Ported or bandpass

[Quiet]

Ported:

Pros:

4/10 difficulty to build

4/10 difficulty to calculate enclosure size.

Fairly predictable response curve.

Adds 2-5db more db over sealed.

Better sound quality typically over sealed/4th order at extreme volume levels.

Cons: If not tuned properly, (or if you use a prefab) you can easily have a really shitty boomy sound. This is why people claim ported boxes are only for Rap and Hip Hop.

Can lose cone control at frequencies under the tuning frequency of the port

some people say not as "tight" as sealed, therefore less SQ. This is highly debatable, as build quality makes all the difference in the world.

Bandpass:

Pros:

many different types to choose from (4th order, 6th order parallel tuned, 6th order series tuned, 8th order).

Can achieve extremely high SPL pretty easily.

Bandpass works by concentrating the output around the frequency you tune to. Higher and lower frequencies just rolloff naturally, hence the name bandpass.

4th order bandpass enclosures often have less audible distortion than ported or sealed.

Gain of 4 to 10db over sealed, 2 to 5db over ported. Typically.

Cons:

6/10 difficulty to calculate, build and tune a 4th order. Gets harder as you go higher in order (4th orders not too bad but good luck trying an 8th order).

Your measurements when building better be spot on.

Common mistakes like putting the basket in the sealed chamber of a 4th order will make it easier to toast your sub, since you won't smell burning coil as easily.

Takes up a lot of fucking room. Hope you have an SUV.

Harder to remove your sub in case you need to recone or upgrade your sub

[Dax]

I guess then I need to ask what would be better for playing all different sorts of music? I don't really care about the size or difficulty in building the box. I just want the Best sounding and I thought I read somewhere that bandpass sounded better on music so i wanted to do some research before I built my next box.

I have built a ported box before(thanks to torres) so maybe I should build a small bandpass and see which I like more? If that is the case where do you start when designing a Bandpass Box for a single 12?

[Quiet]

It depends on what you think the "best sound" sounds like. I think ported sounds great, and provides lots of SQ if built right with the right sub. The wrong sub in a ported box will sound like ass. The wrong sub in a sealed box will sound like ass. Why don't you come up with a couple of your own ideas and post them here for advice?

Here's a couple of suggestions:

http://dbdynamixaudio.com/4th-order-bandpass-enclosure-calculator/

WinISD

Torres

Personally, I use WinISD to model my enclosure's response curve, and then plot out my enclosure on paper. Back in the day, you crunched the math by hand.

[Dax]

Ok i will try it is there a certain ratio i should use of ported to sealed?

[Quiet]

There are people here in SMD that when they talk 4th order all they think about is ratio. There's a lot more to a 4th order than ratio. If you model it, you at least get a hint at what it's gonna sound like.

[Riversidemfcka]

bandpass

[dwright27]

If you do a band pass and want a flat response stay around a 1:1 - 2:1 ratio. For 12s I'd use .7 sealed per sub.

14 - 20 square inches of port per cube ported.

[Dax]

Kinda off topic, but why would you use 2 1500's? A single 1.1500 should be more than enough for those subs, even at 2 ohms.

because I looked at the wrong rating, thanks for pointing that out.

If you do a band pass and want a flat response stay around a 1:1 - 2:1 ratio. For 12s I'd use .7 sealed per sub.

14 - 20 square inches of port per cube ported.

So I would have 2.8 cubes sealed and like 5.6 ported for 4 subs right.

And what should I tune the ported side to?

[brian222]

thats what im wondering too...i hear tuning to a higher frequency for bandpass is better but idk if its true i like the lower end like 37-50hz but maybe thats bcuz ive had ported boxes, bandpass ive read people tuning to 50-65hz but like i said im sure theres a rule for it and im pretty sure its different than just a ported box been searching for an explanation on this so hopefully someone will respond to this post...until then go to the12volt.com theres a port calculator there amongst other cool stuff

[321slapinbass]

yeah you have no clue.... a 4th order tuned to 50hz can play into the mid to low 30hz range. if you were to tune a 4th order to the same frequency as you would a regular ported box, lets say 35hz then the 4th order would actually play down to like 15hz lol.

thats what im wondering too...i hear tuning to a higher frequency for bandpass is better but idk if its true i like the lower end like 37-50hz but maybe thats bcuz ive had ported boxes, bandpass ive read people tuning to 50-65hz but like i said im sure theres a rule for it and im pretty sure its different than just a ported box been searching for an explanation on this so hopefully someone will respond to this post...until then go to the12volt.com theres a port calculator there amongst other cool stuff