Front or down firing

[989547]

I have been asking alot of questions about subs trying to decide which one to upgrade to. I wanted a front firing one as opposed to a down firing one, but now I am haveing doubts. I am going to have to put the sub in a corner next to my couch, because of limited space. One end would be pointing/near the couch and the other end would be pointing/near wall. After reading many, many posts, I think the down firing would be better. If i decide on the down firing sub, I think I will get the ED A2 - 300. Any suggestions/ pointers will be helpful. Thanks.

[Big Daddy]

A subwoofer's performance depends on many factors:

1. Size and construction of the enclosure.
2. Design, number, and size of the ports.
3. Quality of the amplifier as well as its true power rating.
4. Quality and size of the driver.
5. Dampening material such as polyfill.
6. The placement in the room with respect to your listening area.

As a general rule, down-firing or front-firing subwoofers do not matter. The placement in the room is by far the most important factor. Normally, subwoofers play loud in a corner or against the walls. The worst position for a sub is in the middle of the room. There are scientific reasons for these.

For the same reason, if you sit against the wall, the bass sound will be too loud and boomy and will make you tired. If you sit exactly in the middle of the room. You can hardly hear any bass. That is the main reason people use two subwoofers so that they get a more even and smoother bass sound across the room.

If you have wood floor or tiles, it is a good idea to put an area rug under the sub. A rug makes the sub more stable and will absorb any noises coming out of the port.

If you have children or pets, buy a down-firing subwoofer. If you don't have children or pets and enjoy looking at a woofer, buy a front-firing subwoofer. In general, the quality of the bass sound is not affected by the driver's orientation.

This is a quote from Sunfire, a manufacturer of high-end subwoofers:

The woofer cone can be mounted one of two ways. The first way is called, down firing and the second is called front firing. Subwoofer cones that are down firing are typically on the bottom of the subwoofer cabinet. When they are front firing they are on the side of the cabinet. One of these is not necessarily better then the other. It's just a matter of design and your own personal taste.

Here is what Dr. Poh Hsu of Hsu Research said in an interview by GoodSound:

SE: I've noted that many subwoofers with good reputations for music applications use down-firing rather than front-firing drivers. Is this just coincidence or does it reflect a particular design philosophy?

PH: I feel that's just a coincidence. In the case of the VTF-2, the down-firing design was chosen to save money. A down-firing woofer doesn't need a grill to protect it. The upcoming VTF-3 will have a forward-firing woofer because the box is larger. We feel it would look too plain and large without a grille.

And finally, a discussion of down-firing versus front-firing subwoofers in the Hsu Research forum:

http://forum.hsuresearch.com/archive...php/t-540.html

[jibucha]

Hello

Down Firing Subwoofers are easier to setup in rooms for the best performance.

Thank You

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by jibucha

Hello

Down Firing Subwoofers are easier to setup in rooms for the best performance.

Thank You

Not necessarily true, be careful when giving advice on a topic that you yourself are not quite knowledgeable. But thanks for posting in the spirit of helping another!

To OP, I would definitely recommend the A2-300. It's "the best bang for your buck" subwoofer out there right now. I absolutely love mine, as do many other members on this forum. And as BD pointed out, front/down firing doesn't really matter. The corner is a great spot to put your sub, just don't place it too close to the wall, otherwise it can sound too boomy or muddy. About a foot away from the wall is perfect, but every room is different so if you're able to, experiment with different locations in the room. Let us know what you decide to get!

[KK in CT]

I also love my A2-300. I couldn't be happier with it - an unbelievable value in my opinion. Also, since I have two dogs and a new baby, downfiring was definitely the way to go for me.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Not necessarily true, be careful when giving advice on a topic that you yourself are not quite knowledgeable. But thanks for posting in the spirit of helping another!

To OP, I would definitely recommend the A2-300. It's "the best bang for your buck" subwoofer out there right now. I absolutely love mine, as do many other members on this forum. And as BD pointed out, front/down firing doesn't really matter. The corner is a great spot to put your sub, just don't place it too close to the wall, otherwise it can sound too boomy or muddy. About a foot away from the wall is perfect, but every room is different so if you're able to, experiment with different locations in the room. Let us know what you decide to get!

