Q. I am having a Home Theater installed in my basement and my tech guy (a neighbor) says I need a subwoofer to go with my Surround Sound speakers. What is a subwoofer? (I’m afraid to ask my neighbor because he’ll give me, well, grief, you know?) Do I really need to buy a subwoofer? — Pete, White Plains, New York.

Pete, first, I’m happy to hear about your new Home Theater. You will love it. It’s like having a movie theater in your home.

See the best-selling subwoofers at Amazon.com!

For those not familiar with the Home Theater concept, it requires a big-screen TV (or wall screen if you use a projector); at least five speakers (front left, front right, center, left rear and right rear) or seven if you want to do it right (the extra two are left surround and right surround.) And, yes, it also requires a subwoofer.

The subwoofer, which sits in front, near a left or right speaker, specializes in projecting a low frequency bass sound. In laymen’s terms, that means the subwoofer will amplify the booming sound of an explosion or some other loud noise on screen. If you’re an action fan, you’ll come to appreciate the subwoofer.And if you love music, the subwoofer will enable you to truly hear the deep bass of a rockin’ tune or symphonic composition.

Other speakers simply don’t have the capacity to enhance a bass sound like a subwoofer. It allows to really feel the passion and intensity of sound. If you’re shopping for a subwoofer, click here to see the top-selling subwoofers at Amazon.com.

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— Phillip Swann