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Is there a difference if the subs are facing the front or trunk ?

 
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Yes. They sound better when facing the trunk (so you can see the front of the speaker when you open the trunk.

 
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http://www.installer.com/tech/aiming.html

great link, great site!

sometimes its better to face the side, or face up. like in a spare tire well enclosure. depends on woofer location!

best bet is for empirical testing to determine best way to fire. many people say they have better quality of sound facing forward, jsut not low frequency extension and less output compared to rear firing. which are you?

 
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Yes, there is a huge difference. It can change by sub, box, direction, etc. The best way is to try it out and see what you think. Many agree in our cars back is probably best.

 
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I have it facing the front right now, but I gave my self enough wire so that I can position it around. Thanks for the info ! I just liked looking at them when they were facing the front soo pretty. hehe

 
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It's all in wave theory.
1128 feet per second (speed of sound)/Hz (frequency)=x feet of wave length
Example:
You pop in a test cd (Bass Mekanik is a good one). You play a 60hz note.
1128/60hz= 18.8 feet
Therefore, the bass will sound louder if you stand 18.8 feet away from it instead of standing 1 foot in front of it.
It's the same general idea in your trunk. If it's facing the back, it's got reflections and a lot of bouncing around to do before it hits your ears, if you have your sub(s) facing towards you, it's more direct.. and you're not driving a 24 foot motor home lol

I hope that I have the speed of sound right.. otherwise, I'm gonna feel like a jack@$$.. someone correct me if I'm wrong!

 
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the wave theory doesnt make sense. check the link I posted above, its got a pretty good argument against the "wave theory" theory that bass needs to develop.

a wave is a wave! it doesnt need to reach a node or antinode to be heard! I think the best example of why the wave theory cant work is that some cars have walls, and even these cars are capable of ulta low bass. single cab trucks are capable of ultra low bas,s and their cabs are MUCH much smaller than ours!

My own civic has gotten AUDIBLE responses at sub 20 Hz, easily hear 15 Hz, can easily feel 11 Hz. these wavelengths are enormous compared to the car! And my subwoofers do not rearfire! in fact, the cone to ear distance is quite small! on the order of less than a yard!

Eddie has to be right. its gotta be a function of wave cancellation

 
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i should take that back, the wave theory does work in at least one case. Quarter wave theory boxes that use express wavelengths to match rear and front waves to achieve absolutely ludicrous sound pressure levels in a vehicle.

unfortunately, it still doesnt explain rearfiring versus front firing versus sidefiring versus up firing versus downfiring versus 45 degree firing versus.....

 
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You can hear 15 hz? I need ears like that lol
The human ear can only hear 20hz-20,000hz. But I know how you can FEEL it. It's a weird feeling and to see everything shaking but you can't hear anything ha

I just checked out the link... ha I completely forgot about the whole wave cancellation deal.. I guess I deserve that for being up for almost 24 hours with working for 12 hours and then trying to sound intelligent lol

 
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Yeah.. as soon as I can get some more cash flowage in a few years, I want to build an SPL vehicle.. I'm thinking mid-late 90s Ford Explorer..
The whole "lucidrous sound pressure levels" would be cool to have even though it only plays for like what.. 3 seconds if that in a competition? But it'd be fun to build I think.. Hello 160+ dBs

 
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Yes, I can.

depends on the human. My buddy can hear the hum of those bathroom plug in ionizers. says they make this high pitched quiet hum that drives him nutz. asked his parents about it, they dont hear it. neither do I

Some people cant hear the 15 kHz hum that I hear when I turn on the TV. you can hear it, right? not everyone can!

Some people can also hear well above 20 kHz, and there is plenty of sound equipment capable of producing frequencies over 20k!

 
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That'd be sweet to hear 15 hz.. I envy you How does it compare to 20Hz?
I HATE that hum from the tv.. Same thing with the sound of flurescent lights!
And the thing about the 20KHz, if it's really quiet, I can hear this really really high pitched sound.. even if it's dead quiet, I don't know what it is.. but that drives me insane.. so it would really suck to be able to hear higher! ha oh well..
Any other weird things that your friend can hear?

 
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Sounds like the start of hearing loss to me. Its called "Tinnitus". Many times when people go deaf it isn't so much they can't hear ... as the ringing in their ears won't stop. It gets so bad that you can't distinguish normal sounds any more.

 
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i hear all sorts of high pitched sounds form all sorts of electrical equipment. its odd

 
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Oh man.. that sucks. ehh oh well. I'll deal..

 
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I have tried a few different ways, and my favorite is with the subs facing the trunk hatch with the speakers about 6 inches away from the opening.

 
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Alright.. I set the sub to fire at the back and it sounds 100 times better..

on the topic of hearing ****.. Im deaf on my left ear.. but my right has been tested to be 60%+ stronger then normal. I can hear all sorts of ****ed up sounds... I can't explain them.. they just drill me in the head.. mostly the high pitched ones. It gets annoying but its good that Im not totaly deaf.. and my right hear is balancing out the left ear being deaf..

 
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jesus... i cant imagine my life if i was deaf in one ear...

id definitely be a shitty stereo installer...

 
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^^ oh the possibilities of twisting that comment around...but i'll be nice.

 
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yeah, i couldnt think of anything to say to that, but the word "offensive" came to mind....

 
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its not bad.. u just get use to it.. I just wish that I knew what it was like to hear in stereo... I was not deaf at birth though... It was an ear infection at a young age that made me inpaired...

any comments really dont offend me. Having only mono hearing has its advantages, but I would still like to know what stereo sounds like..

 
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I'd put it facing the trunk

 
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^x2

 
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I assume that you can tell the difference between sounds coming from infront of you and from behind you. I'd also imagine that stereo hearing isn't much different than that... except the ability to distinguish a sound from the left or right... Just as a curiosity, what kind of advantages do you experience in mono?

 
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well, not really listening in mono, but the increased hearing that I have on my right hear.. not the advantage of mono is that if I make a 360 degree turn or whatever I can narrow down a sound to its almost direct position. I dont know if such accuracy is capable with stereo but I like to think that I can do it better hehe... I can tell where sound is coming from, but I'm limited to a lower volume of the sound when its from the left side..