Uh, I have never seen a sealed sub in a competition vehicle...

Why not try them both, see what you like better?

I've been through all enclosures. I had a pair of 12's (eD 13kv2's), and first I had them 3cf ported @ 27hz. They got pretty loud, and had a decently flat response. I did notice on quick bass stuff they got pretty sloppy after awhile (especially on "the new workout plan" by kanye west), which led to me sealing them up (2cf, common chamber). After I sealed them, I noticed a drop in SPL (expected), but the increases in SQ was very apparent. They never missed a beat, and were still quite loud.

Cliff notes.

If SPL is your main goal, port it, and tune around 35hz.

If SQ is your goal, throw it in a sealed box.

If you would like both, but with a nod towards SPL, throw it in a ported box, and tune low (like 27hz).


The thing about ported boxes is that in activity below tuning, there is a steep cutoff slope. Say you have a box tuned to 35 hz... it's not going to produce 20hz work as well as a sealed box would, and it would be more "peaky" and less flat.

 

Also under the tuning freq the sub unloads and acts like there is no box at all. This can cause overexcursion and a broken sub. This is why subsonic filters are a good idea and can be more important the higher the tuning.

 

very good points.

97teg: i was told that any box tuned under 30hz or tuned really really low shouldnt need a subsonic filter. the port itself acts like one.

 

Im not sure if that is the case. I think its not as much of an issue when tuned low because for most music there just isnt that much information below 30hz or so.

Also sealed boxes can also produce peaky responses. The smaller the box gets the bigger the peak tends to get. You also begin to trade efficiency.

 

^^ and powerhandling