Ported VS Sealed
05-24-2007, 04:24 PM
#1
Ported VS Sealed
well i have been wonderin latley if a ported enclosure is easier on your sub as far as cooling goes i mean any one know i run sealed and i know ported can be louder but i have been wondering this latly
Todd
Todd
05-24-2007, 04:59 PM
#2
so you are looking at a sealed box with something that is giving off heat. what point or how long of playing at high power would it need to kill a sub ?
i do see where a ported box would not need to think about it
but
at what point would a sub overheat in free air and are you going to try this
so same type of sub is 3 types of boxs what set up will die 1st
1 sealed
2 ported
3 free air
is how i see it but the time MMMMMM 1. 2hrs 2. 3hrs 4. 4hrs if sub is played at full power but i may be way off here
i do see where a ported box would not need to think about it
but
at what point would a sub overheat in free air and are you going to try this
so same type of sub is 3 types of boxs what set up will die 1st
1 sealed
2 ported
3 free air
is how i see it but the time MMMMMM 1. 2hrs 2. 3hrs 4. 4hrs if sub is played at full power but i may be way off here
05-24-2007, 06:24 PM
#5
In a sealed box the air trapped inside acts as suspension for the sub.
In a ported box, by sending too much power below the tuning point you can easily bottom a sub and shred it.
Ive never had any problems with my subs dying and I run sealed exclusively... and moreover, I usually run my subs within an inch of their lives with regard to power.
For example, my Kicker S10L5 was rated for 400 watts rms, and I fed it 500 rms daily, beating it hard for 3 years with no failures, in a slightly undersized sealed box.
In other words, I wouldnt worry about it.
In a ported box, by sending too much power below the tuning point you can easily bottom a sub and shred it.
Ive never had any problems with my subs dying and I run sealed exclusively... and moreover, I usually run my subs within an inch of their lives with regard to power.
For example, my Kicker S10L5 was rated for 400 watts rms, and I fed it 500 rms daily, beating it hard for 3 years with no failures, in a slightly undersized sealed box.
In other words, I wouldnt worry about it.
05-24-2007, 10:07 PM
#9
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 870
Most transducers (speakers) are about 3% efficient
That means that for 500 watts going to your sub, 15 watts are converted to acoustical power or sound, and 485 watts are converted to heat.
Something like an incandescant light bulb.....so your 500 watts will dissapate as much heat as 5 100 watt light bulbs.
If the cone is warm....well then the plastics of the cone could melt, or the voicecoil could burn.
Ported boxes have the advantage of increased air pressure at the tuned frequency, at the expense of almost no air suspension below the tuned frequency.
The combination of extra air flow into the ported box, along with the extra pressure at the tuned frequency, can increase thermal failure limits. Playing notes below the tuned frequency, however will result in mechanical failure first.
A subsonic filter is an absolute requirement for a ported enclosure, both for protection of the sub, and drastically improved SQ.
As the size of a sealed enclosure increases, there is an increase in the heat dissapation of the sub/box, but a decrease in the mechanical limits of the sub, as well as an increase in the low frequency extension. So again a subsonic filter can help.
Bottom line is....if the cone is getting warm, or you can smell it....it's too much power.....if you can hear it "pfluck"....it's too much excursion.....either way....turn it down a tad. And make sure your filter is tuned properly, or get one if you don't already have one.
That means that for 500 watts going to your sub, 15 watts are converted to acoustical power or sound, and 485 watts are converted to heat.
Something like an incandescant light bulb.....so your 500 watts will dissapate as much heat as 5 100 watt light bulbs.
If the cone is warm....well then the plastics of the cone could melt, or the voicecoil could burn.
Ported boxes have the advantage of increased air pressure at the tuned frequency, at the expense of almost no air suspension below the tuned frequency.
The combination of extra air flow into the ported box, along with the extra pressure at the tuned frequency, can increase thermal failure limits. Playing notes below the tuned frequency, however will result in mechanical failure first.
A subsonic filter is an absolute requirement for a ported enclosure, both for protection of the sub, and drastically improved SQ.
As the size of a sealed enclosure increases, there is an increase in the heat dissapation of the sub/box, but a decrease in the mechanical limits of the sub, as well as an increase in the low frequency extension. So again a subsonic filter can help.
Bottom line is....if the cone is getting warm, or you can smell it....it's too much power.....if you can hear it "pfluck"....it's too much excursion.....either way....turn it down a tad. And make sure your filter is tuned properly, or get one if you don't already have one.
Last edited by Starterwiz; 05-24-2007 at 10:16 PM.
05-25-2007, 02:41 PM
#10
Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 16,855
Originally Posted by dogstar
In a sealed box the air trapped inside acts as suspension for the sub.
In a ported box, by sending too much power below the tuning point you can easily bottom a sub and shred it.
Ive never had any problems with my subs dying and I run sealed exclusively... and moreover, I usually run my subs within an inch of their lives with regard to power.
For example, my Kicker S10L5 was rated for 400 watts rms, and I fed it 500 rms daily, beating it hard for 3 years with no failures, in a slightly undersized sealed box.
In other words, I wouldnt worry about it.
In a ported box, by sending too much power below the tuning point you can easily bottom a sub and shred it.
Ive never had any problems with my subs dying and I run sealed exclusively... and moreover, I usually run my subs within an inch of their lives with regard to power.
For example, my Kicker S10L5 was rated for 400 watts rms, and I fed it 500 rms daily, beating it hard for 3 years with no failures, in a slightly undersized sealed box.
In other words, I wouldnt worry about it.
Over the woofer's operational range, a vented box tends to have less driver excursion than a sealed box (that's not grossly undersized) thus you can apply more power before overexcurting.
I run my vented MTX 8s with almost double the rated power in a vented box that is on the largish side for them and have had no failures in 2 years.
Enclosures don't kill drivers - morons kill drivers.
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