Sealed vs Ported Box
As you can tell, better and better standards are being demanded by the consumer. This is a big issue indeed which has forced the music industry to conform to the needs of the consumer. To get the ultimate sound quality, the type of speaker box that is produced is quite important. This sound defines the overall output of the music system that is being played. When it comes to this it is important to consider two common types of speakers that are used. These are the sealed speaker box and the ported box, the two most common types of speaker enclosures. These two types of speaker enclosures aim at producing high quality sound which comes with little interference from the sound emanating from the speaker drivers.
Differences
As the name ‘sealed’ denotes, the sealed encasement comes in an airtight case. This means that this speaker comes with no possibility of air leaking out of it. In short, it is an airtight case that is used. This type of encasement is also referred to as Acoustic suspension. The concept design of the sealed box is that air moves in and out of the encasement, resulting in variations in pressure within the encasement as the speaker functions. These variations in pressure result in extra pressure being placed behind the diaphragm of the speaker as the air moves in and out of the speaker and this results in a need of extra power to overcome the pressure. This is a big shortcoming associated with the sealed type of encasing. The beauty of the design is that this extra pressure that is pushed to the back is important in allowing the cone of the speaker to snap backwards and forwards faster and this result to very crisp, precise and high quality sound from the encasing.
The ported type of encasing, also referred to as the bass reflex enclosure, come with a small hole in the front of the speaker whose function is to equalize the pressure between the inside and outside of the speaker. As the diaphragm of the speaker moves backwards, the internal pressure within the speaker increases as well and the pressure is equalized by funneling air in through the opening provided. This in turn results in the higher efficiency of the speaker.
The limitation that comes with this type of setup is that the sound produced is less accurate and thus the quality may not be as desired, as the extra pressure is not working on the diaphragm. This means that the heavy bass notes are produced with less precision.
A ported enclosure drastically reduces the power requirements, as the make itself is able to produce 3 decibels more of sound as opposed to using the sealed enclosure. Matching this 3 decibel deficiency results in an even doubling of the sound output that is desired.
The choice whether to go for a sealed or ported enclosure speaker is up to you, the buyer, in the end. The basic concept to understand is that bass is handled by the two units differently. It is also critical to ensure that whichever design is picked, construction is done carefully as it can help in minimizing problems in the future.
Summary
A sealed box is airtight
A ported box is a speaker that has a hole which can let out the air
Sealed boxes are good for high quality precise sound due to pressure inside the box being used to create clarity
Ported boxes are prone to poor quality bass sounds because pressure is equalized by the port.
Ported speakers use lower power
Sealed boxes use higher power