sealed or ported

jammer4444

Apologize for the simplistic question but what sound difference is the sealed compared to the ported sub? thx.

jayball

Sealed tends to play more accurate but less efficient (It takes power to fight air pressure in the box) , ported you will get a lot more slam and go lower for the same power. It is important however to match the box style, type and frequency tuning to the sub woofer of your choosing.
Typically I would recommend a ported box for HT apps and sealed for music; however it is more important to match it with the woofer's strong points.

ShinAce

Sealed is good for transient response. If you listen to a lot of music with bass guitar solos, you should opt for a good sealed sub(listen to it first to make sure it's clean). Just because the sub is sealed doesn't guarantee good transient response.

A vented box use some of the energy coming from the backside of the cone through the port. Because it's using energy that's normally lost(half, actually), it is louder with the same power. Vented subs can play lower and louder. If you like movies and or R&B/rap, vented is for you.

If you are a purist with money and space of no concern, infinite baffle is the way to go.

Meechsterlee

I read of this guy who built an IB sub...crammed twelve 15" subs in a huge box and with 1700 watts, this unit will produce 118db@20hz! I'm hardly an expert on the issue but I think that is pretty intense.

If you wanna check out some pics and specs, click here. http://www.subwoofer-builder.com

mightymouse

Too much bass is detrimental to one's health.

If you are exposed to 100db SPL at 10Hz for a prolonged period of time, you can expect to experience urinary and fecal incontinence as well as permanent hearing damage.

speakergeek

I'm of the opinion that you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two if they are of good quality.