ported or unported box... which is better

[boneybradley]

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

[Heyho]

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.

[Uruk Hai]

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.

[Alpinehead]

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!!!

[Uruk Hai]

Removeing the standard speakers doesnt port anything, the boot isnt air tight enough to make any audibal difference to the way the system sounds.

[boneybradley]

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!!

[Uruk Hai]

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. 

[Hurdy]

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.

[Alpinehead]

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. 

i got the idea from castle speakers, £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!

 

[mk2mark]

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