why do my subs sound better in the back...

[slick rick 10+ year member]

why do my subs sound better in the back of the trunk, close to the tail lights, as opposed to them being pushed up close to the front by the rear seats? my subs fire into the tail lights. i was just looking for a logical reason why they do this.

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[adam71 5,000+ posts]

why do my subs sound better in the back of the trunk, close to the tail lights, as opposed to them being pushed up close to the front by the rear seats? my subs fire into the tail lights. i was just looking for a logical reason why they do this.

I can't give you a scientific reaon but I will say that in my earlier systems I used to point my subs backward for best results. I think it all depends on the trunk of a particular vehicle and not so much the subs. I have no proof of this but it is what I've heard and thats what worked for me until I bought a "fold-down" back seat and mounted my PRS's facing forward.

Adam

 

[Bavarian3 10+ year member]

its about the sound waves reflecting on something

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

does it have to do with the wavelengths too? cause I know if I sit closer to the steering wheel, it feels like there's dip in midbass and an increase in sub-bass.

 

[Logikalliquid 10+ year member]

i think your exactly right with the wavelengths! i know competitors will bounce the wave around to make sure the crest(or whatever the most powerful point on the wave is) hits the the microphone for max spl. so basically your hearing different parts of the wave. i hope some senoir audiomaster can confirm what i said or tell me im full of **** since im still learning as well. i heard this while reading about transmission line boxes on car audio and electronics website, i wish i could fint the link.

 

[Bumpin03 10+ year member]

i think your exactly right with the wavelengths! i know competitors will bounce the wave around to make sure the crest(or whatever the most powerful point on the wave is) hits the the microphone for max spl. so basically your hearing different parts of the wave. i hope some senoir audiomaster can confirm what i said or tell me im full of **** since im still learning as well. i heard this while reading about transmission line boxes on car audio and electronics website, i wish i could fint the link.

i'm no audiomaster, but you are correct. it all has to do with directing sound waves. that is why people say it is all in the install. a cheap sub could blow away a nicer sub if the box is designed correctly according to the vehicle.

 

[WarDrumz 10+ year member]

Veddy veddy interesting.

Carry on! ^_^

 

[pelayostyle 10+ year member]

when the subs are further towards the back the sounds waves have more time to "mature" . its called bass maturation (spelling ?)

 

[justsayk 10+ year member]

I remember back when i was into home theater i read that for every wall a subwoofer "sees" it will gain up to 3 decibels...I used to fire my subwoofer into a corner and reflect it off the walls to make it louder...it works. I would assume this is the same thing that's happening in your trunk. I wonder if someone has ever built a custom box that has the subs pointed exactly to where the trunk lid, back, and side all meet.

 

[Logikalliquid 10+ year member]

not unless you wanna hang some drywall in your trunk. the metal frame doesnt reflect sound like your home but to some extent that still seems an interesting idea.

 

[justsayk 10+ year member]

you could build a box for your trunk and just leave one end open (the side that is against the rear seats). Like a box inside a box. I bet that would be mad loud...would take a lot of time to build, but it would probably keep people from jacking your stuff from the trunk side. If you did it well enough you wouldn't get much sound at all going out the back...it would all go up front. Or i guess you could just sound deaden the crap out of everything.