akai subwoofer...?

Question

i have a powered sub that has a switch on it that reads foward and reverse ...what does this mean and where should it be ...i dont hear a difrence in the sound when i change it...

Answer 1

This is a phasing switch It should normally be set to forward.
If you notice any phase distortion on low frequencies between your front speakers and the sub woofer set the switch to reverse.
Phase distortion is noticeable on a long drawn note and it sounds in your ears like the sound is moving back and forth between the speakers when it should not.

Answer 2

It is a phase reversal switch.Since the sub .has its own power supply it may not be in phase with your other speakers which are connected to your amp. What it means is all your speaker drivers should move in the same direction (forward and backward) together.They act like a piston.Now if the cone of your sub is out of sinc. with the other speakers there should be a reduction of overall bass in your system.But as you say you can't hear a difference by switching. I guess there is not much of a change because the sub is independent from the other gear and doesn't make all that much difference.It depends on the room size and furnishings and may be useful in that situation.
Regards,Rob.

Answer 3

If your sub is in the FRONT of the room and facing the SAME direction as your front speakers, then you want the phase to be set to "forward"...If your sub is in the BACK of the room and facing towards the FRONT of the room, then you'll want to set the phase to "reverse".

When the bass hits, the speaker cones in you sub and front speakers move FORWARD at the same time...Then they move BACKWARD at the same time...Both moving the SAME direction.

If you turned the sub around to face the wall instead of the same direction as the front speakers, the cones on each would be moving in OPPOSITE directions when the bass hits...The "phase" switch changes this so that the cones are moving the SAME direction.

When the same sounds play at the same time but out of phase, the tend to CANCEL each other out...No sound, no bass...That's why it's important to have your phase set properly.