So what would be the advantage to a slot ported box? I'm a carpenter so any design is not a problem to build, but I'm hearing so much about slot ports nowadays. And I'm bored with my ole sealed 10" sub box in the rear. I also have plans for a custom t-top box as well, but that's a different thread....

So why slot ports??

 

Slot ports dont sound any different than round aero ports. The big advantage for slot ports is the ports add better rigidity to the box, so guys with big subs and big power dont have to add additional bracing to the box. I just bought a slot ported box off ebay and it sounds great.

 

ports in general give amplification in certain frequencies and have to be tuned to work properly. sealed boxes are generally more diy friendly and in certain types of music sound better. i made sealed boxes because i listen to mostly rock and country and they sound fuller frequency wise with these boxes.

 

What JW said is true, but allow me to add to that a bit...

Sealed boxes tend to be tight sounding. They typically require a bit more power to play as loud as an equal ported box (which will also need to be much bigger). The subs I am going to buy are designed for a 1.0cuft sealed box, but work best in a 1.5-2.0cuft ported box. Notice the ported requirement is twice that of the sealed. Ported boxes CAN sound more "boomy" but this isnt a hard rule. If the box is designed and built properly to match the subwoofer specifications, it will sound very close to a sealed box in terms of tightness, but as JW said, it will focus on a narrower range of frequency. There is a good deal of math and calculations to determine the perfect port size and length to match your desired frequency.

I was only talking about slot porting and why the sudden hype surrounding them.

 

i wasent disagreeing at all, only wanted to add that its really not for beginners, there is alot that has to go into building a good sounding ported box. it seems like thats what pros are using so thats what everyone wants no matter if its good for their application or not.

 

Lol, so we agree that we agree... wait what? LOL! Anyway... in terms of actual construction, slot ports are easier to put together compared to aero ports, but more difficult than sealed boxes. HOWEVER, both slots and aeroports are MUCH more difficult to figure out and get perfect than a sealed box. This slot ported box I currently have is literally the first ported box I have had since 1998 when I had an MTX bandpass box in my car. I've been playing around with car audio since 1995 and I dont think I have ever built a box by myself that sounded good, but thats because Im not that good at doing it. One mistake makes the whole thing sound like garbage and is a waste of time. My last box that this new one replaced is in the dumpster, one full sheet of 3/4" birch plywood gone.

 

When ever I've heard "amazing bass" from an 8" or 6.5", (or 10", 12" or 15" for that matter) it's always been a ported enclosure... More work, but if done right, worth the effort... I prefer ported (my taste) but the box I just built for my firebird will house 4 8" subs sealed (800 Watts mono)

Something else that helps... note the db at 1 watt / meter rating of a speaker... a speaker that is 91db @ 1w/m is louder than an 81db @ 1w/m... it's going to take power / $$$ to get the 81db speaker to 91, where the other speaker is doing it at 1 watt...

There aren't many stores now (as before) where you can go and listen to stuff... I advise bring in a CD or mp3 of your favorite songs... listen to different speakers playingh music you like and know, and your ears will tell you what you like... when you begin hearing things in the music you never heard, that can be the sign of a good speaker / amp combo...

 

i had a pro made ported box for two tens for a number of years, they sound good for rap and showing off the power but i dont really like either anymore. so when those subs went, i got two kicker 10's and thought i would try making my own sealed box, i made two 1.5 cuft 3/4 mdf boxes with gussets and double front. its way tighter sounding and has better frequency spread for rock and country, which is basically all i listen to now.