Frontfill vs Rearfill. Pros and Cons

[reed dollaz 10+ year member]

Why do some people hate rear fill?

Why do some people only like front speakers?

I like front and rear, it gives it a more "real" sound. surround sound. more depth to the music. having just fronts seems pointless to me. unless your in a truck, then yea.. i could live without rearfill speakers

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[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

I like you Reed, but you know better than this, lol.

 

[reed dollaz 10+ year member]

I like you Reed, but you know better than this, lol.

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[Etac 10+ year member]

depending on the setup rear fill can sometimes help but it is not ideal

a proper setup (such as kick panels) will angle the speakers better (than pointing at your ankles) and with good equipment shoudl be plenty loud enough to fill a car cabin..

also along with that - if you're lookin to really tune your system - rear speakers can complicate this slightly..(timing - peaks - phase cancelation - draws stage to the back) and when you have subs in the back - depending on where your rears are - the sub can send them to an early grave..

the only time rear fills in my opinion are needed is when you have a big car with teh front speakers in a very poor position... and will help with the "wearing headphones" feeling - and also if you add rear fill - either band pass the speakers - and i suggest using good midrange/midbass speakers instead of a full range one..

 

[reed dollaz 10+ year member]

depending on the setup rear fill can sometimes help but it is not ideal
a proper setup (such as kick panels) will angle the speakers better (than pointing at your ankles) and with good equipment shoudl be plenty loud enough to fill a car cabin..

also along with that - if you're lookin to really tune your system - rear speakers can complicate this slightly..(timing - peaks - phase cancelation - draws stage to the back) and when you have subs in the back - depending on where your rears are - the sub will send them to an early grave..

the only time rear fills in my opinion are needed is when you have a big car with teh front speakers in a very poor position... and will help with the "wearing headphones" feeling

good point. subwoofers have never damaged my rear fill tho. i agree, some single frontstage setups are very decent if installed correctly. i just like the sound of music all around me. especially now since i no longer have a substage

as far as "drawing it to the back" thats not nessecarily true. i have my headunit setup to where when i fade front my subwoofers dont lose putput. when i fade back, they quiet down. its pretty much reversed. and works very well.. you can cancel out most of the rearfill, but have just enough to get a nice sound from them

 

[Etac 10+ year member]

in a way i kinda agree with you ven tho alot of ppl on here prolly wont

i like the feeling of music surrounding me ratehr then playing in front of me - like i said before " wearing headphones"

but it really depends on the setup IMO

 

[reed dollaz 10+ year member]

in a way i kinda agree with you ven tho alot of ppl on here prolly wont
i like the feeling of music surrounding me - like i said before " wearing headphones"

but it really depends on the setup IMO

yea and my next setup shouldnt hurt my rearfill at all. sealing the box off in the trunk completely (mini wall in a trunk car) sub and port (aero ports) firing into the cabin. so it shouldnt effect them to much

 

[Etac 10+ year member]

and i editted the post i dont know if you saw it but

i suggest if you do add rear fill using a quality midrange/midbass speaker more than a full range one because it will become less directional and you won't hear the tweeter that much anyway

are you're rears in the door or on the back panel? cause my last car had em in the rear panel but they were sealed off

my new car has em back there too but tehy're free air in the trunk and im debating the same thing your asking yourself

 

[reed dollaz 10+ year member]

and i editted the post i dont know if you saw it buti suggest if you do add rear fill using a quality midrange/midbass speaker more than a full range one because it will become less directional and you won't hear the tweeter that much anyway

are you're rears in the door or on the back panel? cause my last car had em in the rear panel but they were sealed off

my new car has em back there too but tehy're free air in the trunk and im debating the same thing your asking yourself

rear deck. i have a 2dr 97 monte carlo

 

[MBrock4u 10+ year member]

I do like rear fill. I have a Ford Escape sport SUV. The way I have it though, the money and the power is for my front stage, and the rears are amped MUCH lower just to fill in the gap. Its a very nice blend for me. I agree you can do with out rear fill and be just fine.

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

What the **** is "front fill"?? That's the lamest thing I have ever heard.

It's called rear fill because it should be used to add a little fill the sound and not be as strong as your front stage.

I have tried both just fronts and then with rear fill and every time, I hate the rear fill. It's personal preference but there are other reasons behind it.

A proper front stage should center everything in front of you and the stage should be wide and full. If you have this, there is no need for any rear speakers that mess up this staging. I don't even like sounds behind me when I watch a movie as I find it annoying. The only time I have enjoyed that was with a properly setup SACD entertainment system.

 

[snb778 5,000+ posts]

yea and my next setup shouldnt hurt my rearfill at all. sealing the box off in the trunk completely (mini wall in a trunk car) sub and port (aero ports) firing into the cabin. so it shouldnt effect them to much

have you looked into this at all? LIke asked around to see what people think of this idea, because I was going to do this and a few recommendations scared me away from the idea. I was told the results are pretty random from car to car

 

[tRidiot 10+ year member]

Wow, this is really funny.

It's another example of people telling other people how they 'should' like their music to sound. lol

If someone doesn't give 2 shits about imaging and staging, only wants their music to 'fill up' their car, be loud, clean, clear, and hammer, then who the **** cares about if they use only front speakers to do it, or rear AND front?

Who the **** is anyone to tell me what my system 'should' sound like?

Once again.... if SQ competition and imaging and staging are not my goals, then all your above arguments are out the window.

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

Why do some people hate rear fill?Why do some people only like front speakers?

I like front and rear, it gives it a more "real" sound. surround sound. more depth to the music. having just fronts seems pointless to me. unless your in a truck, then yea.. i could live without rearfill speakers

have you ever been to a concert and had the band playing in front and in back of you at the same time? Surround sound is far from "real"

Imagine sitting at a concert where there are real musicians (not bogus rap concerts with all synthisized music), anyways imagine closing your eyes and being able to tell where each musician is playing at.....thats real sound IMHO

I used to like rear fill as well...until i heard a nice proper front stage

 

[Rich B 5,000+ posts]

I like rear fill, but it would be better to have a surround processor of some sort to synthisize rear ambience instead of just a quieter version of my front stage as it can ruin the front stage's imaging.

Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES, or even good old Dolby Pro Logic is far better than just running four speakers all playing the same sounds.