what kinda box should i go for?

[Merkur]

well, i was very happy with my current setup. i had two pioneer premier tens in a sealed box that hit pretty good, but one day, i tossed a jackstand into the truck and killed a speaker. then, a bit later, something nailed the other one. yup, grills would have been an excellent investment. but oh well.

so... i have two older MTX 12's sitting in my closet. i'm thinking this weekend i'll pick up a box and throw them in. i've always had sealed boxes but now i'm thinking i would try something diffrent. my merkurs were always hatchbacks so i wanted something acurate, but now that the box lives in the trunk of my sedan i could exchange some accurancy for a bit more SPL.

the MTX's look like good speakers, nice big magnets and they are in "like new" shape, but i will probobly upgrade them again in the future.

[EW]

If you do not have the MTX recommended enclosure sheet, look it up on the web or contact MTX directly and get the info. Build the enclosure to their spec (ported will be louder than sealed) and enjoy.
If you want to buy a prefab enclosure, remember the following:
A woofer will be more forgiving in an incorrectly sized sealed box than an incorrectly designed ported box.

[Merkur]

well yes, all of that goes without saying. i think i have the engineering figured out, and have found some "close enough" off the shelf boxes.

what i'm really asking for, is a subjective opinion on the merrits of sealed vs. ported vs. bandpass.

[Sean Park]

Originally posted by EW
A woofer will be more forgiving in an incorrectly sized sealed box than an incorrectly designed ported box.

Big time... Hence why a little research and calculation is necessary for a ported enclosure! Even more fun when doing something like the 5th order I did for two Boston Pro subs! Simply put, sealed are your friend, literally!

[EW]

Originally posted by Merkur
well yes, all of that goes without saying. i think i have the engineering figured out, and have found some "close enough" off the shelf boxes.

what i'm really asking for, is a subjective opinion on the merrits of sealed vs. ported vs. bandpass.

Sealed=simple to build/design,smallest box, flattest response curve, will play the lowest
Ported=more difficult to design/build, larger than a sealed box, will play louder than a sealed box near the tuning frequency, REQUIRES an infrasonic (sometimes incorrectly called subsonic)filter to protect the woofer from frequencies below the tuning frequency, I like them the best.
Bandpass=CRITICAL to have enclosure built to exact specs of the manufacturer for good sound and long life, will be the largest of the three box designs, hardest to design/build properly, performance above and below the tuning frequency will suffer but it will be the loudest of all three boxes, just not the best sounding IMO, since you are not hearing the woofer (you are hearing air being forced through the port) you will not hear mechanical distortion which for most people will mean that you will be replacing the woofer on a regular basis.

[Merkur]

thanks for the info guys. i think i've pretty much reinforced why i've always gone with sealed boxs in the past and why i will continue to do so!

although i must say, i am astonished about what a properly done ported box can do. i recently purchased a pair of SVS passive subwoofers and amp for my home theater system. if i can get bass HALF that good in my car i'll be a happy man.

[Sean Park]

Originally posted by EW
Ported=more difficult to design/build, larger than a sealed box, will play louder than a sealed box near the tuning frequency, REQUIRES an infrasonic (sometimes incorrectly called subsonic)filter to protect the woofer from frequencies below the tuning frequency

Hence why I personally stay away from them... Tuning is a bit more involved (spectrum will back that up) and accuracy is always an issue (unless God himself helps build the enclosure!). Call me a "sealed hoe!"

SP