Sub box, ported or sealed?
 

I got a set of pioneer 10's for practically nothing. I have no idea what they are rated for. I also scored a set of Rockford Fosgate boxes. I just noticed that the boxes are sealed. It's been awhile since I had an amp and subs in a truck, but I do remember my last box being ported. Should I leave the boxes as they are or should I port them myself? Whats the difference in sound quality between ported vs. sealed? If it matters, here is the amp I am using. Audiobahn A3201Q I plan on just using the 300 watt setup for now to see if the subs handle it ok.

don't put ports in the sealed boxes. sealed boxes have a huge range that you can make them, ported boxes have to be exact to sound right.
that being said, you should build a ported box. do the math and build it, prefabbed boxes are crap.

The general rule seems to be that a ported box gives you more SPL (bass), but its range and response is more limited. A sealed box isn't as loud as a ported box, but has a better response and better sound quality.

It all depends on what you are looking for out of the subs, each sub needs a certain air space in a ported box and sealed box. You would have to figure out the manufacturer recommended box volume of your sub and build a box to match that spec. I do agree prefabbed boxes while cheap, they are crap and you would get a much better sound out of a box your can build.

This is more subjective. Bass sounds are really dependant on the equipment and the music style one wishes to pump through them. Ported vs. Sealed is also dependant on the style of the actual woofer itself.

Honestly, I wouldn't port but I would also not buy a premade box either as the quality is seldom high enough for me. I don't run a sub in my truck right now because I don't have the time or energy for the purchase of the right equipment. For me it would be 2, 10" rockford subs - but not the crap they sell at the mega stores as the diaphragms aren't good enough. Then you need to think about the actual driver and amp - oh boy that can be tough, esp. with everyone's opinions.

Your ears are your best bet. Listen with your music in a demo vehicle if possible. Those rooms suck.

true on the sq vs spl. I'm an spl guy and run kicker 10s in ported boxes. I've never owned a nice SQ sub, but my $0.02 if you go with kickers is they sounded like ass in a sealed box.
it does kinda go by ear, whether your a wigger rice boy (like me with music) or really into sq. my ideal systems always make it impossible to see clearly enough to drive with them all the way bumping, but my mids are always washed out.

get the model number of your subs and find the technical manual on them. it should have specs for volumes and ports if you go that way. if not you need the technical specs on the speaker and you can plug it into a calculator program.

I prefer a different type of ported box. Its street name is the folded horn. I am running to Alpine type 2 10" and RF Power t500-1bd. It plays a full range for me that i like. I can play Metallica and it responds nice to the bass. Then play some eminem and make all kinds of bump.
:U:
The general rule is 1 cubic foot most are a .10 +/-:choochoo:

The numbers on the subs give me nothing. When I do a search it gives me some weird electrical device(Pioneers website) or websites in foreign languages. Guess I'll just hook them up and see how they sound.

post model number, i'll probably get bored enough in bio tomorrow to look it up

The only thing on these speakers anywhere is "M4 9214" and the word "Pioneer" on the cone.

:pca1: