Subwoofers - Front Firing vs. Downward Firing

Acoustically there is likely to be only a small difference in the bass. The downfiring sub will be close to the floor surface at a high pressure point - so you may get slightly more acoustic output (think how loading helps a horn) - although this will lower the F3 of the design and reduce the sensitivity (need a bigger amp) but the resposne will be flatter. The downfiring will also reduce the audibility of any small amounts of midrange that come through.

If you want to run the sub up higher in frequency then a front firing will have the advantage as you can place it close to your speaker and use it like a bass bin. (if you do that with a downfiring sub then you will tend to smear the midrange)

With a down firing sub you can also turn it upside down and place a board on top (with something heavy on it to hold it down). This will reduce floor bounce anomalies and tighten up the bass considerably. To do the same with a front firing sub you would need to raise it up off the floor on some kind of rigid platform.

Just a consideration.

Enjoy,
Bob

Ptmconsulting: Your suggestion of turning the down-firing sub upside down interests me. Are you saying that this arrangement generally tightens up the bass some? With an active sub unit, are there any complications (e.g. heat dissipation, etc.) that one should consider before doing this? I’m interested in trying this with an REL Storm III. Thanks!