SQ Guys Who Went From Sealed to Ported?

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

I am curious as to the experiences of people who prefer sq to spl and went from sealed to ported. Did you stay ported or did you return to a sealed box? In your opinion, how did the sq compare?

(Yes, I know there are many variables -- and anyone who would like to can share as many of those as they like).

Click to read more...

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

i am going to sealed for 2 15s because of space constraints

but sealed sounds really good, but the added output combined with ported not sounding bad at all in the right box, both are fine depending on what your situation is

 

[alxmlr789 10+ year member]

I agree, i started off sealed, my kappas sounded good.. Then i went ported with a BL, it sounded fine

Just make sure your box is built to specs 100%

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah, I am always going to do everything reasonably possible to make sure the box and amp setup are correct -- regardless of whether I am using a sealed or ported at the time.

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

I would only go ported if u needed the out put to be honest, for ex. I am currently using a big car with the setup in the trunk... with only 1 12 so i needed the output

but I just got 2 15s so i wont really need 6 cubes tuned at 34ish hz to get a lot of output, so my plan is to just seal it off and let it sound good while still getting good output

ported still sounded good though i got a ton of compliments on my last system and it was fairly low-end

if u got the room then port the shit out of it thoughhhhhhhhh

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

2 15's sealed sounds like it would be real nice. good luck with that -- can't imagine that not satisfying your needs

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

2 15's sealed sounds like it would be real nice. good luck with that -- can't imagine that not satisfying your needs

Yeah I had the mag ported and it was straight but just not accurate enough for me, the box was tuned too low

So this should fix it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/yumyum.gif.0556df42231b304b9c995aefd13928a8.gif

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

Yeah I had the mag ported and it was straight but just not accurate enough for me, the box was tuned too low
So this should fix it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/yumyum.gif.0556df42231b304b9c995aefd13928a8.gif

How low was it tuned? I catually have a 12 Mag sealed and it sounds good. I just thought that I might give ported a try since I know the Mag does well in a ported box.

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

It depends on the sub I'm using. My av12 sounds just as controlled ported as it did when it was sealed. I gained a ton of output around 30-45hz though. It is more bottom heavy with the ported enclosure but that is what I was wanting. Sealed didn't have the authority I was looking for in those frequencies and porting cured that while still having great transient response and a smooth sound for songs that I don't want to be bass heavy.

I will never go back sealed with this sub as I would consider a loss in sound quality. My setup does not have a very flat response while ported but I enjoy it.

I would also never go sealed with the IDQ. It still kind of lacks some low end while ported but it sounds very nice, seems pretty flat from 35-90hz (to the ear as I have never metered it to confirm or deny this), and blends perfectly with my front stage while ported. It sounds great sealed but lacks in the 30-40hz region.

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

How low was it tuned? I catually have a 12 Mag sealed and it sounds good. I just thought that I might give ported a try since I know the Mag does well in a ported box.

it was a mag v1 12" in a 2 cube @ 30 hz box

the box was great it was just tuned too low, way more suited for rap than anything else

in the future I will tune at least at 34 hz, I am a rock kinda guy

it would have been fine at 30hz if it was, say, an 18" BTL or something that moves a LOT of air, it was just a 12 with around 800 watts going to it, I needed somethin more. Although, a lot of people couldnt sit in my car with rap on it was so loud, and it SHREDDED the lows, some notes so low I could barely even hear bass, it was just shaking my entire car apart lol.

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

It depends on the sub I'm using. My av12 sounds just as controlled ported as it did when it was sealed. I gained a ton of output around 30-45hz though. It is more bottom heavy with the ported enclosure but that is what I was wanting. Sealed didn't have the authority I was looking for in those frequencies and porting cured that while still having great transient response and a smooth sound for songs that I don't want to be bass heavy.
I will never go back sealed with this sub as I would consider a loss in sound quality. My setup does not have a very flat response while ported but I enjoy it.

I would also never go sealed with the IDQ. It still kind of lacks some low end while ported but it sounds very nice, seems pretty flat from 35-90hz (to the ear as I have never metered it to confirm or deny this), and blends perfectly with my front stage while ported. It sounds great sealed but lacks in the 30-40hz region.

Yes, boxes are very subwoofer dependant

 

[jacka 10+ year member]

It depends on the sub I'm using. My av12 sounds just as controlled ported as it did when it was sealed. I gained a ton of output around 30-45hz though. It is more bottom heavy with the ported enclosure but that is what I was wanting. Sealed didn't have the authority I was looking for in those frequencies and porting cured that while still having great transient response and a smooth sound for songs that I don't want to be bass heavy.

Had pretty much the same experience with my RL-p's. They are just as punchy ported, if not more, as they are sealed. 30-50 is where I noticed a big gain in output. Accuracy wasn't sacrificed at all and it definitely didn't get sloppy.

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

It depends on the sub I'm using. My av12 sounds just as controlled ported as it did when it was sealed. I gained a ton of output around 30-45hz though. It is more bottom heavy with the ported enclosure but that is what I was wanting. Sealed didn't have the authority I was looking for in those frequencies and porting cured that while still having great transient response and a smooth sound for songs that I don't want to be bass heavy.
I will never go back sealed with this sub as I would consider a loss in sound quality. My setup does not have a very flat response while ported but I enjoy it.

I would also never go sealed with the IDQ. It still kind of lacks some low end while ported but it sounds very nice, seems pretty flat from 35-90hz (to the ear as I have never metered it to confirm or deny this), and blends perfectly with my front stage while ported. It sounds great sealed but lacks in the 30-40hz region.

hmmmm, I have an IDQ10 that I wish I had tried ported at some point. Not using it now. ID really encourages sealed -- but I have seen several people say the ported is the was to go with them.

The only thing I read that I did not like is where you say your current setup is not very flat. I prefer flat.

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

hmmmm, I have an IDQ10 that I wish I had tried ported at some point. Not using it now. ID really encourages sealed -- but I have seen several people say the ported is the was to go with them.
The only thing I read that I did not like is where you say your current setup is not very flat. I prefer flat.

I want to get the IDQ metered from 25-100hz at about 3hz increments to see about what it's response is like in car.

I like a boost in the lower octaves because it makes music sound more full to me compared to a flat response. My computer speakers metered flat (+3dB) from about 37hz (it was down 3dB at this point) up to about 10khz or so. I love the way these sound for most music but a ton of stuff I listen to just sounds like it's missing some critical elements in the 40hz and below region. In my car, those frequencies have a more powerful presence that I love. It's not overbearing unless I'm listening to some Bass Mechanik type stuff but I'm not looking for sound quality when I'm listening to that stuff. The music that I feel needs more depth on my computer setup (and somewhat with the IDQ) is stuff like this:

http://media.putfile.com/04---K-Pax-Soundtrack---Constellation-Lyra

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

it was a mag v1 12" in a 2 cube @ 30 hz box
the box was great it was just tuned too low, way more suited for rap than anything else

in the future I will tune at least at 34 hz, I am a rock kinda guy

it would have been fine at 30hz if it was, say, an 18" BTL or something that moves a LOT of air, it was just a 12 with around 800 watts going to it, I needed somethin more. Although, a lot of people couldnt sit in my car with rap on it was so loud, and it SHREDDED the lows, some notes so low I could barely even hear bass, it was just shaking my entire car apart lol.

When compared to the recomnded 32 that doesn't sound like you were way out of line. I may e-mail SI and inquire if the 32 recommnedation is for a particular goal or taste in music. Personally, I like more "musical" music -- think Jahm Mayer, Dave Mathews, Jack Johnson, the Eagles, etc.