 
.  The satellites are
often small enough to hold in the palm of your hand and the bass module can often be
hidden out of sight. The basic principles of a sub/sat system have been well understood
for decades, but over the last ten years they have really caught on with the American
public since they provide "big speaker sound" without the need for two huge
speakers.
How do they work?
Sub/sat systems take advantage of a peculiarity in the way we humans hear. The brain
takes  all its directional sound cues
from sounds above about 150 Hz but cannot tell where sounds below his frequency are coming
from. With our eyes closed, we can point right to the spot where a baby is crying ... but
cannot tell where that T-Rex footstep is coming from (unless we hear some trees falling
too!). Since stereo is a requirement for true high fidelity, we always need left and right
speakers, but below 150Hz, stereo no longer matters since we can't hear where it is coming
from! This led manufacturer's to re-think how they might build speaker systems. They
reasoned that if they sent all the deep bass to one cabinet, you could put that cabinet
just about anywhere and it wouldn't matter... you could even put it under your couch or
use it as a plant stand behind you. Having gotten rid of the need for a two large
cabinets, they could now put the left and right speakers into very small cabinets that
could virtually disappear within a room decor scheme. Now people could have excellent
sound without sacrificing their room to the gods of hi-fi!
What are the options today?
First, sub/sats are no longer just for stereo systems. By adding 3 more
"sats" to basic sub/sat  system,
you can have a complete center channel and surround sound package for use in a home
theater setup without needing a redecorating job! There are even wall mounting brackets
available for most systems that let you mount the speakers unobtrusively.
We carry a variety of sub-sat systems from Bose®, JBL® and Infinity® to meet all kinds of budgets and uses. Another
alternative is to choose some small bookshelf main speakers that you like the sound of,
and then add a powered sub-woofer for the
deep bass they don't produce well. This do-it-yourself method is a great choice if you
already own a pair of small speakers that you like but want to add some bass with impact.
What's the downside?
Most of the factory assembled systems hold their own quite well vs. conventional
systems of the same price range when played at low to moderately high volume levels. Where
they typically sound strained is at sustained high volume levels since the drivers are so
small and can be driven into distortion. If you don't need concert level (or higher!)
volumes than a factory sub-sat system may be right for you.
Most factory assembled sub/sat systems don't provide true deep bass power like a
powered subwoofer would, so if you want to have a home theater system where T-rex really
sounds like T-rex, you might not be satisfied with a factory sub/sat setup. If you like
the basic idea of a sub/sat but want to really kick, then a top quality pair of bookshelf
speakers and a powered sub may be your best bet.
For most people however, sub/sat systems have no downside.... just great sound that
fits seamlessly into the room decor! Come see & hear for
yourself!
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