8" ported or 10" sealed sub? Limited space.

**EVOgasmIX** · 02-23-2006, 02:12 PM

I'm looking at getting a single subwoofer and the space I want to put it is limited. The sealed option is a 10" Rockford Fosgate P3 Shallow Mount and the vented option is an 8" Rockford Fosgate P3. Both require the same amount of enclosure volume of .625 cubic feet, which the most I'm willing to do.

I'm trying to fit a sub, two amps, and a battery under a strut tower brace.

The 10" is an 400 RMS power and the 8" is a 250 RMS power. I know with porting you can get more out of a sub, but will an 8" ported beat out 10" sealed?

So which would be better?

Discuss.

**SMOKINV8** · 02-23-2006, 02:13 PM

You need to figure out what you want out of your sub before anybody can give you a good recommendation.

**EVOgasmIX** · 02-23-2006, 02:23 PM

Well, I'm not looking to do SPL contests or anything. I want good performance for a 4.1 channel system that does music, DVDs and whatnot. I want to be able to bump it when I want to as well.

I do like the bling factor of a 10" as well. I like that a sealed enclosure would be easier to construct, but if ported is what I need, that's what I'll do.

I guess I'm wondering if there was anything I didn't know that would make one a better choice over the other.

**SMOKINV8** · 02-23-2006, 02:32 PM

It doesn't sound like you're real partial to either one. Usually sealed boxes are more accurate, so they're better for SQ. Ported boxes let the speaker cone move more without taking as much power, so they CAN be insanely loud.

Find out what the speakers you want need as far as a box goes. Most subs have a recommended box size for sealed or ported enclosures. Take a look at www.imagedynamicsusa.com for an example.

**EVOgasmIX** · 02-23-2006, 02:42 PM

Yeah, I'm going by the manfacturer's specs and the recommended 10" sealed enclosure volume just happens to be the same as the 8" ported enclosure volume. The volume is .625 cubic feet. I'm trying to fit a sub to the volume I have and not the other way around.

So the SQ aside, will a 10" sealed be louder than an 8" ported? About the same maybe?

Again the power specs for the 10" is 400 RMS and the 8" is 250 RMS.

Thanks.

**Fusion-One** · 02-23-2006, 03:18 PM

Get the 10", the surface area of a 10" sub is roughly 80" square, while the 8" only has about 50" square for surface area.. thats pretty close to double, and equates directly to how much air can be moved, and how loud the sub can get without distorting. That extra 2" diameter goes a long way, but makes little difference as far as space goes.

For you, I'd go with a good 10" sealed sub.

**EVOgasmIX** · 02-23-2006, 03:39 PM

Yeah, that's what I figured, but I wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything by not going to a ported box. I'm new to car audio, so I though I'd ask before dropping some bills.