a lil help plz - Sealed vs. Ported boxes

[Moezer]

hey all is it better to have 2, 10" subs with an open box or closed?

[ercchry]

what? like sealed or ported? i prefer ported

[Moezer]

Originally posted by ercchry
what? like sealed or ported? i prefer ported
yeah, i have open box but i dont really like it i find that a sealed box pounds better and harder, just want to know what every one likes better

[Aniki]

Originally posted by Moezer
just want to know what every one likes better

why don't you go for what sounds better to you

no one else on the forum is going to be listening to your system..

but I believe ported boxes are more common and more popular..:dunno:

[TDFTW]

the more volume of air the speaker can move the better. a sealed box is just pushing air, while something ported is pulling air and pushing it at the same time, moving more volume of it creating better bass.

if im wrong go ahead and mythbust me or something lol

[Moezer]

i think i just need stronger subs :devil: lol

[Tarrantula]

Originally posted by Moezer

yeah, i have open box but i dont really like it i find that a sealed box pounds better and harder, just want to know what every one likes better

1) Ported Boxes are louder.

2) Sealed Boxes are cleaner.


There you go, work it out amongst yourself. If you want louder, go for ported, but you will lose the bottom end (around 40hz), but if you go sealed, they will be roughly 3db less than a ported box of the same size.

Personally, I have chosen sealed ever since my first ported. Too noisy (port noise)

[jonny_q13]

its also about how well designed the box is. if the ports are not matched to the subs or the air volumes are wrong then the box will sound horrible.

[03ozwhip]

werd. ported = sloppy sound. i have 1 10" L5 in a sealed box thats super tiny and that thing sound clean as hell. saves space to go with the sealed too.

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by jonny_q13
its also about how well designed the box is. if the ports are not matched to the subs or the air volumes are wrong then the box will sound horrible.

The only guy in this thread that actually knows what they're talking about.
:nut: Guys if you dont know what you're talking about, please dont try to offer advice, there is enough mis-information in the car audio world already.


Each sub has its own parimeters, meaning performance characteristics (basically) to how it performs. These are known as the Theile & Small parimeters (or T/S for short)
There is no "ported is best" or "sealed is cleaner".
If the box the sub woofer is placed in does not correspond with the parimeters of the sub, it'll always sound awful, sealed, ported... it doesn't matter.

Yes like mentioned if the port or the box volume for an enclosure doesn't work with the acoustic requirements of the sub, it'll always sound off, typically "boomy" and sloppy, however when a sub that was designed SPECIFICALLY for a ported box is placed in a sealed box, yes it too will also sound very inaccurate and poor.

I have to go head out for an interview very shortly so I can't get into explaining the relationships entirely, but I'll edit this later and go into more detail.

[Moezer]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M


The only guy in this thread that actually knows what they're talking about.
:nut: Guys if you dont know what you're talking about, please dont try to offer advice, there is enough mis-information in the car audio world already.


Each sub has its own parimeters, meaning performance characteristics (basically) to how it performs. These are known as the Theile & Small parimeters (or T/S for short)
There is no "ported is best" or "sealed is cleaner".
If the box the sub woofer is placed in does not correspond with the parimeters of the sub, it'll always sound awful, sealed, ported... it doesn't matter.

Yes like mentioned if the port or the box volume for an enclosure doesn't work with the acoustic requirements of the sub, it'll always sound off, typically "boomy" and sloppy, however when a sub that was designed SPECIFICALLY for a ported box is placed in a sealed box, yes it too will also sound very inaccurate and poor.

