Sealed or Ported. What should You do?

Рет қаралды 14,439

3 жыл бұрын

When designing a speaker, one must ask the question. Should I build a sealed or a ported enclosure? Believe it or not, there are a few rules of thumb that will help you decide which might be best for a particular driver.
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Drivers used in this video
Ultimax 18: parts-express.sjv.io/NKxO2q
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WinISD Tutorial: • How to Use WinISD - In...
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Пікірлер: 73

@leif8436 3 жыл бұрын

The new Channel Logo and Name is superb. Looks and sounds way cleaner than the old one! Thanks for the great Video!

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks brother! I appreciate it!

@frederickwashington6482 3 жыл бұрын

It depends on the type of bass you are looking for, I prefer open subs to ported or seal.

@BrianGarside 3 жыл бұрын

Sealed all the way! Especially if your using a large 18 driver. Granted it depends how tight you like your bass and the size you have room for.

@travisabrahamson5092 2 жыл бұрын

I'm running one 18 sealed and two 10s sealed and it sounds great

@BrianGarside 2 жыл бұрын

@@travisabrahamson5092Nice blend of sizes.

@DIYAudioGuy 3 жыл бұрын

Nice!

@mw4609 3 жыл бұрын

The question isn't "Sealed or ported", the question is how long will it take to realize open-baffle is best. Good advise for those stuck in a box though, thanks for another great video!

@rogerhodgkinson5443 3 жыл бұрын

Thank You! This is a topic I’ve wondered about. I haven’t seen much on the topic. Between sealed or ported my preference is for the one that gets the best performance for the speaker.

@zardoz2627 3 жыл бұрын

Any handy calculation or indicators for selecting open baffle drivers?

@Audfile 3 жыл бұрын

Sealed. Not low enough? Add more size, box and drivers, and power. SQ all the way over ported.

@maincharacter2677 3 жыл бұрын

All you need to do if you're on a low budget is increase the size of the enclosure and other secrets too...

@davidperry4013 2 жыл бұрын

Also pay attention to the T/S parameters. You want the QES to be as close to 0.41 possible and an EBP below 100

@parkersgarage4216 5 ай бұрын

what sub do you recommend for a ported design? i want something thats gonna hit hard and not need a million watts. i know you seemed to like i think it was the mx over the ultimax. same perf but cheaper. its for a powered sub i wanna build for hopme use. movies and music

@mkshffr4936 3 жыл бұрын

Of course the preferred method is to choose the type of enclosure you want to use (my preference is sealed, OB, or TL) and choose the driver accordingly. Of course if you already have the driver... If you have a driver that wants a port try modeling it as a TL (hornresp program is free). The scuttlebutt is that TLs mitigate some of the disadvantages of normal ports.

@TylerStout 3 жыл бұрын

Lol looked at the Dayton Classic 8" I was planning on using and 80.75 for the EBP and .37 QES so it looks more geared for sealed than ported but I want that 30hz output from it so definitely doing ported but maybe I should look into a different driver. Hmmm.

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

Actually the QTS of 0.37 is below 0.4 and the EBP of 80.75 is closer to 100. So these would point it as being slightly better suited for a ported design. But if you want some serious bass, you'll have to see my next video coming out later this week 😃

@TylerStout 3 жыл бұрын

@@Toid Will do! Thanks for the reply.

@kencohagen4967 3 жыл бұрын

Ok, but now the question is, how did you pick the driver? Hat were the reasons you picked the drivers that you did?

@cosmicrider5898 3 жыл бұрын

I usually just put a tweeter in the port.

