What's a Subwoofer?

Actually, its more properly called a subwoofer/satellite combo (SSC). This is a type of speaker with 3 or more main pieces (not including cords and cables) instead of the typical two. The smaller, high-frequency speakers in a SSC are satellites, and are typically places on either side of the monitor. The subwoofer is usually alot bigger than either satellites and is often hidden under a desk. An MIT engineer (Bose) realized that because human beings are bad at knowing what direction low noises are coming from you can put the largest woofers (making the low noises) most anywhere without greatly impacting the sense of space you get from "stereo" sound. Most subwoofer systems have two satellites and one subwoofer, though "5.1" (4 satellites and a sub) and "6.1" (5 satellites and a sub) are becoming more common for movies and games. Remember tweeters "tweet" like birds (high-frequency) while woofers "woof" like dogs. Why do we care about any of this? Because satellites without their sub look an awful lot like plain speakers. This results in many getting separated and ultimately, recycled. Additionally, sometimes 5 and six speaker SSCs will be matched only with two satellites because it is not realized that there are more peices to the set.