Okay, got a couple of questions...


Pioneer deck, Pioneer speakers in the stock locations, two 600W 10" Pioneer subs in a custom box pointed rearwards (with a not-Pioneer amp.) It's a 2+2 Coupe, and the box is behind the seat, firing out the back of the car. I was told that pointing it at the hatch would be best, but that wasn't possible without chopping the box (which may yet be done.)


So here are the questions...


- the head unit allows me to reverse the subs. Should I select this since they're pointed away from the listener(s)?


- I use the Low-pass filter to cut off freq above 50 Hz (80Hz if the bass in the track is very weak.) But if I add mid-range Loudness to bring up the main speakers, the subs thump the **** out of the car (which is what I don't want - I'm trying to fill out the music, not crush it.) Is the Loudness filling out the lower freq that much, or am I missing something?

(note: I use the High-Pass filter to kill everything below 80Hz from reaching the mains.)


- the deck offers Non-fading Output (the signal skips the LPF and goes right to the subs.) IMHO, the overall sound is at its best with this and the mid-range Loudness selected. The problem is, I'm under the distinct impression that throwing the higher freq at the subs is *bad* for them - is that correct?


The deck also offers Compression and Dynamic Bass Emphasis. I've avoided these features so far. Any comments on them?

 

Do you mean reverse phasing? (0 to 180 deg) IIRC, I don't think that it will make a huge difference one way or another. Bass doesn't need to be directed anywhere in particular since it's going to bounce all over the place anyway. You will hear differences in the sound, but the overall effect will be about the same.

Never use loudness. It boosts the highs and lows a lot. Use it only for emphasis when the volume is really low.

I've never heard about highs killing subs, but you'll degrade the sound quality from them. Best bet (at least what I would do) is get a real eq/x-over. You'll have more control that way instead of relying on the basic functions of a deck.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong about the phasing.

 

Well as far as the reverse feature you DON'T use that, that is for when the subs are mounted backwards in the box (pointing into the box) and if you try the feature it sounds like crap...

 

^^ not really. To put it bluntly, try both settings and use whichever one you like better. Typically, the "in-phase" setting will provide louder but boomier bass, while the "reverse" setting will provide quieter, but tighter bass. This is because the setting is really a time alignment issue and each of the two settings will combine with sound waves from your other speakers uniquely to either cause constructive or destructive interference at those frequencies.

Whether your sub is in-phase or out of phase is really determined by a number of factors, including the orientation of the sub, the orientation of each of the speakers, the distance from the sub to the speakers, the distance from the listener to the sub, the distance of the listener to the speakers, the size of the cabin and the angle of the glass. In other words, it's too complicated for anyone to really care about unless you're entering into some serious competition.

 

Thanks for all the replies.


Railgun - I'm kinda hooked on using Loudness b/c the subs manage to overwhelm the music at higher volumes. Loudness evens things out. When I reduce the subs' volume (I've already cranked the dial on the amp down twice, it's at about 3 out of 10, and this is a 100W amp powering 600W subs) the bass gets lost, so to speak. I'm trying to find a balancing point that pleases my own ears, since they're the only ones in the car 95% of the time.


usma - I'm definitely not competing with this basic setup. Maybe the reverse setting is just what I need. I'll try the setting again...