Optimum woofer performance depends on more than just the speaker you select. You also need to have a well-constructed subwoofer enclosure. Without an enclosure, your speakers will not deliver their full bass potential, because sound waves firing from the rear of the speaker will tend to cancel out some of the sound waves emanating from the front of the cone.
What Type of Enclosure do I need?
The type of enclosure you choose will depend largely on your listening preferences, but also on your speakers, the space constraints of your vehicle and your budget. If you have selected your subwoofers already, always start by considering the manufacturer's recommendations for enclosure type and size.
Sealed Enclosures: Tight, Deep, Accurate Bass
Sealed subwoofer enclosures are basically airtight boxes that isolate the soundwaves emanating from the rear of the speaker, preventing the cancellation effect described above. Sealed enclosures offer excellent damping and good power-handling capability, with quick, tight bass response, and a fairly flat response curve. A sealed enclosure typically requires more power than a vented (or ported) enclosure, so be sure that your amplifier will deliver ample wattage. If space is an issue in your installation, keep in mind that a sealed box will also deliver deeper bass than a ported box of the same size.
Vented or Ported Enclosures: Efficient Bass, Bigger Bass from Bigger Enclosures
Vented speaker enclosures (also known as ported enclosures) are typically larger, and somewhat more difficult to design and build properly, hence slightly more expensive to purchase than sealed enclosures. However they offer some advantages. They are more efficient (that is, they require less power) than sealed enclosures, because the vented design channels sound waves from the front and rear of the cone into the listening environment. A well-constructed vented enclosure will tend to have a reasonably flat response curve, and good reproduction of low bass with low distortion. Good for a wide variety of music, the advantages of larger, deeper-sounding vented enclosure may be particularly noticable if you enjoy to music with a lot of low, extended bass notes, such as classical music, hip-hop or rap.
You should note that many pre-built enclosures from manufacturers like Q-Logic are "convertible", allowing you to use them as either sealed or vented enclosures with the simple addition or removal of a vent plug.
Bandpass Enclosures: Give the Maximum Boost to Your Bass
Bandpass speaker enclosures consist of two chambers, one sealed and one ported. The soundwaves are reflected and emitted through the ported side, and due to the special design, the sound is extra loud within a narrow frequency range (or "band"). The result is powerful, booming low bass, at the expense of a response curve that falls off sharply outside the tuned frequency band. A bandpass enclosure may be a good choice for fans of rap, hard rock, or anyone who wants maximum "slam" from their woofers. Bandpass enclosures are very complex to design and build, and generally more expensive than either sealed or ported enclosures.
It's important to note that not all speakers will work well in bandpass enclosures. Check the manufacturer's specifications, and contact us if you have any questions.
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