Most home systems are ported because the environment is much more controlled and the box is designed by the speaker mfr..... When you get into a car, you bring so many variables that the chances of you being able to design the right ported box, both size & port area, are very slim. MOST speaker manufactures will recommend that you stick with a sealed box as it cuts out alot of the variables that are outside their control. You may have lots of output from a ported box but there is ABSOLUTELY no way you are going to tell me sound quality is better overall than sealed. Most of the time, people really dont know what good tight bass is because they are too caught up with volume to really listen to it...
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direct quote from kicker:
Sealed (acoustic suspension) designs have been a favorite here
at Kicker since the original Competition Series was introduced. We build just
about all of our show vehicles with sealed boxes for the smooth response, good
power handling and great sound quality they offer.Comment
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Thus I have a sealed box..Originally posted by mikeinsanmarcos
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Please help me I get confused, and I am not knowledgeable on the tech side of sound systems:
Sealed box- no port i guess
Ported box- I think I got that one down
open air sub, ect...Comment
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Yep, and open air is without a box. Simple as that. :)Originally posted by kylebes1Comment
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what are the sound characteristics of each? is it all personal? and i guess each sub/sub maker has a spec sheet or something, right?Comment
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Open air is also called free air or infinate baffle... It is were you just use the trunk as the enclosure.. Not a recommended way to go!Comment
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fixed the amp. move along. :)Comment
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I have to agree with Luke, ( I'm a pro audio tech), you can get a flatter more accurate response from a ported enclosure. I don't care what "kicker" does, if they knew what they were doing they would build a better driver, (Kicker sucks IMO)
If you are having problems with frequencies dropping out or boosting up dew to your cars acoustics, that's what an EQ is for.......not enclosure design.
I get very punchy bass AND good low end response from my set up (ported) and I know what to listen for.
BUT, it is your car, whatever you prefer- do it.Comment
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Well I am shocked that any self respecting audio technician would suggest "fixing" a system with an EQ.. IMO they are bandaids for poorly planned or built systems, you shouldnt need one. But that is just my option and you know what they say about opinions...
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No amount of enclosure design will flatten out a "room", ANY room gives off different levels of frequency response and the ONLY way to get a true flat response is with an EQ. EQs are not band aids, they are an essential part of ALL pro audio set-ups. Enclosure design is for allowing the driver to do it's "best", but still will NOT be perfectly flat, and will not change the acoustics of a room. (That being said I don't run an EQ in my car and all my settings on my head unit are set to "0" (flat) But I would like to get a digital EQ one day). But every Pro Audio set up that I've seen, worked on, installed.........ect, has EQs in-line, all except "bare bones"- economy set ups (that sound like SHIT).
The reason why most people that don't know how to set up a system professionally shrug their nose at EQs, is because they don't know how to use them properly. One of the most crucial points of a Pro-Audio install is when the engineer hooks up his laptop to the system and runs a "pink noise" test and........sets the EQ.
This is where I was most of today, the recording studio, and you know what about 1/3 of the knobs are for on a board? EQ settings. Plus there is a rack to the side that houses more EQs, same with live sound.
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If you want to dial in a system that is at 9/10ths already with an eq thats one thing. If you are trying to use your eq to fix major sound problems thats a whole new issue. Telling these guys to go buy an eq to fix the frequency hole is just silly. There is a more basic problem here and an EQ bandaid is not going to fix it.. Apples to Oranges
As for a recording studio, how does that apply to a car audio? A car audio environment is a very noisy and unpredictable place in which a true flat system doesnt always sound the best for daily driving.
I have used and setup EQ's using 1/3 octive RTA's in the past and am not saying they dont have a place in competition systems, but that is a little overkill for these guys...
As for the ported enclosure, let me ask you this.. If you are preaching flat systems, why would you want a box that artificially adds a bump to a frequency range? A sealed box will give you a much flatter response that you wouldnt have to fix with an eq??Comment
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I wasn't saying to fix a "hole" in your audio system use an EQ. That would be why out of the realm of an EQ. If you are getting a "hole" in your frequency response you need to start looking at your equipment, (shity cross overs, speakers...ect), I have had no issues with a large gap in the response of my system. The point I was trying to make was: it seemed to me you were trying to fix an EQ "dip" with enclosure design. That's why I said, "If you are having problems with frequencies dropping out or boosting up dew to your cars acoustics, that's what an EQ is for.......not enclosure design."
As far as the recording studio, I said, "the same for live sound" where, no, getting a flat response is not easy, and the "environment is a very noisy and unpredictable". And I was just making a point that EQs do have their place.
As far as sealed enclosures are concerned, I personally have yet to hear one that is accurate. In the pro audio world the reason sealed enclosures are NEVER used on a sub is because of the drop out of the lower frequencies. ( this is very critical in the recording world, and I have yet to see a sealed enclosure in a studio where true reproduction is critical ) I have never seen a properly designed and built ported enclosure abnormally boosting the low end.
So no, if you are having holes in your response, do not look to an EQ to fix this, nor enclosure design ( that is if your currant enclosure is built properly and designed for your driver) But look to your equipment, ( the way it is installed and located could be causing problems also). Ported or sealed, a properly built and designed enclosure will not leave holes in the response.Comment
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Well, I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree..
Back to the problem at hand.. If you are not getting upper sub frequencys, you should check your box design and crossover settings..Comment
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Not to bust anyones balls, I just thought I'd plot my sub in it's recommended ported enclosure- green line (and for shits and grins I plotted it in a sealed one too- red line, but you can ignore that one)
But I would say its pretty damn accurate and flat up unlit roll off starting at about 35Hz, and did I mention it's ported.
Compare that to the kicker that was plotted earlier (sealed), roll off starts at about 65Hz with a 1dB gain at 70Hz......... :?
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