this might be a stupid question to ask but...
what's the whole point of putting the subwoofers in the trunk? They can't possibly give out the best quality sound if you can't directly hear them.

 

Your brain would explode.

 

I'll give you the simplest answer that I can - because I once wondered the same thing.

1 - it has to do with the "length" of a low frequency sound wave - to get the most effect of a 40 Hz wave it is best to be 18' away (or something like that) which is why most subs are placed facing the rear, making the wave that much longer

2- it also has to do with pressure - like the difference between a good sealed sub box and a crappy ported box

3 - where would you put the subs in the interior?

I'm sure there are lots of things that people can add to this. but thats the basic idea.. but if you don't want to do that you don't need to.. just take a small 10" sub and put it in different places in the car and see what sounds best to you...

 

usually because that is the most convienent place to put them, ie, back seat doesnt really offer much in the way of mounting solutions and reduces available seating capacity (for example, if you had the subs sitting on the back seat, you would only be able to fit 1 girl in the car, whereas if they are in the trunk, you can usually fit at least 3)

putting them in the cabin of the vehicle almost always gives you more bass because of a thing called cabin gain, so a hatchback or truck where there is really no impediment to the bass traveling to the listening position usually results from more spl versus a trunk mounted setup.

 

Low frequency bass from a sub should be something you feel more than you hear. Most people like their systems to bump in a way that you can't tell where the sub is placed, because the sound envelopes the whole car. I've heard two subs in a pre-made "ported" enclosure from a friend's Explorer, which was loud, but just didn't sound as good as my home-made 12" enclosure placed in my trunk. Also, if you are really opposed to having them in the trunk, I know a few people on here have mounted a sub inbetween the rear seats, and it looked pretty clean. Can't tell you what it sounded like, though.

 

i always thought it doesnt matter as much (of course, to a certain extent) because the frequencies the subs are producing are pretty much omni-directional.

 

I've got the best result, when i faced the woofer (sealed box) to the floor in the trunk, behind the rear seats. There is only a 1/2 inch airgap between the woofer and the floor.

The second best solution was when the woofer faced to the end of the trunk behind the rear seats.

I've got too bumpy and not enough deep bass in every other direction.

(12" woofer in sealed box)

 

this made me el oh el :D

 

The real reason is simply space. Most subs are large and require relatively large enclosures, therefore go in the trunk. Bass is omnidirectional up to a certain point (I begin to localize it around 100hz or so, everyone is different), so it doesn't matter a whole lot if it's in the trunk, the engine bay or the roof.

That said, some of the best cars I've heard have front-mounted subs of some sort. Whether they be in the floor, the dash or the doors, it makes a difference. The sound stage is much more cohesive and natural sounding in a true sound quality system.

As for up-front options, you could do something as simple as a pair of medium drivers in the doors or go nuts with it. I've seen a few cars with 10's fabed into the dash where our center speaker is and several more with the floor mounted subs. They cut the floor, weld in a drop box and fiberglass the enclosure to fit the contour of the floor. that leaves a sub on each floor.

My plan, since I wont' be going extreme and hack the car up, is to install a pair of drivers with very low reach in the doors. I'm thinking 8" shallow mount subs will be going in. I'll run these down to about 50hz and have my sub in the trunk meet them there.


So, the short answer is:
Subs go in the trunk because of space concerns. They sound better up front if done properly, but it's difficult and time consuming....and often expensive

 

LOL good stuff.

So noob question *wears fire suit*, when people do those speakers in between their back seats (on that plastic that opens to the spare), are those just speakers or subs?

 

Subs. IMO, they don't look good there... but a lot of people seem to disagree. Whatever floats your boat.