2 subs, port and/or seal?

[somefool]

Ok, i was thinking of potential ways i can spend my money of 'worthless stuff' as my dad would put it,
I want to get a dual sub setup happening, but in separate enclosures.
How would it go if i had two subs, One in a ported box (for extended lows) and One in a sealed box (for tight bass).
Aiming for 12s not 10s, the subs will be of identical model, ect
And what about amps? could they still be run from one big amp, or because the sealed one will take more power would it be safer to use separate identical amps as well?

[alexlove]

i peronally like ported

[acarmody]

Ok, i was thinking of potential ways i can spend my money of 'worthless stuff' as my dad would put it,
I want to get a dual sub setup happening, but in separate enclosures.
How would it go if i had two subs, One in a ported box (for extended lows) and One in a sealed box (for tight bass).
Aiming for 12s not 10s, the subs will be of identical model, ect
And what about amps? could they still be run from one big amp, or because the sealed one will take more power would it be safer to use separate identical amps as well?

I personally would think they would sound crap. The ported one would be slightly out of phase due to the air having to run out the port, and thus slightly slower. Either ported or sealed not both.

Whats your budget? Joe has some VIBE sub-box combos that come with plugs that allow you to plug the ports thus allowing you to run sealed.
Shopping Secure - Car Audio Specialists - VIBE CBR12 Twin With Amplifier
Those already have amps built in so its kind of an all-in-one combo, and I'm sure Joe could work out a good price. Or if you already have the amps then these are bloody good.
Shopping Secure - Car Audio Specialists - VIBE Space CBR12 TWIN

[somefool]

Ahh ok i see what you mean, i did consider the slight difference but kinda put it aside :P
My budget is really small, I would like to spend $500 at the most of subs, maybe just start out with one sub and a big amp and upgrade a bit further down the track,
The links you gave me were helpful, and they do sound like really good deals, but again they are way out of my budget, thanks anyway.
Well alot of my music is very bassy - very low end bass. No im not a gangsta fag i enjoy all music right up to micheal buble , so im guessing that ported boxed would be the go?

[HCVP]

My vote dosen't fit in with the poll

[acarmody]

Ahh ok i see what you mean, i did consider the slight difference but kinda put it aside :P
My budget is really small, I would like to spend $500 at the most of subs, maybe just start out with one sub and a big amp and upgrade a bit further down the track,
The links you gave me were helpful, and they do sound like really good deals, but again they are way out of my budget, thanks anyway.
Well alot of my music is very bassy - very low end bass. No im not a gangsta fag i enjoy all music right up to micheal buble , so im guessing that ported boxed would be the go?

Is that $500 for subs and amps or just subs.

[somefool]

subs and amps.. if it's possible

[acarmody]

Not really gonna get much for that price. Second-hand may be your friend here.

Can you make the sub boxes yourself? Its only basic woodworking.

[somefool]

Ok i may get lucky.. doubt it

Ive acquired an old pair of rattly shitty floor-standers once and made them shake the walls..
So maybe if i choose to make me own boxes use proper mdf this time.
Just what joining method should be used? I wasnt sure on that one

[alexlove]

i know someone selling a 1800 watt soundstream sub for 300 bux in a ported box, i really reccomend you get it

[peckzz]

pretty much dont mix subs, go same size and frequency subs, same goes with the box's

now when it comes to either porting or sealed, i prefer a more expensive sub and sealed, as sealed is not as much base but more of a natural bass, where as ported is a real loud and almost destorted kind of bass, go sealed if you have the power in your sub, if you just want the bass go ported

[somefool]

i know someone selling a 1800 watt soundstream sub for 300 bux in a ported box, i really reccomend you get it

yeah thansk but no thansk mate prob too far to go to pick it up nsw is a fair way from adelaide :P

[HCVP]

[QUOTE as sealed is not as much base but more of a natural bass, where as ported is a real loud and almost destorted kind of bass, go sealed if you have the power in your sub, if you just want the bass go ported[/QUOTE]

Umm, no, no, and no

[acarmody]

Umm, no, no, and no

I agree with HoldenCommodoreVP, a properly built ported box can sound just as tight, just as natural, as a sealed box.

