Baffle Step Compensation (BSC)
All cabinets boost the mids while bass wraps around and cancels.The result is weak bass even with large woofers. BSC corrects that imbalance, making the sound fuller and more natural. Without it: shouty mids. With it: proper bass-to-mid alignment. Fuller bass greater bass satisfaction.
Formula: f3 = 4560 / baffle width (in inches)
Standard in professional audio design
Baffle Step
Baffle Step
A quick bass equalizer circuit for all woofers
Understanding Baffle Step Compensation (BSC)
The Baffle Step, or BSC, is needed for all woofers of all sizes, because they all tend to boost the upper midrange when mounted in a cabinet.
The purpose of BSC is to balance the bass with the midrange. When a woofer is mounted in a box, it doesn’t radiate sound equally in all directions. At very low notes, the sound wraps around the entire cabinet and fills the room. As the notes rise, the sound becomes more forward-facing, reinforced by the baffle. The result: the midrange sounds louder than the bass — a natural “step” in balance.
What the BSC Does
The BSC circuit is a simple fix. It uses a coil (inductor) with a resistor bridged across it. In other words, the resistor is tied to both ends of the coil, so the two parts form a parallel path.
• At low frequencies: the coil passes current freely, so the woofer plays bass without change.
• At higher frequencies: the coil resists more, but the resistor bleeds off part of the energy through its parallel path.
This smooths the transition instead of letting the midrange “run away.”
Why It Matters
Without BSC, a speaker may sound thin or shouty in the mids. With BSC, the bass and mids line up more evenly, producing a fuller, more natural sound.
👉 Our Baffle Step Calculator will assist you with the exact values.
Understanding Baffle Step Compensation (BSC)
The Baffle Step, or BSC, is needed for all woofers of all sizes, because they all tend to boost the upper midrange when mounted in a cabinet.
The purpose of BSC is to balance the bass with the midrange. When a woofer is mounted in a box, it doesn’t radiate sound equally in all directions. At very low notes, the sound wraps around the entire cabinet and fills the room. As the notes rise, the sound becomes more forward-facing, reinforced by the baffle. The result: the midrange sounds louder than the bass — a natural “step” in balance.
What the BSC Does
The BSC circuit is a simple fix. It uses a coil (inductor) with a resistor bridged across it. In other words, the resistor is tied to both ends of the coil, so the two parts form a parallel path.
• At low frequencies: the coil passes current freely, so the woofer plays bass without change.
• At higher frequencies: the coil resists more, but the resistor bleeds off part of the energy through its parallel path.
This smooths the transition instead of letting the midrange “run away.”
Why It Matters
Without BSC, a speaker may sound thin or shouty in the mids. With BSC, the bass and mids line up more evenly, producing a fuller, more natural sound.
👉 Our Baffle Step Calculator will assist you with the exact values.
Shinjitsu Audio