Which is better, sealed or ported speakers?

Why do speakers have holes in them called ports and what's the best way to build a speaker? Ported, sealed, or passive radiator? Gives us his opinion on which construction is best. Have a question you want to ask Paul? www.psaudio.com/ask-paul/
I am getting close to publishing my memoir! It's called 99% True and it is chock full of adventures, debauchery, struggles, heartwarming stories, triumphs and failures, great belly laughs, and a peek inside the high-end audio industry you've never known before.
I plan a few surprises for early adopters, so go to www.paulmcgowan.com and add your name to the list of interested readers. There's an entire gallery of never before seen photos too.

[@jonathanbailie]

I know this video is old now, but just wanted to mention that it never seems "sales-ey" when you talk about your speakers. You can tell there's a lot of love that goes into them, so it never feels like a sales pitch when you speak about the features they have. Awesome explanation as always!

[@frankcooke1692]

Well not really, the whole point of these videos is marketing. If there was no information in it at all - nobody would have a reason to watch. But he does usually use his own company as a reference - as well he should, because it's his company, and his video, and he can do what he likes. But you are essentially being sold something, so take the information with a grain of salt and seek a second opinion.

[@draganantonijevic2441]

Ported... You can use the loudspeaker as a safe, inserting money through the port and when the loudspeaker box is full, you do not break it, you just take the steamed money and buy another one. And then you have two... two pair of speakers... and safes... and you start again. Real audiophile way.

[@RennieAsh]

I've only ever found bonus children's toys or spiders in ported boxes ;p

[@denttech2515]

I like how you staggered the studs on 2x6 plates to help isolate the rooms. That's so important. If anyone knows that.....you do. Just glad you showed it. Not obvious unless you're looking for it

[@jamesplotkin4674]

dent tech, not only that, but also they're going to double the drywall thickness, too.

[@brianmoore581]

I tried to tell a guy that a few weeks ago and he posted a long winded rant about how it will be no better than a single stud wall blah, blah, blah. There are so many guys on the comments section of the PS Audio channel that think they know everything and want to tell everyone how wrong they are. It just becomes tiresome to even deal with them. I think Paul and the others at PS Audio have a pretty good handle on what they are doing. I'm glad to see at least a few people agree. Yes, this wall will be fine for cutting down the sound. If you really need to concentrate, you can always deal with what little noise that gets through by turning off the stereo in the other room.

[@kirkcunningham6146]

@@brianmoore581 if you tune into many of the forums on social media, blogs and anything where comments can be made, there's always an asshole know it all or groups of them. That's why I don't comment much anymore, it's always an argument with someone...

[@amb3cog]

Some/all of you may already know this, but just in case you don't. If you folks want to have intelligent discussions about audio with polite people. You can't really do it in any place, but an audio forum. I prefer AudioKarma myself. They may not be the most knowledgeable with modern stuff, like digital, but there's a wealth of knowledgeable people on there. It's mostly an older crowd, I'm 46, and I'm a young guy there. They have very serious rules about being polite, and respectful to other's there. You can certainly argue your point, but no name calling and that sort of nonsense. No politics allowed either, although they did set up a separate forum for that, if you like, and I think there is one area in the paid section you can discuss politics in. It's a free forum, but there is a paid area ($25 a yr) for a few things, like their classified section. There's quite a few other audio forums too, but they are the best if you want a nice civil discourse with other audiophiles. I belong to most of the US based audio forums out there, and even some in other countries. And it's definitely my favorite for just being able to say something without fear of being attacked. Not that I won't get corrected if I'm wrong, but they do it politely there, and that's how you learn anyway. I will say the Klipsch forum is right up there too, and covers everything, not just Klipsch. There's not as much traffic there though. Some of the nicest people on the internet are over there too. Many people are members of both actually. Unfortunately many of these social media sites, like this one, aren't really regulated. So it's a free for all. And then there's the issue of this site being for everybody, not just audiophiles. So the person who's arguing, might not even care about what the discussion is even about, and might just be getting their kicks by stirring the pot. If you really want to have a pleasant time. You have to go where they moderators, and where audio is the main point of discussion. Otherwise you end up with the Wild West, like it is here. I even act quite different here many times myself, because of this freewheeling attitude they have about moderation here. I don't know if they do it to save money, or on purpose, but I never have the expectation of civility here. I mean. Why would I really? Anyway. I hope to see you guys on the forums. Have a great night all.

[@amb3cog]

BTW we have a "special wall" between us, and our neighbors. We live in a 2400sq ft 1 floor condo that's attached to 1 other unit, and when we bought it like a decade ago. They told us it had a serious wall between them for noise abatement, and they weren't joking. The only time we've ever heard our neighbors, is when we've had them over for drinks, or vice-versa. Makes me wonder if this is what they did? Whatever they did works great, and these condos were built in the 80's. I wish I knew the construction of it, because if I ever were to have something built. I would want to use that for a listening room. It just works awesome. It's very lucky for them too, because I'm not shy about cranking the music when the feeling hits me, that's for sure. 😁

[@BogdanSerban]

I used to be a fan of sealed boxes until I built a ported box out of curiosity. I had an awesome driver to try it out though, a 12 inch sub with a light cone and rubber surround that goes down to 20Hz. It's amazing how effortless it sounds. At low levels, the cone barely moves but the bass fills the room. There is port noise, but at levels and frequencies that are never achieved with music (I only got it with test tones).

