Subwoofer Design Order Vented

Order Vented Basic Theory:

Also known as bass-reflex, ported or vented. The driver is mounted into an enclosure which houses a large opening, port, vent or slot that extends into the cabinet a specified length. The length and area of this vent are extremely critical to the proper function of a 4th order enclosure. The port and driver contribute together to provide the desired response characteristic. The driver is generally mounted with the front facing outwards, but is not restricted to this method only. The vent which extends into the cabinet tunes the enclosure to a specific frequency (known as fB) thereby acting as a high pass filter on the driver. Driver excursion is at its minimum at fB where the vent then takes over and provides most of the output. Cut-off rate below fB is 24 dB/octave but can be varied up or down 5-6 dB depending upon the exact tuning frequency and volume of the enclosure. There are various types of alignments that all fit into the ported 4th

order category. Some common types are QB3, EBS, SBB4 and SC4. By varying the enclosure size and the tuning frequency, it is possible to achieve a variety of distinct low- frequency performances from a single driver. The vent acts by damping the load produced by the driver above fB causing it to behave somewhat as if it were in a sealed enclosure. Best suited for drivers with an EBP near 100.0 or higher and Qts < 4.0 but is not restricted to these numbers only.

Order Vented Advandages:

Extended low frequency response. 3 dB down points (f3) are capable of being near or even below 20 Hz. Increased power handling above fB due to reduced driver excursion at and while nearing fB. More efficient system. Generally +3dB increased output over sealed enclosures due to the combined output of driver and port. More overall SPL capabilities. Deep, powerful, full, loud, inspiring, incredible, and earth shattering are common subjective terms associated with vented enclosures.

Order Vented Disadvandages:

Larger enclosure size. More difficult to accurately achieve predicted results. Misaligned enclosures can result in very poor bass quality. Very accurate T/S parameters of actual driver is required. Although sometimes you can get away with using manufacture’s specifications. Driver unloading or bottoming out below fB is very common. Xmax is reached easily below fB and may cause sever damage the the drivers suspension, voice coil or cone. This usually requires the need to install additional high pass filtering below fB. But is not a always a necessity as long as power levels and frequency content are kept within reason. Transient response is degraded, yielding typical group delay curves as high as 50 ms. Muggy, boomy, sluggish, one-note, slow, and inaccurate are common subjective terms associated with vented enclosures. Port diameter must be large to avoid unwanted port noise, which in turn requires the port to be long for any given Fb, which then drives up the volume of the enclosure, sometimes to undesirably large proportions. Port chuffing if port area is not kept in check.

Order Vented Best Applications:

Where the deepest and loudest bass is necessary. Where size is not a huge issue but may still be a definite factor. For Home Theater and music. May be best suited for sound reinforcement, theater, live performances, DJ and other situations where lots of loud deep bass is needed and transient response is less critical.