Front Firing vs. Downward Firing Subs

hamzahsh
hamzahsh Posts: 439
edited August 2003 in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management
I like to know what are advantages and disadvantages of having either type of sub.

I think Front-Firing is all-around sub both for music and movies. Whereas, down-firing is mainly for movies. Or am I wrong?

I use Velodyne CHT-15 which is a front-firing sub and works awesome for me both for movies and music. I know there are more front-firing subs especially the high-end ones but there aren't so many down-firing subs available. Why is that! I know SVS makes great DF subs but what other brands.

Need your opinions!
Panasonic TH-50PX80U Plasma HDTV
Polk Audio RT800i (fronts)
Polk Audio CS400i (center)
Polk Audio F/X1000 (side surrounds)
Polk Audio RTi6 (back surrrounds)
Velodyne CHT-15 (subwoofer)
Yamaha RX-V1400 (Pre/Pro)
NAD C272 (2-ch Amp)
Adcom GFA-7605 (5-ch Amp)
Toshiba SD-3109 (DVD/CD player)
Malata DVP-580 (Multi-region DVD player)
Post edited by hamzahsh on
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Comments

  • Dr. Spec
    Dr. Spec Posts: 3,780
    edited August 2003
    Bass waves are omni-directional and not easily absorbed. There is no difference in sound between downward, side, upward, backward, or forward firing - all other things being equal.

    The SVS cylinder fires downward, whereas the HSU cylinder fires upward. The SVS has a much lower center of gravity and is less prone to tip over, but there is no inherent sonic advantage to either design.

    Most DIY cylinders are also downward firing. If you are thinking DIY, the woofer needs to be rated/approved for downfiring because the weight of the cone over time can otherwise cause suspension sag.

    Doc
    "What we do in life echoes in eternity"

    Ed Mullen (emullen@svsound.com)
    Director - Technology and Customer Service
    SVS
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