2000SEBlack

I'm running a Audiobahn Alum12Q 1000 watt sub with a 800 watt MTX Thunder 801D.

Sealed box or Bandpass?

AscendantMax

iTrader: (7)

I'd go with sealed anyday. My tens are in a sealed box. Sound quality is much better, but if you want more boom go with bandpass. Just a note though, it's harder to hear distortion in a bandpass configuration. Your subs might be screaming at you to turn it down, but by the time you do hear it, it might be too late.

Maxima Dan

Have you considered ported? It will give you more output than sealed and sound a heck of a lot better than bandpass.

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

yeah id completely get rid of the bandpass option and say sealed or ported. whats the actual rms of that mtx amp?

vqman

do you want "tight" bass for rock and roll or do you want "boomy" bass for r&b

I've always been told rock listeners are better off going "sealed" and as small as the specs allow.

If your listening to heavy B-B-B-B- BAAASSS then you should consider ported.

but I'm not 100% sure on that. any experts feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

-vq

Dohcser

Sealed is best utilized if you are dedicated to Sound Quality (SQ), however it is not very efficient.

I personally would not go Bandpass, first it is the most difficult to build and it is not very forgiving.

Ported is what I would do, however it does take some math. Ensure that your ports are tuned properly for the sub. Also make sure your sub can be utilized in a ported enclosure.

2000SEBlack

the rms of the mtx amp is 800watts.

if i go for a ported box, how do i know what frequency the correctly tuned box would be??

(sub I'm getting is an audiobahn alum12Q)

Dohcser

To put it in simplistic terms, your Tuning Frequency is where the enclosure will perform to it's best.

2000SEBlack

so i went to the audiobahn website and it said that for the alum12Q model, it is designed for a small sealed enclosure:

smaller the enclosure = higher power handling and higher frequency capabilities

larger the enclosure = lower frequency capabilities but lower power handling

the smallest sealed box that should be used is .5 cu. ft. and the largest is 2 cu ft.

i listen to a lot of hiphop, but i listen to a lot of rock and the type as well.

i dont know what to do!!

MannyNJ2k2max

iTrader: (3)

with those subs i'd go ported....they aren't really known for great SQ

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

well if they say use sealed, grab a sealed box and put it in. imo if you want to have some decent rock music gong id put it in a sealed box for that sub.

2000SEBlack

slick -

what is "putting it in. imo"??

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

put the sub in the box. and imo= in my opinion.

Kojiro_FtT

I always tell people these basic criteria to help them choose:
Sealed - Tighter bass, smaller box.
Ported - Louder bass, medium box.
Bandpass - Most difficult to design and build properly, largest box.

Usually the space thing makes them decide. Some don't mind sacrificing a little space for more bass with a ported. But rarely do people want to go to bandpass size. And also bandpass design is less forgiving. You can pretty much throw a sub into an appropriately sized pre-fab sealed/ported box and be ready to roll. But bandpass isn't quite so simple.

AscendantMax

iTrader: (7)

if you listen to rock, put it in a sealed box. i listen to some rock as well, and it sounds pretty good in a sealed setup.

2000SEBlack

i listen to rap too...will a sealed box give me hard hitting bass that rap and hip hop lovers like too??

Maxima Dan

A ported enclosure will get you around a 3dB gain over an equivalent sealed sub. I am not sure why everyone here is saying that a ported box is for rap and a sealed box is for rock. If you want a box that booms and don't really care about SQ tune it higher. If you want to have SQ plus the gain of a ported design, tune it low (30Hz or lower).

I listen to all types of music with my ported design.

AscendantMax

iTrader: (7)

a sealed box can give some boom. I can rattle the crap out of my rear deck and trunk with some Lil Jon playing...must get some dynamat soon though

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

a sealed box will give you plenty of boom. vie noticed remarkable difference just by moving my box from the front of the trunk to the back by the tail lights.

HitManSE

iTrader: (1)

Sealed over bandpass anyday. Bandpass sucks. aka one hit wonder go ported or sealed. As far as sealed giving plenty boom...ehh depends really but it does give more then enough. Your vision doesnt have to blur, the main pro about sealed is the accuracey. What do you want more SPL or SQ?

Kojiro_FtT

Yeah I am not sure why everyone is saying that either. Sealed will give you better low end response in the < 50 Hz range, so you could even argue the other way and say sealed is better for rap. The only argument I would make for type of music is I would recommend a 10" sub for a rock fan rather than a 12".

Regardless, choose wisely. A lot of pre-fab ported/vented boxes are one hit wonders. You have to make sure you get the right box. Sealed boxes are more forgiving. As long as you are close to the right volume, then you are ok. And as I stated before, bandpass is even more sensitive and easy to mess up. If you go bandpass, either make it yourself or buy a pre-fab that is specifically for your sub. Like if you got a JL sub, get the appropriate JL bandpass box to go with it.

HitManSE

iTrader: (1)

Response and accuracy sealed will always have an advantage. As far as overall output goes. Not a chance. If you know what your doing and build the box "correcty" (which is rare) 3db IS NOT all your gonna gain. Start thinking closer the 10db (depends on the install more then anything) As far as a 10" verses a 12" if you have a sub thats built with some sort of quality it doesnt matter what size you got. All thats going to determine is how much air the sub moves, which in turn determines more SPL advantage the larger you go. It has nothing to do with the accuracey or the setep despite what many people think. The misinformation out there is just insane & makes my head hurt just thinking about it.

I cant disagree, most every pre-fab ported/bandpass box is a one hit wonder. They are tuned too high and sound like crap. More forgiving, definetly. Very true about the bandpass, those are damn hard to get right.

DJ Kontakt

iTrader: (3)

sealed for sure

LiquidNine

Sealed. Sounds great and easy to build. Also a sealed enclosure may be smaller as well, saving you some trunk space.

skiboarder72

I have bandpass and i think it sounds great. I love the rumble more than the punch so it all depends what you want.

nghtfthlngknvs

its quite a bit late for my input i think but heres my .02 anyway

i would go with neither. a ported setup will give you the best balance between SPL and SQ. that abahn would require a massive bandpass to operate effectively and that is definately not an SQ sub. a ported box will give you loud, heavy bass that reacts when you want it to. ported boxes also put less strain on your sub since the sub doesn't reach xmax as easily in a ported box and ABahns are not known for being long-lasting subs. my friend has a bandpass and there is one thing about it that i just love though; every time it hits it feels like you're getting a boot in your stomach. its freaking awesome . go with ported though. you'll be happiest with that option. the only advantage to a bandpass box is that you can make almost ANY sub sound good and hide distortion.

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

but if you hide distortion and you cant tell its distorting, then its easier to blow the sub.

nghtfthlngknvs

well, what i meant was some subs just plain sound bad. go to best buy or some place like that and look at all the subs that come in bandpass boxes. those won't sound clean at any volume, but throw em in a bandpass box and they'll sound great

SzeMan4

i'm a sealed box kinda man. My 15 inch eclipse aluminm sub will romp.....A sealed box was also really my only option. I had no room for anything else. Bandpass I will admit make your sub sound lound. I have heard a 10inch alpine and in and it was up thre with mine.

Bmr4life

never go bandpass unless you're having the box built specifically for your sub and they are tough to get right. those things create loud buy horribly sounding boomy bass. Ported on the other hand can be loud and have great sound quality if built for your specific sub. They're just a lot easier to design and build than bandpass. Sealed is the easiest and won't require you to use a subsonic filter.

Lumbee1

It all depends upon the mechanics of the subwoofer. Look for frequency response charts for the sub and determine which will best for the subwoofer. I used to build custom subwoofer boxes. The Vega 124 that I ran worked best in a ported box. Accuracy sucks but that sub would play LOW end like there was no tomorrow. 75% of the subs on the market do not play like this though. Post frequency response plots and that will help you make the decision.

Stay away from bandpass. You can get incredible bass out of a bandpass but it will be a single bass note. It very flexible but very difficult to build. I heard a single Cadence (crap) subwoofer in a GIANT bandpass box (~10 cu/ft). It was shaking absolutely everything in the store but it was only playing a single note reeaaallllly loud.