@jimgardiner1558 3 жыл бұрын

Interesting. First time I have seen this formulae for choosing a speaker. Sounds like it isn’t always right though. Maybe it is too simplistic? I designed a transmission line speaker awhile back and I agonized over driver parameters. I think the choice also depends somewhat on listening preferences. I gathered from researching it that I needed a moderately compliant speaker with lots of travel (large Xmax). I also decided that lots of electrical damping (Low Qe) would be good for better control over the cone movement (good attack and decay for clean, detailed bass). At the same time not too much mechanical damping (Qm) and low cone mass also should help with bass definition. I ended up choosing a Focal 5 1/4” square wire wound driver with Aerogel/Kevlar cone, phase plug and rubber surround. The final product turned out great, after a bit of tweaking. I had to re-listen to my whole music collection as the improved bass detail completely changed the character of the sound. I could now hear individual instruments and voice sounded more natural. At least that was my impression.

@RennieAsh 3 жыл бұрын

That’s interesting, I have some mission speakers with about the same size aerogel Audax drivers. They do surprising things for what is a small tower. Might not be as good as the Focal however

@jimgardiner1558 3 жыл бұрын

@@RennieAsh I always liked Mission speakers. Nice European sound with clean bass and good detailed treble. The woofers I used were Focal 5W 4252 paired with Focal TC90TD5B tweeters.

@TheTrueVoiceOfReason 3 жыл бұрын

I've got acoustic suspension, bass reflex, open back. Quasi-line array in the works, along with plans for a L/R based on some drivers courtesy Nick. On my wish list is a transmission line and an open baffle (last on the list since room is at a premium). Point being that the driver needs to match the design parameters of the enclosure type. The deeper you dive into how everything works the more you understand that there are many more details considered for each design, not just sealed /ported / driver size and power. And Qts & EBP are a good place to start with decisions for your desired design goals. Looking forward to more vids and interaction on the site. Catch you there!

@Paranimal86 3 жыл бұрын

Im biased because I love sealed subs, but I always say go with sealed. You get tons of accuracy not bloated and tactile bass as long as you have a big enough driver and amp you will have plenty of output. My sealed HSU 15" sub shakes my whole house... I loved it so much I bought a second one lol. Things like tank shells are a lot more articulate compared to the ported I use to have, also music is better with sealed. I know this video is more about is the driver is better suited for sealed or ported but my opinion overall is that sealed subs are better.

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

Those HSU research subs are amazing! Parts Express had all the components at the last tent sale to build your own. They even had the enclosure. All the parts were under $200 combined. If I would have had a big enough vehicle to bring home some of the enclosures, I would have definitely done it.

@Paranimal86 3 жыл бұрын

@@Toid By the way great video! I didnt know driver types change what type of enclosure they are better suited for. They sell the HSU drivers on Parts Express form time to time? I didnt know that... I actually have an extra HSU ULS-15 MK2 driver right now cause it has a slight manufacturing flaw. When my sub would go in the sub 25hz it would make a rattle like sound my other sub wouldn't so HSU sent me a second one after doing some tests. I think the driver itself is actually fine but something within it is wasn't aligned properly and causing something to hit in the crazy low frequencies. Ive been throwing around the idea of buying an enclosure to and amp to build a 3rd sub. Im not sure what to look for when pairing it with an amp... I know those HSU amps are awesome, is there something on parts express that's similar to HSU bash amps that you think would pair well with that driver?

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

@@Paranimal86 They do. They actually had the amplifiers as well. I picked up two 350w HSU research amplifiers, that you will see on this channel. During the tent sale, they sold them for $20 each. I couldn't pass that deal up. They did have a bunch of their subs for sale as well. They were factory buyouts, but have sense sold out. You can always jumpo on the forum and we can see about designing something for that third sub. But it sounds like a mechanical issue, so you might be out of luck.

@mfkhometheater7742 3 жыл бұрын

I look at Qts, if it's 0.4 or below I put the woofer in open baffle and use DSP to make it do what I want it to do. If it's 0.4 or above I put it in open baffle and use DSP to make it do what I want it to do.;-) Ok, sometimes I might go infinite baffle. Ported? Never!

