Tom... In this particular case, it's not fair to dismiss Eddie as
silly, uneducated, myth-propagating dummy.

Anyone who has installed more than a few real-world car subwoofer
knows that subwoofer orientation/loading has an effect on the qualit
and quantity of perceived bass at the listening position. Th
significance of the effect varies from car to car, but it is definitel
an important factor.

In fact, one of the primary "tuning" aspects of designing Stealthbo
systems (vehicle specific subwoofers) here at JL Audio revolves aroun
finding an optimum location, orientation and loading for the woofer.
wish it were as simple as just picking any spot in the car for the sub
but it isn't. Sometimes a location that is more practical or desirabl
doesn't sound as good as another.

Quoting Beranek, or citing physics that contradict these observation
is like saying that a rainbow does not actually have multiple colors i
it.

A car is not a square room, nor is it a uniform pressure vessel..
orientation and proximity to boundaries (loading) has an effect on th
acoustical impedance matching between the woofer and the listenin
environment... Partially sealed trunks act as resonant chambers whic
often cancel out desirable bass energy... small, semi-captive volume
of air between a rear-firing sub and a rear hatch affect the acoustica
impedance match as well... the relationship between the listenin
position and the front and back boundaries of the cabin also plays
role... the vehicle is lossy at very low freuqencies... etc. etc. etc
It should also be noted that 99.9% of car audio customers listen t
bass at louder levels than you find comfortable... I'm not sure if tha
fact has any effect on the whole equation.

As far as I know, nobody has been able to accurately model a car'
transfer function based on pure measurements with any degree o
precision... one can measure it, but it is devilishly complicated t
predict. Maybe some of your OEM buddies think they have the answer, bu
I have my doubts.

Manville Smith
JL Audio, Inc
-
msmit
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