[@endrizo]

Paul..Wouldnt it be great if you could make some videos showing the people visiting you, the tour and talk you offer them...i would love to see that...thanks cheers

[@amb3cog]

I agree. That would be so cool. I'd like to see more then one actually. Especially one showing someone from another country. Maybe an Asian audiophile. I'm fascinated by Asian audiophiles. They go all out! It would be really cool to see their excitement.

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

I think they did it a few months ago now. - But you might have seen it...

[@JiveDadson]

I love my passive radiator subwoofer. It employs a Peerless XLS 10", which has an enormous magnet (Qs = .23), and a matching 10" PR. It is flat down to 20 Hz. Wonderful. The mains are sealed because why not. Crossover 80 Hz.

[@radiojet1429]

Thanks, Paul. The new speakers sound intriguing.

[@milojenikolovski7522]

Always is nice to see new video from You Mr., regards from HiFi Serbia. Wish you all the best with speakers factory, Made in USA I hope.

[@elephant1851]

I think the simplest way of describing the difference is that "sealed" misses out on half of the output but due to its simplicity generates a more accurate sound while ported takes advantage of air resonance to boost the output but in some cases suffers from things like port resonance and phase flipping which may introduce some peaks and nulls along the response. A good thing to keep in mind when it comes to subwoofers specifically is that a sub only plays a very narrow band of frequencies (10-200Hz at most and typically 20-80Hz since 80Hz is such a popular crossover point) so a lot of the drawbacks of a ported design don't actually get a chance to affect the sound. The problem frequencies are filtered out by the crossover and are handled by other, perhaps more capable speakers. IMO a sub benefits greatly from a port when tuned to a low frequency, such as 20-30Hz - an area where every bit of power is important and speakers (even subwoofers) generally struggle to reproduce. On the flip side - not much lives down below 30Hz, especially when it comes to music, so it is more typical that ports are used to boost the putput of small speakers that struggle with frequencies between 35-80Hz - a range that is much more used by music. This is why people recommend ported subs for movies and sealed subs for music.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

I go acoustic suspended/sealed enclosure. I ended up getting a pair of L810 bookshelf speakers from ADS/Braun from a friend last spring and it's got 2, 8" woofers in each cabinet, while the bass would not impress those that want their house shaken to its foundations, it will cause your floor to vibrate nonetheless and not be boomy at all. It's tight, clean and very musical too and detailed. The midrange and tweeter are both sealed soft domes. It's true that acoustic suspended designs can reduce the bass extension, but if designed right, they can go quite deep. Ported designs tend to emphasize the mid to upper bass if not done well and thus often come off as boomy, especially in older floor standers, and especially if they are of the budget variety. Better made ported speakers will be less likely to do this, but it requires getting them off the floor though, the same with acoustic suspended models too as it's been recommended by ADS to do the same, about 12-15" off the floor or the L810 especially can get a tad boomy. I can totally see the passive radiator being a nice middle ground between ports and sealed designs.

[@NickP333]

I’ve got a pair of Tekton Pendragons, which have 2 bass ports in the back near the bottom and a d’appolito style array of a woofer, 3 tweeters, then another woofer on the top front of very large cabinets. Depending on your listening space, and depending how far from the wall they are, they can give you a bunch of different kinds of bass responses. After setting them up properly, I couldn’t be more thrilled at how amazingly great these spkrs sound. In the end, I think it’s 100% personal preference and what you’re looking to get out of your spkrs. In this case, I don’t believe there’s better, just different.

[@cjenner865]

I enjoyed the pacing in this video... very calming.

[@adammaik62]

That cause i love active setup's. They are hard for retail, holy grail for DIY'ist :) Paul, all absolute best, love your series.

[@xxxYYZxxx]

Sealed speakers are better, especially when subwoofers are employed. Sealed subs are better, except when played outdoors. Designers like vented speakers because it makes them feel more important. Sealed speakers couple better with both subwoofers and room boundaries. A sealed subwoofer's driver is almost always bigger than a vented subwoofer's driver given the same box size. The only benefit of vented subs is that subwoofers larger than 18" aren't yet common, so 18" ported designs can outplay sealed boxes in the 15-25hz region, and even this sacrifices "bass" in the 7-10hz region vs sealed designs.

[@cardiobroker]

We are not just a floating set of ears. If we were, then sealed. But ported providing “inaudible” fq can add to the experience via the body. We FEEL music and movies too. If I can’t feel it on my chest and small hairs, then the bass doesn’t do it for me. That’s why I prefer ported for home use. In the car, sealed all the way.

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

Looking forward to seeing these speakers 😄 Any chance once they're released of doing some videos on their development?

[@amb3cog]

Great idea!

[@tskolits]

Thanks for this!

[@martbrighton2885]

There is a fairly straightforward answer to this question - sealed box. John Watkinson wrote some great articles explaining why, but if you care about bass you can just hear it right off the bat. Particularly kick drum ported speakers will find hard to reproduce accurately. Transmission lines like PMC may be OK, I haven't had the opportunity to A/B carefully.

[@tzed2509]

I love these videos, you do such a great job of explaining hi-if. Thank you Paul!

[@triumphant_54]

I'm using a TLS 4 way Tower and the clarity is very impressive. The Bass is not Big but it's very tight n clear, I'm not a audiophile, but I'm impress everytime I listen.

[@LIHPIT]

I've had a couple of pairs of nice ported speakers but would generally go for a sealed

[@BuildYourOwnBass]

It's a matter of application. The response from ported vs sealed can be approximated using a well designed crossover. Now room coverage is a different story. Unfortunately one needs to design the speakers for the room, not the other way around.

