4th order ratio opinions?

[DylanBunch]

im going to be doing a c pillar 4th order wall (hopefully soon) and with the help of a swell guy on here whose giving me a kickass design ive got about 21cbft to work with (not sure exactly yet but probably 20-22). The subs are 2 x 18s and im not sure if i should try for a 2:1 ratio or give the subs the sealed space they need and get the ported size as big as i can. If i give the subs the proper sealed amount the box will be 8 sealed 12-14 ported. or i can do 7 sealed 13-15 ported. Any suggestions from people with 4th order experience?

[TeamHT]

I don't know if so much importance should be placed on the ratio. When I was building and testing bandpass enclosures, I went 2:1, 2.5:2, 3:1 and once even 4:1. The larger ratios I used were much better suited to SPL and peaked much much louder than the lower rarios. I also had a couple issues with unloading with doors open. The lower ratio definitely did better for daily music listening and you always hear 2:1 is a pretty normal standard for beginners. If you've never designed or built one, maybe just play it safe and go that route.

I'd recommend that...or do like sani has suggested in the past. Just build the sealed side to your desired spec or f3 point, then build the ported to preference for falloff.

[DylanBunch]

actually, i wasnt too clear, but my post is more about would i lose more output having a smaller sealed side but 2:1 ratio or lose more output having the recommended sealed side but under a 2:1 ratio.

[TeamHT]

I doubt there would be a lot issues going from 1.85:1 to 2:1 to 2.15:1

[DylanBunch]

yeah i didnt think so... Ill probably go with the recommended sealed side and try to squeeze as much as i can for a ported side, experiment on win isd to get an idea. How does the f3 point effect 4th orders? Like what do subs do under the f3 point