I know that sealed boxes are for sound quality and ported boxes are for SPL. I was wondering how big of a difference in SPL is there between a sealed and a ported box? Will it be a large difference?
i beleive its somewhere aorund 3Dbs....not possitive, ported will allow your sub to hit harder with less power...
annanymoose
Unregistered guest
Posted on
how audiable is 3Dbs? I guess what I'm asking is if I went with a sealed box as apposed to a ported box i would still feel it in my chest with an RE x x x12?
3 db is a definate noticeable difference. Ported boxes can have great SQ when done right, and can also offer more than 3 db. Peak SPL from a well designed ported box can sometimes give 5-6 db more SPL(at the tuned freq. of course), even more from a strictly SPL tuned ported box with lots of power. The typical "sealed for SQ, ported for SPL" isn't exactly a good principle to go by. A well designed ported box can sound just as good (sometimes better) than sealed. The key to good sound quality ported is to tune lower, try to simulate a rolloff somewhat similar to a sealed box (tuning low does this to an extent, depending on box size), and always use as large of a port area as you can allow, this eliminates port noise and also allows the sub to have good transient response. Of course, it's dependant on the sub as well, some subs are designed for ported boxes, some strictly for sealed, and some with a happy middle working very well in either. The manufacturer will tell you if their sub can work well ported.