Down-firing subs and downstairs neighbors

Neighbors will kill you.

My advice is to hold off on the downward firing subwoofers.

Until you downstairs neighbors do something to piss you off.

Then buy two of them!

:-)

I live in an apartment, and always on the second floor.
I use a small B&W with it resting on a 24" square patio block, and that on thick rubber feet. It is a front firing with a port at the bottom. I find it can be used to assist in most non-Rock&Roll music. (For modern Rock, way too much bass is in the recording, and my neighbors are more important to me than loud thumping, so I TURN IT OFF.)
For Jazz, and classical it is a helper.
Major bass is IMPOSSIBLE in an apartment with someone under you, if you want to keep your lease.
The biggest bass problem is a syncronized strong beat mainly Rock&Roll, a syncopated beat is far more acceptable to others. A irregular beat, with large no-bass gaps can usually get by if the neighbors are not hypercritical, (such as in Jazz)
You can move to a first floor apt, in a corner.. and perhaps get away with a sub for all occasions.

Down-firing subs and downstairs neighbors = upfiring pistols

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I'm glad I asked.

Does anyone know at about what frequency the bass becomes really bad (penetrating)? I'm thinking maybe I could find a shallow but musical sub to fill in between 40 and 80Hz, or one with two crossovers. Thanks