# Sub firing straight up or forward, does it matter?



## Lance_S (Feb 11, 2009)

I have an option to fire my single 12 straight up towards the headliner or forward towards the dash. It will be mounted where the back seat usually is (small car). Will it make a difference? Pro's or con's?

Thanks,

Lance


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## 96jimmyslt (Jan 31, 2011)

What vehicle?

I've got best results in my jimmy with subs back.

Second would be subs up.

I got terrible results with firing forward.

It depends on your vehicle, the box, and the sub.

Just try it different ways.


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## Lance_S (Feb 11, 2009)

small hatchback, conquest tsi (1987)


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## reker13 (Oct 26, 2007)

Hatchback? Likely rear firing. But yea every vehicles acoustics are different so try and see. If you want to geek out, run an RTA app on a smart phone to measure results.


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## 96jimmyslt (Jan 31, 2011)

Lance_S said:


> small hatchback, conquest tsi (1987)


That's kinda cool. It's like a cross between a camaro and a Porsche.

Got any pics of the insides?

Is it sealed off from the trunk?

@reker13 are there any programs like that for a laptop?


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

Lance_S said:


> small hatchback, conquest tsi (1987)


I had a friend that had one of these cars in high school. He had a pair of tens that he had aiming towards the front of the car. I kept telling him for months to turn his box around. When he finally did the results were night & day. I remember it being a tight fit back there. Can you angle the sub to run parallel with the hatch glass?


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## Lance_S (Feb 11, 2009)

I will try and pull pics for you. Yeah, it's a cool little car. I pulled the back seat so the box fits where the back seat used to. I am trying to keep the hatchback portion open so I can haul a little gear around. 

My plan is to lay the sub flat firing up, it takes up less room that way. That way I could extend the floor of the hatch area forward to the front seats and hide the sub and amps (people don't steal what the don't see). Then just run a metal grill over the sub to protect it.

But SQ is first so if it sounds like crap i would turn it around to face rearward if need be. I will try and get some pics up for you later today including the interior.

It's not sealed off from the trunk, there isn't one on the Conquest. Think volkswagon golf without the rear seats in it. But the sub where the rear seats used to go and you get the idea. So yes, the sub is going to be right be the front seats.


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## theredraven (Feb 25, 2010)

Lance_S said:


> I will try and pull pics for you. Yeah, it's a cool little car. I pulled the back seat so the box fits where the back seat used to. I am trying to keep the hatchback portion open so I can haul a little gear around.
> 
> My plan is to lay the sub flat firing up, it takes up less room that way. That way I could extend the floor of the hatch area forward to the front seats and hide the sub and amps (people don't steal what the don't see). Then just run a metal grill over the sub to protect it.
> 
> ...


I have been listening to my sub pointed upwards in my PT for the past 6months and I'm receiving my warranty replacement and reinstalling it today with it facing towards the back of the trunk. I will tell you what the sound difference is, although our cars are different it may give you a general notion of what you want to do. I'll post back in an hour or so.


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## Lance_S (Feb 11, 2009)

That would be great, appreciate the input.


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## [email protected] (Mar 17, 2011)

i have a civic hatchback and will be firing mine upward toward the headliner. but they will be in the hatch area, not the backseat


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## brianhj (Apr 9, 2009)

Does this REALLY matter? I mean, I thought sub frequencies wave length were like 30 ft or higher.. the driver isn't going to be able to tell a difference no matter which way you position the sub, correct?


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

brianhj said:


> Does this REALLY matter? I mean, I thought sub frequencies wave length were like 30 ft or higher.. the driver isn't going to be able to tell a difference no matter which way you position the sub, correct?




Aiming your subwoofer box


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## Lance_S (Feb 11, 2009)

Fish,

Cool paper, thanks for the link. I am curious, of course, because I actually don't have a trunk!

I guess the only way to tell which is best is to wire it up and run some testing. The only problem is that I am mounting the amps (three of them) on the box itself and depending on which way the box is facing has an effect on where I mount the amps.

It's a pita to think I have to wire the amps, unmounted, to test the sub positioning, only to have to then mount the amps and rewire. 

Oh well, that may be the way it has to be.

Sacsking,

Your deal is basically the same as mine. You don't have a trunk. Yes, your sub will be a few feet further away from your listening position than mine but you don't have a trunk so basically you are dealing with the same issue.


Thanks,

Lance


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

You're welcome Lance. Here's a post from the Acoustic Elegance forum with some good info too.

