Soundbars are great to mitigate modern flat and smart TVs with low sound quality. But they aren’t enough to cover the full range of sound output.
That’s where subwoofers shine. Subwoofers are great choices if you’re looking for a complete surround sound experience. It also outputs low-frequency volumes much more effectively.
So, when it comes to gaming and multimedia, subwoofers are the top dog for an immersive experience. Connecting two subwoofers together provides a great boost of sound and increases the quality.
There are specific steps to connect two wireless subwoofers to one soundbar.
To set up a dual subwoofer system perfectly, it’s best to start with subwoofers that are compatible with each other. Compatibility can be limited within the same brand of providers but there are ways to bypass this.
If you have two compatible Bluetooth subwoofers, you can easily join them together with some extra steps.
How to Connect Two Wireless Subwoofers to One Soundbar
Step 1: Power off the Soundbar
In our case, the soundbar is the source of connectivity for both the subwoofers. At first, turn off the soundbar so that no incoming Bluetooth signal is left.
Step 2: Configure Bluetooth Connection
Press and hold the Bluetooth connection button on your soundbar. There should be a dedicated button for connecting and disconnecting.
For example, for Samsung soundbars, you can hold the ID SET button for 5 seconds. Notice that the link LED light starts to blink rather than stay solid.
Step 3: Connect the First Subwoofer to the Soundbar
Now connect the first subwoofer by choosing the respective connectivity option. Different devices connect with different buttons.
For Samsung, press and hold the Up-arrow button or volume button. “ID SET” will appear on the display and it’ll connect automatically.
Once the connection is done, the blinking LED goes back into staying solid.
Step 4: Connect the Second Subwoofer Using Smartphone Apps
This step works only for compatible subwoofers. Compatibility is the key for a soundbar with dual subwoofers. If you’ve bought subwoofers that are compatible with the soundbar brand, it’s easier.
Every manufacturer will provide a list of compatible devices. Typically, the same brands provide compatibility within their products. They also often come with personalized smartphone apps.
Go to the Appstore or Play store to search for the respective app. For example, Bose has the “Bose Music App” which lets you control all Bose subwoofer connectivity.
Just download and connect the other subwoofer through the Bose Music App. Now both of your subwoofers are connected.
Step 5: Buy a Wireless Speaker Kit and Receiver
If the subwoofers aren’t compatible with each other, wireless speaker Kits and receivers can be the only choice for hooking them up.
You need subwoofers with aux input or optical input ports for it to work, and a receiving unit or receiver (AVR). Wireless speaker kits can be tricky and not perform up to the mark.
For smaller kits like Insignia Universal Speaker Kit, they’re simply not powerful enough to blast two big subwoofer systems effectively. But they offer to surround sound capabilities.
The Dynasty ProAudio WSA 5TR is a cleaner choice. It needs an external amplifier but it can handle big systems better. You need to compensate while buying.
Sonos subwoofers give an extra edge in this category. If you buy the Sonos Connect Amp, it’ll allow you to connect Sonos subwoofers and incompatible models from brands both. But, they are expensive.
Step 6: Connect the Digital Optical Cable to Receiver
Connect the digital optical cable to your soundbar and the other side of the Optical IN port of the speaker kit you’ve bought.
From the Optical OUT port of the speaker kit, run another cable to your AVR or receiver. From the receiver left and right output ports, run two more cables to the two subwoofers.
With this process, you can manually connect the subwoofer to the soundbar, but not wirelessly. You can face some minor issues with this process.
The experience of connecting two incompatible subwoofers of different models can be frustrating. Many of them refuse to work together.
If they do, you might lose the 5.1 channel surround sound feel if you use the AUX ports. They are dual channels.
On the other hand, digital optical ones are 5.1 channel enabled, so they retain more audio information.
How to Connect Two Subwoofers to One Receiver?
This can be important in setting up 2 subwoofers. Here we’ll go in-depth on how to connect two subwoofers to one receiver perfectly.
You’ll need an audio/video receiver (AVR). They come with a wide variety of ports to connect and use as sort of a hub. So, they provide excellent interconnectivity choices.
Step 1: Buying RCA Interconnect Cables
RCA cables come with incoming and outgoing arrows to indicate where the heads should be attached.
The “out” sign means out of the receiver, and the “in” sign means into the subwoofer. You need at least 2 RCA cables.
Step 2: Connecting RCA to Receiver
AV Receivers have lots of ports. Find the subwoofer connection ports on the back of the receiver.
They should say “Subwoofer” on top, otherwise, you can take a quick look at the manual of the receiver. Connect 2 RCA cables in the receiver on their “Out” sign ends.
Step 3: Connecting to the Subwoofers
Connect the RCA cables to the LINE IN or SUB IN ports of the subwoofers. There might be double ports for left and right stereo input.
If so, you can use splitters. Connect the female part of the splitter to the RCA cable, and 2 male ports on the subwoofer LINE IN ports.
You can also skip the splitter and just plug in the RCA cable into the right port of stereo, usually labeled as “LFE” or Low-Frequency Effects. This’ll let you have the sound range including low-frequency zones of mono audio output.
Repeat this process for both of the subwoofers. 2 RCA ports will be connected each to two subwoofers.
The setup is now complete. Just plug in the devices and power them on.
Can We Connect Two Wireless Subwoofers Directly to a Soundbar at a Time?
To connect two of them both wirelessly and simultaneously, they must be compatible with each other. Bluetooth subwoofers won’t connect on the same Bluetooth network.
Even non-Bluetooth ones almost always refuse to connect. Companies only provide compatible devices within their product lineup.
So, to feel the best audio experience, you should go for the same models of subwoofers, with the same branded soundbar.
For example, the Bose SoundTouch 300 soundbar is compatible with other Bose devices like Bose Bass Module series and Bose TV speakers.
Samsung SWA-W700 subwoofer is compatible with other HW series soundbars. Within these compatible subwoofers, you can generally connect them wirelessly with very easy processes.
Do Multiple Subwoofers Increase the Bass?
Bass is the lower frequency portion of audio output. It provides the best immersive feel to media consumption and fills the whole room. We use subwoofers to improve the bass. Using a dual subwoofer will increase the audio quality.
As for the bass, a dual subwoofer won’t increase the bass itself. Rather, they’ll provide a more complete and polished brass.
One speaker might distort the low frequency easily. But, two subwoofers will manage the dynamic range far better than only one. Distortion will be lower as well.
So, the overall bass quality can be drastically improved and an immersive experience might be added. They’ll also remove resonance along with distortion.
If we use single outputs on the LFE ports of a stereo system, each subwoofer is giving off Mono audio.
But the quality and experience from both subwoofers from two directions will create a stereo experience themselves. So, bass stays the same for multiple subwoofers but their quality improves.
Conclusion
Multiple subwoofers will play a great role in achieving a surround sound experience.
With a solid setup, you can enjoy Dolby Atmos or other high-quality audio output in great detail. This is ideal for gaming and streaming movies.
Be sure to use proper wirings to remove sound lags within the soundbar with 2 subwoofers.
Also, don’t place the audio devices near distorting signals. They might hinder the wireless audio signals and reduce the quality.
The range is also an important consideration as it decreases audio quality the further you go. All things considered, a good setup of two subwoofers is always a great choice for immersion.