Tempest with 2 4" ports or 2 15" PR

[JeffKnob]

Adire has instructions on how to construct an enclosure for 1 Tempest subwoofer and 2 4" ports which sounds really good for me. They also have instructions to build an enclosure with 1 Tempest sub and 2 of their PR15 passive radiators. I am stumped as to which of these I should do. The passive radiators look really interesting but they make the whole project cost an extra $100+. I think having the PR's would make the enclosure look great but are there going to be sonic differences that will make it worth the extra money.

[Weister42]

Adire has instructions on how to construct an enclosure for 1 Tempest subwoofer and 2 4" ports which sounds really good for me. They also have instructions to build an enclosure with 1 Tempest sub and 2 of their PR15 passive radiators. I am stumped as to which of these I should do. The passive radiators look really interesting but they make the whole project cost an extra $100+. I think having the PR's would make the enclosure look great but are there going to be sonic differences that will make it worth the extra money.

If you use PR then you'll never have to worry about port noise and you can fine-tune the bass by adding mass to the PR driver, IMO that's easier than trying to change ports. However if you are a poor college student like myself then I'll go for a huge slot port so you don't even have to buy round ports!

[JeffKnob]

If you use PR then you'll never have to worry about port noise and you can fine-tune the bass by adding mass to the PR driver, IMO that's easier than trying to change ports. However if you are a poor college student like myself then I'll go for a huge slot port so you don't even have to buy round ports!

Is the sound going to be deeper or louder using a PR rather than a port? These are big PR's with a very long throw to them and there are two of them.

[This Guy]

Again it depends hosw you tune them. A really long port will tune it rather deep, but than you have to worry about port chuffing and being able to fit that long port(s) in the box, which also means you'll have to make the box a little bit bigger to acount for the volume the port takes up inside the box. With the PR's, all you have to do is add mass to them to change their tuning frequency. You can tune them as low as you can with a port, and they'll go about as loud as a port but without worrying about port noise and accounting for lost volume of the port. Personally I'd go with the PR's.

-Joey

[JeffKnob]

It is amazing how dead this forum is. Are there any other boards that talk more about DIY projects? I tried www.diysubwoofers.org but they aren't lively either.

[This Guy]

partsexpress.com and click "ask the pros". Much livlier and many experinced speaker builders.