Subwoofer Direction???

[jstenger]

Seems like most subs under the helm face the driver, yet some people talk about down firing, side firing, and bow firing. Are there advantages to these other directions? I am removing my foot rest like Mandley and building a custom ported box for my Xi12DVC. I like seeing the speaker and the fancy grill, but I would change its direction if it was really worth it.

[David Analog]

Bow-firing, hull-firing & down-firing, all have one benefit in common. They use the surrounding planes and boundaries to enhance the low bass output. However, if the radiating surface area is reduced below that of the woofer Sd in the process then the approach is counter-productive. So with a 12-inch bass-reflex enclosure with an external displacement approaching 3 cu.ft. you end up loading the woofer & port into a restrictive path. Thus when you move up to a 12-inch loaded via bass-reflex you general end up with a direct-radiating arrangement. And with a bass-reflex 12" you really don't need the extra leverage that bow-side-down-loading provides. However, you will see a midbass and transient advantage with a direct-radiating sub.

[David Analog]

For anyone doing a bass-reflex 12-inch sub in the future I might recommend the Wetsounds XS12 or the JL Audio 12W3.
Both have the same size voice coil as the Exile and will handle the same amount of power. Both have full polymer cones versus the Exile paper cone in an open ported box in an open boat. Paper absorbs water. This is no secret. The Exile is a paper cone with a plastic dustcap on the front side only.
The three options have nearly the identical Thiele/Small parameters so all will work in a similar sized enclosure, whether sealed or ported.
The Wetsounds is 100% marine.
The JL Audio goes very deep with less moving mass and is amazingly articulate for a big subwoofer. The best in class.
All have grills available and are priced about the same after discount.

[bergermaister]

[bergermaister]

I like seeing the speaker and the fancy grill, but I would change its direction if it was really worth it.

I used to like seeing it too until I woke up one morning and it was gone. New enclosure is completely stealth... Plus no worries about something coming in contact/damaging the grill or speaker.

[David Analog]

I used to like seeing it too until I woke up one morning and it was gone. New enclosure is completely stealth... Plus no worries about something coming in contact/damaging the grill or speaker.

The tough part of theft is that the tower speakers or remaining collars are a clear advertisement that there is valuable gear in the boat....regardless of how it's designed and installed in the boat. The thieves have less use for the tower speakers because that's typically a limited market, where as all the in-boat gear is saleable to a much larger automotive market. The thieves are certainly a low lifeform but they're not completely stupid.