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Front- vs. Down-Firing Subs and Amp Issue

A couple of assertions in the audio world have me perplexed as to how to select a subwoofer for my two-channel system.

Richard Hardesty makes the blanket statement in his Audio Perfectionist Journal that down-firing subs should never be used for high-end two-channel audio. Only front-firing subs are suitable for this application. I see, however, that some of the most-recommended subs on a'gon (Hsu TN series, ACI and REL come to mind) are down-firing (or up-firing in the case of Hsu.) Maybe the answer is that audiophile subs can't be purchased at the price point most mortals can afford, and the lower-priced subs just happen to be down-firing? Oh, Hardesty also says ported subs are not suitable for high-end audio; must go with a sealed box. Interesting.

The second assertion comes from Mike Barnes at nOrh, who says on his website that the plate amps used in 90% of subs today is crap and puts out only a fraction of power that is claimed. The sound that was rattling his windows and creating "earth-shaking bass" was not bass at all- it was distortion. He also states that he began tests in subwoofer development using the popular Peerless 12" woofer, which was literally shredded by a (non-plate) 150-watt amp.

So now I'm confused. Is it possible to buy a high-quality sub for relatively little money? I can't bring myself to spend $3-5k on a pair of speakers only to turn around and spend nearly that much on a sub. Oh, and then I hear that if I want the best possible configuration I need two subs at twice the price, making my subs more expensive than my speakers. Is this just a fact of life that I'll have to come to grips with if I don't want to buy speakers that go down to 20hz?

Thoughts?
aggielaw
piezo
304 posts
 
Hmmm. while not a sub my Dunlavy Athenas have a downward firing 10 that is rated flat to at least 30 hz and lower with room effects considered. the bass is extreemly tight and musical. I spent a lot of time dialing the speaker position in to get everything balanced and i stronly agree with the fact that just throwing a sub into a room and hoping for the best won't work.

Tgrisham, for pro soundsystem application we have the subs located below the mid/high tops,corssed over at 100hz and there is no +difficulty with two subs vrs one. I would thnink that home set ups should be similiar as long as you keep the speaker locations matched up and not scattered all over the room so each box is fighting a different room condition.
matchstikman
205 posts
 
Chadnliz, my "overflow" subs aren't worth much. All of them are low-budget and have been modified by moi in an attempt to make something budget sound a little better.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,050 posts
 
You are right Piezo. I agree about two subs instead only one. As a fact we can have less room-problems with two subs against only one.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
matchstikman
205 posts
 
So what? Front or down firing? Or as with everything else in audio, whatever you like is best?
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rauliruegas
13,050 posts
 
Dear Matchstikman: I think that the sealed vs vented design is a more important issue and here I think that sealed is the better way to go.

The down vs front subs is more a builder design choose. If the subs are sealed it does not matters the down vs front firing debate.

Now, for any one can choose subwoofers: the best way to do is testing at home because the sub interaction with the room and the main speakers is critical. If we can't do that then we have to go for a confident/experienced subwoofer manufacturer like Velodyne, Aerial, Rel, etc...

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
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