Mounting subwoofers inverted?

[jockhater2 10+ year member]

Is there any advantage?

I don't understand how the speaker can still function to its full potential the same way.

Does anything change?

Or is it just for looks?

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[jockhater2 10+ year member]

Also. I was told that when you have a sub box in a car trunk. The trunk acts as a 6th order?

How so?

I only know that 6th order is a type of box. That's as much as I know.

 

[Jroo 10+ year member]

Im sure some of the guys with way more knowledge will chime in. Inverted subs sometimes can give you some space on a box that is tight because you dont have to worry about sub displacement. On subs you cant really tell the difference if it is in the box or inverted with the exception of some subs you know can hear the motor noise when inverted. I dont think you could really invert a mid because the sound coming out is directional. Basically a sub with the exception of the box doesnt care how its pointed.

 

[jockhater2 10+ year member]

Im sure some of the guys with way more knowledge will chime in. Inverted subs sometimes can give you some space on a box that is tight because you dont have to worry about sub displacement. On subs you cant really tell the difference if it is in the box or inverted with the exception of some subs you know can hear the motor noise when inverted. I dont think you could really invert a mid because the sound coming out is directional. Basically a sub with the exception of the box doesnt care how its pointed.

It blows my mind. Wouldn't the motor and voice coils get hot because there is not as much moving air over them?

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

it would prolly stay cooler inverted ,because of no box restrictions

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

I flipped mine to get every last cubic foot I could out of the enclosure and you have to do some math to figure out what your tuning is going to end up being, but as far as the motor getting hot they actually run cooler because there's no hot air surrounding them and as long as there's an air cushion on one side of the cone(box) the sub doesn't care which, and I like the way it looks!

 

[Bassheadnoob 10+ year member]

yea, I love the inverted look, but i am too afraid to do it bcuz of people! I have lots of friends that know NOTHING about car audio, and would be like, "ohhh, TOUCH, POKE!!" and I dont feel like killing anyone, Is this a problem or a irrational fear??

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

The voice coil cools itself by forcibly pulling air in and out as it moves. As long as the cooling vents on the sub aren't blocked off it will cool itself just fine whether inverted or not. The motor also gets cooled down a bit from cooling the coil since there is air flowing in and out of it. Having the sub inverted doesn't really effect how the motor gets cooled.

The only thing about inverting that changes is the box volume as the sub is no longer taking up space in it. Additionally the tuning will vary but just slightly. The only disadvantage is that any mechanical noise coming from the sub will stand out a bit more, mainly on the lows.

And the 6th order thing is kinda true. The trunk acts like a larger enclosure and, when opening/closing windows you can actually affect your peak frequency as well (the windows act like ports...sorta).

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

yea, I love the inverted look, but i am too afraid to do it bcuz of people! I have lots of friends that know NOTHING about car audio, and would be like, "ohhh, TOUCH, POKE!!" and I dont feel like killing anyone, Is this a problem or a irrational fear??

it won't kill them but it will let them know not to touch it again! ask me how I know!

 

[jockhater2 10+ year member]

The voice coil cools itself by forcibly pulling air in and out as it moves. As long as the cooling vents on the sub aren't blocked off it will cool itself just fine whether inverted or not. The motor also gets cooled down a bit from cooling the coil since there is air flowing in and out of it. Having the sub inverted doesn't really effect how the motor gets cooled.
The only thing about inverting that changes is the box volume as the sub is no longer taking up space in it. Additionally the tuning will vary but just slightly. The only disadvantage is that any mechanical noise coming from the sub will stand out a bit more, mainly on the lows.

And the 6th order thing is kinda true. The trunk acts like a larger enclosure and, when opening/closing windows you can actually affect your peak frequency as well (the windows act like ports...sorta).

Ohhhh very interesting. It looks easier to wire or change how your subs are wired too. It just seems backwards. And I guess it sort of is.

Really? thats why people in DB drags have to keep there windows up I am assuming.

What is a 6th order then. A box within a box?

What is a 4th order?

 

---------- Post added at 03:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------

 

I flipped mine to get every last cubic foot I could out of the enclosure and you have to do some math to figure out what your tuning is going to end up being, but as far as the motor getting hot they actually run cooler because there's no hot air surrounding them and as long as there's an air cushion on one side of the cone(box) the sub doesn't care which, and I like the way it looks!

It does look good. Very good.

By the way. Did you ever get ahold of john about getting your memphis repaired?

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

Ohhhh very interesting. It looks easier to wire or change how your subs are wired too. It just seems backwards. And I guess it sort of is.
Really? thats why people in DB drags have to keep there windows up I am assuming.

What is a 6th order then. A box within a box?

What is a 4th order?

 

---------- Post added at 03:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------

 

It does look good. Very good.

By the way. Did you ever get ahold of john about getting your memphis repaired?

A 4th order is a sealed box firing into a ported box, 6th order is a ported box firing into another ported box.

People in db drag keep their windows up because the organization requires it. When you meter on the dash and then open up a door, you gain a few db, so it makes it kinda harder to get a certain score.

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

A 4th order is a sealed box firing into a ported box, 6th order is a ported box firing into another ported box.
People in db drag keep their windows up because the organization requires it. When you meter on the dash and then open up a door, you gain a few db, so it makes it kinda harder to get a certain score.

you only gain if your box is tuned lower than your cars resonance frequency

 

[jockhater2 10+ year member]

A 4th order is a sealed box firing into a ported box, 6th order is a ported box firing into another ported box.
People in db drag keep their windows up because the organization requires it. When you meter on the dash and then open up a door, you gain a few db, so it makes it kinda harder to get a certain score.

I have so much to learn. A sealed box firing into a port box? Im going to go google an example. I can't picture how that would work.

And now the trunk acting "like" a 6th order makes sense.

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

I have so much to learn. A sealed box firing into a port box? Im going to go google an example. I can't picture how that would work.
And now the trunk acting "like" a 6th order makes sense.

4th order:

6th order:

here is where to learn more about enclosures: Car Audio Subwoofer Enclosures

 

[jockhater2 10+ year member]

4th order:

6th order:

here is where to learn more about enclosures: Car Audio Subwoofer Enclosures

So basically you have to be some sort of God to build a 6th order correctly LOL.

I think life is interesting for reasons like this. Most people may look at audio as. You take a speaker. You put it in an enclosure. You give it power. But like everything in life. Even something that seems simple. Can get so COMPLICATED.