Subwoofer ported vs enclosed - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

davidmash · #1 01-01-2020, 02:03 PM

I have a Paradigm PDR-12 that I bought back in '01. The sub has been faith full for all these years. I had it reconed back in Oct of 2018 but now it will not turn on. Looks like the fuse is blown and I suspect that the amplifier plate is just worn out.

So I suspect I will be replacing it soon. Another site I follow recommended either Outlaw X12 or SVS PB12NSD. Been reading up on subs and now I am interested in hearing the difference between a ported sub and an enclosed sub. SVS has an enclosed sub for the same price. I need to find a stereo store in the area where I can listen to them.

Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?

Thanks

Dubyagee · #2 01-01-2020, 02:13 PM

Ported will be louder. Sealed will be a tighter sound.

I have a Velodyne 10” subwoofer. Its ported with an accelerometer controlled driver. It has been the best sub I have had in any of my systems. It has a small footprint and has very good sound at low and higher volumes.

Air&Road · #3 01-01-2020, 02:39 PM

I prefer a closed IF the enclosure is sized to the characteristics of the driver. I have a book from thirty years ago with the simple calculations for determining the volume of the enclosure based on the values of the driver and the frequency range desired. If you’re wanting volume, with an enclosed speaker you will need more power. Been a long time since I built one, so I don’t remember the parameters. I expect that today, a google search would turn up an app that will do the calculation for you requiring only that you plug in the values.

When I built my last subwoofer even the best factory sound systems were seriously lacking and I was driving a LOT. I listen to mostly classical music and a good subwoofer helps reproduce the depth of the performance hall. I used a passive crossover to build it on the cheap, but an active crossover and dedicated woofer amp is much more tunable and an all around superior solution although it costs more. I had it in the rear of my 123 car at the time. I pulled out the first aid box and built a grill. It sounded really well with only a 35 Watt RMS amplifier.

Hope this somehow helps.

davidmash · #4 01-01-2020, 03:05 PM

I have heard the loud vs tight a few times but I think this is like describing color to a person who was born blind. I think I will need to hear the difference. From what I can tell, ported is going to give me a more boomy (thunder?) drawn out sound and enclosed will be more like a concussion from a fire work (quick punch). Not sure which I like better.

I know enough about this stuff to make me dangerous but not much more. I have no idea what frequency I am looking for or anything about active/passive cross overs. When I bought my speakers back in 01 from some place up in Dallas (really wish I remembered the name) they put me in a show room, told me to close my eyes and started to switch speakers back and forth. Reminded me of a eye dr visit. I picked the ones in my budget that I thought sounded the best.

I ended up with Paradigm speakers. A monitor set with mid and tweeter for r/l A center with 4 mids and a tweet for center, the now demised sub (12" ported) and some atoms for the rear. I currently have a Denon 730h running it all. The system is almost exclusively used for HTC application. Music every now and then.

Air&Road · #5 01-01-2020, 07:46 PM

Ported is great, but if you’re building them there is not as much forgiveness in the design as with sealed enclosures.

Dubyagee · #6 01-01-2020, 09:53 PM

Ive reduced my “system to a soundbar and a velodyne sub. I had a full multi channel surround sound and got tired of the space it consumed.

I personally would go with a ported powered sub with no less than 250 watts rms. That will give you the widest spectrum of sound at realistic sound levels and still rattle the rafters when cranked.

Diseasel300 · #7 01-01-2020, 10:46 PM

Ported vs. Sealed box is comparing a "boom" to a "rumble". Ported boxes are much easier to build because they are less critical of physical size and construction method. The result is a louder sound for a given amount of power. The downside is that you also hear some of the standing waves and the port can only be tuned for one optimal bandwidth peak, so certain frequencies are considerably louder than others. The port is tuned to be a sort of compromise. Sealed boxes will create just as much bass as a ported box, but without the loudness. You'll still get the rumble and kick in the gut, but you wont' hear the "boominess".

party · #8 01-01-2020, 10:54 PM

Vented enclosure typically nets about 6db gain at tuning frequency vs sealed, which is equivalent to twice the drivers and twice the power all else equal. Properly designed they can be just as "tight" as a sealed enclosure with added efficiency, the downsides being that they're larger and under tuning frequency output drops off sharply and the driver is unloaded which can result in damage.