Which is better 'Bandpass' or 'Sealed'?

[Luc]

If you and your buddy are just swapping boxes, but not the speakers, then DO NOT swap because either sub may not be in the proper enclosure. Bandpass only allows a small range of sound waves to pass through, and it will depend on the Fs parameter (I think) of your sub. If the bandpass box isn't tuned around that frequency, it will sound very poorly. Bandpass = sealed + ported, thus, the hardest to design. Your buddy may get the better end of the deal since most sealed boxes can work well with almost any speaker of the same size.

[rawdawg]

Smoky723,

I have a question.

Are you unsatisfied with your current set-up?

Why does your friend want to trade his set-up with yours?

Is either of your set-ups custom made or are they pre-fabbed boxes?

The relationship between the woofer and the enclosure is very important in securing well defined bass and not just low, rumbling noise. In this instance, I prefer the sealed enclosure as it has more leeway in achieving good bass. Bandpass enclosure are more difficult to build. As an aside, bandpass enclosures remind me of Bose, of which I do not particulary favor.

[smoky723]

My current setup isn't loud enough for me and he wants to trade cuz he is starting a Trucking company and he needs a smaller box so he wanted to trade and i heard that bandpass boxes are louder then normally sealed boxes..i also heard that a bandpass gets a deeper bass or as my friend put it "sound over power" is this true??

[JaJay721]

Bandpas doesn't get deeper. If you're unsatisfied with your setup I'd recommend upgrading your subs(if you kind find something in your power range and will work in your enclosure) or building yourself a new box.

[grapefury]

for classical or jazz = sealed

[finese1]

What kind of subs do you have. That is an important factor in the choice of enclosures. You can't throw this stuff around. It's like putting macoroni and cheese with broccoli. It just doesn't fit right Bandpass is for show. That's it. Yeah it's louder than a sealed but the quality is medicore.

[rawdawg]

Louder does not always equal better.

I suppose the best way to settle this is to borrow your friends set up for a day and listen to it. Use all the listening material that you normally play. If you enjoy how it sounds, then go for it.

Another question, when you speak of enclosures do you mean just the box or the box with included subwoofers? If you are getting just a box and putting in your own subwoofers, you may get a mismatch and end up being unhappy with the sound.

Do you want to know something funny? Although I am arguing in favor of sealed, in my system, at the moment, I have a bandpass subwoofer enclosure. I ran out of money when I did my front stage and bought my friend's leftover ghettofied, neon tubed, speckle painted boom box. With mirrors, mind you. In all honesty, my sub bass accuracy and output is lacking when it comes to jazz, classical and acoustic recordings. I think it's because this type of music contains a lot of notes that are below the unloading frequency of my box. But on certain types of R&B, Hip Hop and other electronically generated music, the bass is strong. It must be that high tuned 120 hz 808 kick drum that my box loves so dearly. Unfortunately, I am beyond that part of my life that loved to bump down the street. That part of me died with the passing of J. J. Fadd.

Summalumma hummalumma summalumma hummalumma, yeah...

[IBAID]

smoky, why dont u try putting ur subs in the box for a dry run?
then take it from there....that's really the only way u'll know because the diff. is subtle... like the other guy said if u want to improve ur bass u'd have to get new subs, not a new box...

[EuroCamz]

Get the program winisd. It is an engineered program which as a data base of pretty much every subwoofer ever made and tells you what kinda box you will need. hope you are good at math. Excpect to spend about 100.00USD on parts and make your own box. Much better quality sound then most boxes that you could have made. Also DIY is cheaper.

This program will tell you the specs of the box, you will just have to figure out how big to make the walls ikn order to accomadate for the cu. ft.

I have a Cerwin Vega Stroker 12". I used the program and built my own custom 3 cu. ft. box. It has two 11" ports. The sound is phenominal. I would have to say watch out when you get into my car. I hope you have ear drum insurance.

[EuroCamz]

Win ISD.

[prophesized]

if you put your subs in his bandpass box they will sound like shit. if its a prefab box then his most likely sounds like shit too. bandpass boxes can sound good and get loud but they have to be designed around the subs that are going in it.

[Erbe]

i think it can really depend on what type of power the subs u have are gonna excert....when i get my power acoustik stuff i have to put it in a ported or bandpass box because of the power