So this isn’t a question about keyboards and such really. But Im curious with regards to home stereo stuff. What is the main difference/advantage soundwise between a subwoofer whos woofer faces the room versus one that points downwards towards the floor? Why would you want one way over the other?
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Home stereo question: subwoofers and woofer direction..
(7 posts)-
Seraphin
offlineSIDE-LINE MODERATORPosted 7 months ago # -
bass is "omnidirectional" so theoretically it shouldn't matter. i imagine facing the floor might give a "coupling" effect similar to speakers against the wall (they resonate the adjacent wall, in effect becoming part of the cabinet). Except in this case it's the floor.
every room is different. a friend had a front facing & then a downward. i didn't notice any difference. they both sat next to the couch & vibrated yer ass when an exterior shot of the Starship Enterprise (Star Trek TNG) appeared on TV.
someone who invested in one might feel more passionately one way or the other.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Seraphin
offlineSIDE-LINE MODERATOR@Meatball
Thanks, I had thought it wouldnt matter but for example, Polk changed around their setup of speakers to have the woofers facing the floor as opposed to forward like the older ones. Just wondered the logic behind it.
Posted 7 months ago # -
for the manufacturer the logic would probably be, instead of blasting one horizontally targeted area in the room, you're creating an epicenter from below. since bass waves are long & again are typically perceived as "omnidirectional" they would create the "psycho-acoustic" effect of rising from the floor, rather than coming from a corner or wall.
this all has to do with reflections & the way sound bounces around the room so it's all going to vary based on the shape, size & material in the room. there appears to be a big hardwood vs carpet debate among subwoofer users. carpet is going to act as a bass trap & muffle the sound a bit which depending on your room may or may not be a good thing. hard floors are going to reflect frequencies more. some suggest putting wood or marble under the downward speaker in a carpeted room & others a piece of carpet in a hard surface room.
it's a bit of an art-science where most agree on core principles but squabble over details & the value of applying those principles in various spaces.
if you really wanna get into the nuts & bolts, look into Psychoacoustics & Acoustic Treatment.
http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/recording/a-basic-guide-to-acoustic-treatment/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PsychoacousticsPosted 7 months ago # -
soillodge
offlineTech ModeratorI always laugh when someone calls you Meatball.
`michael
Posted 7 months ago # -
me too. for a while my game handle was 'metaball moleste' & i ended up having to change it because people thought it said 'meatball molester'.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Analog Mind
offlineMemberMeatball is right about it not mattering so much. What really matters if you decide to install a sub-woofer in your home theater set up is acoustics of the room.
I would highly recommend installing some bass traps in the corners and absorption panels on the walls if you are looking for better sound quality. Bass traps will help control your lower frequencies and the panels will stop early and late reflections, plus cancellation and filtering effects.
You would be surprised how much more enjoyable your movies will be if you have superior sound quality. If your gonna spend a lot of money on a home theater and not willing to invest in absorption and possibly diffusion then you are ultimately losing a ton of sound quality and throwing your money in the garbage because you can have the best speakers and system in the world but if you don't have the room acoustics to back it up then its pointless. In that cased just buy or build a cheaper home theater system.
Posted 7 months ago #
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