Acoustic Elegance • View topic - Audible differences in sub mounting


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

fish said:


> You're welcome Lance. Here's a post from the Acoustic Elegance forum with some good info too.
> 
> Acoustic Elegance • View topic - Audible differences in sub mounting


Interesting stuff. Makes me wonder if anyone has ever taken the time to do something like this within a pickup truck. It'd be interesting to see the difference in respeonses between forward firing and downfiring set-ups in trucks... to me, at least.


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## ryomanx (Feb 18, 2011)

not a very scientific comment on the subject but, i always try to get the subs as close to the trunk as possible. it seemed to sound better in the cab of the car. plus this town seems to enjoy the rattle.  i think it's a status thing or something. In my tC the sub is firing parallel to rear bumper and i think it sound great that way but i have played with it pointing up and i liked that way as well so.... i didn't really thing i answered anything!


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

BEAVER said:


> Interesting stuff. Makes me wonder if anyone has ever taken the time to do something like this within a pickup truck. It'd be interesting to see the difference in respeonses between forward firing and downfiring set-ups in trucks... to me, at least.


I've never heard a down-firing sub enclosure in a truck, but it seems like all the front-firing subs I've heard always had something missing. It's hard to put into words, maybe they didn't have the fullness I'm used to hearing in a trunk, hatch, or SUV.


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## Streetbeat Customz (Mar 19, 2011)

I like sub up port back in a hatch. 

Only way to really tell (which is loudest) is to hop on a TL though


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## theredraven (Feb 25, 2010)

After some solid amounts of listening, in my mind it is conclusive that a box should be facing the trunk door and relatively close to it. It sounds a lot louder than it does facing upwards.


Use some polyfill in your box too


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## 96jimmyslt (Jan 31, 2011)

theredraven said:


> After some solid amounts of listening, in my mind it is conclusive that a box should be facing the trunk door and relatively close to it. It sounds a lot louder than it does facing upwards.
> 
> 
> Use some polyfill in your box too


"sounds" or "feels" louder?

2 different things, in my book.

My ported 500w rms 12" sub and box "sound" louder, as in, they hurt my ears and I don't "feel" as much bass.

But my dual 12" sealed box, I can only "feel" the bass up until I max the volume out on certain songs. Only then does it begin to hurt my ears.

Just something to think about.

Also, sub and port facing the back are both louder in my suv as well. the ported box has the port on the same side as the sub.


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## theredraven (Feb 25, 2010)

96jimmyslt said:


> "sounds" or "feels" louder?
> 
> 2 different things, in my book.
> 
> ...


Well, I guess I just got lucky because it "sounds" and "feels" louder. Since turning my box towards the trunk door and adding polyfill it is deeper, louder, and a lot snappier (responsive). Actually I had someone make positive comments today regarding the new louder sounding and harder hitting setup I have going..which was simply accomplished by adding $8 of stuffing and turning the box.

I don't know much about porting though :knife:


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## 96jimmyslt (Jan 31, 2011)

theredraven said:


> Well, I guess I just got lucky because it "sounds" and "feels" louder. Since turning my box towards the trunk door and adding polyfill it is deeper, louder, and a lot snappier (responsive). Actually I had someone make positive comments today regarding the new louder sounding and harder hitting setup I have going..which was simply accomplished by adding $8 of stuffing and turning the box.
> 
> I don't know much about porting though :knife:


Well porting is mostly when you make the box. Most high end subs (if not all) require very different cubic feet for ported and sealed.

But that's another topic in itself.

Back on track:

Yes, turning the box is the best way to get the most out of it. Trying different positions with different songs will also yield different results.

Try to find and make note of the "hard hitters". Perhaps use the same song to test different positions.


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## jsun_g (Jun 12, 2008)

I have done tests on 2 occasions as well as my present and former installs/cars.

A couple friends and I made a 0.5 cubic foot sealed box for an MTX Blue Thunder 8" in 1997 and tested different sub locations and firing directions in a hatchback, trunk, and pickup. I have since lost the data points but IIRC the best output was usually at the very back of the car, with the sub facing the rear bumper, and for the truck the best output was down-firing behind the seats.

More recently, I did this experiment:
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...0-experiment-subwoofer-orientation-trunk.html

Under about 45Hz, direction and placement are not very critical, but above that...


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## NRA4ever (Jul 19, 2010)

I have a ported 10 in my Ranger. Its down firing. If I front fire it I can't get the bass to sound up front. Firing up isn't as bad but down firing sounds like the sub is in front of the seats. Its very loud any way I aim it. I like the sound I get with it firing down.


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## Resonant (Mar 20, 2011)

theredraven said:


> After some solid amounts of listening, in my mind it is conclusive that a box should be facing the trunk door and relatively close to it. It sounds a lot louder than it does facing upwards.
> 
> 
> Use some polyfill in your box too


this


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