Why do I get more bass with my windows down?
Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 5:16 pm
This is a question often asked, and even more often wondered by people with high output systems in many types of cars and trucks.
The answer is a fairly simple one to understand. We know that a speaker moves equal distances in each direction from center or rest when it's properly operating in order to produce sound. As a result, the same amount of output is generated in both directions (forward and backward) by the speaker. Subwoofers are generally placed in a box, and that box has an effect on the performance and operating characteristicsof the speaker.
We know that the air inside of the enclosure is compressed by the speaker each time the speaker moves back and forth, but what about the air outside of the enclosure?
Well, this is actually where the problem resides.
The air outside of the speaker box is treated in the same way as the air inside the box, in that the volume of air affects the response of the speaker. When the car's windows are opened or closed, you effectively alter the volume of air in the cabin of teh car, and thus the volume of air outside the speaker box that the speaker is trying to move or compress.
This in turn changes the response of the speaker to a large degree and affects the output of the speaker.
The best way to fix this problem is either to try a different type of speaker enclosure (different order/design) or to find a way to vent the cabin air to that of the outside, equalizing the pressure between atmosphere and inside the car basically.
If you're just missing a lot of bass due to a well insulated trunk separating the car's passenger cabin from the trunk space, you can vent the rear package shelf region of the car to couple the air between the two areas, also removing any plastic panels and sound insulation places against the back seats inside the trunk area by the manufacturer as a means of sound deadening the car's cabin.
The answer is a fairly simple one to understand. We know that a speaker moves equal distances in each direction from center or rest when it's properly operating in order to produce sound. As a result, the same amount of output is generated in both directions (forward and backward) by the speaker. Subwoofers are generally placed in a box, and that box has an effect on the performance and operating characteristicsof the speaker.
We know that the air inside of the enclosure is compressed by the speaker each time the speaker moves back and forth, but what about the air outside of the enclosure?
Well, this is actually where the problem resides.
The air outside of the speaker box is treated in the same way as the air inside the box, in that the volume of air affects the response of the speaker. When the car's windows are opened or closed, you effectively alter the volume of air in the cabin of teh car, and thus the volume of air outside the speaker box that the speaker is trying to move or compress.
This in turn changes the response of the speaker to a large degree and affects the output of the speaker.
The best way to fix this problem is either to try a different type of speaker enclosure (different order/design) or to find a way to vent the cabin air to that of the outside, equalizing the pressure between atmosphere and inside the car basically.
If you're just missing a lot of bass due to a well insulated trunk separating the car's passenger cabin from the trunk space, you can vent the rear package shelf region of the car to couple the air between the two areas, also removing any plastic panels and sound insulation places against the back seats inside the trunk area by the manufacturer as a means of sound deadening the car's cabin.