Do I Need Rears?

[Cpyder 10+ year member]

To get my soundstage perfect I cannot even hear my rear speakers? Do I need them? I've noticed a good amount of cars not even sporting them. What's the answer?

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[MisterGrubbs 5,000+ posts]

Depends on what you personally like. "Ideally" you're not supposed to hear music coming from behind you, so says most SQ guys. Fegs

I, like you, say it sounds better with a solid rear fill, you just dont want it to overpower your front speakers.

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

I don't need them...I used to have rear speakers, but as my front speaker setup got better and better, I stopped needing anything else.

 

[Rich B 5,000+ posts]

They can add quite a bit to the sound, just make sure you can barely hear them for best results.

 

[Cpyder 10+ year member]

I'm running Polk SR6500s and a pair of JL 6W3V3s for front soundstage. I'm betting that setup will blow my Infinity Kappa 6x9s out of the water.

 

[Rashaddd 5,000+ posts]

Personally I like it better without it

 

[lyttleviet 10+ year member]

I don't use rearfill.

 

[gunz4me 10+ year member]

Do you have a huge interior cabin and routinely transport passengers in your rear seat? If not, you don't really need rear fill. I went with rear fill in my Mustang, and even though I have the gain turned all the way down, it still annoys me on certain songs because it is messing with my stereo imaging.

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

without a rear you can't poop...FYI

 

[AllDayMJ 10+ year member]

without a rear you can't poop...FYI

this would lead you to being full of shit, but most ppl on here already are..lol

 

[Customkilla23]

rear fill makes all the music sound distorted to me. It takes the mids and mixes them up and i hear different sounds that i would rather not hear. It sounds good to me with a little bit of rear fill, but it definitely isn't necessary to answer your question if you have a good front stage.

 

[eharri3 10+ year member]

I have it. My front stage is hertz and 280 watts today, I still like rear fill. Makes it louder and gives a better sense of space. But with a caveat: Running it on equal amp power to the fronts and paying top dollar for real high end rear fill like alot of people do on here is a waste for SQ applications, and NEVER use power for it if the front stage needs more wattage. Mine runs off head unit power and the fader is still 1/3rd to the front. The imaging is there and yet it seems to bring the soundstage closer to me. But if I bias anything any further than this towards the rear sounds start coming from speakers, not from the windshield.

Example: It's a little retarded to me when people go out and buy a cheap 45x4amp, awesome front comps that need 130 watts, and rear fill coaxials, then send each of those four channels to one speaker and starve those fronts of power despite peoples' recommendations to the contrary.

Then when they show up after awhile and wonder why things aren't loud enough and detailed enough in the front stage and its suggested that they bridge the amp some of them still protest that they want to keep the rear stage amplified although they usually can't even explain why it's important to them.

 

[Loud3 10+ year member]

This depends greatly upon what you expect from your setup.

The automobile is a HORRIBLE stage to build a quality audio setup into.

I have run without rearfill, and have also utilized a 5.1 DD surround processor into a 5.1 package (FL/FR/C/RL/RR/Sub.)

It's not for everyone, or every vehicle, but I loved the 5.1 in the midsized sedan I was driving.

 

[528hz 10+ year member]

I personally like rear fill too. Shit, if you're a a REAL SQ guy I would think you would want your "front stage" all the way around.

 

[Etac 10+ year member]

i used to like rear fill, when i first switched to just front speakers it seemed wierd to me... but after listening to only a front stage for so long, when i put in rears.. it sounded horrible...

setup/install is key tho