Tweeter side down. Woofer on top.

[GeneZ]

I have seen a few speakers intentionally designed with the tweeter placed below the mid/woofer. A while back I took small speakers I used to use for near field, and placed tweeters on the bottom. Originally I wanted to get the port breeze out of my face. Then I noticed what seemed to be a more cohesive sounding reproduction. The speaker was designed to have the tweeter on top.

Why is that?

[PeteMcK]

have a look at this series of directionality plots from John's site, and imagine them flippped upside down:
Power

[GeneZ]

Originally Posted by PeteMcK

have a look at this series of directionality plots from John's site, and imagine them flippped upside down:
Power

That book is for those so technically inclined that they who can understand it would not need to ask my question for an answer! ;-) I am a novice.

From the book:

...how significant is it if the vertical polar response is symmetrical, as with a Linkwitz/Riley crossover, or asymmetric as with a Butterworth crossover?

If you have a moment? Could you please simplify and explain in plain terms what the differences would be between symmetrical and asymmetric polar responses? How would the patterns differ with type of each crossover?

Now after all I read? I found nothing to explain what might be gained with having the tweeter located below the woofer. That was my question.

[Moondog55]

I have done it, it works or it did for me, but I did it as a cost effective way of building, as it was easy to get the tweeter at ear level in a 1220 sheet of MDF. XO was electrical LR 2 and I must have got the acoustic response to match that as it wasn't at all bad.

[rabbitz]

Usually inverted driver arrangement is used with using odd order filters to compensate for the downward polar tilt caused by phase differences between the HP and LP. Reverse the drivers and if they are placed to give the right upward tilt can give a 0° ZDP (zero delay plane).

There's a good section on this in the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook (6th ed, section 7.23).

[DrDyna]

I wonder if you're listening near field, are they sitting on a desk or something? Maybe with the tweeter on the bottom you're reflecting off the desk.

[GeneZ]

Originally Posted by DrDyna

I wonder if you're listening near field, are they sitting on a desk or something? Maybe with the tweeter on the bottom you're reflecting off the desk.

My speakers are on two small platform shelves to the right and left. I have the speakers sitting to the very front edge as to avoid reflections as much as possible.

[DrDyna]

Originally Posted by GeneZ

My speakers are on two small platform shelves to the right and left. I have the speakers sitting to the very front edge as to avoid reflections as much as possible.

You may still be closer to a reflecting surface that way, or depending on your ear height relative to the tweeter could have changed if you're in near field also.

[5th element]

Flipping a pair of loudspeakers around will completely change the phase relationship between the two drive units and your ear and depending on the design could result in a significant change between the frequency response of each arrangement. It is not surprising that they sound different. As to which way is best will only really depend on one thing - which way you think sounds best.

[PeteMcK]

GeneZ, have another look at those graphs. What they are showing you is how the sound radiates into the room, looking at the speaker from the side. If flipping the speaker makes a difference, you have odd-order crossovers, and the directionality change, combined with your listening position, works better for you.