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1.Sub-woofer: Forward v.s. Downward, which is better?

post #1 of 16
4/15/10 at 10:34pm
Thread Starter 
I wanted to purchase 2.1 channel systems for my PC and personally I enjoy bass experience very much while playing games and listening to Metal music.

Since my retailer recommend me some suggestions (ASUS, Altec Lansing, JBL, etc.) and a few of their sub-woofer are downward designed while most are forward designed.

Hence, I would like to know whether downward design is better than forward. Or what’s difference between these two? Could anybody give some advice?

Thanks.
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post #2 of 16
4/15/10 at 11:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by isaac1417 View Post
I wanted to purchase 2.1 channel systems for my PC and personally I enjoy bass experience very much while playing games and listening to Metal music.

Since my retailer recommend me some suggestions (ASUS, Altec Lansing, JBL, etc.) and a few of their sub-woofer are downward designed while most are forward designed.

Hence, I would like to know whether downward design is better than forward. Or what’s difference between these two? Could anybody give some advice?

Thanks.
IMO, the only differences you will hear in dealing with a sub enclosure is the enclosure itself. In your description it sounds like a bass reflex cabinet so facing up , down or forward wont make a difference, although a forward facing bass reflex cabinet will benefit facing towards a wall approx. 1 foot away from the wall, both designs will sound the same in free space and in the corner position. now there are different types of enclosures that make a huge difference in SQ, for instance there are Bass reflex, bandpass , horn sub( IMO is the best enclosure for bass, most efficient), direct radiating etc. Well my suggestion in your case is just get the forward facing design and make sure its in a corner of your room preferably facing towards the wall about a foot away. Hope that helps. Cheers my friend.
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post #3 of 16
4/15/10 at 11:26pm
Best choice is transmission line. Get a 2.0 setup and add a Nelson Pass El-Pipeo sub to it.

This advice was brought to you by the Head-Fi board of frikkin awesome but utterly impractical solutions to your problem.
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post #4 of 16
4/15/10 at 11:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Duggeh View Post
Best choice is transmission line. Get a 2.0 setup and add a Nelson Pass El-Pipeo sub to it.

This advice was brought to you by the Head-Fi board of frikkin awesome but utterly impractical solutions to your problem.
You got my attention, just might look into your suggestion. Cheers
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post #5 of 16
4/16/10 at 11:29pm
To directly answer your question from my experiences, the down facing subs tend to fill the room with bass, regardless of where you're sitting in the room. With the forward facing subs, I had to be in a specific part of the room to even notice it. I have an old Altec Lansing 2.1 system. With the forward facing sub, and the port facing the right, I have to be directly in front of the sub itself, for best results. This really limits me to where I can place it for long periods of time.
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post #6 of 16
4/17/10 at 12:07pm
I have used both forward firing and downward firing sub before. However they were not the same model.

To answer your question. No difference. And less than no difference from the brands you're thinking of.
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post #7 of 16
4/17/10 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The-One View Post
And less than no difference from the brands you're thinking of.
Ahh, now he`s gone spend even more,

btw, do they make any more passive sub?
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post #8 of 16
4/17/10 at 7:53pm
My own opinion of the difference in forward or down facing subwoofers is that at true subwoofer frequencies there won't be any audible difference. Placement and other factors will show a much greater effect.

With my own M&K MX-70B, one driver is facing forward, and one driver is facing down. So I'm covered either way.
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post #9 of 16
4/17/10 at 8:20pm
True sub bass is non directional, so it doesnt matter.

Depends how good your subwoofer is though in terms of how much "sub" bass is can produce...
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post #10 of 16
4/18/10 at 3:11am
d.g has it right, the frequencies under 80Hz (not an exact point, just a rough estimate) are non-directional so forward-firing or down-firing shouldn't make much of a difference. However, the brands you mention seem to be PC speakers, so the 'subwoofer' may be playing a lot of mid and upper bass frequencies so directionality may become an issue. Check the frequency response of the sub unit of the systems you're interested in.
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post #11 of 16
5/3/10 at 3:42pm
When choosing if downward or forward design, all you have to consider is the subwoofer's enclosure. Downward design, I think, is what they usually called down-firing. It just means that the speaker is mounted downward, towards the floor while forward is on the side.
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post #12 of 16
5/3/10 at 10:14pm
Why only forward and down,some subs fire sideways with a rear port.

And a quick paste from Wiki::As the frequency drops below 80 Hz it becomes difficult or impossible to use either time difference or level difference to determine a sound's lateral source, because the phase difference between the ears becomes too small for a directional evaluation (i.e. the phase difference is great enough that the lagging wave sensed in the offside ear coincides with the next wave which is being sensed by the nearer ear).
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post #13 of 16
5/3/10 at 11:16pm
I'd advise against a down firing sub simply because eventually the woofer will sag.
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post #14 of 16
5/4/10 at 1:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by D-EJ915 View Post
I'd advise against a down firing sub simply because eventually the woofer will sag.
Never thought of that. Good point.
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post #15 of 16
5/4/10 at 2:12am
Subwoofer response does not just die at the intended crossover frequeny & as a result a forward facing sub will generally deliver slightly improved attack compared to a downward facing sub. facing a normally forward facing sub toward the wall though pretty much kills the attack advantage of the forward facing sub though. facing the sub toward a wall or floorkills the attack almost as moch as a bandpass woofer setup. Bandpass woofers are totally devoid of attack & therefore have no life, yes distortion is reduced but so is everything that tells anything about the instument being played.

I also agree that over time a floor facing woofer will sag & lose perfomance quicker than a forward facing woofer.
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