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General => Car audio => Topic started by: boneybradley on 02 February 2008, 15:08

Title: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: boneybradley on 02 February 2008, 15:08: My current system is running a 10" sub in a sealed box from a bridged (400w rms when bridged) amp and sounds ok..but i am wondering would there there be any benefit in porting the box? The box is the recommended size for the sub but it didnt say if its best to port the box for more base and i am wondering peoples opionions on wether to get my drill out and put one of them trumpet things to vent it....
thanks in advance
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Heyho on 02 February 2008, 19:13: You can't just stick a port in a sealed enclosure and hope for the best!

A sealed enclosure usually ends up much smaller than a ported one for the same sub - get winisd (box building program - google for the free version), and see what it throws up.

Ported will probably give you louder, but also a potentially a less "accurate" sound.
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Uruk Hai on 02 February 2008, 19:54: Porting the enclosure will make the sub a bit louder but it will also make it a bit slower, meaning if you listen to music with a fast or hard beat it will be a bit behind the rest of the speakers, however if you have a head unit that has digital time correction you can compensate for the slower reaction time of a ported enclosure.
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Alpinehead on 02 February 2008, 20:56: just goin from personal experience, i would say that sealed boxes/subs are best for listing to dnb dance music etc.

just port the boot to the car to realese that much wanted pressure into cabbin!! (remove standerd rear speakers, vwalla ported!!)

theres a vw in vwalla for a reason!!! :grin:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Uruk Hai on 02 February 2008, 21:38: Removeing the standard speakers doesnt port anything, the boot isnt air tight enough to make any audibal difference to the way the system sounds.
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: boneybradley on 02 February 2008, 21:52: the mk3 dosent have a solid rear parcel shelf anyway....guess i will leave the box alone as any more bass will only mean the misses wants to sit in the car all night with the music loud!! :wink:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Uruk Hai on 02 February 2008, 21:56: I think thats your best bet mate and to be honest I think a sealed enclosure is probably the best bet all round unless your planning on going into sound offs or sh!t like that. :wink:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Hurdy on 03 February 2008, 11:19: I've had both in the past and currently have an unported box. How can I put it? with a ported box the sound is a bit like a slack rubber band - pull on it and the sound is deeper but not as responsive. The unported box is like the tight rubber band - pull on it and the response is better but doesn't sound quite as deep. Fast beat tracks benefit from an unported box and slow heavy beat music benefit from a ported box, so I guess it depends on which music you like. Also if you have more than one sub - match them.
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Alpinehead on 03 February 2008, 15:13: Quote from: Uruk Hai on 02 February 2008, 21:38
Removeing the standard speakers doesnt port anything, the boot isnt air tight enough to make any audibal difference to the way the system sounds.

it does when i have a mdf shelf/boot that ive made as air tight as poss!! good old silicone & draft excluder!! its like 2 subs inside another box, aka the boot. :smiley:

i got the idea from castle speakers, Ã‚£1000`s of pounds a peice, which use inclosed subs within the box. (a box in a larger ported box) thought a would try it in a car a few years ago and have never changed back since. sounds tight and precise!

:smiley:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: mk2mark on 04 February 2008, 17:06: Sealed is way better if you've the power to back it up IMO, which it sounds like you do. If you don't know exactly what you're talking about with ported, usually what happens is it resonates at a certain frequency and you get a one note bass effect, that and you get that sloppy sound since there's no back pressure on the speaker. I'm not up on cars as much as bass guitar, but it all applies as far as I can see :smiley:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: mk2mark on 04 February 2008, 17:10: Quote from: Alpinehead on 03 February 2008, 15:13
Quote from: Uruk Hai on 02 February 2008, 21:38
Removeing the standard speakers doesnt port anything, the boot isnt air tight enough to make any audibal difference to the way the system sounds.

it does when i have a mdf shelf/boot that ive made as air tight as poss!! good old silicone & draft excluder!! its like 2 subs inside another box, aka the boot. :smiley:

i got the idea from castle speakers, Ã‚£1000`s of pounds a peice, which use inclosed subs within the box. (a box in a larger ported box) thought a would try it in a car a few years ago and have never changed back since. sounds tight and precise!

:smiley:
No offence dude, maybe you've a sound you like (which is great) but you've really no idea what you're talking about. Ported boxes are tuned by definition, a pseudo enclosure with holes in it doesn't qualify I'm afraid.
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Alpinehead on 04 February 2008, 17:56: ok m8.

ATTENTION ALL READERS.... I DONT KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!!!

I KNOW NOTHING!!!.................................................NOTHING AT ALL!!!!

sound engineer since 1999!

could list gigs i have set up but cant be arsed!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

maybe you should stop reading your max power mag a learn about some real sound physics. it aint all about what it says on the box because half the time its b0ll0cks!!

try lookin deeper into the oscillation of air molecules, refraction, alternating pressure, deviations of equilibrium pressure, absorption of materials, reflections of materials, equaling the key word of all sound, ACUSTICS!!!! (hope i spelt all that right!!)

