Comparing Sealed vs. Ported Subwoofers for Home Theater 

I have a PB-1000 and it just kills. I love that thing, just need to go dual next, too many dead spots but the sub itself is awesome. For the money it's incredible. I find it great with both music and movies.

I've has both ported and sealed subs. Ported gives you a nice rumble, but I find the sealed to be more satisfying for movies and music. Feeling the sound like an earthquake is cool and all, but I prefer the cannon ball blast to the chest that sealed gives you. Scarier.

educating the public on the science of your product is really good advertising. i really think more companies should do stuff like this... and i'm not talking about fake advertiser talk, I mean real information like this video had.

SVS subs are VERY expensive here in Europe !!! While americans pay $2.300/2.500 for the SVS PB16-ULTRA, we pay at least 3.500€ ( $3996,04). Even the less expensive SVS SB-1000, we pay 600€ ($685,03), while americans pay just $250/300. I would love to have dual SVS subs, but it´s just ridiculous to pay 7.000€ ($7992,07) for two subs !!! For now i will keep my Rel Acoustics Storm 3...but one day i will buy an SVS sub...or a JL Audio sub. If i were rich, i surelly would buy the Legacy Audio Foundation subwoofer. Greetings from Portugal. Cheers

The acoustic suspension aka sealed box also has magnitudes less group delay.

Two subwoofers are better than one. Four subwoofers are better than two. Eight subwoofers are for the deaf.

ports have no place in speaker design, its just a crutch to helps with output. sealed actually go lower since don't have the phase issue below port tuning.

I have a logitech z506 sigh meanwhile theyre talking about 2,500 subs while my entire audio system is 100 dollars Edit:I'm only ten so I guess it evens out because I have a mini home theatre in my bedroom

As i see it, when you have power and response, sealed is always a better choice. Except in situations where speaker is small and you want to compensate that with a big box that helps creating the deep sound. For example, that is why pretty much all small 2.1 desktop setups are ported. But in this case we are talking about 500W rms drivers that go down to 19 hz or lower. For me, frequency response is most important thing. I want my speaker to be able to reproduce everything i play through it. Then goes the power. So, when you play music or watch movies you want your speaker to be able to reproduce sound as quickly as possible, driver has to be able to return to its "default" position as quickly as possible and sealed does that better because of the vacuum that helps it. I have a feeling that ported woofers create sound that doesn't really exist. Because its "free", driver moves a lot longer then in sealed one and it doesn't have the time to go to "zero" when new sound has already begun. That maybe sounds more fun especially in movies where there is continuous rumbling but in my opinion that is just not realistic. And that's especially a problem if you listen to electronic music like me...psy trance or drum and bass...A lot of fast sounds at the same time so speaker can't separate them because it never stops moving. But when you have a 500W pig that goes to down 19 and is sealed...it simply does everything great. Plus, its small. Anywho, that's just my opinion and how i explain the difference to myself. You guys have great woofers and although i am currently using 1 ported 160w subwoofer connected to my stereo amp and second 400W rms sealed car subwoofer powered by car amp which is powered by 30A/13.8v laboratory power supply and connected to my computer sound card (yes, it works like hell, got me sued for disturbing peace in my building and messed up rigidity of my kitchen elements :)), i am definitely planing to get SB-2000 to replace them both in the near future.

Ported subwoofers output will always be out of phase and you'll feel that it is lagging behind the song if you don't have a proper dsp to adjust the delay. Go with the sealed sub for the sake of simplicity.

So ported = lower and louder sealed = better precision I personally am willing to trade the precision for lower notes at home. In my car I think ported boxes take too much space.

Sealed all the way for me unless a servo sub.

