How important is xmax?

[Justinw303 10+ year member]

I would think it's very important using logic. The more the woofer can extend, the more air it can move, and the bigger the sound. But then again, I'm definitely not an expert.

Also, what is a good minimum as far as xmax goes?

Basically, about where is the lowest xmax at which you can achieve quality bass?

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[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

Yes, more air tends to lead to higher output. Though the enclosure is very important to get the most out of the given sub.

There really is no minimum. You could have a sub with 1mm of Xmax. It wouldn't be loud but it could reproduce the sub bass frequencies.

 

[Justinw303 10+ year member]

Is 5mm good enough?

 

[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

Eh, what is the overall size? The lowest I have is a 10" with 8mm of xmax.

 

[Justinw303 10+ year member]

Would a 12" sub with a 5.6mm xmax be any good? I'm thinking no...

How about an 8" sub with 5.3mm?

 

[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

Well, unless they are free you can do better.......... I'd aim for 12mm or so if you want any performance at all.

 

[Justinw303 10+ year member]

12mm, huh? Well, you said xmax affects loudness. How about deepness? Could a 12 inch sub with an xmax of only 5.6 still be deep enough to sound good?

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

in a nice ported enclosure.

 

[Justinw303 10+ year member]

I thought ported = louder, and sealed = deeper/better quality?

 

[Raven 10+ year member]

Sealed = better highs / quality

Ported = Louder / lower

Exactly what sub is it? I know 5-6mm isn't a lot, but excursion isn't everything.

 

[Mackenzie 10+ year member]

Sealed boxes go lower. ported boxes play louder. You may be able to tune a box low, so that it plays lower than a sealed, but generally speaking the optimum sealed box for a sub will play lower than the otimum ported. Some subs perform better in sealed than ported, and vice versa.

 

[chinny 5,000+ posts]

important

 

[Justinw303 10+ year member]

Raven, or Mack... Which one is right?

I've always heard that sealed is lower and a little deeper, and ported gets louder.

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

sealed will play lower

ported will get louder the closer it gets to tuning

 

[the_noob 10+ year member]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Mackenzie is right. Sealed can play down to sub-sonic frequencies flat, yet ported will give you a nice boost in the 30-40hz range, but not much below that. Therefore, the sealed box would go lower, but the ported box would be louder in that region.