Subwoofers - Front Firing or Down Firing - Which Sounds Best?


Any advantage to woofer cone facing toward listener as opposed to firing down to the floor? Thinking of upgrading my 20 year old B&W ASW-650 sub to get that oh-so-pleasing belly message which lives in the 20-ish Hz range (very rare I know). SVS has the "tube" subwoofer (PC-2000) at a reasonable price. Just wondering if the floor-firing model would disappoint? Wouldn't want the hassle of returning if it did. Any opinions? Current users? Thanks. 
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Showing 1 response by retrocrownfan

Love my down firing REL T/5i. Everything it’s cracked up to be. Hi-level Speakon input, 120 W A/B power with precise rotary click control of volume and roll-off, corner mounted, with a unobstructed plane of 100 year old maple extending 20 ft in front of it. Super fast long-throw lightweight 8" speaker.

The REL compliments my towers, creates a base source that is centered in the sound stage between the towers despite a distant position on the sub. I am amazed at how close this experience is to John Hunter’s claimed performance. Great company, great products, IMO.

The fact that the listener can’t locate the sub once everything is adjusted in the room is magic to me.