[@dans550]

You are my hero, your kids should thank you every day for not naming them Arnold or Bascom, u da man

[@gerritgovaerts8443]

With the B&W Nautilus video still in my mind , what was not mentionned and explained is that the Nautilus shape is really "form follows function" . It's not meant to be art (although it sure looks beautifull to me) . I already explained the spikes , but the sealed bass enclosure is intended to destroy most of the energy of the backwave coming from the cone and thus preventing this from influencing the bass cone movement . I guess this is one of the main reasons why you need servo control in a normal enclosure , not so much in the B&W though

[@bal20]

Id love to know how much a plug in, setup up by instruction, and enjoy ps system like this would be... id also love to really hear it too

[@JohnDoe-np3zk]

Hey Paul what are you doing in the walls for soundproofing? I used "soundchoice" I think they were called sheets of insulation in the walls in my stereo room.

[@ciddax754]

And there is another thing: A ported speaker brings in more latency. As an audio phile, you don't want extra latency. But if you are going for db or you have to put a decent tone in a small packet, they are a decent option. Porting makes the speaker design more efficent. So you get more db out or can have a smaller box.

[@wayneljm]

I use a larger sealed box with drivers 3 feet off the floor, and a single ported subwoofer directly on the floor. The bass gets to come and go as it pleases, it leaves the room and disappears in the middle at some frequencies but mostly the total package ends up better.

[@keithbertschin1213]

if there were more Paul McGowans the world would be a better place.

[@ole9421]

All I got from this is, "Buy our speakers because we have it figured out". Thanks, Paul you were no help at all to us little people who can't afford the new expensive stuff.

[@sansocie]

High end audio is a bit like cars. Few can afford what others can build. Best system I ever had was less than $4K.....back in the 70s. But what you can afford and enjoy the tunes. Your ears are KING! I LIKE vinyl. Have most of my money in my turntable setup to protect them. Best wishes.

[@BobSmith-mp8ld]

@@sansocie High end audio is just stuck 50 years in the past. There are many competent speakers in the 500-1k range. Good amps are can be had for cheap, and this guy is trying to sell 1000$ HDMI cables.

[@hawkfumodee5364]

A well designed and executed transmission line, aka most TDL's, takes some equalling IMHO.

[@robertbogar1501]

Hi Paul, can you do more on passive radiators, how big or how many to use with say a 12'' woofer with 5mm Xmax, and where they should be placed, and does using them mean you should build enclosures to sealed specs or can the enclosures be a little bigger

[@wertigus]

i have this idea in my head for a speaker but i don't know if it could work, so what if instead of a magnet on the speaker you use another coil at 180° out of phase, would this add some response to the speaker and more strength to minimize the lag?

[@BlankBrain]

Properly designed ports can help get great sound in the tricky 16 to 30 Hz range. Start with a 15" driver, put it in a 5½ cu. ft. enclosure, add two 4" ports and adjust the port lengths. Configure the woofer crossover at 300 Hz. It operates essentially as a sealed box down to around 45 Hz. The woofer nominal free air resonance is 16 Hz, and start to roll off at around 55 Hz. . So, the port lengths are adjusted to above 16 Hz and below 55 Hz. The best tool to use for this is a wave analyzer. The PVC ports use elbows to attain sufficient length in the enclosure. They share characteristics with transmission line, in that some phase shift is achieved. Since the Helmholtz resonator drops off at 24 db per octave, the driver resonance is reduced. The speakers are very efficient, so driver excursion is short, even at high volume. It's just physics. I have some great sounding acoustic suspension speakers too. They don't have extended bass and they take a lot of power. They feel like they're working rather than idling. Some people like big-block V8s and others like rev'd turbo 6s. They both get you down the road.

[@SocietateaAscendenta]

Again, People who can not just sit, shut up and enjoy their Music - this seek for perfection is killing you, right? Just friendly asking :)

[@BlankBrain]

@@SocietateaAscendenta I'm not concerned about what others do regarding trying to make their music sound good to themselves. It amuses me when people make broad generalizations and spout it off as truth, rather than opinion; they reveal their ignorance. Perfection is impossible. Sufficiency is possible, but can be difficult and expensive to attain.

[@fornarnia8]

@@SocietateaAscendenta I'm with you there buddy! How dare that guy share his hobby and knowledge with us! He should just enjoy his music! Who cares what it sounds like! That's why I listen to katty perry outa my phone speakers!

[@SocietateaAscendenta]

Are you a Robot, sir? :))) No, I am sorry, if that sounded like ignorance. It is nice that you share that info - really is! I appreciate it. And I am not saying that one should listen to a phone... okay? I have 2 pairs of studio Monitors and am concerned if the ground Loop is doing "well", if the cable is alright, if the external soundinterface is still hanging in there... But, that super, too deep, technical stuff, "16 to 30 hz", put it in a " a 5½ cu"... MUST SOMEONE always add up things like These, like in every Video? Mr. Paul said it already: THIS IS not a super-deep technical Video. Can't you gentlemen just let it be, for once? Let that Palm itch be... and just look, like, share, also comment, but ALSO explain what you actually wanted to say? For others who might not understand? Or I could start commenting in my mother language then you would be pissed off that you had to find a translator :)))) WHAT is that you wanted to transmit us, Mr. Brain? What is the message, actually? "I have some great sounding acoustic suspension speakers too. They don't have extended bass and they take a lot of power. They feel like they're working rather than idling. Some people like big-block V8s and others like rev'd turbo 6s. They both get you down the road." Sealed, ported? WHICH ONE IS BETTER? (That was the Topic)