I recently got a svs sb4000. Thing is amazing in my small/medium sized room . Watched Mad Max Fury Road. All I can say is wow. Unbelievable bass for its size. I am considering adding a second one just to add to the experience and won't have to work that single one quite as hard.

svs sb ultra 13 is "the one"

Great video, questions answered and information exchanged very quickly. Thumbs up 👍

SVS has one of the best customer service that I have experienced. I have had subs of different brands in the past but SVS is quick as lightening to respond and make you comfortable with your purchase. Ed Mullen and the other team members like Jack Gilvey are really great to interact with concise and precise replies in clearing out your doubts. What I like about SVS is that they hear you out and don't make you over spend but rather improve your existing purchase with their expertise. Their reputation is built on hard work. Pls note that I don't work for SVS but have been their customer in the past and have had a great experience with them.

*svs is great company BT your product so expensive in India. very expensive cost which cost I buy new Maruti Suzuki alto car ohh So expensive I suggest you make affordable products for India because there are billion of music lovers*

You say sealed designs are generally tighter and better suited for music. What if I get a ported sub and run it in sealed mode (closing the ports and, if it has EQ settings, set it to sealed)? Does this work for music in a similar way to sealed designs, or am I better off getting the sealed sub from the start? I want to have the best of both worlds so I'm thinking to get a ported subwoofer for movies and music. When I need the sheer output I can always open some ports.

I have been torn between the SB2000 Pro & the PB2000 Pro. I want a sub more for music than for a home theater setup yet I listen to a lot of bass heavy electronic music that reaches down to the lowest of frequencies (not mid ranged electronic music that's more main stream). It seems like the consensus online is that the SB is better for music and the PB is better for home theater due to its larger output and lower frequency range. How ever the response on the PB seems to be almost as flat as the SB. I would be doing most of my listening in a small bedroom that's about 10x10ft and a living room that's 20x20ft. I also produce music a little bit and want an accurate sub. I suppose in end my question is are those extra 3hz worth getting the PB and will the SB have enough power to relatively blow off my pants in a 20x20 room. Thanks!

Talk about how the cheaper ported speakers can also offset the cone output and how the port can also make its own “wind sound”.

Ported for me. As a Mobile sound operator that plays non stop my speaker should be vented otherwise it will be cooked, specially when performing in a battle of the sounds where you push your speakers almost to its limit.

I have a Logitech ported subwoofer part of Z 323 speaker system

I made my own sub 12 inch woofer in a 4 order bandpass box feeding it 2,400 watts in a 2 ohm load and it hits hard real hard! Best of both worlds sealed and ported all in one!

Some of the technical differences they left out is that in a sealed design there's a law of physics that states that every time you go down 1 octave in frequency, a SEALED speaker must stroke back and for 4 times further to produce the same volume (loudness). in other words if the speaker is moving just 2mm at 80hz it has to move 8mm at 40hz and then 32mm at 20 hz to keep up the same level of volume. This typically causes a sealed speaker to get quieter and quieter the deeper you play at some point while at the same time it moves more and more the deeper it plays. Eventually it will move too far and either "run out of steam", damage itself or have significant distortion (or all 3). A properly ported design overcomes some of this by essentially having the ports "help out" where the speaker starts to fall into this "roll off" area. The ports help to boost the volume where the speaker is starting to have trouble (as the notes get lower) and they also dampen the movement of the speaker so the speaker moves less and less as notes get lower instead of more and more (at least up to the tuning freq. of the ports).

well for my room the sealed sub is working fine...I would like to get two in the future!

There's a reason why JL audio doesn't make any Ported subs look into them before making your decision

After trying both sealed and ported in car and home theatre, I prefer sealed in car, and ported at home.

So what are the limitations of the ultra series subs? Particularly the SB16 ULTRA

Very good information. I just discovered this company about a week ago and am looking forward to adding some of your components to my theater room.

Passive radiator subs are best, if designed properly but SVS do not make one. They offer the best of both worlds and I have had many of each type myself.

When you guys talk about application and room sizes, it would be nice to put that in context. For example, room volume to subwoofer matching. How do I know if a PB-3000 is enough? Or duals? or a PB-4000? Or a PB16-Ultra. This is where something like THX marketing helps. You know based on a certain room volume whether you need Select or Ultra, etc. How do I get this info from SVS? Thanks!