[StoneX]

I wonder why home theatre subs are mainly in ported boxes... Oh that's right because home theatre enthusiasts are after loud distorted doof doof!

[peckzz]

ok then smart guys, here are the technical words to what i was looking for

Sealed subwoofer boxes generally are much smaller than ported enclosures. If you're limited on space, it would probably be a good idea to go with a sealed enclosure. Not only is there a size difference, but there is also a difference in sound between the two enclosures. Sealed enclosures tend to produce tight, accurate bass and have a flat frequency response curve. They are also generally the enclosure of choice when looking for a SQ (Sound Quality) oriented setup.

Ported aka Vented boxes can get very large and have many varying factors that will determine their size and sound output. Ported enclosures produce louder bass than sealed enclosures, and allow you to tune the box to a specific frequency to determine how the bass will sound. Higher tuning on a ported box will get louder, but at the expense of sound quality. Lower tuning will still get louder than a sealed box, and at the same time will yield fairly good sound quality.


Port area and port type also plays a role in ported enclosures. Too little port area for the subwoofer box can result in port noise, which can severely detract from the sound quality of your setup. To much port area can also have a negative impact on the sound quality. However, if your goal is to get loud and not care about sound quality, then a ported box, tuned high, with a large amount of port area is the way to go.

Personal preference and size limitations will both play a role in the decision between sealed or ported enclosures. If you have the room, and you want to get loud, go with a ported box. If you're limited on space or are looking for the best sound quality possible, it would generally be best to go with a sealed box. Either way, as long as the specifications of the subwoofer box are within the subwoofer manufacturer's recommended box specifications, you should be safe with either choice.




this was coppied and pasted by the way, and what this is pretty much saying is sealed is more quality sound where as ported is more louder at the expense of sound quality

and stoneX reason being is your house room is alot bigger than your car isnt it? so of course you need a louder sounding bass, and also they all run at different frequency's and ohms, do you evan know what ohms your house sub runs @ ? do you know what cars run at?


ps where is soundstream in the vote guys cmon?

[holdenboy]

A properly tuned ported box WILL NOT sacrifice sound quality. If you get the right enclosure size and port area / length, you will get a very nice flat frequency response thats very similar to a sealed enclosure.

The reason why sealed enclosures are more common (hence more popular) is they are easy to make and small differences in volume make very little, if any difference.

I dont see how a home subwoofer runs a different frequencies? Maybe ohms (8 in home, 4-1 in car). But that makes little difference anyway.

[StoneX]

ok then smart guys, here are the technical words to what i was looking for

Sealed subwoofer boxes generally are much smaller than ported enclosures. If you're limited on space, it would probably be a good idea to go with a sealed enclosure. Not only is there a size difference, but there is also a difference in sound between the two enclosures. Sealed enclosures tend to produce tight, accurate bass and have a flat frequency response curve. They are also generally the enclosure of choice when looking for a SQ (Sound Quality) oriented setup.

Ported aka Vented boxes can get very large and have many varying factors that will determine their size and sound output. Ported enclosures produce louder bass than sealed enclosures, and allow you to tune the box to a specific frequency to determine how the bass will sound. Higher tuning on a ported box will get louder, but at the expense of sound quality. Lower tuning will still get louder than a sealed box, and at the same time will yield fairly good sound quality.


Port area and port type also plays a role in ported enclosures. Too little port area for the subwoofer box can result in port noise, which can severely detract from the sound quality of your setup. To much port area can also have a negative impact on the sound quality. However, if your goal is to get loud and not care about sound quality, then a ported box, tuned high, with a large amount of port area is the way to go.

Personal preference and size limitations will both play a role in the decision between sealed or ported enclosures. If you have the room, and you want to get loud, go with a ported box. If you're limited on space or are looking for the best sound quality possible, it would generally be best to go with a sealed box. Either way, as long as the specifications of the subwoofer box are within the subwoofer manufacturer's recommended box specifications, you should be safe with either choice.




this was coppied and pasted by the way, and what this is pretty much saying is sealed is more quality sound where as ported is more louder at the expense of sound quality

and stoneX reason being is your house room is alot bigger than your car isnt it? so of course you need a louder sounding bass, and also they all run at different frequency's and ohms, do you evan know what ohms your house sub runs @ ? do you know what cars run at?


ps where is soundstream in the vote guys cmon?