I have to go head out for an interview very shortly so I can't get into explaining the relationships entirely, but I'll edit this later and go into more detail.
ill be waiting on what u got to say... thanks all

[Graham_A_M]

All right, I dont want to have to get into a HUGE explanation of things, since I'll be here for quite a while, but basically:

Subs are designed in such a way that some require the acoustic cushioning brought about by a sealed enclosure. Obviously being a sealed box the air has no where to go, so its compressed, of which aids the subwoofer cone when making its return "trip" back out. Same thing with the suction created when the cone is excursioning outwards.
Like I say, this is a linear cushioning that the sub needs to be able to work properly. Its "motor design" (the collective product of all the T/S parimeters working together) requires this acoustic suction/pressure (of a sealed box) for the music to be reproducted properly.
This is why when you take a sub DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY for a small sealed box, and put it in a ported box, it cannot function properly as its like taking a gas engine and wondering why it doesn't work properly on diesel.
The thing about sealed boxes is that the amount of air there is obviously determines how easily in compresses. Too much air and it wont compress enough, and the subwoofer cone may "Excursion too far" and thus stretch its suspension.
Too little air and the sub will not be able to reproduce the low frequencies. Thats quite complicated as to get into "Why" too small of a box limits very low end bass response, but thats that.
Obviously there is a happy medium.

Same thing with a ported box. However ported boxes are much more finicky to proper tuning. They require a specific air space, and a specific port length and diameter, as it is to tune it to the box airspace. Even the difference of 1/2" in port length can be the difference between "Awful" to "Awesome"
Thankfully there is software to help with designing both types of boxes.
I wont get into the techo-blurb about ported boxes, but if you want a box designed for your subs, let me know as I can input these T/S parimeters and it'll come up with the best possible sounding box, or the loudest etc, etc.

[///LOUD LOAD\\\]

Good info Graham A+!!! Only thing i would disagree with it "specs" being able to aid in building the "loudest" enclosure. Specs cant account for the numerous variables that effect real life SPL. But thats just the SPLer in me talking. :poosie:

But ya all subs are different, and designed for certain applications or installs. You cant make general statements about enclosures like you often read on forums. Not to mention people individual taste in sound, or there quality of hearing.... I know what i like isnt what you like so how can i tell you what you like??? Does that make sense? lol

[03ozwhip]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M


The only guy in this thread that actually knows what they're talking about.
:nut: Guys if you dont know what you're talking about, please dont try to offer advice, there is enough mis-information in the car audio world already.


.

i know a good amount of shit about audio and have been doing it for more than 10 years, how can you say what i said is misonformation? because i didnt go into detail? ported IS a sloppy sound its all air that sounds like farts.

it can sound decent when tuned, but IN MY OPINION sealed sounds better. also, are ported boxes NOT bigger than sealed boxes? where am i giving misinformation? i know with my sub, its almost 1cf for ported vs .6cf for sealed....am i wrong, because i dont think so

[Graham_A_M]

^At what point did you think I singled YOU out?
Besides arguing over opinions is utterly ridiculous. If you think Ported sounds sloppy, perhaps thats just you and your experience with ported enclosures. I've always put my sub specs into programs and ended up with crystal clean sounding ported boxes (in relevance to the sub I mean) so I can only beg to differ, but we can agree to disagree all you want, in the end I dont think either of us will be right however.
And yes:rolleyes: I'm WELL aware sealed boxes are typically smaller then ported ones... thank you.
I know you're going to quote this and generally dislike me over it, but if you think L5's sound CLEAN and good, I question you're knowledge of car audio entirely. Kicker L7's and L5's are some of the worst sounding subs I've ever heard in my life. The cone flex and distortion due to their square cone design makes me want to punch babies. I've never heard a more musically in-accurate and monotone bass as I did with those. I guess if you're into Rap and that sort of music, they're probably right up your alley as half the bass sounds the same anyway, but out of all the subs I've worked with and designed boxes for, those are amoung the worst. About as bad as this Orion Cobalt series (15") with an FS of 67hz. :rolleyes:
Again please dont take that personally, but I think its VERY clear our views on what sounds good are quite different given your said examples.

I've been into car audio since I was 12, so thats 14 years now. Yet never in a million years would you think I consider myself to be anything near an expert.

Yeah Clay you're right about that loudest. I meant tuning the port for a specific gain at a given frequency. I know you know more about being loud then I'll ever know.. but I just meant on a simple box/port tuning level.