@romanberry 3 жыл бұрын

Watchers/readers should remember that this is all "rule of thumb" and not hard and fast. I've used drivers with a Q as high as 0.61 in ported (C4 alignment) vented boxes. Of course box size gets huge and there is ripple in the response, but sometimes you have design goals and lack of constraints on box size where this is perfectly OK. Don't get caught up on the numbers. Investigate the possible designs and then decide. And don't be afraid to experiment. (Also, my rule of thumb for beginners: Build a sealed box, acoustic suspension, Alpha of 3 or higher.)

@kencooper2059 3 жыл бұрын

And then there's passive radiators. I have really warmed up to those recently, kinda gives you the best of both sealed and ported.

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

I do love me some passive radiators. As far as the calculations are concerned, a PR is considered a ported box. So you will want to look for a driver better suited for ported enclosures.

@BrianGarside 3 жыл бұрын

Passive is a great compromise. REL uses this on their smaller subs. Offers all the accuracy with more bass extension with out loosing control or overhang.

@VINNY5674 3 жыл бұрын

My Definitive technology suber cubes have 2 passive radiators and I am absolutely in love with the bass. I like deep tight bass. I find passive radiators kinda provide an acoustic spring keeping the bass tight and it is considered ported so best of both worlds all in a small enclosure

@BrianGarside 3 жыл бұрын

@@VINNY5674 Absolutely, Great design, more should use it.

@yttean98 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, I like your channel, I have 1 question about building homemade subwoofer, a. Can I use car subwoofer for home use ie house in a typical hifi enclosure(not car)? Can you explain if the answer is either yes or no, ie pros and cons? The reason I pick it is the price is relative affordable, Skar brand is very good car subwoofer as well as cheap. Thanks.

@randomtube8226 3 жыл бұрын

Car audio is made for music. Around 30hz minimum. Car audio is made for small spaces like inside the cabin of a vehicle. So basically near field in you home in a small room. Yes car audio can work in your home. Hope this helps.

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

It is really all dependent on the subwoofer and the application. But as mentioned above, they typically aren't designed the same, so with home use there are some limitations. If you want to jump on the forum, I am sure we can take a look at the exact model and help you learn how to model it to see what those limitations are and if it would work out for what you want to do.

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

The forum is www.toidsdiyaudio.com/community

@yttean98 3 жыл бұрын

@@Toid thks.

@henriknilsson3500 3 жыл бұрын

Might ask this w/o reply since i guess you can´t keep track of all comments in all your posted vids, but i´ll try anyway´s... Am completely new to building speakers but going at it anyway. In this vid you are talking about that EBP and Q can be contradictory. Building a couple of small concretespeakers around the Dayton Audio PS95-8 and man are you right! EBP of 150 and Q of 0,72. So the EBP tells me to choose a ported enclosure and the Q a sealde or infinite baffle!? How the heck am i going to make any use of numbers that contradictory??? Seen the speaker being used in both but find it hard to decide, and even more so after doing the recommended calculations. Math sucks! :(

@juanmartinvk 3 жыл бұрын

First lol. Nice new channel name

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

Holy cow! You are fast! Thank you brother. I appreciate hearing that about the name. Seemed to make more sense than the old one. Hopefully, it'll be easier for people to remember as well. 😃

@r3d1911 3 жыл бұрын

always sealed for me. but for pure SPL i would imagine ported

@laura0334 3 жыл бұрын

why its better?

@abelscaliber7969 3 жыл бұрын

@@laura0334 let’s say you want mainly lows (30-35hz) you’ll get a 6db boost at that frequency with ported However you’ll lose 50-65hz db maybe -3-6db

@incorporeal3793 3 жыл бұрын

I can't seem to get Win isd to work keeps telling me I need a huge box volume. Tried inputting the ts numbers in two ways with the same results. :)

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

Those are just suggested box volumes. you can edit them down and see how and what changes. But oftentimes with drivers, you'll need a very large box to get a real low tuning. It's based around Hoffman's law.

@incorporeal3793 3 жыл бұрын

@@Toid Cool, I shall give it another bash and play around to see what happens.

