Quote Originally Posted by Woochifer
EQ'ing the sub IMO is more important to attaining a "musical" bass quality than the type of sub you go with.
I think Woochifer really hit the nail on the head with that statement!

In the old days it was general consensus that the sealed subs had better transient response and tended to be more musical, all things being equal. However, in recent years I believe this difference has almost disappeared with significant improvements in ported designs. There are simply many fine subs with both designs.

Due to room acoustics the best performance results in quality subs properly placed and calibrated in each individual room. This not a simple matter of setting the sub where it looks best. The process is somewhat complicated and time consuming but the results are worthwhile.

IMO some form of equalization is essential in most rooms. This can include a sub's built-in EQ, external equalizers such as the Behringer BFD, the Velodyne SM-1, a manual in-receiver EQ or even a simple 31 band graphic mono pro EQ. Don't laugh on the last one. I actually used an ART 351 EQ (about $125), the same unit that SVS used to sell. I used the lower 7 sliders or so to lower significant peaks. It worked extremely well in my room. A Radio Shack sound pressure level meter (the analog one only, not the digital model) and a frequency response tone CD are essential tools for obtaining a flat in-room response for most subs. A sub that sounds slow and not musical might sound great when moved to a better location in the same room and properly calibrated.

Another important issue is to make sure one has plenty of power headroom for the main speakers to add the dynamic/transient response necessary to give that quick tight/snap/punch that most people think is actually in the sub. It is mostly the overtones/harmonics from the subs fundamental notes that are in the upper bass/midrange and reproduced by the main speakers. If the amp runs out of gas and clips (audible distortion) this muddies that tight sound. This can also be the result of high distortion in the sub. Be sure you pick a model that has low distortion levels. This is one reason why many of the tiny mini cube style subs tend to sound mushy.

RR6

http://www.axiomaudio.com/tightbass.html