Sub Placement Question

[Chrisw21 10+ year member]

Getting ready to install my system and wondering about sub placement. I would like to build an enclosure under the rear deck, firing up to the rear window, so I can reduce the amount of lost trunk space. My question is, what will give the best sound quality? Would I be better off with a box in the trunk that I can move around to optimize sound, or will the rear deck mount give me better sound quality? Notice that I have already used the term sound quality twice..... I'm not looking for SPL here. Sub is an IDQ12V3 powered by an ARC FD600.1, going in to a Mercedes CLK500. Tips, suggestions, and comments welcome!!! Thanks guys!!

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[zako 10+ year member]

The sound waves radiate in all directions, and they reflect from surfaces. With subwoofer is placed in the trunk, a wave that radiates directly in listeners direction will reach the listener first. However, the wave that travels to the back of car, will reflect off the rear end of car and travel forward, reaching the listener a little out of phase compared to the first one. This is why people often find that for best SPL, it's better to aim subwoofer to the rear end of the car. This helps the reflected wave to be a little less out of phase, resulting in more impact. I assume this is better for SQ too because the reflected wave will be more in phase with the direct wave. More in phase is generally good. In fact, based on this thinking, the ideal location for a trunk subwoofer cone is to be as close as possible to the rear end of the car. However, this is not very practical.

In the end, do not over think this too much. I don't think it's a night and day difference. It's probably more about SPL than SQ. Maintain a balance between what's practical to install and what sounds good.