would you mind elaborating on the details of what you mentioned?

 

While anyone can easily find such info on the net, sure, I'll elaborate a bit.

Isobaric configurations consist of at least 2 subs, mounted together and acting as a single sub, from an output perspective.

It doesn't matter how they're mounted, "clamshell" (cone to cone), magnet to magnet, or cone to magnet, but the space between them MUST be completely sealed for them to operate as a single unit. Whether they need to be wired in or out of phase depends on the mounting configuration, where a clamshell design would require out-of-phase wiring, while cone to magnet would be wired in-phase.

The design isn't limited to any particular configuration, you can use isobaric mounting in sealed, ported or bandpass applications, same as for single-woofer systems, what's best depends on the specific sub's requirements and the intended application/environment.

Now why would anyone want to use 2 subs when you're only getting the output from one of them? The primary reason is to save space, as the enclosure volume requirements are HALF of what they are for the same sub when implemented alone. Iso configurations also lower distortion by canceling nonlinearities. The downside to this is a decrease in output of 3 to 6dB, compared to a single sub, so you can see there's a trade-off to anything.

Isobaric became somewhat popular back in the late '80's (I've been installing since '77) before "small-box" subs (such as Kicker's "Solobaric" line, and now you know how they came up with the name) became common, in order to save space.

Hope that's an adequate explanation, as I don't have time for more right now...

 

That's a good explaination to have on here. I am familiar with those concepts.... just not an expert on them as it seems you may be.
So the question I'll toss out there is does anyone know what the setup for the sub is for the Premium Scion system? I would be surprised if Toyota actually did a dual setup... so that's why I was wondering what the Normal and Reverse mode functions actually did on this system.
^thanks again.

 

Hi, I'm new to the group. I just got my first scion ever and I'm trying to hook up a sub and amp to the stock head unit. I have a converter and wiring kit from Wal mart. I'm just not sure if i have to splice stuff or not