ported or sealed

[TT Boy]

I tried a search and didn't get my answer. My question is what type of box to build? Sealed or ported? It will be mounted in the back of an 89 full-size blazer. My set-up is as follows:

Speakers;
2 kenwood KFC-W3003
4 ohms
600 watt
1200 gram (42.3 oz) magnets
sensitivity 93 dB

Head unit;
Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X569

Amo;
Kenwood KAC-201
800 watt

So what type of box should I build? A straight rectangle? Angled towards front, up, or back? I know this is a lot of questions but I obviously don't know that much. My old truck was a RCSB so it was easy...I custom built a box for behind the seat and was done with it! Thanks for the help guys.

:slap:

[fej]

How much space do you want to give up in the truck? Whats the recommended enclosure size for those subs? What type of music do you like? What speakers are in your front stage? (front speakers) How many watts to them? Do you want it to be clean and accurate or just want "boom"? Stock HU or aftermarket?

Lots of questions .. help us help you.

IMO unless a full system is put together you are better off going sealed as the subs will give you a larger frequency range. Ported subs usually give you a little more output (when properly tuned) but do not have as large a useable range.

Fej

[dueprocess]

With the space availible in SUV,Blazers and ect, I go ported all day long! But like said above, how much room you willing to give up.

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/16426/si/dueprocess

[TT Boy]

How much space do you want to give up in the truck? Whats the recommended enclosure size for those subs? What type of music do you like? What speakers are in your front stage? (front speakers) How many watts to them? Do you want it to be clean and accurate or just want "boom"? Stock HU or aftermarket?

Lots of questions .. help us help you.

IMO unless a full system is put together you are better off going sealed as the subs will give you a larger frequency range. Ported subs usually give you a little more output (when properly tuned) but do not have as large a useable range.

Fej

Space is not really an issue as I am devising a way to make the box removable. As for music I listen to all types, mostly country but like to jam to metal and techno. The front speakers are stock now but will be up-graded soon. I am also going to add some speakers in the middle (maybe 6x9's??) and there is two 6x9's in the back but I don't know what to do with them? Up-grade or remove due to the subs being back there. The head unit is a Kenwood aftermarket. Also, is 3 cubic feet for these subs sound like the right dimensions for the box?

[TT Boy]

With the space availible in SUV,Blazers and ect, I go ported all day long! But like said above, how much room you willing to give up.

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/16426/si/dueprocess

I don't want to lose that much space unless I absolutley have to in order for the speakers to both "boom" and sound good to other types of music i.e. country, techno, top-40, etc..:think:

[///M5]

where did you get the 3 cubes from?

[TT Boy]

where did you get the 3 cubes from?

By "cubes", do you mean pieces? If so, I got the speakers from a friend of my brothers. As for the head unit and amp, I got them at The Exclusive Company, a local audio store.

[Bagged 04]

He is meaning cubes as in the 3 cubic feet you mentioned earlier. Where did you get the 3 cubic feet measurement at?

[TT Boy]

I thought that was what it said on a different web-site. I cannot think of the name 'cause I was on so many today..lol

[amchev]

You need to decide what sound you're looking for first. Ported boxes get louder but tend to be "boomier" whereas sealed boxes supposedly offer better sound quality and tighter bass.

Once you figure that out you'll know how much space is required for the subs and you can design your box around that.

I like tight punchy bass (lots of heavy metal and hard rock music) so I lean towards small sealed enclosures.

[///M5]

You need to decide what sound you're looking for first. Ported boxes get louder but tend to be "boomier" whereas sealed boxes supposedly offer better sound quality and tighter bass.

Not really true. There are some subs still that are designed to be run in ported enclosures and don't have the response issues you describe. What you always should do is figure out your airspace and then pick a driver suited for the space you have. Now of course if you run a ported box that is tuned too high it will most definitely be boomy and IMO sound like chit.

[TT Boy]

so for my app. the verdict is a sealed unit?? I want it to sound good with all types of music and still be able to deliver the "boom" when I want it to.

[///M5]

As I stated in my last post, you need to figure out what airspace you have and then decide. It will also depend on the driver, I know nothing about the driver you posted and would be almost nobody here does either. If you haven't bought them already you should definitely hold off.

[TT Boy]

As stated in my first post, I have the whole back of an 89 FULL-SIZE blazer to work with so when you say figure out my airspace I guess I don't know what you mean? As for the components, I had them in my 91 RCSB so I own them already.

[amchev]

As stated in my first post, I have the whole back of an 89 FULL-SIZE blazer to work with so when you say figure out my airspace I guess I don't know what you mean? As for the components, I had them in my 91 RCSB so I own them already.

He means how big the box is going to be, airspace. Since you have the drivers, you just have to build a box around them. It sounds like you want a sealed box so just get the specs for your subs and build a sealed enclosure that size in the shape that suits you best.

Unfortunately nobody can really make these choices for you, especially online. You're gonna just have to build your box and if you don't like the sound re-build it. I've done the trial and error method many times.

[TT Boy]

so I tried looking for specs on a box for these subs and can't find any...which is I guess why I asked here. I even tried kenwood.com and couldn't find anything. I guess I'll build one and see how it sounds....unless someone out there can help me further!!:confused:

[jaredcc86]

i did a search on your driver. You should build a box to the exact volume as the manufacturer recommends.

# Rec. Sealed Box Dims: 1.50 - 1.50 cu. ft.
# Rec. Ported Box Dims: 1.50 - 1.50 cu. ft.
Frequency Response: 25-800 Hz
# Recommended RMS Power: 160W
# Peak Power Handling: 600W


Also it looks like that amp might not be the best fit for these either.

Hope that helps

[fej]

go to bcae1.com. Use their box size calculator to give you a rough estimate of the airspace you would have when building your enclosure based on the measurements you take and the space you want to give up. The link is on the left side around 100 down.

For your music tastes IMO you would be better off running sealed. If you want your rear passengers to have music then cool run your 6x9's, if you don't give a crap about them, spend the money you would have spent on the upgraded 6x9's for more power and better components for your front speakers.

WTF ported and sealed the same size? No tuning freq? no port size? Dude do yourself a favor if you MUST keep that sub build a sealed box for it and run about 300w rms to it max. Thats my 2c.

Fej

[TT Boy]

there are two subs going into the box and why only 300
Watts? I ran this exact set-up in my old truck and didn't have any problems. Granted the box was behind the seat in a reg. cab and was half the size of the one i'm gonna build so... if i had no problems with the other set-up, why would I now have problems? I also don't know what 160W of recommended RMS power means? Frankly I don't know what most of those numbers mean except for the cu. ft.

[Sonnyb]

Space is not really an issue as I am devising a way to make the box removable. As for music I listen to all types, mostly country but like to jam to metal and techno. The front speakers are stock now but will be up-graded soon. I am also going to add some speakers in the middle (maybe 6x9's??) and there is two 6x9's in the back but I don't know what to do with them? Up-grade or remove due to the subs being back there. The head unit is a Kenwood aftermarket. Also, is 3 cubic feet for these subs sound like the right dimensions for the box?

Deff. Sealed. Find out what the "air space" requirements ae for those subs and build accordingly.

[///M5]

i did a search on your driver. You should build a box to the exact volume as the manufacturer recommends.

# Rec. Sealed Box Dims: 1.50 - 1.50 cu. ft.
# Rec. Ported Box Dims: 1.50 - 1.50 cu. ft.
Frequency Response: 25-800 Hz
# Recommended RMS Power: 160W
# Peak Power Handling: 600W


Also it looks like that amp might not be the best fit for these either.

Hope that helps
Wow, those specs don't make a whole lot of sense.

[TT Boy]

i did a search on your driver. You should build a box to the exact volume as the manufacturer recommends.

# Rec. Sealed Box Dims: 1.50 - 1.50 cu. ft.
# Rec. Ported Box Dims: 1.50 - 1.50 cu. ft.
Frequency Response: 25-800 Hz
# Recommended RMS Power: 160W
# Peak Power Handling: 600W


Also it looks like that amp might not be the best fit for these either.

Hope that helps

A box with only 1.5 cu. ft.? I don't think I will have room for two 12 inch subs...would I? That's why I was thinking closer to 3 cu. ft. I guess I need more help!

[fej]

1.5cu^3 per speaker, probably best to give them 1.5 sealed in their own "chambers". 160w RMS means continuous power, which pretty much never happens while listening to music. That being said unless tuned properly I would not give them more than 300w RMS each, but again that is just my opinion and you know how they were working prior to this new install, so use your judgement.

Fej

[TT Boy]

1.5cu^3 per speaker, probably best to give them 1.5 sealed in their own "chambers". 160w RMS means continuous power, which pretty much never happens while listening to music. That being said unless tuned properly I would not give them more than 300w RMS each, but again that is just my opinion and you know how they were working prior to this new install, so use your judgement.

Fej

They worked great before in the smaller box...but there in lies the problem. I don't want to damage any components. If I build my box (1.5 cu. ft. for each sub) I shouldn't cause any if I watch it and be careful..should I?:dunce: I don't want to fire it up for the first time and blow the subs!:head:

[fej]

How small were the enclosures that you had them in before? Might be worth calculating, smaller enclosures usually equals a bit more power handling .. and again I default to your experience with the subs.

I cannot bet $$$, but I think if you built the recommended size enclosure you would he hard pressed to damage the subs provided your enclosure was correct and your signal was not horribly distorted.

Fej

[TT Boy]

after taking the average of 4 calculators..the cu. ft. of the old box was 2.25 +/- total.

[///M5]

Did you like the way they sounded? If so, just copy the old enclosure. If not, what about them didn't you like?

[TT Boy]

They sounded good, but I always thought I could "get more" out of them with a bigger box (louder and more bass). Is this statement sound accurate?? As you can I all tell by now i am more of a nuts and bolts guy, not a stereo guy.