need help setting up subwoofers

[stevexyz 10+ year member]

hi guys/gals,

i have a question on setting up subwoofers. usually subs are installed in the back (trunk), so the bass is coming directly from behind, right? at least that's from what i'm experiencing so far. but i have a friend telling me that he met a tech guy from a car audio shop saying that he could setup the subs (also in the trunk) so that the bass is coming from the front. the tech guy didn't tell my friend any detail on how to set up the subs. but my friend told me he did feel like the bass was coming from the front pounding his chest when he sit in that tech guy's car (the car was a mitsubishi lancer with two infinity 12" subs in a vented box, driven by a kenwood amp).

so, how can i setup the sub so that the bass would come from the front? does it have to do with the phase setting of the sub amp and the direction which the sub is facing? i have an mtx 1501d driving a 12" idmax in a sealed box in the back trunk of my mazda protege, i already tried switching from 0 to 180 phase on the amp, and facing the sub in different directions. that just helped the sq a little bit, but the bass is still coming from behind. especially when i crank up the volume, the bass would be pounding my back. is there a special trick to make the bass come from the front?

Click to read more...

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

Crossover settings, time alignment, sound deadener, phase adjustment (preferably variable and not just 0 or 180), proper leveling, and a strong midbass presence up front all can bring the sub right up front with you.

 

[tcguy85 10+ year member]

if you can cross the fronts over low enough, leaving the sub to only play the real low frequencies it can sound like all the bass is coming from the front speakers. that is until you crank it loud enough to really feel it. in my setup the sub kinda disappears until really high volumes.

 

[stevexyz 10+ year member]

thanks guys! i'd try more tuning then. as i remember, i did come across with a setting which the bass came from the front at low volume before. but at real high volume, the bass is still pounding from behind. is there anyway to make it pounding my chest at real high volume?

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

Getting all those settings I mentioned correctly will allow you to have the bass up front at any volume level. Usually, your front stage or rattles will be the limiting factor.

 

[stevexyz 10+ year member]

I have a pair of Morel MW166 6" mid ranges and Morel MDT30 tweeters in my front stage. Is that good enough? or what other speakers (not too expensive ones) do you suggest to replace them? I want not only pounding bass, but also good SQ. Thanks!