[@BlankBrain]

​@@SocietateaAscendenta I suspect that some meanings *are* lost in translation. The reason that I added enclosure volumes and numbers is that small ported speakers often sound (nasty, boomy, uncontrolled) - pick your word. Larger enclosures _can_ benefit from ports if they are designed to extend response and maintain phase as much as possible. I think that when someone says "all ported loudspeakers sound bad," it makes them sound ignorant. If they say "all ported loudspeakers *that I have heard* sounded bad *to me*," they sound like they have an opinion to be respected. There is no "which one is better." Ported and sealed loudspeakers can both sound great. The designer needs to pay close attention to physics in either case, to produce great sound. Poorly designed ported speakers often sound worse than poorly designed sealed speakers. People develop sound reproduction preferences over time. This influences their loudspeaker design preferences. People who drive develop performance preferences over time. This influences their engine design preferences. These things are the same. There is no *better*; only preferences.

[@TNPFan]

Hi Paul. Love the vids! Since you are a big fan of subwoofers (me too), why not include separate subs as part of your new speaker lineup?

[@JohnLnyc]

I believe he said the speakers will include “servo woofers”

[@seslan]

Congrats on 50K subscribers!

[@rabbit73au]

The speaker I have have a port the woofers are inside the box wit a isobaric push pull set up and the bass response is excellent the bas stops and they are not a servo system and they are only 8 inch woofers wit a clean bass response that goes down to 24hz and they are the best speakers that I have ever heard still to this day

[@angusandleigh]

...sealed with passives sound best to me at least...but you need larger speakers (cabinet space...easier to 'squish' a large volume than small)...I currently have a pair of (will eventually tear them down to restore them to 'new') Celestian Ditton 25's on my music system, and that's all (I have a separate setup for HT)...great full sound of that pair....now I used to have a pair of PSB Beta II's (servo driven speakers from 1973?)...and those were also a great set of speakers...would love to get another pair....

[@andrewnewman1510]

Andrew Newman The most impressive speakers i ever built were 10cu. ft. sealed boxes (fully braced and everything sealed with silicone) with 15" EV. woofers and EV. horn mids and tweeters. Massive super tight bass and earsplitting sound levels.

[@RajeevBAgarwal]

Hello Paul, I know there’s an old video on the same topic .. even there your answer or video doesn’t do full justice to the question. Here in this video it is worse. Requesting if you could explain the technical differences between a sealed and potted enclosure for the same full range driver (or set of 2-way or 3-way drivers). I personally feel that sealed is better.., is more tighter and louder and crisper etc. Would be great if you could also explain how the final results will be different...

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

I prefer mostly closed box, but in 4 way systems i heard nice bass in big studiomonitors jbl4345....or harbeth also vented...but closed is easier to install in average room with less coupling like reflex...heard also nice passif radiator designs.....so if it is well designed all can sound great imho

[@marklydon435]

I'm sure you can go with both, have a sealed upper portion and a vented lower one with the bass driver.

[@96MustangBoy1]

I want to build a box for an open space like a garage or a backyard for small parties. I am planning to use an 15” subwoofer. Does it matter where I place the port? Some people told me to place it in front since that’s where most people will be any how. Other people told me to place it on the bottom so that the sound will go all directions and that not all people will be in the front. I’m not a pro in this field and I need more information. Where would the best placement be for the port be, front or bottom? How big should the port be?

[@corneliusantonius3108]

For my AKAI ST-400 "rebuild" should I do passive radiators or ports ? Your fancy woofer sounds like Philips MFB thechnology !

[@randomtube8226]

I would say it depends on the frequency response of a single driver. For example, Most tweeters and midrange drivers have a sealed basket on the driver itself. That makes it easy for pairing tweeters and midrange drivers with the internal cabinet space with midbass driver/s. Ive learned that most 4in midbass drivers sound best in a sealed enclosure between 100hz and up. Most 5.25in midbass drivers sound best in a sealed enclosure between 80hz and up. Most 6.5in drivers sound best in a sealed enclosure between 60hz and up. Most 8in midbass drivers sound best in a sealed enclosure between 40hz and up. It really comes down to the specific driver and cabinet quality that may give you lower or higher numbers. Ive gotten these numbers and results from my own testing. Im guessing that the question was going out to all the DIYers. But in my opinion sealed sounds better for punchy quality sound in a midbass driver. Subwoofers are a completely different story. You have many more cabinet type options. Like tapped horn, transmission line, bandpass, and regular ported etc. Hope this makes sense. Thanks for all that took the time to read my long comment.

[@kencohagen4967]

My man's are 7" two way ported cabinets that roll off with an F3 at 45 Hz. The roll off is drastic, like rolling off a cliff. 6db down is probably at 43Hz. My sub is a sealed cabinet with a system Q of .81. This gives them a bump at around 55 Hz, but the roll off is much less steep that ported cabs are. They are 3db down at 23 Hz, and by 6db down they are below 20 Hz. So the total system is really flat from 23 Hz to just above 20kHz. The advantage of a ported cabinet is that it raises the F3 of a driver, but the roll off is steep. A sealed box drops off sooner that a ported box, but depending how you tune it, the roll off is far less abrupt or less steep than a ported box.

