Speakers Question

[dakatabg]

I want to know which speakers are better, the ones with a bass reflex hole or the one without bass reflex hole?

Is there any difference in the bass or not? I always wondered what is the difference. Does anyone know?

I have had the 2 types of speakers and i don't see any difference in the sound but if they make them both way there must be something.

[blackraven]

It all depends upon the design of the speakers. Some speakers like my Monitor Audio have ports but also come with foam plugs which are removable. Without the plugs the bass is a little deeper but loses some clarity. With the plugs the bass is tighter and more refined. But you really can't compare a ported and not ported speaker because its like comparing apples to oranges unless you have a speaker like the monitor audio or some psb speakers that come with ports and removable plugs.

[02audionoob]

One certainly isn't better than the other, but the port can make the speaker sensitive to certain types of placement. Some have a port on the back, which can get muddy if the speaker backs are near a wall. I have floorstanding speakers with the port aimed straight down into the floor. It has a subtle, less directional effect. I have a pair of bookshelf speakers that didn't come with plugs, but I used to keep socks in the ports because I liked the tighter sound. They're out now because I changed my mind. I have a towel in the port of my sub to tighten it up.

[dakatabg]

I know I had Cerwin Vega speakers and they had the bass holes on the back. I always have them by the wall so I hated that! Well I was just curious if the bass holes matter or not but it seems to depend on the model of the speakers. All the speakers I have home are with the holes!

[02audionoob]

If your speakers are ported in back you've probably got to give them some serious space...like 3 feet, or at least 2. I used to have some 3-way 10-inch Cerwin Vega speakers that were ported in the front. I liked them with my Marantz receiver at the time, until I got the upgrade bug.

I also have a pair of 3-way 10-inch speakers of another brand I bought at approximately the same time (1980s) and they're not ported. I like them better and still have them after all this time...sold the CV's.

[Feanor]

I want to know which speakers are better, the ones with a bass reflex hole or the one without bass reflex hole?

Is there any difference in the bass or not? I always wondered what is the difference. Does anyone know?

I have had the 2 types of speakers and i don't see any difference in the sound but if they make them both way there must be something.

There is no one answer about which is best -- bass reflex or sealed box, (the latter sometimes call accoustic suspension though this isn't always accurate).

A sealed cabinet will yield the best transient response in the bass region, however the bass in this case will start to roll off higher up in the frequency spectrum. Hence there is a trade-off, and if you want the flatest response to lowest possible frequency for a given bass driver, a ported bass reflex is the more common solution nowadays. But note that a bass reflex box will be quite bit larger than a sealed box for a given driver.

Some drivers are better suited to bass reflex while others will work relatively well with a seal box. Technically if you want seal box, look for a driver that has the following Thiele/Small parameters: a low "Fs", (free-air resonance), and a high "Qts", (total system "Q"). It is possible to produce flatter deep response with a sealed box system by using "active", i.e. electronic, equalization. Of course, this applies to DIY drivers; speaker manufactures almost never provide Thiele/Small parameters.

[poppachubby]

I have a pair of bookshelf speakers that didn't come with plugs, but I used to keep socks in the ports because I liked the tighter sound. They're out now because I changed my mind. I have a towel in the port of my sub to tighten it up.

Oh yes, I've heard of this combo. On Amazon you can get Audio Research socks and a KEF towel for next to nothing...very hi-fidelity and might I add, visually stunning.

[dakatabg]

Thank you you guys for the information. Now I know that there is no difference just depends on the speaker design!

[02audionoob]

Oh yes, I've heard of this combo. On Amazon you can get Audio Research socks and a KEF towel for next to nothing...very hi-fidelity and might I add, visually stunning.

Thanks, Chubbs...but I use only Audioquest socks. I like the Audioquest odor after I go running in them.