Re: Sealed vs. Ported Subwoofer Enclosures in Pro Audio
I am not the speaker expert here, but generally all things equal, a ported cabinet will go lower frequency for the same cost. This as an attractive marketing hook. As there is no free lunch in physics this extended response comes with the expense of faster roll-off below, etc.
While anecdotal, I asked Rudy Bozak (RIP), of that Bozak speaker company, that I had the pleasure of consulting for decades ago, why he didn't put a port in his biggest speaker system for the extra LF output, and he answered because it just doesn't sound right with classical music. Hifi playback has numerous intrinsic flaws to start with and I do not have an objective theory to explain his preference, but I trust his ears on the subject.
FWIW, people do not listen to classical music on big PA cabinets and the concert audience is generally more impressed by SPL than signal integrity.
JR
