# Ported vs. Sealed JL 10W7



## heydude348 (Apr 8, 2012)

I know it's been asked a thousand(or more) times but which will be better for a full range of music/ Rock,Rap, hip hop,etc.
I will be running 2 JL 10W7's. Each will have a JL 500/1. When I bought the speakers, second hand, they were in a single box/ported.I cut the box in half( first because it would not fit in the car and secondly because I wanted to do a little testing to see which would sound better) and know one is 23 1/2 x 13 3/4 x 14 3/4.All outside dimensions.3/4" MDF.Slot ported.The second box is 18 1/2 x 14 3/4 x 13 3/4. Outside dimensions.Sealed.If my calculations are correct the first nets-2.066.And the second nets-1.597. If I've missed something feel free to correct me. By those calculations it seems like the first is off by JL recommendations by more than .25 cu.ft. Like I said I bought he box already maid. The second one I made , which was the remainder of the first, I cut down and sealed . I know it's long winded but the end is near.
Assuming I correct the specs on the ported design, which one will give me the best all around sound? Also, I did not take into account the air space the sub displaces.


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

Your first calc doesn't take into consideration the area that the port takes up, so it is even more than .25 off. 

The problem with manufacturer recommendations they don't take in to account your specific vehicle, what frequency response you want and what your definition of "sounds better" is.

The ported box, in general, will play louder than a sealed the closer you get to the tuning frequency, and below that the response will fall off more rapidly. However, given your genre of music, just about anything below 40hz is rare. Note I said rare not non-existent. 

I haven't looked at the 10w7, but I imagine it's Fs is right in the 30 range so the JL recommended ported size would probably be pretty nice.


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## Angrywhopper (Jan 20, 2010)

I've generally heard them only in ported setups, but decided to do sealed when I put the 8W7 in my M3. I absolutely love it!


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## Richv72 (May 11, 2012)

why not just run 1 1200/1 or 1000/1 amp instead of 2 500 watt amps?


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## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

The only reliable way to answer this question is to build the two different boxes and audition them for yourself.


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## heydude348 (Apr 8, 2012)

Acquired the equipment over a period of 2-3 years and am now installing inmy son's car.


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

Having heard a single 10W7 (a long time ago), I seriously believe that this sub is made for sealed enclosure. Depending on which type of car you have, the 10W7 can reach and produce 20Hz as loud as adjacent frequencies... Just make sure you have a box bigger than what JL recommends... (like 25% bigger)

Kelvin


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