Pros and Cons of Using Subwoofers at Your Wedding Reception. Do You Need All That Bass?

San Diego Wedding DJ

A subwoofer (or “sub”) is a speaker that reproduces low audio frequencies known as bass and in the following short article we’re going to talk about some of the possible advantages and disadvantages of using a subwoofer at your wedding reception or having your wedding disc jockey use one.

First of all, in my opinion, having a subwoofer at your wedding is not absolutely necessary and I would consider it as something optional. Some wedding DJ companies may charge you an extra fee for adding a subwoofer to their main sound system while others may have it included in their packages. If you’re not sure what to choose or if you’re going to DJ your own wedding, there are a few things to consider before making your choice.

One of the good things to start with would be to see how many guests you are having and what their age is. Sometimes with the elderly, it can be annoying to hear too much bass. Most guests do not realize if the wedding disc jockey is using any subs at all, but the older folks might come up and tell you that the music is “too loud” or “all the songs are the same” just because they hear lots of low frequency response. However, if the vast majority of your guests are young and middle age people and they like listening to dance, rock or hip hop music, it might be a great idea to have at least one sub adding more bass, energy and excitement to your dancing area, regardless of the size of your venue or the number of guests. Moreover, if having very high quality sound is one of your main priorities, large weddings would require 2, 3 and sometime 4 subwoofers, as well as additional wired or wireless speakers in every corner of your room.

Another important issue is to find out what the sound restrictions are at the wedding venue you’re about to choose as I’ve seen neighbors or nearby businesses call the police and complain. There are many restaurants, hotels and reception halls where you wouldn't want to use any subwoofers as they would cause disturbance to others, which may lead to conflicts or other unwanted situations during your wedding reception. Meanwhile, there are still many different kinds of venues that do not have as many sound restrictions and if you want to have it loud, you should be careful when choosing your wedding venue.

Those were the main factors I would consider when putting together your wedding sound system. If you decide not to have any subwoofers, you or your wedding DJ can always add more bass on the regular speakers and in most situations it’s going to be more than sufficient for most guests to have fun. In  my opinion, it’s more about what songs your DJ plays than how many subwoofers are being used.

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