Are 18"z TOO Much For A Sealed Enclosure???Help Pleezzzz!!!?

Question

i was talking to a friend(who really knows his stuff) and he said that 18"z are to much for a sealed enclosure. he said that the pressure that the huge cone area produces would eventually ruin the box.i also told him that they were only 800rms each Fi SSD'z, but he still said the same thing. And thats really a bummer becuz i HATE ported boxes, so can you all help me out.

P.S. im looking to get a small box like 2-3 cubic feet.

Here is the link 2 the sub.(Last sub on the page)

https://ssl.perfora.net/www.ficaraudio.com/sess/utn;jsessionid=15483f15f321c4e/shopdata/0030_SSD/product_overview.shopscript

Answer 1

He is not right.  You can build a sealed enclosure that will easily withstand an 18" sub.  However, with that sub a ported enclosure is going to be a must.  Not because of the pressure but because of the way that the sub was built.  That sub is made to work only in a ported enclosure.  

Look at the manufacturer recommendations for that sub.  It says "N/A" under sealed enclosure size.  This is because that sub does not work well in a sealed enclosure.  It gives ported enclosure recommendations of 6-10 cubic foot.  You should tune it around their recommendation of 33 Hz as well.

If you want a small ported enclosure then you should look at another sub.  That sub is not going to perform well at all in a small sealed enclosure.  

A ported enclosure can sound really good if built correctly.  If you have an enclosure that is built properly with the correct tuning frequency you will get a really good sound from your sub.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

with that specific model of sub, its not recommended to have them in a sealed box.

you will have to place them in a ported box. if you are worried about sound quality with the ported box, i would recommend you having the box tuned to 32Hz. this is the best frequency that allows the subwoofer to be much louder than a sealed box and still have great sound quality.

if the tuning frequency is 33~38 Hz, there will be a loss in sound quality but you might gain a few more db's in the termlab.

great choice of sound quality subwoofer!

by the way, if you add the "BP Power" option, it will allow the subwoofer to handle 500 watts more.