Choosing the correct enclosure
Enclosure selection depends both on the environment and on the desired
performance. The power input and size of the vehicle play an important role
in correctly installing the subwoofer, as does the preferred bass experience.
The Ultimo Titanium series subwoofers are designed to work optimally in
both ported and sealed enclosures however, each of these enclosure types
will produce a slightly different sounding result.
As a rule of thumb, the bigger the enclosure, the lower the bass frequency
response will be but it will have less control and definition. On the contrary,
as the enclosure volume gets smaller, the bass frequency response is higher,
but the bass reproduction is faster and tighter. For those of you who are
looking to get optimal SQ results, we highly suggest using sealed enclosures;
for those who are seeking high SPL, we suggest using ported enclosures. The
table below specifies the required volume range needed for the Ultimo
Titanium series to produce best results in both sealed and ported enclosures.
Ported (Bass reflex) enclosures
Ported enclosures have a circular or rectangular tube or duct leading to an
opening in the enclosure structure. If tuned properly, a ported enclosure
enables greater bass extension from a smaller enclosure, as well as better
power handling, efficiency, control and faster bass reproduction.
Sealed enclosures
These completely sealed enclosures are not affected by air pressure changes
inside the enclosure due to cone movement. Acoustic suspension and cone
movement linearity are improved, resulting in lower distortion and higher
power levels. The drawbacks of the sealed enclosures are lower efficiency
due to powerful obsorption inside the enclosure, and reduced transient
response at lower frequencies. In conclusion, sealed enclosures provide
powerful bass resproduction and excellent dynamics with extremely low
distortion.