[@birgerolovsson5203]

Sealed is my fav even though I only have ported now. Only my sub is sealed.

[@misterquickster]

To the person who submitted the question: Small world! What are the chances of another fellow St. Cloudian following PS Audio. It would be nice to have a listening session neighbor.

[@crazymetallian]

as an owner of pioneer CS A700.. i can confirm that there are sealled boxes, then theres is nothing else. i prefer, i love deep bass over volume

[@bjornahh87]

Dear Paul you of ALL people should know about the difference between sealed or open and even ported speakers.. It ALL depends on the music preference you have 😲 like rock, classic or opera, It's kinda like the difference in sound between a acoustic guitar and a electric guitar or even a regular one with metal strings. Do you like the music picture hard and so crystal clear, or do you like the soundpicture soft and smooth, or something in between.. maby this explains it a little better in "laymans" terms perhaps...

[@lights80088]

Paul Do you think the modern day sealed subwoofers, that use very high power and huge magnets can perform as well as a servo controlled subwoofer? I remember Velodyne ULD -12 was rated at only 100watts continous and 400watts peak, but was servo controlled. By contrast, my modern day SVS Sub is rated at 1200watts continous, 3600watts peak and has a huge 50lb magnet structure and is very tight and accurate with extremely low distortion. The point being, can the same low level distortion be achieved either way?

[@revolution5547]

Man. I am wondering could i put a port on 2*5w homemade bluetooth speaker. Will it be better than passive radiators. I dont know much about small speakers

[@My-Pal-Hal]

I'm saying Ported. Because a Chunk of Foam, is cheap and easy for changing a cabinets acoustics ☺.

[@Justwantahover]

5:28 And more complexity that would be expensive I would imagine (if it does the job that well). lol I WANT ONE (or three)!

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

Hi Paul I enjoy your videos, I am an Acoustician in Australia and I am curious if there is a lively acoustics industry over there in the United States?

[@fookingsog]

Acoustic Suspension Sealed is *ALWAYS* better as it helps with transient dynamics and if you have more than one bass/mid-bass driver in that same cabinet which has an open back it effectively couples the drivers together.

[@jeremywhittler8591]

fookingsoc Incomplete thought. At a lower price point you are correct.

[@Koru-Health]

Makes you wonder why the Wilson WAMM and Focal Grand Utopia use ported/reflex enclosures...

[@BFArch0n]

Can you set your DSP system to "score" the setup before you make adjustments...basically measure how far out of perfect they were before DSP so the owner knows how close they got with thier ears....also detail the adjustments made? Us geeks dig that stuff!

[@johnsimun6533]

Another way to compare sealed vs ported. Air compresses, if there is a port, there is no pressure to build (obviously, with the air moving in and out). With sealed, pressure is built both positive and negative. If the speaker is totally sealed, you will have to have not only a case that is sealed, but speakers that can hold pressure (foam surrounds, will help, but will not work). With the fact that air compresses, the air in the case will transition from high to low pressure pretty rapidly. When high pressure is built it has no where to go, same for the low pressure. That means that the neutral position for the pressure is the resting state for the speaker, thus the speaker has to fight to build pressure, and the excursion of the speaker is more controlled. I didn’t know that servo woofers was that out there in the market, but that adds to the control, as was said. My preference is ported. I know that isn’t so precise, but with how I listen, and my preferences, ported is the way to go. It’s a very relaxed tone, it drops with out being pushed.

[@durchreiser6573]

I have bass everywhere in my rooms and imaging nowhere and it's perfectly ok to me.

[@amb3cog]

This hobby is totally subjective. If that's what makes you happy. Then good on you. I'm not big on imaging myself, but it's very nice when you can achieve it. I'd much rather have nice bass though, if I had to choose between the two.

[@Justwantahover]

6:15 Soundstage, the very reason I like point source. Two things mainly do it, frequency response and point source. Most full range drivers won't do it cos they don't go high enough. Most 2-ways won't do it cos the crossover frequency is way too high. But speakers like the KEF Uni Q will do it cos they have both the frequency response and the point source treble and med. And the crossover frequency doesn't matter cos it's point source. With drivers all-across- the-board you are relying on frequency response and the crossover frequency (while compromising on the speaker driver's phasing). Acapella speakers are like 400 grand with drivers all-across-the-board. And Feastrex make full range drivers for (up to) 70 grand a pair (just the drivers) and their big thing is point source phasing (like it is with me). Different companies go by different advantages. lol I reckon 2-way point source (like the KEF Uni Q) is the go cos it would be cheaper and way easier to do than with just one driver. And you still have the point source sound without the pitfalls of a single driver.

[@tuhaggis]

Given the amplifier and cabinet is the same power and size then generally: Sealed = deeper extension and a more consistent frequency roll off. Less efficient. Ported = more output above the tuning frequency, especially as you approach the tuning frequency. Much less output below tuning frequency and much harder to control the woofer below tuning frequency.

[@mitchiemasha]

Missed the main factor... No port noise. All affordable reference monitors for studio use are all ported. To give us that BS flat to lower freq response graph. Both mine are ported. I have no idea how anyone mixes perfectly on these, port noise is so bad. £1500 speakers!!! It's like we pushed manufactures to gives us what we don't need. Especially if adding a sub anyways.

[@BogdanSerban]

I have a DIY ported sub and I get no port noise. The port diameter was chosen specifically so the air velocity through the port does not cause noise.

[@mitchiemasha]

No port noise... Please take your lies else where. You can't argue against SCIENCE!

[@BogdanSerban]

@@mitchiemasha the air velocity through the port is under 5m/s, which does not cause audible noise. This is science.

[@mitchiemasha]

Is this a big port or a small port. Does it actually give you enhanced bass. What frequency is it tuned at? And, I was on about studio reference monitors not subs.

[@hermannmaischatz2695]

Hi Paul Like your show by the way. May I assist you in designing your speaker and listening position for your new rooms. You might have some exiting fun with what I have come up with over the years . That's what I specialize in and I don't use acoustic treatments in my design's at all , because I believe that we don't live in demo rooms. We live in beautiful cozy living rooms and I always keep it that way. Try me ,you mighty have some fun that will surprise you unexpectedly. Best regards Hermann

[@birgerolofsson2347]

I think sealed are the best but I still only have ported speakers in my 7.1 system. All speakers are ported except my sub, my sub that would have any use of it. I'm a bit strange.......

[@mitchiemasha]

Sealed... Agreed. EQ a room... Not!!! If a frequency is cancelling due to speaker placement, no amount of EQ is going to bring that back. You make it sound way too simple and easy in this video. Naturally, because it's going to be a selling point of your speakers but i do remember the huge pages of info from dbx (and their room eq) "The only way to EQ a room is to bulldoze the walls". They too supply it on the drive racks etc but didn't hide the truth by present it as a miracle cure. They were very open about about this. Shame the forums gone, there was pages of good info, getting started guides and links.

[@mitchiemasha]

What if removing those bad artefacts of a speaker makes it sound worse. Yes, it would be truer to the recording BUT! The tracks were mixed on speakers not featuring that. Imagine the accuracy of the speaker being super tight. All those transients might start to cut like a razor blade. A studio engineer adding slower attack, fast release compression to make the everyday speaker pop to the drums. Think how that will translate.

[@Elnufo]

Skip to 2:49 for the answer.

[@amb3cog]

Does anyone, or Paul maybe, know what his speakers are going to start at price wise? I'm in the market for new speakers, and these just sound amazing. I'm wondering if it's worth the wait for them, but that depends on price too obviously. I'm certainly not trying to take out a second mortgage to get new speakers. That's for sure. So I don't care about the big boys. However, I could stretch the budget to get an entry level one from Paul if I thought it would be worthwhile to do so. Thanks in advance all.

[@russmaleartist]

That is why I like the DBX DriveRack PA2 . . . it reads the rooms affect upon the frequency response, and corrects as close as it is able; then, you are able to fine tune the frequency response to your liking. A lot of flexibility allowing one to actually sit with a ipad, computer, cell phone, and fine tune as you are listening -- even seeing the results in a live frequency response on the screen -- to me, that solves the problem of room acoustics and even inadequacies in the speaker crossover very easily. On top of that, the DBX also allows the further control for speaker DIYers in an ACTIVE crossover of your choosing. Regardless of what others think about it, if the results and the associated equipment meet the buyer's/listener's prerequisites -- who is to say they are wrong? A satisfied customer is a return customer . . . and that, after all, is retail's hope for continued profit and success, if I am not mistaken, but customer satisfaction should be the first criteria.

[@endrizo]

Back then we used to have equalizers and our ears and know how to do just that...i think now we lost the 3 things...but equalizer is a dirty word among audiofools...even tone control is.

[@russmaleartist]

There is snobbery in much of the bias towards such adjustments. They may label it a purist's approach; however, it is not their ears that listen in your home or in mine. There are those of us with very sensitive and good hearing, who have gone to live concerts an can pick out areas of frequency response that just does not sound correct. In a very fine stereo store in my area, I was asked to review new equipment. Even in many very expensive speakers, there were characteristics that needed smoothing out . . . and now, in my own system, I can . . . and it is exquisite.

[@EitriBrokkr]

Awesome

[@Bassotronics]

How about a 4th order? It’s sealed and ported. 😁 I know, from an audiophile perspective, it’s not ideal.

[@josealfredfernandes]

Tapped horn loaded? +9db improved output

[@phillipallen5564]

sealed can be good for certain things like a full range speaker or a subwoofer with radiators or in a huge box wtith a huge box but it has to be tuned right or will sound awful

[@laurentzduba1298]

Sealed speakers produce purer upper bass - especially in the Middle C to Middle A frequencies. And sadly despite of its superior sound quality, open baffle designs just needs too much space to properly reproduce low bass frequencies.

[@mkshffr4936]

Ported is generally my last choice. OB, Sealed, or TL are generally my choices in approximately that order. Horns are cool if you have the space but a 16Hz horn is pretty big. Sometimes it is tricky to find a good driver that is designed for sealed these days but there are ways to make it work.

[@dariobubnjic8132]

Get ur self a pair of oldschool canton quinto 530 (they have 10inch woofers) or canton quinto 540 (these have 12inch woofers) both have sealed enclosures and silk dome mids g highs i just bought 3days ago a pair of quinto 530 the bass these speakers deliver is insanly accurate and never distorted mids g highs are also one of the cleanest i heard the freq. response is 25hz-30000hz also 80-120w per cabinet but if u want a litle bigger sound and even more bass u can get quintos 540 those are 100-150w and they go from 22hz-30000hz

[@davidcroteau510]

How about sealed enclosure restricts the driver excursion , the driver requires more wattage to archive the same excursion. But if you put to much wattage into it wthout he excursion the voice coil wont cool and overheat

[@RajeevBAgarwal]

(Continued)... I plan to build a pair of tower speakers with these two drivers from Dayton Audio: tweeter RST28F-4 and woofer RS180S-8. I’m going by a design by NickToid and Kirby, shown in their KZbin channels on 22Aug2018. It is a large 1.1 cubic feet vented enclosure. Whereas I would actually like to go for a sealed enclosure.. I don’t mind if the lows are only till 88Hz or so... I would like someone to guide me in sealed enclosure size for these two drivers. (Nick not interested now in redoing the design ...)

[@pirate0jimmy]

If you have room for a loudspeaker that can barely fit through a standard door, then sealed is going to be awesome. An E-V 30" driver will give excellent bass response with low xmax. Sealed box gives low amount of time smearing in bass response, compared to ported. In small box speaker, everything is compromised regardless.

[@cujbaion1]

sealed it's transitory ~35Hz and also resonant symmetric waves

[@janinapalmer8368]

Servo 'controlled ' subs or LF drivers is a misconception... Philips used this principle many years ago in order to compensate the woofer's falling frequency response in a sealed box .. it sounded awful .. muddied and lacked transients. If you are trying to correct what you call overshoot or other artifacts in the driver, then this whole 'closed loop' system is playing catch up.. it has hysteresis! You can achieve excellent well controlled bass using the correctly made speaker and mounting it in an efficient enclosure

[@JohnDoe-np3zk]

Janina Palmer you sound hysteresistical . Good points however. Speaker "technology" seems largely about trying to make a small enclosure sound like a big enclosure because 1) big enclosures cost $$ and 2) small houses are in and 3) women rule the roost now. See how I got gender biased but I do think people let alone women don't value those big speakers cluttering up their living rooms especially placed 18" off the wall and 24" off the corners.

[@JiveDadson]

Most (all?) of those servo controlled subs used a duplicate coil for feedback. That didn't work very well.

[@janinapalmer8368]

JiveDadson ....servo systems just sound impressive in sales blurb.. more snake oil stuff ! Use a really good bass driver with a damn big magnet and high BL and a top quality amp with very high damping factor and you won't NEED a servo system ..all the do is to corrupt the signal somewhat .. a waste of time ! Just use a really good speaker !!

[@captainwin6333]

and you can make a better woofer with a servo controlled woofer if it's also correctly made,. All things being equal, the servo controlled will be better by some margin.

[@janinapalmer8368]

Captain Win That's not true ... servo controlled bass units are the result of using inferior drivers with low BL

[@mightyhail8707]

How many things changed from conception described here to production FR-30

[@freddygenao6035]

How about sealed center speaker?

[@twochaudiomg2578]

i can see the studs 2x4,s are not a standard living room you might of overlooked it

[@42ssh]

The "smart amp" technology detects the state of a woofer from its electrical measurements in real time without using accelerometers. I am curious if you can replace the servo mechanism with the smart amp technology for your woofer or subwoofer. It seems to me that the smart amp technology is cheaper and less complex than the servo mechanism.

[@QoraxAudio]

So bassports are a big nope at servo subs. But how about the passive radiators he asked about?

[@rokljhui864]

How about this: A ported box is like an instrument, it adds volume at certain frequencies. Is it not better to keep the speaker frequency response true and flat, and make frequency adjustments with knobs at the sound source ?

[@QoraxAudio]

@@rokljhui864 AFAIK, horns are generally used to make a speaker more efficient.

[@acidbubbles419]

I prefer the sound of sealed speakers. I listen to a lot of heavy electronic music, clarity deep down is crucial, ports just mess that right up. I have a ported REL subwoofer but it is tuned to 16Hz so does not cause issues and is very musical in the 20-35Hz range I use it for. My speakers are sealed with 8 inch bass drivers, they have a really tight deep bottom end.

[@fookingsog]

You'll Like!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2TSeqemi8ZsnNU

[@amb3cog]

Mmmm my girlfriend has a really tight, deep, bottom end too. You two must be doing the same exercises. 🤣🤣🤣

[@poserwanabe]

@@amb3cog OMG hilarious !!

[@poserwanabe]

Skrillex and Excision ?? I love this stuff and even use it for system testing in customers homes...ya need LOTS OF WATTS 😀

[@natskar]

I definitely prefer sealed boxes for the reasons you stated, but I gotta admit, slot ports continually blow me away if they are done right (such as certain Klipsch subs for example).

[@kurtzcol]

hi paul !

[@foxpup]

Speaker ports are a great place for McDonalds Happy Meal toys to end up. I don't know how that happens ;-) I prefer sealed too.

[@kman7222]

that's a good one, must admit I had to read it couple times to get it. my kid is grown up, forgot that kid factor, thanks. my gran-daughter will be mobile sooner then later so i need to kid proof once again. thanks for for the smile this has generated. :) . as for ported or sealed - it is a personal preference period.

[@randomtube8226]

My subwoofers port had mega blocks put in it. I had no idea what that sound was until I had no choice but to open it up and take a look as some fell down inside. Kid proofing your audio equipment is a tough job. I forgot how many speakers Ive had over the years wear the dustcap on the tweeters were pushed in because of the kids.

[@foxpup]

yea, i've had to draw out a dust cap or two for the same reason. At least we don't have to worry about VCRs getting fed peanut butter and jelly sandwitches any more. :-)

[@trog69]

I agree. I much preferred ported cabs until I got my hands on a pair of ADS L810's. These sealed speakers have really made me smile while listening again. I have a ported sub in the mix so there's plenty of everything I want.

[@RennieAsh]

You can usually put a fine cloth mesh over most ports at the inner termination. That would stop most toys. Tweeters are a bit harder depending on the speaker - I guess you could make some sort of metal standoff grille that's strapped to the cabinet if there's no proper attachment points. Could also custom make a grille that attaches via the tweeter screws.

[@D1N02]

I believe most speakers are ported these days because they are easier and cheaper to make that way. Less material is needed as well

[@daveycrockett5738]

I like ported because I can stick things in them

[@fishbone08070]

I prefer sealed designs.

[@ManuPresannakumar]

Sound of the papers crackling in his hand. That's thick paper for printing an email? He's rich

[@ferranmelero7727]

Hi ym blind and I want to read your book. Could send me a word file

[@traveler9573]

Sealed!

[@sonicfuker]

Sealed = more accurate.

[@Traviee04]

@javier cazares Would that in a sense be more accurate?

[@Traviee04]

@javier cazares Ah, gotcha.

[@RennieAsh]

@javier cazares less overhang and phase angle changes could be considered more accurate, which is a general trend among sealed speakers.

[@hardcorecap]

Sealed vs Ported: Sealed systems lack bass due to the inability of the driver to extend. This is because of the vacuum created from the driver pushing out and the pressure difference created pushing the driver back in the cabinet. Ported doesn't have this issue, allowing the driver to push and pull out as far as possible before self destruction. Not saying you can't blow up a sealed speaker, though. While sealed has a higher f3 (where the speaker drops off 3dB ) than ported, ported has a much steeper slope that it falls once it hits f3. The common statement is that sealed can reach much further lows despite the higher f3 due to the gentler slope and that the room buildup of bass fills in the gap to create a flatter response than ported in the lower frequencies. The pro-ported counter to this is that proper engineering and design of the cabinet as well as driver can create a flat response with a far lower f3 and with much less wattage use, nullifying the pro-sealed statement of 'reaching further down'. One thing that is consistent is that ported is going to need a bigger box. I'm not going to address chuffing because that can be addressed with aforementioned cabinet design as well as flared porting. Driver design designates best application of the driver. Drivers are intentionally designed to fit into a sealed or ported enclosure. Others are designed to be ambiguous to cabinet design. Drivers that have more mechanical and electrical control over a cone are typically better suited for ported designs while drivers that have less control over a cone are suited for sealed enclosures, but it depends. There's a lot of factors at play at this point. Typically, the electrical control in conjunction with the resonant frequency of the speaker as well as the sum of the total control over the speaker cone, both mechanical and electrical, will determine whether or not the driver is better suited for sealed or ported. These are also known as EBP and Qts. So, to sum it up, typically you're building your cabinet around your driver based off the driver specs and how the driver reacts as opposed to just picking sealed or ported. Putting a high control driver in a sealed box 'over-controls' or over-damps the speaker, raising the f3 and counteracting the whole "getting lower frequencies" aspect of why it's used. Putting in a lower control driver in a ported box doesn't allow that sealed vacuum to act as an additional damper, affecting it's output and time domain issues. Time domain issues aka transient decay is the "less talked about but just as important as frequency response" aspect of a whole speaker. Sealed systems typically have a much better (faster) transient decay than ported systems. This is due to, you guessed it, the port. While a port-centric driver design might have more damping, it doesn't always have that damping in the lower frequencies. Poor ported designs often exhibit "one note bass" due to the poor transient decay and low frequency slurring over a long time. Given a good enough driver and cabinet design, this issue can be drastically reduced to the point that the benefit of lower frequencies with increased efficiency overcomes the time domain issues. Sealed systems won't give you "one note bass" and will give you a more accurate "tighter" bass despite the higher f3 and more power to drive the unit. So, overall, it's a give and take depending on the what you're looking for and ultimately what you get is the culmination of a company or individual's engineering prowess. Generally though, I'd say if you're looking for more boom for your buck, ported. If you're looking for low end clarity and don't mind spending a little extra on extra drivers and amps, sealed.

[@poserwanabe]

After years of mixing house for metal and hard rock, you're comment about speaker destruction made me laugh !! Your post is spot on, I agree, through experience, with all of it. We once designed and built a pair of mega monitors for a drummer who only wanted drums in his mix. They were basically a sealed 2x15 2x12 1x2" and 2 bullet tweeters, all JBL. They sounded incredible and were triamped. After the first leg of the tour, he asked me to swap them out for the JBL 2x15 " scoops" with horn loaded tops, he said the new monitors didn't have enough punch !!! Cheers

[@stevejacksonpianos]

Infinite baffle is sealed and superior to ported or air spring. Size and cost are the down side

[@hardcorecap]

@@stevejacksonpianos it depends on the driver and the goals of the design. there is no true answer for every situation. from what i've seen, higher fidelity out of a ported design requires a larger cabinet

[@googoo-gjoob]

cant you see the manual.... "Hey, it's BoneHead easy! "

[@Tbonyandsteak]

My next speakers gonna be transmissions lines. Heard so much good about them.

[@mikevincent6332]

Not many building sealed enclosures these days, even though they are far superior to ported

[@Oldsukerbole]

DSP cooooool. Room correction coooooool. Dirac live I assume?

[@endrizo]

Back then we used to have equalizers and our ears and know how to do just that...i think now we lost the 3 things...but equalizer is a dirty word among audiofools...even tone control is.

[@scotthullinger4684]

I vote for sealed -