoofers to fill in the lower registers and create full range speaker systems. Up till that time audiophiles were limited to larger integrated speaker systems that produced all frequencies from drivers in a single enclosure. Even though the "acoustic suspension" revolution resulted in smaller wide range speakers than the behemoths that had come before, it had been somewhat offset by the advent of stereo and the need for two speakers instead of one. When home theater came along the idea of having five (or more) full range tower speakers in a typical home living space pushed the sub/sat concept to the mainstream.

Interestingly, the introduction of sub/sat systems wasn't an overnight sensation. In fact, most speaker companies simply ignored the idea. As time passed, more companies realized there were advantages to this concept for home audio and introduced sub/sat systems of their own. In this article we'll look at the different advantages and potential pitfalls that full range and sub/sat systems offer, and how GoldenEar's speakers give you the option of either type for your system. Note that we're assuming high quality component parts, engineering and execution in the following discussion. If you don't have that, it makes little difference which type of speakers you choose. 

An issue many so called full range systems face is the burden of delivering powerful deep bass, particularly in home theater applications. Other than pipe organ or heavy rap/hip-hop music, most music won't tax the bass section as much as typical movie soundtrack special effects. Although those bass special effects may be few and far between, there's no question that they add significantly to your acoustic involvement in the home cinema experience. Unfortunately, there are an awful lot of full range speakers that simply aren't capable of reproducing these low frequency special effects we all know and love. Hence an outboard subwoofer is a great way to get the full surround sound special effects experience. 

On the other hand, GoldenEar Triton powered towers have been specifically designed to work well with both music and movies as their built in powered subwoofers readily handle the requirements of those low frequency special effects. Their racetrack bass drivers coupled with the Quadratic Planar Radiators and built-in high power digital amplifiers are capable of exceptional deep bass performance from compact and affordable enclosures. Additionally, electronically bi-amping the bass section independently provides lots of flexibility in matching bass performance to room conditions just like with a separate subwoofer. The Triton powered towers are really the best of both worlds as they allow independent control of bass output through their dedicated electronics. 

As an example of the demands made on the bass section of a home theater system, the original THX™ home cinema spec called for a system capable of reproducing 20Hz at 105dB in a 3000 cubic foot room. And trust us, that's no small feat, particularly if you're trying to keep distortion to an acceptable level too. However, adding a seriously capable subwoofer or two (or using a powered bass section like in the Triton One, Two or Three) can overcome this issue. The potential downside of sub/sat systems is getting the satellites and subwoofers to integrate with each other in your room. That may require a little effort and at the very least a sound pressure level meter or an automated EQ/level match system built in to the system electronics. Using matched speaker/subwoofers from a single company can help as well, but careful listening and level setting can result in excellent integration and performance. Other advantages to the sub/sat concept include: