Sealed VS Ported Subwoofer Enclosures

[@grahamserle7930]

Absolutely right when talking about the so called experts. I worked setting up P.A. systems for a while and we did make some 6th order band-pass subs with 15" JBLs. There's the theoretical and then there's the listening and it depends entirely on what you want to achieve to suit your listening preferences.

[@seancarter3626]

I'm going to make this easy for everyone. If your not into the mathematics and geeky mumbo jumbo then it's all based on your preference of music. I was told by audio experts at shops that ported is best for hip hop and sealed is best for all other music. I listen to mostly metal, so they recommended sealed. Sealed is clean and punchy also fits well as it is compact and works if you have little space.

[@chris6074]

Minecraft

[@chris6074]

Mumbo jumbo

[@adriangutierrez9286]

What about if you have 4 12" voice speakers..Wich one is better

[@KurtisPape]

Not entirely true. Subwoofers types are not determined by there genre, but more their Frequency range and response. A ported subwoofer is simply going to be louder sometimes 2x, this is good for manufactures because they can use a smaller driver and box, also cheaper and lower powered driver to get their desired volume. A ported box is going to play even lower frequencies (Below 30Hz) and louder with the other lower freq. A ported enclosure can sound Boomy and is perfect not just for Hiphop but is an easy way to impress people. With a sealed enclosure its harder to impress people, but you will impress yourself with the quality of bass. I feel its more accurate and plays the range of frequency more equally. Ive gone with a sealed enclosure.

[@JERRYR708]

Back in the late 80's, early 90's I used to listen to punk and metal in my VW Bug. I had 10 inch Kickers in a sealed box. They hit hard, fast, tight and clean. Punk had fast beats and sudden stops and my speakers sounded awesome.

[@classicgalactica5879]

Which is better? Depends upon who you ask. As a general rule, sealed subs play lower while ported subs play louder. Sealed subs sound tight, natural and lifelike while ported subs sound more aggressive. Growing up on a farm and spending time around heavy machinery, I can attest that sealed subs replicate the very lowest frequencies with greater accuracy. That being said, ported subs are more efficient. It is at the end of the day simply a matter of personal preference.

[@W8rrfsdY73]

great summary, thanks

[@jamesjones4309]

Well explanation. I'm a sealed fellow

[@lusarshameli7057]

I like mine sealed too.

[@ngl750k]

how about sealed with passive radiator??

[@BrunoPOWEEER]

I made a 16x subs band pass wall that I used for large outdoor events, it was the only thing that could evenly produce loud subsonic frequencies outdoors. This was before computer software calculations, all ear-tuned using oscilloscope, playing frequency by frequency 10hz all the way to 120hz, a lot of time real life tuning and AMAZING results. I started with 4th order then moved on to 6th order in series and parallel. 6th order is by far the BEST, most powerful and trickier design but computer software helps a lot nowadays. I had my subs tuned rear 22hz front 45hz and it was a MONSTER in subsonic frequencies, could barely hear over 80hz but I had other full-range speakers with woofers covering from that above. Also I could pump 3x the rates power without exploding the subs as the cone displacement is controlled by the port’s limits.

[@jeremylindemann5117]

I was going to say that subwoofers and normal woofers have their place because they perform better within different frequency ranges. This is why I suspect a speaker box with 4 drivers (subwoofer, woofer, midrange and tweeter) cover the listening spectrum much better than a woofer which has to perform sub, bass and mid frequencies.

[@JoshM7]

Funny how the comments are split saying sealed is better or ported is better... It's situational imo, I like sealed, but also ported. Currently have a ported Ultimax 18 and it fills my needs with smooth bass to below 20hz. Group delay could be better below 20hz, but where speed really matters, it's low enough to be near sealed timings. I have a sealed 10" in my car and used it in my house too, preferred the 18 in the house as it was just as accurate and the 10" couldn't touch the low frequencies like the 18" but both sounded just fine. In the car the 10" is able to dig at least 10hz lower (usable to 25hz, and audible to about 15hz pretty cleanly without harmful distortion from harmonics) My room I have DSP and my car I don't, but don't need it to get smooth bass across the bass region. (Still would be nice to have it)

[@derp6632]

Thank you for the insightful explanation. I appreciate the lack of trivalization. It is very hard to navigate all the false information in this subject. It's best to always be skeptical of information until it can be proven useful for a given, limited case.

[@juststuff5216]

From Andy Wehmeyer, formerly of Harmann International, now producing his own high end car audio brand --------------------------------------- 1. If you're going to use lots of power and a sealed box, then you need a woofer with a long coil. 2. If you're going to use a vented box, a woofer with a shorter coil will be fine. 3. If you use a woofer designed for a small sealed box (low Q) in a vented box, the box volume requirement will be small and the port frequency requirement will be low. That means the port will be very long and the box will be difficult to build because the port will be difficult to fit in the box. 4. If you use a woofer with a short coil, designed for a vented box, in a sealed box with high power, the woofer will run out of coil and you'll hear distortion. Because the condition that produces the distortion is symmetrical (coil leaves the gap in both directions), the distortion will be mostly odd-order, which sounds nasty. "Brap Brap Brap". So, what's the conclusion? Your power requirement and choice of box type determines whether a long coil (woofer with high Xmax) is necessary. Almost all woofers will work in a sealed or vented box, so long as the woofer's Qts is lower than your target Qtc. A woofer with a Qts higher than .707 will have a peak in its response NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF BOX YOU USE. The rest is a matter of compromising between box size, power required to hit a target SPL and required low frequency extension. When you put the box in the car, the transfer function (car's frequency response) will be added to the response of the woofer. this will produce roughly a 12dB per octave increase in level as frequency is reduced starting at about 50 or 60 Hz, depending on the size of the car. A vented box will give you a big peak and a sealed box will not. If you have an EQ, then you can reduce the peak by reducing the power the amp has to provide at those frequencies. I think a vented box and EQ is always the best way to go, so long as you can afford the space and the EQ. --------------------------------------------------------------------- www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/technical-advanced-car-audio-discussion/129299-designed-sealed-ported-explained.html

[@Dakoustics]

Good information, thanks for sharing

[@vincentrobinette1507]

I don't care much, for the sudden roll off below the port frequency of the box. The driver is then, unloaded, as if it's not even in a box. You immediately lose the resonant protection offered by the vent pipe, and that can lead to over-excursion of the driver. The roll off in frequency response is more gradual in a sealed box, and the driver may be better protected by the compression loading at low frequencies. To me, the ONLY advantage of a ported box, is to limit cone excursion at higher power, making the speaker more efficient. It does that at the expense of a narrow bandwidth. All bass drums sound the same with ported boxes, because the "thud" is the port frequency of the box. With sealed, you can tell one bass drum from another. I had to take a ported box back and trade it for a sealed, and that separated the bass guitar from the bass drum.

[@juststuff5216]

@@vincentrobinette1507 kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWOxd2SGhsydZ7s - Port tuning demo kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGGygpKvZatsh80 - Ported vs. Sealed - Detailed Comparison To your second point, I always make th statement; *there are good and bad versions of both* (depending on many factors including the enclosure) and again, if ported enclosures are so inept (t-line, bandpass, ported ABC,etc), how/why did Scott Bulwalda win IASCA using a bandpass enclosure (Scott holding the highest score ever last time I heard/read)? What we're trying to do is to marry an objective truths to the truth that at the end of the day we use subjective measuring tools (our ears). At that point, I think psychoacoustics kicks in. Ported vs sealed, higher price sounds better, one brand is inherently better than another etc, etc Not disagreeing with your points, just trying to add another dimension to the POV 😎

[@Dakoustics]

@@vincentrobinette1507 Sounds to me you've not heard properly damped ported boxes. Poorly designed ported boxes can leave a sour taste. IMO ported boxes in the audio quality realm are great for low frequency extension, i.e. infrasonics where quality isn't really a factor

[@vincentrobinette1507]

@@Dakoustics That's exactly what I want a "sub"woofer to do. To basically extend the low end frequency response of my system to BELOW the normal range of hearing, to capture the ambient sound. You might be right about a ported box, that either isn't tuned to the low frequency that I want, or worse, being paired with the wrong speaker driver. There is a real art, as well as science to getting a good flat frequency response, extending waaayyy down. If you're just going to throw a speaker driver in a box, a sealed box with plenty of acoustic absorbing batt in it, is the easiest way to get decent sound, without a lot of math, or knowing or understanding the "ThielSmall" parameters of the driver. The inexpensive subwoofers I got from the local car audio shop in my area just may not have been well tuned, if at all.

[@derfskittlers6125]

Ok. Lots of people giving bad advice. Yes, the type of music you listen to can play a role in what type of box. The important thing is to get a box to fit the space you want and right size box, with or without vent, designed for your subwoofer specifications.

[@salesp6351]

Idk but the sealed boxes shake your nose and your core, where as the ported boxes just rattle your car lol

[@halrichard1969]

I like your tech talk and ramblings better than your build videos. Thanks for that.

[@playonkorg]

My active speakers (Mackie hr624) in the studio are not ported because I want to hear as near as exactly my master. Ported speakers colors the low mid/low,in consumer audio an easy and cheap way for an impressive sound,in todays electro music and lack of nowledge other music is ported/non ported no issue . For live concerts I use most of the times line array for mid high (not ported) and ported subs,depending the measure of the field. In my livinroom I often listen to jazz,of course not on ported speakers,even my car dont have a double exhaust for extra noise

[@marka.200]

I can't argue the thorough treatment given here, so I won't imply this is wrong. I am sure he's correct. However (there had to be one) my personal real world experience is I simply prefer the sound of a sealed enclosure and have never experienced the downsides detailed here. My experience is with fairly modest gear from the 1990's, though relatively high quality drivers and 3/4" MDF enclosures built exactly to spec the driver manufacturer's recommendation. I find the sound from complex ported systems good but just not quite as good to my ear. I'm willing to give ported enclosures plenty more chances and will continue to try them. One note: my ear seems more picky about driver size than the enclosure. For example, a good 10" ported enclosure sounds better to me than a 12" (ported or sealed). Anyway, thank you for the video, I find it informative and helpful.

[@Dakoustics]

Yeah, its all subjective. For me, personally, what defines good sound quality is a solid, relentless bass extension, and ports keep it nice and flat without the roll-off. I also see the 10" sealed come up often, for example bass guitar speakers often have multiple 10" drivers rather than one 15" or 18". I've got a theory its to do with motor strength, and how standard ferrite magnet motor subs start to lose the battle to cone area above 10".

[@sudd3660]

if ported need twice the box volume, just build make it sealed and put two subwoofers in there. then you get sound quality and ease of building and use, also adding power across whole range. seems like ported is only for limited spl use at set frequencies.

[@Ganibase]

About sealed box power handling. You said that a sealed box can handle less power than a ported one ( @ 15:40 ), when it's not true. Sealed boxes can handle more power due to the sealed air providing more dampening (and simulators like WinISD confirm that). The smaller the box -> the more dampening you have -> the more power you can pump into it without loosing control -> the less efficient is the box at turning power into sound. Also, adjusting frequency response in a vented box using a bass port seems like magic, until you realize that in some cases if you want to tune your box to very low frequencies (below 40hz) you run into a problem of port configuration. The frequency response might seem like its boosting 12db around the tuning frequency, but then you look at how long your port needs to be to achieve that and it says something like "1.5 meters" and you sit there and think "how the f am I supposed to fit all this length in a box that is 40L?", and you realize that there is no such thing as magic and what you can expect is a 3 to 6db boost at best without creating a ton of headache (or without making your box the size of a washing machine and finding out that you can only push a couple dozen watts into that box before your speaker unloads).

[@Dakoustics]

I was referring to higher power handling at the ports tuning frequency, though yeah, was a bit vague just throwing that out there. And yeah, smaller boxes need ports the length of small busses, which is a pain in the ass. I usually just design the box with a narrower port to compensate lol. Good comment, cheers!

[@VINNY5674]

Sealed requires more power to push the sub and to get required output

[@KocuRisko]

@@VINNY5674 this is very true. You have to realize the rated sensitivity only applies well above the subwoofer frequency range (below 80Hz). While bassreflex can be tuned to be flat all the way to the tuning freq, sealed can't and your sensitivity starts to decrease from 100Hz down. So the result is at least 3dB lower sensitivity, which equals to 2x the power for the same SPL. But try to EQ a ported enclosure to play below the tuning and you run out of excursion very, very soon

[@_N4VE_]

I’m looking at a High Excursion DS18 SXI 12” 1000rms/2000max. The EBP is rated 52.1 indicating it should be more likely in a sealed box, but they also provided recommended ported box specs. I read about sealed being more likely to wear down the sub overtime due to no fresh air being able to move thru the box? Is this true? I’m set on buying the 12” but now I can’t decide between ported or sealed?

[@paulphilippart7395]

I go with what is the most accurate,sealed,...ports even though you get additive when done right there are always phase problems and I hate that,you get more slam and best rise time with sealed.

[@_klent]

Try horn.

[@ayxayo3166]

Ported as there is two way bass end less power consumption to create high amounts of bass and low frequencies

[@ivanomarra4865]

It also has to do with what wattage you use for what speaker or speakers you use

[@madmat2001]

Which is better, white or brown rice? It's all subjective. Outside of having the proper enclosure type for your driver, the sound that either type of enclosure gives falls into the category of personal preference.

[@JonathanDFielding]

Excellent video! I have watched many videos that compare the two and nobody goes into the physics very well like you did. You have one more subscriber now

[@ActualKuma]

Video mastered at -24db

[@bassdrumflextime1253]

Yup

[@Durkhead]

WHAT!?

[@haydensmith9064]

with a 6th order series box im building my rear port length is limited to 32 hertz but i wanted it to be tuned to 26 hertz. i have been told by goinh lower on the front chambers port by making it a bit longer it will extend the rear ports tuning as such that it will bring the tune down for me? do you agree this is correct or will by box still fail to play low lows? thanks to anyone that knows :)

[@davidcole2337]

Good info. Techno Dad was talking about this and had no idea what he was talking about.

[@Dakoustics]

I checked his out, seems like its more focused on what the consumer should buy rather than this one, which goes more in depth on why and how each box type works. Cheers for the feedback.

[@dyronstricklin4722]

Hey I really appreciate the video and it really has a lot of useful knowledge that I never really thought about. Thanks

[@thebeastfromthesoutheast7765]

So could you not make a flap mechanisim on the box that you can adjust to get the right amount of pressure. Fine tuning. Also i was just wondering would it help get better proformance if you had a port that opened and closed but was pressure regulated by a spring on the port door like a gate spring on a turbo so it can build up pressure but not as much once it gets to much pressure because the spring limits the overall max pressure.? Just an idea.

[@Samm-w1h]

Which one is much better sealed or port

[@mecha207]

I wonder if you could create mini chambers (of varying sizes) within the enclosure and pair it with a ported design. Sort of like capacitors except it stores air thus limits the draw backs mentioned in the video.

[@Dakoustics]

From what I gather from your discription, the effect would be similar to adding polyfil to the enclosure. It should decrease the peakiness of the port, and also the smaller chambers can be tuned to cancel out certain resonances within the box. Could be cool, but it'd certainly add a layer of difficulty to the design and construction. Some enclosures have a wavy pattern behind the driver to break up rear reflected waves, so it could be implemented like that.

[@allanflippin2453]

What you describe would be like a higher-order high-pass filter. Yes, it can be made to work, but the math would drive you crazy!

[@ev4657]

Amazing video. This was so informative I give you a 100% on the knowledge and teaching. Thank you.

[@Dakoustics]

Cheers!

[@DriftTaxi]

Subscribed. I'm a huge fan of ported subs, I'm a Home Theater guy NOT a car audio guy but I learned a lot and would love to see more videos like this. Maybe even showcasing some of the equipment you've tested or examples that you may have access to.

[@Dakoustics]

Cheers for the sub, I do consider myself more of an audio science guy than specifically either. Should be some more "IRL" content coming out soonish.

[@vincentrobinette1507]

I couldn't see where the speaker driver goes on the one you say is the true transmission line. The other two, that have the resonant chamber, it's obvious, there's a place to put a large driver. On the transmission line, do you put a couple of 4" drivers side by side on one end? What is the advantage of a transmission line? It seems to me, that it would be a "one note wonder". What would the frequency response of the driver be, if you literally put it in an infinite baffle? (The back of the driver not experiencing ANY enclosure pressure, no back cancellation)

[@simonb.1962]

Hows the program/software called that you use at 11:34 ?

[@lanceamundsen3771]

All your videos are terrific.

[@khalilurrahman2474]

Nice video bro . I want to make a speaker box for car 6" speaker which one is best sealed or ported? Pls ans

[@Dakoustics]

sealed

[@RobHTech]

A sealed box can play as low/lower than a ported? Same speaker, etc.? Just give it more power. General sealed box will output more? I use winISD, and almost always a ported box goes lower and louder but roll of the same as the sealed box with the same speaker. ??

[@High_Desert_Tanner]

Awesome video! Thanks for the thorough explanation...

[@CharlesDowiot-qv7pp]

Specific speakers for sealed they are mostly full Range speaker's specifically designed for sealed enclosed speakers

[@rob_nice1]

I'm putting a skar Evl 15 in my trunk floor made out of MDF. the back will be the whole area that the spare would go. Do you suggest an aeroport or just sealed?

[@curtchase3730]

I have watched many videos about woofer boxes, and still cannot get things to click in my mind. Just too many variables come into play. No mention of a box that has nothing more than a slot cut into the front. I have a a pair of vintage Altec Lansing Model 19 large home speakers. The woofer chamber is quite roomy, but the engineers are using just a simple front slot cut about 2"x10" for the loading. Sounds fine! So, why don't all bass boxes just have slots or circular holes cut into them of a size that resonates nicely with a certain speaker?

[@Dakoustics]

For subs, they need to be low tuned, which means the hole would need to be very small/constricting, and could cause a ton of choofing/turbulence when air rushes through the narrow opening. To counter this, they make the ports wider, though need to make them longer, otherwise the tuning would go up. Some sub boxes can just have a simple hole cut in them, though they need to be very big (300, 500+ litres), and have a speaker such as an old paper cone 18" with very loose surround. This has become less common since amplifier and subwoofer power handling has increased.

[@curtchase3730]

@@Dakoustics Thanks for the reply! OK, if I understand correctly: You CAN just cut a simple hole in a cab sized to resonate at the woofers Fs for example, but it will be noisy (chuffing) etc. So, to counteract this, a much bigger hole is cut into the box, BUT a tube (pipe) is inserted into the hole of a proper length to achieve the same characteristics of that smaller simple "hole", but without the port noise. Is that the idea?

[@Dakoustics]

@@curtchase3730 yep, thats exactly it, as a general rule of thumb I've heard 16sq" per cu ft of box. Larger means boomy, smaller means muddy.

[@ebiros2]

I think verdict was out some 50 years ago. that for the same -3dB point on a same sized enclosure ported system has 3 dB higher efficiency, and for same efficiency and enclosure volume, ported system can have 30% lower -3 dB point in bass extension. Hence most systems are ported these days

[@Dakoustics]

Yeah, its funny, I was thinking of making a rant video about modern subwoofers. Proper HT subs tuned ~14Hz for the extended bass shelf are fine, but the average consumer sub is hideous in all honesty. I have no idea how engineers get away with it. I've got an LG subwoofer tuned to 60Hz, and as you know, they have a steep roll-off below tuning. 60Hz is where I like to have the top of a subwoofers frequency response, above that it's directional. These days with class D amplifiers on chips which cost nanocents to print and subwoofer power handling going up and up a sealed unit makes sense, but apparently not. Obviously a topic I'm passionate about.

[@ebiros2]

@@Dakoustics I had Sunfire's true subwoofer. it was more an earthquake machine than something that produces music. my neighbor used to give me dirty looks for shaking the wall. I also had Wilson audio's Watt/Puppy 6s which claimed extension to 22 Hz. that woofer can make wood bass sound as it was right in front of you. so you're right: most subs lack fidelity and I think this trend will continue.

[@ABWSKITCHEN]

To me, sealed subwoofers sound much better than ported, but they need lots of extra power. I highly recommend sealed subwoofers over ported if you can have the extra power.

[@phuxion]

I have a sealed sub. Can I get a ported enclosure and use / transfer the sealed subwoofer driver and amp onto the new ported enclosure? Would it sound awful?

[@chenkenthesuicidal5381]

So can I make my own box and cut a hole in the back of the box so it won’t make pressure

[@Dakoustics]

Basically describes what my dad did before port maths was more accessible

[@VINNY5674]

Bandpass the best of both worlds! Sealed with radiators awesome 👍 Or Svs subs ported rock!

[@KocuRisko]

and also by far the worst impulse response. If you want muddy bass, go bandpass.

[@RennieAsh]

calee4nyaboy radiator is steeper roll off I think. But you do get the benefits of no chuff or mid leakage.

[@tevingoff4604]

Sealed boxes hit harder in the trunk.

[@o.gdoggy539]

Hellyeah loud bass from far distance. Ill rather stick to a seal box, it bumps better bass

[@Malek-b]

I thought ported is only heard from far distance

[@trilliedon8728]

StraightBeastin231 yh ported box hit harder because you can get a ported box that is tuned to low frequency

[@marcuskoolrt]

Those bass deep bass frequencies that make you feel like there’s an rumbling earthquake... are they from sealed or ported?

[@trilliedon8728]

marcus i would like to know this too

[@MrViper7121]

Sealed ftw. Ported sounds boomy and can get significantly louder or quieter based on note of song, what frequency it hits, and port tune except the high woofers and boxes. Sealed just sound more rounded out and get a flatter frequency response for cleaner. Want to go louder with sealed? Get another sub or larger sub with more power. Simple

[@MrCharlevanrooyen]

Thanx. I understand. Another question I have is what is the diverance between airfree magnets and solid magnets on a sub and what box will work beter on them?

[@Dakoustics]

I'm guessing you mean airfree magnets are the ones with vents in the back; and solid magnets have no vents. Usually subs without vents go without so you can mount them in smaller sealed boxes without vents being blocked, and ones with vents have a higher power handling, and work better in general in ported boxes. Let me know if you mean something different.

[@MrCharlevanrooyen]

@@Dakoustics Thanx!

[@ryanv9297]

I am hoping you might be able to answer my question. I have two JL Audio 12W3v3-2 in a ported box. They were installed in a different vehicle. I now have a 2013 Ram 1500. I bought a box that will fit under the rear seat from Amazon. Bbox A202-12CP Dual 12" Sealed Carpeted Subwoofer Enclosure. On JL Audio's site my subs are optimised to work with 1.35 cu. ft. in a sealed box and 1.75 cu. ft. in a ported box. This box says it has 2.27 cu ft. Would you recommend porting it and if so, where would you port it and how? Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.

[@Dakoustics]

Depends, so if the box is 2.27 cu ft total, and the JLs want 1.35 cu per sub, I'd say leave it sealed. Should do fine.

[@TheBavis]

Thankyou dakchen, very cool!

[@vincentpereira8416]

What size speaker box do I need to build for 2 18" subwoofers and midrange speaker and tweeters for a outdoor speaker

[@t.gworth1616]

What will be the outcome if I do both sealed n ported methods??? I seal the front n port the rear side.

[@Dakoustics]

that'd be a 4th order bandpass, check out my 4th vs 6th if you're interested in how they work

[@masaminhobimancing8938]

if i have an 18 "speaker ... how to determine the box volume and port on the speaker box ... according to the data on the speaker ... thanks

[@Dakoustics]

speaker design software such as WinISD, I'll be making a video shortly about how to use it

[@masaminhobimancing8938]

@@Dakoustics by laptop/computer...or smarphone

[@theoscarzee3057]

I have 2 sundown sa-12s on a 2k rms amp I mostly listen to rap and Spanish music. What would be better a ported or sealed box ?

[@georgeogrady449]

1.5 on speaker if useing 2 x 3 ohm speaker

[@shubhamdubey6113]

I'm working on micro loudspeaker of dimension about 16 x 9 mm if i use seal box then sound comes like 'Tap-Tap' or distorting. And if i use ported box then it continues with 'hiss noise or whistel sound when the loudspeaker is off mode please can you help me out. I m doing my project i have tried almost 25 experiment 4-5 work properly but not the frequent repeatability is there.

[@amanteapasionado6836]

If you have subs that take less the 600rms, sealed boxes work better for sound.

[@joseesanchezlopez5835]

Which one is better thats what I want to know for my 12 in kicker

[@smart4328]

Sealed box is good to low down the distortion in high volume

[@xanderguldie]

Best of both worlds: sub with passive radiator

[@JaBananause]

Love it great video, I’m also curious about horns. Maybe you got some sauce for that too?

[@jm1182]

Uhhh, you want his horny sauce? Whaaat?

[@_klent]

I will choose horn over sealed and ported.

[@olorb2618]

And can i put passive membranes on the Subwoofer? I know its weird and dumb but for the effect 😃

[@Dakoustics]

you could put glitter and such on it too lol, better than putting it straight on the sub like i've seen in other videos

[@collinsmwaura1833]

Good... Though your video focues on sinewave behavior.... Music is not a sinewave.... The recording of a simple bass drum could have harmonics well below 10Hz and all the way up to hundreds of Hz. Ported subs need really stiff suspensions and really struggle to reproduce all these range of harmonics at once and are easily bottomed out by music instruments like bass drums (because of infrasonic harmonics that almost all instruments have) ... They may be good for higher spl and have good thermal power handling but all the fine details become blurred... Sealed have generally lower spl and need a soft suspension and if done correctly, they will handle more power mechanically before audible colourisation in music signals, because of the air spring maintaining control all the way down into the infrasonics and also have better impulse response again because of the near-perfect spring of air... Also sealed subs have to have longer voicecoils, a MUST!!!

[@LazzyRabbit]

I have a 10inch sunfire 2700wt Rms rated to 16htz runs down to 5hz tested rocks but and very low but dosnt have the impact or pa level base youd think - still very good...

[@Rad631]

Which software are you using to simulate the speakers?

[@Dakoustics]

WinISD Pro Alpha

[@MugheesMohiuddin]

What if you dont have parameters of the woofer? In my case klipsch k27k with bic power amp plate thst is rated at 180 wpc fr of 18hz-180hz and i want to make a build. What design should I follow?

[@randomkidthatlikesspeakers5816]

I have a skar sdr 15 inch what’s better sealed or Ported

[@sandeepkrishnan5105]

how can ported handle more power ? i thought the otherwise

[@dattepo7534]

Can you build a box that has both ? One ported and one sealed?

[@carguy7479]

Yes it's called bandpass

[@deanedgx]

Question: Does energy = frequency x amplitude? Because if you take two triangular* waves with the same amplitude but an octave apart you get the same area under the curve for both. What am I missing? *Btw, the reason I chose triangular waves was because it's easy to calculate the area of a triangle using bh/2 than trying to integrate sine waves - since I've forgotten how to integrate.

[@Dakoustics]

area under the curve is used for acceleration and such for linear accelerations, for waves its more like angle of the wave at a set amplitude, so the steepness of a wave at twice the amplitude represents twice the energy, or half the wavelength and same amplitude representing the same thing, in reality its something like squares per double, so a wave 1.414x the amplitude would have double the energy, but frequency is proportional to energy

[@s7a2g65]

Thank you for this!

[@beastie1986]

Thanks mate very educational

[@soumyabiswas928]

If I use a net on the port hole( to protect it from rat and insects), Does it affect on the sound quality??

[@Dakoustics]

It can depending on how dense the net is. Thin mesh should be fine, another option might be to make a spacer which makes the area of the net larger than the port to reduce resistance.

[@soumyabiswas928]

@@Dakoustics Thank you, sir.

[@DrTheRich]

thanks man! very relevant and usefull information!

[@taz4100]

So with a ported box tuned to 25hz or so. You can have a more even output throughout the range vs sealed? That design looked the nicest in the simulator. Besides port length being a issue in design, wouldnt that make more of a sql box? Is response still faster with a sealed? How about tuning away or near the fs of the subwoofer?

[@Dakoustics]

Good question. Many argue that the port muddies up any tightness in the sound, though tuning it low means ~50Hz should be unaffected. Servo subs and a few other sealed units may be EQ modified to be sealed, though have a freq response the same as a good ported box. You shouldn't really tune below the Fs of the sub, that's the lowest frequency that it should play, below that it can be distorted, though depending on the brand the subs Fs may lower with use. I'm currently experimenting with making a ported box using methods I've heard about, and will be using it in a real sealed vs ported vid coming up, and so far to my ears the ported box sounds better, so theres that

[@KocuRisko]

@@Dakoustics Fs has nothing to do with how low a sub can play, it's just the frequency the moving mass resonates at - however it's true that tuning a br box below the fs isn't the best practice. You also don't need servo sub to be able to eq it to play flat from 20Hz in a small sealed box. You just need a lot of power. My next sub will be 10" ultimax in a 35 liter sealed box, EQ'd to be flat from 20Hz. Small box, big sound.

[@bermyvlogger]

this description was convoluted and swayed far off topic . which is more bass given same woofer and same power and same basic dimensions ??

[@latebeats8682]

Is it safe to cover a ported box with something to make it sealed? Ow will it blow my element?

[@Dakoustics]

It'll probably be fine. I've done it to every sub with a port I've got, and the only thing I've encountered is, depending on the box, reduced extension.

[@latebeats8682]

@@Dakoustics Okay. I'll try to stuff it with something. Thank you.

[@nasheemwhye5197]

It's simple you'd use a sealed box box for sound quality with tight bass and a ported for deep very low frequency subsonic in your chest bass.

[@Hesbonful]

1 vs 2 aero port for one 12 inch 700w rms ; which one is better ? (Pioneer TS-D12D2)

[@AQAVAR]

I got Energy ESW-V10 sub, it doesn't have inside any damping originally, should i use it?

[@totokgiyem9193]

Jadi bagus yang mana antara box sealed dan box port buat audio mobil

[@ajeeshnilambur3036]

Simlly say... Which produce best bass..????

[@Dakoustics]

for the best bass, I would say a sealed box with an equaliser to boost low frequencies, to make up for the roll-off

[@last_king5610]

From all my experiences, ported produce higher bass

[@AutoBodyEverything]

Finally thanks 👌.... Is it better to creat an enclosure (isobaric or ported ) for a 6.5 subwoofer on a door speaker? I’m tired of sealing and insulating my doors.

[@Dakoustics]

It is a possibility, though 6.5" subwoofers tend to be pretty chunky in order to have more excursion to keep up with output. Most are already fairly stiff, and should be fine in a small sealed chamber without needing isobarik. You're not likely to get a big enough chamber in the door for ported, for a 6.5" sub 10 litres would be good. Of course the best option would be to put a couple layers of fibreglass behind the door card, but that's a pain in the ass and a half. Also I have researched this a bit, and 6.5" subwoofers can require a larger cutout than 6.5" midrange speakers, which you might wanna take into consideration.

[@Dakoustics]

I just put a 6" sub (DD 506D) against a 6" woofer (Focal PS165) and from the looks of it, the focal is louder pretty well across the spectrum, even on less power. If you want to ge the most out of a door subwoofer, you'll need to somehow port it. media.discordapp.net/attachments/617406348296060951/671391605323726859/unknown.png?width=797&height=530 You'll really need to make an enclosure for the ported woofer though, in this I assumed the volume within the door to be around 20 Litres, which would be too large for the ported subwoofer and would cause it to have a peak at whatever tuning frequency. I might make a video on this, there's a fair amount of stuff involved.

[@AutoBodyEverything]

Dakoustics ..... good stuff 👍, I once had a Sedan where the back seats folded down and there was that wall with the oval opening. Sooo I made a new mdf wall with a 12” and rather than to be an infinite baffle, I went on to complete the project as an enclosure. I did port it but the ports were in the trunk compartment rather than on inside of the cabin bcs in my opinion the pressures cancel each other out. It performed better than two 12” box in the trunk. I had no rattle and it was clean bass. I do have a little bit of audio knowledge but I’m more of a fabrication expert lol. So this is where I need your help, if you preach it, I can make it. I just don’t know specs. This new project is for a delsol it’s a convertible two seater. My vision,... the main sub layout I’m stuck between one 10” between the seats or one 8” sub behind the driver and also the passenger seat. I do know I’ll have to make an mdf design for what ever goes on the doors and sound dampen and even seal the open baffle where the rear 6.5 go. I’m thinking 6.5” woofers are the rear sides and a 6.5” midrange and a 6.5” subwoofer side by side on each door with a coaxial 5 1/4 I know focal is the best, I used to install focal when I was younger and your absolutely right about those babies lol... but it’s a 30 yr old car so I’m looking into pioneer and Rockford amps. I want this setup to be loud with detail but I don’t want it to sound like just loud speakers.., I’ve always went towards the low bass prologic studio sound in my cars but this time I want to feel like I’m in a concert and I want that high fidelity and theater bass. Yes I’m asking for a lot but it’ll have to be the right combination of speakers. It is a two seater, it is a targa top convertible, it has a big trunk but it is not connected to the cabin. And I have little space for big bass but I am actually looking forward to having a small sub behind each seat because it is more about feeling the music in this project. Feel free to say something completely different from what I just mentioned LOL, but you are definitely the expert and these are just my thoughts but let’s collaborate...

[@Dakoustics]

@@AutoBodyEverything I recently designed a box for one of my mates, a ported box for an 8" rockford P2D2. The box was 20L and tuned to ~33Hz. For its size, its loud and reasonably dynamic, but drops low for a single 8". Also can handle a ton of power considering its size. I'd expect a pair of them right behind seats to pound. As for such a complex speaker assortment a DSP will be a good solution for tuning and crossovers. 8 channel DSP's commonly cost ~500USD, but I recently saw a Dayton Audio DSP for ~200 which seemed to have the same features. Also, for most woofers a sealed enclosure should be fine, heck if their Qts is 0.7 they should work free-air, minus their lower extension. Though if you are going to use subwoofers in the doors, they'll defnitely need enclosures, and as mentioned before to get the most out of them they'll need to be ported. What 6.5" subwoofers were you thinking? I'll check out its specs and see what volume box it'd do well with. Crossover wise, with dual subs you can run them stereo, and cross over a bit higher, 100Hz instead of the usual 70Hz I do. Since they're ported, a subsonic filter at 30Hz should protect them. Door subs, similar, should work from just under tuning frequency (40-50Hz likely) up to 150Hz (since they're stereo also, but better positioning means a higher crossover without muddying the sound). Door 6.5" midrange- 150Hz- 500Hz. Coaxial 5.25" drivers 500Hz up. Rear doors 6.5" woofer- I'm guessing this is a coaxial/component set, so 100Hz up to match the dual 8" subs. DSP- 2 channels for 8" subs, or if you tune the 6.5" door subs lower you could use these outputs for those aswell. 2 channels for front 5.25" coaxials. 2 channels for rear 6.5" set. 2 channels for front midranges.

[@AutoBodyEverything]

Dakoustics ... I heard the Dayton dsp is a good unit. Looking at the leg room I won’t be able to make a kick panel for a sub and I’ll already have to fab the door panel to get a bigger magnet to fit with enclosure so it’s four 6.5” and two 5 1/4... I like fosgate and the look goes well with the interior but I’ll see how far the budget goes. I was looking at all pioneer speakers and if they make 10” or 8” champion sub bcs I had single 12” design that I loved. I’m not too familiar with the Dayton lineup to be able to make the right purchases but I do love how they look and the prices aren’t bad.

[@l34052]

I'm going to build a box for my car but it's going to be rear ported with the port firing through the hatch between the rear seats into the cabin and the driver facing the rear of the car as normal, is this likely to cause or be a problem? Currently I'm using a sealed box I built but I want more output and I fancied trying a ported box build anyway, I'm hoping to get more bass output but most ported boxes I've seen have the port firing in the same direction as the sub.

[@Dakoustics]

If you're interested I just put out a video of 4th orders vs 6th orders. Sounds like the config you're going for will mimic a 4th order, as the highs will have a ton more trouble getting into the cab than the lows. I was going to do something similar in my build though there was a thick metal plate in the seat of my car (was gonna port through the rear armrest in the middle seat). A 4th order may be the way to go.

[@RennieAsh]

There’s plenty of rear ported boxes, probably not used in cars often because the rear is up against the seats or side panels. Another thing to consider may be what the output of the port is in terms of frequency response. Should be ok given it’s all bass

[@craneeddie35]

A few months late but...I currently have a dual 12 down firing ported through the back seat. RF P3 DVC4ohm. 2 Pioneer 8601. I do not have the amps tuned yet but holy hell you can peel the port air in the front seats. The box is tuned to manufactured specs. Definately satisfied. Neigbors and police, not so much.

[@nn-zp4ig]

Thank you for your wise words!

[@miltonschinbein923]

Thank you, very helpful

[@kristopherdonaldson9569]

I made a ported box for 2 15's with the vertical slot port in between the two subs. The port is divided in half the first 14" and converge into one for the last 16". Hopefully you understand. After listening to it ported I tried making a panel to plug the port. Now I have a box that is 2 3.5cuft per sub with a small port/small (.2 cuft) chamber/small port between them. My question is, does having that inner port/chamber/port area effect how the enclosure creates bass?

[@abelscaliber7969]

You need to elaborate more Port area needs to be in line with how big the box is and what the sub requires. High SPL subs (high excursion/power subs) require a lot of port area per cubic foot Example: a sundown x12 requires 20” of port area per cube of air. While a low end 12” sub only requires 12” of port area per cube The more the cone can move the greater port velocity will be You need more port area to compensate in order to avoid port noise

[@kristopherdonaldson9569]

@@abelscaliber7969 I think you're misunderstanding the question. I plugged the port to see how they sounded sealed, and was wondering if there was any negative effects from doing so. On a side note, everything you said was correct, but I always factor in the Watts being applied to the driver as well. A sundown x12 on say 1000 watts will need a much bigger port area than if it's only being driven by 500 watts. Right?

[@Orionleslieworkshop]

Pretty cool video and I learned a lot but it's raised some more questions for me. (Background information for question below) I've got a Kia Spectra 5 hatchback that I'm about to add subs and a new head unit too, I replaced the speakers just recently However I bought two 10" 375 watt rms subs from a friend. My question is would it be "a viable option" for me to make a box big enough for both of them and be sealed enclosure if I a wanted good frequency response range or does having dual speakers meant you've got to Port them?

[@Dakoustics]

generally whether or not an enclosure should be ported is down to the driver, and chances are if its a high power 10" (which I'd consider 375w to be) it should be ported. If the box is quite large, the speaker may sound boomy as the tight airspace isn't damping its movement. The number of speakers generally don't affect this unless the enclosure volume is constant, then more subs would require a sealed box after its volume gets too small per sub. IMO you'd be best off just porting them, and having the port tuned to a quite low frequency, as 10" subs, even with two, aren't likely to handle lows as well as a single 12 or 15 in a sealed box, just down to them being stiffer. Something you could do though, is make up the box as sealed, decide whether or not you like the sound, then add a port. Also, sorry for the late response, this is just my uploading channel

[@BabyCharlotteschannel]

@@Dakoustics Great reply. I personally like at least medium size boxes ported very low (32hz Max, low 20's better) which sounds great with all kinds of music and is still pretty darn loud. I would like to try a sealed box for my next build and then add an external slot port to see which I like better for the specific sub I wind up running. Which I am hoping will be this stage 4 DC Audio 12" dub I found lightly used for a pretty price. Then I am thinking about buying whatever used dual sub box I can find, hopefully either dual 10's or 12's or even a nice 15" sub that I can get cheapish to put in a good size low ported box..

[@_N4VE_]

@@BabyCharlotteschannelwhat’s your thoughts on a 10” vs 12”?

[@katabatica]

Nice one, thanks for the informative vid!

[@mrxaerorevo526]

wow.. this videos are very2 awesome.. many video i play to understand..but still cannot get what i want.. this video are full tutorial for understanding how speaker works in box.. great video explanation.. thanks so much.. i wondering about 1 thing that still not solve..about some people put some sponge filter inside box..what for? and it that good or not..? I'm now learning to make more perfect sound tweetr/mid/sub wffr that when play the sound are more nice clear even sub wffr so loudly.. i look mostly people play loudly but the voice of song cannot heard clearly.. hope sir can give feedback about putting filter inside box..tq

[@Dakoustics]

The sponge filter, also polyfil, wool, are used mainly in sealed boxes. They help remove standing waves and echoes, and any other peaks in a sealed unit. Ported boxes tend not to have them, as usually people want maximum output from a ported box, but it can still help with the sound and remove any peaks. I'm not sure to work out how much, there can't be too little, but there can be too much. I'd suggest for a sealed box, fill it until it's not loose, and make sure it can't get stuck behind the driver or block any vents. For a ported box, just line the walls with about 1-2 inches thick, depending on the size of the box. Opposite the driver on the inside is the most important place for material.

[@jamesf9610]

The poly fill slows down the waves and makes the speaker react like it's in a larger box. Don't overfill the box tho it will suffocate the speaker and make it get too hot and burn it up.

[@toomuchsaucc1371]

Ported for loud an rattling...Sealed for clean an smooth sound. Ive used both

[@travisgulley2652]

Ported subwoofer enclosures are bigger than sealed enclosures and take up more space in a vehicle than a sealed enclosure so therefore if you don't want your subwoofers to take up the entire space in the trunk of your vehicle then you might want to consider sealed enclosures

[@jesseanderson1484]

sealed can be big as well for example the jl w7 in a high output sealed enclosure

[@timothyhinton5665]

And also ported puts out louder and better

[@jeremylindemann5117]

A few people in the comments are saying they reckon sealed or ported is better because of their experience. I don't think it needs to be an either/or choice. Wouldn't it be best to have an enclosure with both a subwoofer and normal woofer and have the enclosure designed/tuned to optimise both drivers? If music calls for subsonic sounds then the subwoofer should be doing more work because it's best in that range. The same goes for the woofer when the music has higher frequency bass. Both of these should working together to give all music the best possible recreation.

[@Dakoustics]

I know I'm a bit late to respond, but yeah, I'd say an ideal subwoofer setup would be either a) something like an 18" which can go down to infra-sound and a decent, flat pair of speakers which cross over at around 40Hz, or b) the same 18 crossed over with a pair of stereo 10" subwoofers, the 10" subs filling the gap from 40Hz up to 100Hz. Most subs can reach up to 60Hz, 80Hz even without trouble, but the sound starts to become directional, so to avoid that sealed stereo subs can be paired with the midrange speakers.

[@luckystrike656]

I have an old Magnat 30cm subwoofer that I installed in a bandpass type box and used in my car. Now, that I am not that young amymore the sub is conected to my home theater system. But its not performing well wit low frequencys when I watch movies. I would like to build a new box but don't know where to start with the design. Any suggestion?

[@Dakoustics]

If its old, from what I've seen older subs aren't too good at low rumbles, in modern standards they're more like PA woofers, so one suggestion is large ported box tuned low, something like 100 litres (3.3 cu ft), tuned to 25 or something thereabouts. You could also try putting it in a sealed box and use an equaliser to compensate for the roll-off.

[@danmalec6823]

What about bandpass, and how about passive subwoofers INSTEAD of a port since you cant have both, but a passive speaker should have been mentioned I heard zero mention of either. You cant discuss subs and producing bass without at least a sidenote about bandpass and passive speakers.

[@Dakoustics]

I made another video specifically for bandpasses, too much for one video, also at this point I was still learning about passive radiators, and even at this point I don't reckon I know enough to make a video on it, I've made a passive radiator sub box before, but I'd wanna know how to design one before I even mention the basics.

[@andreweyre9055]

thanks for the vid mate

[@dillonnathuram393]

I have a question between a ported and seal box which one allows your sub to sound louder

[@jamesf9610]

Ported will always (99% of the time) be louder. A sealed box always (again 99% of the time) will have better sound quality and a tighter hit.

[@dillonnathuram393]

@@jamesf9610 thanks for the information

[@makstaz79]

@@jamesf9610 absolutely true

[@lkjyuiop1987]

Www.down4soundshop.com

[@KocuRisko]

@@jamesf9610 I would say 100% of the time, I can't imagine a design where sealed would be louder (using the same driver)

[@roberthurtado9784]

Can you do a video on inverted mounted subwoofer performance?

[@Dakoustics]

I could do one, wouldn't be a particularly long video, but if you're wondering now, the main difference is saving a bit of airspace inside the box, and, particularly in sealed boxes and 4th order bandpasses, much better long term cooling. Standard though reduces audible turbulence, and is more ideal for high SPL where the drivers are in small chambers, and aerodynamics of the box starts to play a role.

[@MrTubeman123456]

I believe the ported box is best u can tune the box sealed its set finito finished .

[@TheRealIndridCold]

That time Jermaine Clement made a video about bass

[@alexdecampos9889]

good job thank you

[@esmokebaby]

Ok am i correct that i will fill the bass more then hear it in a seald box were ported i will hear the bass more then fill it

[@Dakoustics]

Sealed boxes would vibrate a surface more due to greater cone movement shaking the box, and ported boxes would vibrate the air more. Also, sealed boxes are better at super low frequencies, where you may also feel the sound more than hear it. So it depends on frequency and ported box tuning.

[@shadymaint1]

I listen to mostly rock and metal. I've always used sealed sub boxes.

[@rmccain99]

Let's talk about driver cooling of neodymium speakers on sealed and ported enclosures.