@arande3 3 жыл бұрын

@@incorporeal3793 Just remember there's a limit to what WinISD can do. I built a subwoofer some years back, 12 years ago now, and I remember I decided to put an 18" driver with a 9cuft vas and fs of 26hz in a 38 cubic foot enclosure tuned to 7hz. It did work technically (94dB at 6hz in my house), but it worked much better when I eventually put it in a smaller box (20 cubes now) tuned to 28hz. I did try various tunings with the big box but I think with such a large box there are losses of some kind that I don't know about, maybe relative to woofer size or port location. Whatever it is, be reasonable about box size.

@varunmehta1821 3 жыл бұрын

I am a huge fan of sealed cabinets with woofers. But always ported for sub woofers.

@Audfile 3 жыл бұрын

If your goal is not to listen to music, but to be heard down the block, then yes, ported.

@cargillmonteque2311 3 жыл бұрын

@@Audfile is ported better for music

@BrianGarside 3 жыл бұрын

@@Audfile Exactly. Accuracy or SPL.

@BrianGarside 3 жыл бұрын

@@cargillmonteque2311 Sealed is better for music. Some like ported for Movies since they can go a bit deeper but have a sharper roll off

@thecman26 2 жыл бұрын

Not everyone has 11+ cubic feet of space for a subwoofer. So the 4 cuft sealed may be a better option.

@pasansenarath5990 3 жыл бұрын

how to decide between front port and rear port

@Drunken_Hamster 3 жыл бұрын

*_B A N D P A S S_*

@ubacow7109 3 жыл бұрын

Sealed~

@IgnoranceBegetsConfidence 3 жыл бұрын

for music neither.

@FSXgta 3 жыл бұрын

Ported for life. Maybe sealed when im old and have lots of money 😂

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

haha. It is much harder to get low bass sealed without using multiple subwoofers.

@kencooper2059 3 жыл бұрын

Just depends on the application. Or home theater, ported usually works best. Sealed can often be more musical. But, there are always exceptions.

@randomtube8226 3 жыл бұрын

It should be for application first. For music you may only need 30hz minimum and for movies 20hz minimum. For music quality you might be able to get away with sealed. For home you may be able to get away with ported. It amazes me how hard it is to achieve quality 20hz. I have several lower end svs powered subs and even though the frequency response goes below 20hz. They dont seem optimized for that kind of response. The sound is sloppy and struggles to perform well in that region

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

That especially happens when you have a subwoofer that is playing notes below the tuning frequency of a ported system. The driver starts to loose control. It's part of the reason people love the Ultimax 18. You can tune it to 17hz. In theory, you should not get that sloppy bass.

@randomtube8226 3 жыл бұрын

@@Toid I thought that SVS was a good brand for powered subwoofers. Even their entry level subs should be good. I have the ported version. It claims to be able to go to 19hz. Im kinda thinking that the reason it is sloppy with anything under 30hz. Could be because of the cheap enclosure and port.

@Toid 3 жыл бұрын

@@randomtube8226 it could be. But just because someone says that it can go down to 19 hertz, doesn't mean it's tuned to 19 Hertz. It could very well be tuned to 30 HZ and able to play down to 19 Hertz. The diners for example are tune to around 40 HZ and have an F3 of 35 HZ.

@randomtube8226 3 жыл бұрын

@@Toid I wonder if I can find a better driver that would do better in the range that im trying to achieve. But im not sure about a 10in sub.

@maincharacter2677 3 жыл бұрын

Random Tube Make sure you find a better placement for those subwoofers maybe that's your problem. I can reach under 17hz with my custom sealed 12" subwoofer I designed. I rattle my radiator and living front door with it.

@BigSmartArmed 3 жыл бұрын

Neither - passive radiator for box or open baffle if there is a house with space to gut. Sealed box sounds great but drops out on low end and needs a lot more power. Other exotics are too difficult to calculate and construct for novice builders. Transmission line, folded horn, tapped horn, etc.