Sealed Vs Ported (SQ vs SPL)

[iconist 10+ year member]

Okay so what is the real deal with sealed vs ported? I keep hearing conflicting opinions. Some people say that sealed is the best for SQ, but others say that if your port it right (tune it properly I guess) then that is the superior way for SQ. So which is it? I'm not looking to have ower-powering thumping bass, just a clean full range from top to bottom.

Here is a sample of the type of music I'd be listening to most often.

Infected Mushroom

Shpongle

Jesse Cook

Juno Reactor

Miles Davis

Tito Puente

Bjork

RJD2

Paul Oakenfold

Orbital

In other words, stuff that is fairly complex and nuanced, but also stuff that does dip into the bass a fair amount. And I want to be able to hear that aforementioned nuance even when it dips down into the lowest ranges.

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[tRiGgEr 5,000+ posts]

If you have the space to build a ported box build it If you are low on space a sealed box will do just as good. It will just not be as loud as the ported.

 

[iconist 10+ year member]

If you have the space to build a ported box build it If you are low on space a sealed box will do just as good. It will just not be as loud as the ported.

I have a pretty large trunk and my main vehicle is a mini-van.. so I'm not ever really going to *need* much trunk space, so yeah I'll be building a ported box. My question was just about whether or not there is a difference in SQ for ported vs sealed. But if it's just a "loudness" issue, then I may as well go for ported since I have the trunk space. (Right?)

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Ported alignments by nature are high-Q alignments. Which, from an accuracy point of view, is not something you want. However, since what "sounds good" is different from what the "most accurate" is, you can achieve "good sounding" results with a low tuned ported box. I surely would not call it superior to sealed; but good none-the-less.

For clean, full bass, I personally would suggest sealed (sub dependent ofcourse)

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

The real deal?

It depends on the drivers chosen, and your listening styles //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

For you, I would recommend a larger sealed box or low tuned ported enclosure.

 

[tRiGgEr 5,000+ posts]

Well if you were to build a low tuned ported box it can sound just as good as a sealed box.

To put it simply I did not notice enough of a difference in SQ while testing my XXX.

 

[iconist 10+ year member]

The real deal?
It depends on the drivers chosen, and your listening styles //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

For you, I would recommend a larger sealed box or low tuned ported enclosure.

Yeah still working on the driver. The good shit is all back ordered. Gonna see about picking up a used Dual 2 12 inch Adire Brahma II, as I've heard good things about that.. but it requires a drive to L.A. and I'm not sure I can get away to do that, heh. I'll just have to wait and see I guess.

Thanks for the advice/opinions though. I'm just trying to make absolutely sure that at each step in the process I'm doing the right thing. Like the old adage, measure twice, cut once.

 

[Mackenzie 10+ year member]

Yeah still working on the driver. The good shit is all back ordered. Gonna see about picking up a used Dual 2 12 inch Adire Brahma II, as I've heard good things about that.. but it requires a drive to L.A. and I'm not sure I can get away to do that, heh. I'll just have to wait and see I guess.
Thanks for the advice/opinions though. I'm just trying to make absolutely sure that at each step in the process I'm doing the right thing. Like the old adage, measure twice, cut once.

brahmas do real well in sealed boxes.

 

[Polecat 5,000+ posts]

also may add, in a sealed enclosure, you can use more power, ported, will be louder with less power.

 

[iconist 10+ year member]

also may add, in a sealed enclosure, you can use more power, ported, will be louder with less power.

Ported seems to be the way I'd want to go then, considering that trunk space is not an issue and considering the amp I'm using. (Phoenix Gold Xenon X200.4)

 

[Raven 10+ year member]

The results are varied on a person to person basis. I personally would go with a large sealed box because I don't see much difference in SPL in my applications. But like most, I'm unique in my combination of setup, install, car, and listening preference.

If you're willing to spend the money on more MDF, try sealed *and* ported.

 

[SSS 18734 5,000+ posts]

ported all the way. I can't even begin to tell you how much of a difference it made with my 2000SPL's. Sound quality is far better because the cone simply does not have to reach nearly the same amount of excursion to produce a far louder wave. Sealed, they got loud, but not nearly loud enough for my tastes. Ported, theyre so loud that i've never even turned it up all the way... it was just too much. (and SQ improved for me).

For your SQ tastes and lack of power, I would build a large ported box tuned to around 25 - 28 hz.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

SQ is a subjective term, rarely denoting accuracy of reproduction of the original material, and much more often about someone's personal taste in how the music should sound to them.... as demonstrated by the above post. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif IMO ported enclosures can be said to rival sealed enclosures for SQ in certain situations, but its not right to say ported enclosures can be superior to a sealed system in terms of accuracy of the reproduction. Simply put, ported boxes have a group delay problem and phasing issues that sealed systems simply do not encounter.

This is of course assuming the enclosure being compared are of proper design. And as was said, specific driver designs may affect this, Im speaking in general terms about the difference in box designs.

 

[Spr0ket 10+ year member]

When you have a high quality sub like the Brahma why waste the precious capability to tune it by sealing it up in a box. Tuning the box to high 20 or low 30Hz will give you an extra edge. As mentioned, some speakers do not lend well to ported enclosures and vice versa. Choose the speaker you like and build the box around it.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

When you have a high quality sub like the Brahma why waste the precious capability to tune it by sealing it up in a box.

If anything, its 'precious capability' is better demonstrated in a sealed enclosure where cone excursion vs BL distortion output are much more relevant. To imply you simply aren't getting the full potential from a Brahma when sealing it is to imply your main concern is simply SPL output, not sound quality. Some SQ purists would consider it a waste to port such a nice sounding sub as a Brahma. *shrug*