Subwoofer Enclosures

There are a number of different kinds of subwoofer enclosures. The two most frequently used are "sealed cabinet" and "vented cabinet" designs. Most subwoofers have an outward facing speaker (or speakers). Sealed box enclosures will have no other opening. Vented boxes will have a hole in the cabinet, a few inches in radius, that lets air escape from the cabinet.

Each cabinet design has advantages and disadvantages. A sealed box has more accurate bass response, and will handle super-low frequencies better. The disadvantage is that they require much more power, a larger cabinet, and a larger speaker/magnet assembly than a vented subwoofer. Translation: They cost more.

A vented enclosure requires much less energy to create powerful bass response. This means smaller amplifiers, smaller cabinets and smaller speaker assemblies. That makes them less expensive. The down side of a vented subwoofer is that is less accurate. It is louder but less refined-particularly in the lowest frequencies.

A "Band-Pass" is a third kind of subwoofer cabinet, and is essentially a sealed cabinet subwoofer inside a vented box. This design requires very little power and is used for small, passive subwoofers, the kind frequently used with compact multimedia speaker systems - not high performance home theater or audio systems.

What Is A Subwoofer?
What Kind Of Subwoofer Is best For Me?
Subwoofer Enclosures
Adjustable Subwoofers




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