NUFF SAID! :wink:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: mk2mark on 04 February 2008, 19:13: Mate anyone that considers a boot a valid enclosure for a ported setup is talking crap. End of story. A hissy fit and some stuff you read somewhere won't disguise that.
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Alpinehead on 04 February 2008, 19:16: give over m8!

:laugh:

if you actually read what i put, im not stating im using my boot as a enclosure, as that would be 2 subs screwed into my shelf!! i have 2 sealed subs in a relatavly air tight boot, hence, porting the boot into the car relieases pressure into cabbin. if i didnt the subs would not work!

and hissy fits are not my style, its called an education in sound physics. please dont try and tell me i dont know what im on about.

Chill out sunny jim!!
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: mk2mark on 04 February 2008, 19:27: Ok this original post was a little unwarranted, so I've edited it out. I reckon it's fair since I was responding to your preedited post. Mate if you're a sound engineer would you ever choose your words a bit better, when you talk about ports people are gonna assume thats an helmholz enclosure port. Also apologies for the rant.
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Alpinehead on 04 February 2008, 19:30: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Edit.. end of rant??? i cool wid that.

but really i am a qual S/E!

:grin: :laugh:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: mk2mark on 04 February 2008, 19:40: Alright, forget this editing stuff! I assumed you were using the boot as an enclosure, and holes from old speakers as ports for that box. Now can you see where the confusion is coming from?
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Alpinehead on 04 February 2008, 19:44: Quote from: mk2mark on 04 February 2008, 19:40
Alright, forget this editing stuff! I assumed you were using the boot as an enclosure, and holes from old speakers as ports for that box. Now can you see where the confusion is coming from?

hahaha if thats what you thought no wonder you thought i was talkin sh1t as that would never work!!!!

glad you have understood my post`s now!

:grin:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Heyho on 04 February 2008, 20:07: Now now girls - put your handbags down, and walk away from the keyboard!

Oh, and by the way, it's ACOUSTICS!
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Alpinehead on 04 February 2008, 20:11: Quote from: Heyho on 04 February 2008, 20:07
Now now girls - put your handbags down, and walk away from the keyboard!

Oh, and by the way, it's ACOUSTICS!

HAHAHA i clocked the spelling mistake but couldnt be ar$ed to edit!!
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: russ-vdub on 07 February 2008, 14:32: ported = rock, metal, indie etc

sealed = house, drum and bass, trance, electro etc
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Uruk Hai on 07 February 2008, 17:08: Dont forget Bandpass enclosures :wink:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Heyho on 07 February 2008, 18:25: The most forgiving type of enclosure is sealed - even if the box volume isn't bang on the recommended - as it's strong and well sealed, you'll be hard pushed to make it sound bad.

Ported - can be boomy or "laggy", but usually because the box hasn't been designed specifically for the driver. Ported can be a match for sealed if done correctly, and will give more volume for the same input power (more efficient).

Bandpass is another kettle of fish - involving some serious maths and experience. Best left to those that know.
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Len on 08 February 2008, 08:42: IMO ported is better for trance with those long breakdown bass lines! Mmmmmmmm BASS!

The real best would be transmission line but difficult to achieve in a car!
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Uruk Hai on 08 February 2008, 17:25: Thats the bottom line mate, cars are a p!ss poor environment for reproducing good qaulity tunes
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: mk2mark on 08 February 2008, 18:37: Sooo true! I'm not convinced on the merits of a transmission line even in a decent system - so in a car the weight/size just seems pointless, but sounds like you agree anyway Len :smiley:

Seriously, the more experience I get with this stuff the more I tend towards sealed enclosures - hard to get wrong dynamically, small (good for car) and responsive! For the bass guitar I play I've put 2 alnico 15" speakers in a sealed enclosure and the sound is just awesome - 15's can be a bit clumsy but with the sealed enclosure they respond like 10's, and you're pushing the kind of air only 15"s can push = GO SEALED!! :smiley:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: remapped on 09 February 2008, 21:16: i would recommend sealed i have 2 JL12" in there own seal box good for mellow / chilled deep music :cool: :cool:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: vr4000d on 11 February 2008, 21:25: depends on the sub but i prefer ported boxes :D
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Uruk Hai on 12 February 2008, 19:07: Horses for course's :wink:
Title: Re: ported or unported box... which is better
Post by: Len on 12 February 2008, 19:38: I would love to do a transmission line bass speaker in a car!
Going to try it one day when I get around to sorting the ICE in my 405 Mi16. I have the space and the 12 sub in there already faces into the car behind the centre arm rest in the rear seats.