Originally Posted by KK in CT

I also love my A2-300. I couldn't be happier with it - an unbelievable value in my opinion. Also, since I have two dogs and a new baby, downfiring was definitely the way to go for me.

Highly recommend the A2-300. I just bought my 2nd.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by KK in CT

I also love my A2-300. I couldn't be happier with it - an unbelievable value in my opinion. Also, since I have two dogs and a new baby, downfiring was definitely the way to go for me.

+1 on the downfiring if you have animals or kids, don't want anything pokin at your driver

But, kids might wanna put things in the port hole lol. A guy posted on here a long time ago asking how to retrieve a toy car from the belly of an A2-300 lol

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

+1 on the downfiring if you have animals or kids, don't want anything pokin at your driver

But, kids might wanna put things in the port hole lol. A guy posted on here a long time ago asking how to retrieve a toy car from the belly of an A2-300 lol

Luckily my down-firing sub has a grill on top for the port, not to mention it is 36" tall (45" with the riser included)......because I'm sure my kids would try to do the same thing.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Luckily my down-firing sub has a grill on top for the port, not to mention it is 36" tall (45" with the riser included)......because I'm sure my kids would try to do the same thing.

Yeah you have the ideal sub. Unless you have cats, then it probably looks like a damn scratching post

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Yeah you have the ideal sub. Unless you have cats, then it probably looks like a damn scratching post

Thanks for the compliment tbizzle. As far as the scratching post thing, I have talked to a member or two who were thinking of getting a cylinder sub, and convinced them to go with a box sub instead because they did have cats........LOL!!!

[progers13]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

+1 on the downfiring if you have animals or kids, don't want anything pokin at your driver

But, kids might wanna put things in the port hole lol. A guy posted on here a long time ago asking how to retrieve a toy car from the belly of an A2-300 lol

Giving me nightmares, t!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by progers13

Giving me nightmares, t!

Lol my bad. I think you can put some foam in the port hole, there was a guy on here who posted some pics of it. It's supposed to help with the chuffing (not that the A2-300 has much port noise in the first place).

Or you could tell the little ones to stay away from Daddy's big black boxes

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Thanks for the compliment tbizzle. As far as the scratching post thing, I have talked to a member or two who were thinking of getting a cylinder sub, and convinced them to go with a box sub instead because they did have cats........LOL!!!

Haha that's awesome. Last year when I first started getting into the HT game, the first thing that came to mind when I saw the SVS cylindrical subs was "HELL NO. My cat's claws would make love to that thing"

[progers13]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Lol my bad. I think you can put some foam in the port hole, there was a guy on here who posted some pics of it. It's supposed to help with the chuffing (not that the A2-300 has much port noise in the first place).

Or you could tell the little ones to stay away from Daddy's big black boxes



Haha that's awesome. Last year when I first started getting into the HT game, the first thing that came to mind when I saw the SVS cylindrical subs was "HELL NO. My cat's claws would make love to that thing"

I prefer that. Thankfully my son is 8 and knows better!

My dog adjusted well to when I brought home the first A2-300 a few months ago, but he's looking at the 2nd riser now like it's his throne. He's going to get a wakeup call when the 2nd sub arrives to go on top of it!

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by progers13

I prefer that. Thankfully my son is 8 and knows better!

My dog adjusted well to when I brought home the first A2-300 a few months ago, but he's looking at the 2nd riser now like it's his throne. He's going to get a wakeup call when the 2nd sub arrives to go on top of it!

Just tell him that the sub's "woofer" is bigger than his......

[progers13]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Just tell him that the sub's "woofer" is bigger than his......

Very true!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Just tell him that the sub's "woofer" is bigger than his......

[989547]

Thanks for all the info. ED states the ED A2 - 300, is not in stock - "At this time an order placed would be looking at shipping in the 3 week region." So, I guess Im in no rush, gives me more time to read about this stuff.