Ok. I don't have a system, yet. Planning on getting one in a year or two. I was at Best Buy, and was listenin to their stuff. I noticed that the dual bandpass boxes sounded a lot better than the normal boxes. Lookin on ebay, they weren't very expensive, either. Why do they sound so much better? Also, do only certain brands sound better, if so which.
And... If I got a dual box, whether banbpass or normal, what would be the best set of 12" subs to put in there for around $200.
Last but not least... My friend said something about down firing subs. He said they'd shake the doo doo out my car (2000 Volkswagon Beetle). Are they worth it??
Thanks.
Cameron Field
Posted on
Hello...anyone?
motoman22
Posted on
Hey Cameron
Bandpass boxes can be much louder than typical sealed of vented boxes...but only over a specific band of sound. If you have a bandpass box set at 100hz, you can't hear crap at 150hz and can't hear crap at 50hz (not that you could anyway...) The design of the box only allows certain frequencies to pass and those frequencies are greatly amplified.
"Why do they sound so much better?" They don't. It's misleading and a scary thing about bandpass boxes because the distortion that you are used to hearing on subs that are turned up too loudly is NOT inside the band of sound that the box is tuned for. Yes, this means that distortion is hidden..it is still there and your speakers are still screaming for mercy but you can only hear the boom.
"Also, do only certain brands sound better, if so which."
Yes, buying a generic bandpass box and putting your choice of subs in it is always the worst option. Sealed boxes are pretty forgiving, ported boxes are pretty tough to build properly and the box is matched to the specific model of speaker. Bandpass boxes are actually two boxes (or more) surrounding a single speaker...you have two boxes to tune and each has to be perfect.
If you want a bandpass box, you MUST make sure the box is specifically designed for that particular speaker or it will not sound right. It may sound 'good' but you don't know good until you hear the proper setup. I can tell you that being off by as much as .01 cubic feet or 1/2" on port length can make a fantastic box sound like crap.
"My friend said something about down firing subs."
It hides distortion, covers up a bad install..but it can protect the speaker. There are no specific benefits to pointing a subwoofer into the carpet. It's a myth.
teflondog
Posted on
a bandpass box is meant to filter out all frequencies except the one that it is tuned to. only a certain frequency (band) is allowed to pass; hence the name "bandpass". if you decide to get one, make sure it is tuned by a pro because it could have insane distortion without you knowing it. listen to motoman.