I have a completed home theater system except a subwoofer. I have hardwood flooring so would a down facing subwoofer be better than the front or rear firing kind? I dont want it to be obnoxious and rattle my whole living room. I just want it for the added effect when I watch movies. What do you guys use and did any of you have one type and switch the other type?

 

Unless you are an actual audiophile...



If you aren't trying to rattle fillings out of your teeth in a huge room, almost anything will do okay-enough. A single 8" or 10" with a plate amp will be plenty for most movies to give just that little boost in the low end. The type of enclosure will make relatively little difference, too. The generic differences between ported/sealed/bandpass enclosures will apply, and may be what should decide which type you get. As to which way the driver faces, that's mostly personal preference at sub-bass frequencies. If you have small children or dogs, down-facing is safer for the speaker. The sub I have which is exposed to children is bandpass (they can't hurt it) and the one I have with an exposed cone is hiding behind the television. Both have a single 8" and both are good enough for my listening needs.

 

If you care about longevity... I have a 10" Energy brand sub that's been going strong for 20+ years.

 

I have an SVS 10 inch front port sub and love it. It sounds good on movies or music works well with my receiver. Its like car audio you get what you pay for, what kind of budget are you looking at?