Copying and pasting what someone else wrote doesn't mean it's true and doesn't mean you know what you're talking about.

Do you realise that most home theatre subs are low powered and put out less sound than car subwoofers?

Please explain to me these different frequencies... My home sub which is 4 ohm, the same as my car subs, is cut off at 80Hz, just like my car sub. So how are these frequencies and impedances different?

You really need to go and do some research into box designs and you'll soon learn that certain speakers are made for certain enclosures, so you can have sound quality speakers in ported enclosures and sound quality speakers in sealed enclosures.

[peckzz]

Copying and pasting what someone else wrote doesn't mean it's true and doesn't mean you know what you're talking about.

Do you realise that most home theatre subs are low powered and put out less sound than car subwoofers?

Please explain to me these different frequencies... My home sub which is 4 ohm, the same as my car subs, is cut off at 80Hz, just like my car sub. So how are these frequencies and impedances different?

You really need to go and do some research into box designs and you'll soon learn that certain speakers are made for certain enclosures, so you can have sound quality speakers in ported enclosures and sound quality speakers in sealed enclosures.

lol ok well you didnt really read it proper did you? i was pointing out what i pretty much said is all in those paragraphs, and this is from a reliable source who i honestly think would have a lot more to do with stereos than you ever would have unless you sell alot of stereos? i can give you the link if you want
so you know all about house subs aye? and you have a weird house sub man runnin @ 4 ohm, house stereos go up to 16 ohms, completly different to car subs, and you say that house subs run @ same frequency as car subs?

ok now a days there might not be much difference inbetween box's but about 3 years ago it made the world of differnce

also above it says ohms means very little?

[StoneX]

I read it fine. But the information about ported boxes is just general, not 100% accurate. Read some more about ported boxes rather than just that one person's opinion. A properly designed ported box will have a flatter response which can produce better SQ than a sealed enclosure.

How does selling stereos have anything to do with knowledge? You're damn lucky if you can find a salesperson who actually knows what they're talking about. Try speaking to installers, they know what's going on.

Generally, home subs are 8 ohm. It's very rare that they're higher than that these days and is becoming more common to be 4 ohm and sometimes even lower. Mine is dual 8 ohm, so it can be wired as 4 ohm, 8 ohm (by shorting a coil) or 16 ohm. I don't see why you brought up impedance anyway as it has no effect on sound quality.

Mate... How about you stop asking questions and explain your stupid ideas? Saying "and you say that house subs run @ same frequency as car subs?" isn't telling us anything except that you want me to explain shit for you.

Speaker design hasn't changed in a LONG time and neither has box design, so your 3 year idea is retarded.

[HCVP]

Peckzz, your arguments are flawed.The people who you are dissagreeing with have either been in the car audio scene for a long time, or are proffesional installers.They are also among the most knowledgable members of the forum aswell.How many people need to tell you that your are wrong before it becomes clear?

How on earth do you figure that the frequencies on home subs, are any different to car subs? Bass is bass, the frequencies do not change.
Oh and my Shiva X2 is dual 2 ohm BTW..which must make it really weird....

[Joe Bellissimo]

Interesting read... I'm surprised no one else has jumped in on this one.

[acarmody]

Interesting read... I'm surprised no one else has jumped in on this one.

Jumped into which part? The OPs question or the pot-smokers opinion?

[peckzz]

Jumped into which part? The OPs question or the pot-smokers opinion?

haha the pot smokers opinion lmfao i havnt laughed in so long as hard as that

yea ok i got proved wrong i admit it ok ? happy ?

also box designs have changed a bit so that bit aint retarted

[HCVP]

Maybe some one should do a thread detailing the difference between ported and sealed enclosures, and possibly what to look for in a sub when buying, and it could be made a sticky.Preferably by some one who dosen't smoke pot, i can't do it i smoke way to much