hey im just kinda ignorant in this topic..what are the differences and benifits/disadvantages or a ported or non-ported cab. all i know is there is a hole in it ( i think) lol
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ported vs closed pros cons
- Thread starter bassking511
- Start date
My website offers some documents on how speakers work, for good bedtime reading if you enjoy the technical side of things. I would not claim to be the ultimate speaker expert, but I made it a bit of a hobby to collect this information and share it.
The port basically takes over from the cone, and handles a narrow range of frequencies around its tuning frequency. Also, in this narrow range, the motion of the cone is greatly reduced. In a well designed bass cab, the port tuning frequency is somewhere in the deep bass, which is also where you would otherwise need the most cone motion. Thus the port allows deeper bass, higher power handling, or both.
It is almost analogous to having a subwoofer, except that the "crossover" is purely mechanical.
The "con" is that a ported speaker handles frequencies much below the port tuning frequency, very poorly. At those really low frequencies, the cone has no box pressure backing it up, and moves way too much. If it is a true bass driver, you will hear this happening (the technical term is "farting") before damage occurs. It is an issue because ultimately, the limit of cone motion is what determines how much power a bass speaker can handle, and this could be much below the published power rating.
As a DIY'er, I was confronted with the choice of sealed vs. ported. In earlier times (think slide rules), sealed boxes were easier to design, but design software has pretty much closed that gap. I saw little benefit to even considering a sealed box, and in any event, discovered that very few modern drivers work in sealed designs.
The port basically takes over from the cone, and handles a narrow range of frequencies around its tuning frequency. Also, in this narrow range, the motion of the cone is greatly reduced. In a well designed bass cab, the port tuning frequency is somewhere in the deep bass, which is also where you would otherwise need the most cone motion. Thus the port allows deeper bass, higher power handling, or both.
It is almost analogous to having a subwoofer, except that the "crossover" is purely mechanical.
The "con" is that a ported speaker handles frequencies much below the port tuning frequency, very poorly. At those really low frequencies, the cone has no box pressure backing it up, and moves way too much. If it is a true bass driver, you will hear this happening (the technical term is "farting") before damage occurs. It is an issue because ultimately, the limit of cone motion is what determines how much power a bass speaker can handle, and this could be much below the published power rating.
As a DIY'er, I was confronted with the choice of sealed vs. ported. In earlier times (think slide rules), sealed boxes were easier to design, but design software has pretty much closed that gap. I saw little benefit to even considering a sealed box, and in any event, discovered that very few modern drivers work in sealed designs.
Interpreting a lot of posts on the subject, "tighter" and "punchy" seem to mean the speaker has less response in the low bass. Also, a sealed box with reduced bass response is a way to combat the farting problem. So your comments seem consistent with theory.
Ampeg -
810e - sealed, very punchy and solid bass tone. Did not do the low bass particularly well, but the cab cut through great.
Good rounded off high end too.
410hlf - Ported, has much more low end, seems to disperse sound more rapidly than sealed enclosures. Not as punchy as the sealed cabinet, but the mids seem to be cleaner and more colorful. Still had good punch though. The highs were clearer too and that was with the tweeter off. Upper mids seemed to breathe more.
Then again, it's all subjective. The best thing to do is to put a sealed enclosure next to the ported enclosure and try each one by itself with the same tone settings on the bass and amp. That way, you can tell how each speaker reacts to the same tone settings.
810e - sealed, very punchy and solid bass tone. Did not do the low bass particularly well, but the cab cut through great.
Good rounded off high end too.
410hlf - Ported, has much more low end, seems to disperse sound more rapidly than sealed enclosures. Not as punchy as the sealed cabinet, but the mids seem to be cleaner and more colorful. Still had good punch though. The highs were clearer too and that was with the tweeter off. Upper mids seemed to breathe more.
Then again, it's all subjective. The best thing to do is to put a sealed enclosure next to the ported enclosure and try each one by itself with the same tone settings on the bass and amp. That way, you can tell how each speaker reacts to the same tone settings.
