I v read in different audio catolgs and most want U to put the speakers(mids near the floor) like the the Q-FORMS in cruthfield...now im no expert but wouldnt your shoe and your passengers shoe cover those speakers muffling the sound from speaker decreasing your STEREO effect.
Thats what seemed to happened when i drove this 96 camaro.....
Ive always thought the 3rd gens had a good set up if not great.U trully get that 3D sound.
maybe aiming the front dash speakers at u might be a little better.....
but the way my firends ears perk up I think they notice the 3d sound Thing happen in a way it doesnt happen in thier jap car with the speakers in the door near the floor....
just wondering

 

Generally, the lower frequency the sound, the less "directional" they are.

One example is trying to determine which direction an explosion came from. You would directionalize from the high frequency sounds first emitted (the "ka" in "ka-boom") The rest of it you would mostly feel.

That's why the placement and aim of tweeters is so critical and just a couple degrees can change the "3D" feel, and subs can be in the trunk of a car and things still sound right.

A good starting place is with the passenger side units facing directly at the driver, and the driver's side units firing at the passenger. This is if you want a good overall sound. If you want it sounding best for yourself (after all, your passengers didn't help pay for the system, did they?) then point 'em both at the driver side.

Third-gens do have a good setup, but some of the really, really picky people don't like the idea of a speaker firing directly up at the glass and being reflected instead of toward the listener.

 

Feet blocking the high frequencies is avoidable partly by placement, but overall isn't as major of an issue as you would think. The plastic panels all around the foot area are highly reflective and will allow plenty of high frequency reflection so that foot placement is less critical. Secondly, when you have a passenger you're not likely to be doing a lot of critical listening anyway, but as long as his legs and yours are both blocking the speakers, the imaging will be mostly preserved. When there is no passenger, you can just re-arrange your foot position so that both speakers are in a clear line of sight.

Jza is correct about subwoofer placement, although it is still very difficult to make the subwoofers 100% non directional. The problem lies with high frequency harmonics present in both the sub, as well as resonating panels near the sub. Filters block most of the high frequency content from the subs, but the sub itself can resonate at upper harmonics that are in a frequency range that you can localize. Furthermore, ajacent panels will resonate at upper harmonic frequencies, and although it may be at a volume that is inaudable due to a masking effect by the much louder lower frequencies and front speakers, your brain can still percieve those resonances and be able to pinpoint the sound to the rear. To make the bass really sound like it's up front, you need quality front speakers (that's where the recorded harmonics will come from), you need a steep crossover on your subs, and you need to remove all resonance from the vehicle. That last one is the hard part.

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edit: n/m

[This message has been edited by Jza (edited December 09, 2000).]

 

Somewhere in the 80's Bose made kickpanel enclosures that sounded pretty good in the IRocs.. see if you can find em, they sound great in my car

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-80 Camaro 350, Carter AFB, headers, dual exh, ram air, all sorts of crap
-88 Iroc-Z 350tpi, 3.27 gears, 4 wheel disc, MSD 6a, tpi airfoil, k+n's, white gauges, accel coil, flowmaster, pretty quick