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The One Piece of Audio Equipment That Changed the Way I Work

It’s overkill, admittedly. But it boosts the sound of other speakers, too.

Kanto Sub 8 for desktop setupPhoto by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

By Tucker Bowe

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I discovered subwoofers late into my audio journey. We didn’t have one in our house growing up — my parents didn’t have fancy home theater or hi-fi systems. Nor did I put one in the trunk of my car like so many of my high-school friends.

But things have changed in recent years.

Kanto Sub 8 for desktop setup
The Sub8 is an 8-inch front-firing woofer with 300 watts of peak power and a frequency response that gets as low as 35Hz.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

More than just bass

As I’ve lived on my own and as my job has educated me in the ways of hi-fi, I’ve learned that subwoofers do more than improve the bass. They also allow your other speakers to focus more on the high and midrange frequencies.

This epiphany happened a couple years back, when I finally pulled the trigger on Sonos’s biggest subwoofer, the Sub, and paired it with my Arc soundbar. Now my house rumbles while watching soccer games. And action movies sound bigger, bolder and more immersive.

In fact, I liked it so much that I got a Kanto Sub8 subwoofer for my office. Yep, my office … the place where I take video calls, listen to easy rock and kill time on YouTube. Here’s why.

Kanto Sub 8 for desktop setup
You can tweak the bass levels of the Sub8 to be as powerful as you like.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

An unlikely desktop upgrade

I’m a big fan of badass speaker setups for your computer. I’ve turned large active speakers and passive bookshelf speakers (along with a speaker amp) into computer speakers — but until I picked up a Sub8, I had never used a subwoofer with my desktop setup.

The Sub8 is an 8-inch front-firing woofer with 300 watts of peak power and a frequency response that gets as low as 35Hz. It’s also a sealed subwoofer (instead of ported), which allows its cabinet size to get smaller and thus it can fit in tighter spaces … like under your desk.

Many bookshelf speakers lack customizable features but the Sub8 does. On the back of the subwoofer, you’ll find dial controls for adjusting the level (or volume/power) and crossover, as well as a phase switch in case you need to position the subwoofer farther away from your speakers.

Kanto Sub 8 for desktop setup
The benefit of adding a subwoofer? It adds bass, but also improves the sound of your other speakers, too.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Overkill and awesome

I usually set the Sub8’s level to about 40 percent, which offers the right mount of bass to enhance my favorite work tracks without making the floor rumble. That said, it’s fun to crank up the bass when the random movie trailer lands on YouTube or I decide to catch up on a show during my lunch break.

Of course, there are many reasons why you don’t need a subwoofer for your desktop setup. They’re expensive and take up space. And if you listen to music while you work, you may use a headset anyway.

But if you spontaneously play movie trailers, music videos and playlists on full blast, a subwoofer might just make your office feel a little more alive.

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