ported boxes are nice but take up a lot of room, sealed boxes give you a punchier bass and take up a lot less space, there isn't a huge difference in sound but I listen to mostly rock and country and I like the sealed box better. ported boxes will make you truck rumble when you crank it

 

You've obviously never listened to a properly ported box, then.

 

Amen. There's a reason why all the SQ guys build ported boxes, there must be more than 1 way to do it...

 

for a truck since thats wghat youre putting it in i would suggest a sealed box the car itself acts as a port a ported box only sounds good in a trunk since the trunk itself is sealed

 

huh? Sorry your grammar is slightly painful to read. Can you explain a little more on this ported in a ported theory? have you heard of boxes called 6th orders? Just trying to get an explanation on this view not calling you out.

 

Ported enclosures can have just as tight and punchy a response as a sealed enclosure. Sealed enclosures can have a loose and sloppy sound. It's all in the design and alignment that a person chooses to use that determines the final response. The problem with most users of ported enclosures that don't like them is that they either don't understand the fundamentals when designing and building or they base their opinion on a pre-fabricated enclosure that has very poor design or at least a design that doesn't fit their driver or goals for the response. Another problem is that people don't design their systems around what they really want. Most people assume you can add a pair of subs and be done. Often times they're left wanting more or blaming the equipment they used on the fact it doesn't sound like they want it to. They fail to realize that 90% of the frequencies they can hear are reproduced by the other speakers, not the subs. Most people just don't realize the impact a good set of components, an amp and proper installation can have on the sound of their music. Anyway, size is the only real difference between sealed and ported that can be a real negative, they are larger and there's no way around that.

To the OP, if you're wanting to save cargo space then you should go sealed, the subs can perform very well for you in a sealed enclosure. However, if cargo space isn't at a premium I think you could easily enjoy a ported enclosure, especially if it's properly designed and built.

 

see the truck itself acts as a port to a sealed box ported boxes are more for cars since the trunks are sealed watch put a sealed box in your truck bump it and open the windows it sounds a lot better with a ported box in a truck you lose too much air. and yes the bigger the box the better the box i have for my 12s takes out my backseat completely

 

pleaaaaase use punctuation.

Second, bigger doesn't automatically mean better.

I have a 10" MTX thunder 5000 250w rms sub that sounds like **** in a 1 foot cubic box.

Just barely holding it over the hole of a 12" box 1/4 the size makes it sound much louder.

So don't tell anyone that a box is always going to be better if it's bigger.

Boxes need to be 2 things: ported or sealed. Every sub has specific dimensions for each of those. The next best thing is just keeping the overall total size of the box if you need to make a custom box because the original design won't fit where you need/want it.

But I like what you said about ported vs sealed boxes and the types of vehicles to put them in.

 

dont forget AP

 

You see, here's a comment I have trouble with. Would you explain HOW the truck acts as a port to a sealed enclosure? Technically if the truck was acting as A port then it wouldn't be a sealed enclosure anymore would it?

What does the trunks being sealed have to do with a ported enclosure being more suited to the application? Do you have any idea how many people out there with trunk cars seal the enclosure to the cabin of the car? When they do that it's then the same as putting the enclosure in the back of an SUV or behind the seat of a truck.

Lose too much air? That's another comment I would really like to hear your explanation on. Have you ever watched any videos on YouTube? There's tons of videos on there of trucks with ported enclosures in them. Then there's a great number of those videos of the same guys metering at competitions and doing more than very well. Your comment basically states that EVERY one of those individuals are wrong in what they're doing.


This, well, completely depends on the sub and enclosure alignment. There are great advantages as well as disadvantages to running enclosures on the large side.

PLEASE don't feel like I'm attacking you personally here, that's not my intention, nor am I trying to be a dick. I'm wanting to get you and everyone else who's reading to think about what's being said. There is a great deal of misinformation on the internet and being taught to people in general. That misinformation leads people to believe these kinds of thoughts or opinions are rule of thumb just because they know one or more people who had the same problem or experience.

There's a great many people out there who don't like ported enclosures, mainly due to the fact they couldn't get one to work for them. Ported enclosures simply don't allow much error in the design or construction to sound good. I've known ALOT of people who've taken their sealed enclosures and just drilled/cut a hole in it trying to make a ported enclosure and were more than disappointed with the results not knowing that it just can't work that way. Afterward though, they simply believe ported enclosures suck.

The fact is no matter what you drive or listen to the enclosure type you choose has to be designed around the intended purpose as they all have pros and cons that can built upon or worked around. Ported, 4th order bandpass, 6th order bandpass, transmission line, horn loaded and any isobaric combination of any enclosure are all much more complicated to design AND build than a sealed enclosure. Sealed enclosures work great for almost any driver and application. However, the others can easily out perform the sealed enclosure in the same application (not necessarily the same driver) when the design, construction and implementation are optimal for the type chosen.

If ported enclosures were so narrowly applicable and horrible, then why would almost EVERY SPL competitor use them? Why would house speakers costing >$100,000 use them? Even SQ competitors use them very often. It takes time to research, learn, and build doing a bit of trial and error to learn the do's and dont's of enclosure design and construction, no matter what type it is. Sealed makes it easy, lots less to know and much more forgiving when it's wrong. Just because you've had a bad experience with a ported enclosure, don't discount them entirely, you're likely missing out on more than you know.



I'm just trying to get folks to open their eyes a little. There is no perfect rule of thumb for EVERY application, there can't be. Just understand that saying things like, "Ported enclosures do not work in trucks." is like saying "Red cars ALWAYS go faster than any other color." Then going and trying to race your red truck against a white Ferrari for pinks.