If my room is not enormously big and I go with two identical subs will I notice any difference between SB16 and PB16 in case of LFE? I guess that higher output level on PB16 will not really make sense as I will have to set them below the reference level anyway. And I mostly listen to music (90% of the time) and sometimes movies.

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Julian Assange is the biggest supporter of this channel, that and Wiki leaks…..

fantastically clear and precise and correct information, thanks!

You guys are great at responding to your supporters of the channel! With that being said, in the foreseeable future could there potentially be dual drivers in a single cabinet with the 16 inch drivers?

The key is that you can seal a ported subwoofer, but you can't port a sealed subwoofer ;-;

Heres a question for SVS, can you do a dual sub mix of the PB3k and the SB3k? Or do they need to have identical qualities?

Hi I have two 30-watt 6.5-inch subwoofers that correspond to the old edifier r401 speaker. I want to design a common subbox for both and then build, So that it produces maximum volume and volume, as well as deep bass and sufficient vibration (the best and most optimal mode). However, the space limit for this subbox should also be considered, which can be up to 35-40 cm wide, up to 50-60 cm long and up to 70 cm high. In the speaker specifications, the minimum response frequency of the 32 Hz speaker is written, which is probably mentioned with its box.

great interview and great questions, thank you

I have a 15 square meters room then and thinking of sealed subs for my room then. Movies/music and video games is 1/3 for each then.

I dont get this porting bullshit. Why not fire it at a foam ceiling?

i have sealed velodyne vlf 1012 big, heavy, 12" for 80hz. 10" for 120hz. but sound shit! compare to klipsch ws350 8 inches, ported. after i have the klipsch the velodyne is not even worth 10$

Nice review svs rocks 🎵🎶

and why does no company make bandpass subwoofers? a 4th order, the best of both worlds.

So no accelerometer on it?

Do your subs suffer from the port turbulence? I'd like to get a PC-2000. Why don't you have it in sealed form (SC-2000).

Hello I own a SB 3000 sub. Can you tell me if the PB 3000 can perform exactly like SB 3000 when the ports are closed?

Can the SVS sub play at 136db with less than 1% harmonic distortion at 20hz?

This question is for Ed: Can a SB16 Ultra be paired with two PC13 Ultra (2 ports opened)?

Bandpass has entered the chat...

Passive radiator: The fuck am I? Chopped liver?

Ported subwoofers all the way!

What do you think of this brand. My buddy had one and it made mine sound like shit But his broke I’m trying to find a subwoofer that will fix something wrong from day one till I am dead. Lol. www.pinnaclespeakers.com/

Sealed are better if u don´t want to bother your neighbours or your you dont want to bother your familly ! Ported have this bad thing that will sound way too loud in other rooms without reason ! nobody talks bout it ! So my opinion is that sealed are way better for many reasons !

I just ordered a PB 2000 Pro. This is the first subwoofer I ever bought, not sure exactly what it will sound like in my room, but based on everything I read, I’m very excited for it to get here

What type of box shall I make for my Infinity Reference 9603ix (300 Watts) Speakers Ported or the Sealed type ? I am already using One JBL GTX 1300T Sub Woofer & Four Infinity Reference 9603ix (300 Watts) Speakers.Now I want to make Box for those Four Infinity Reference Speakers Plz suggest what type of box will sound best ported of sealed.

"One of the primary benefits of our sealed subwoofers is size"..... That is the LAST benefit I want to hear about. You know what would make it even better in regards to small form factor? Not having a sub at all. I wish he never mentioned size as a benefit. Size is a side note at best....

if I seal a ported subwoofer box will it make the bass sound cleaner and more flat with less high peaks?

Dual PB-1000's great for both along with Prime towers and a center plus 4 sat. going on 2 1/2 years now.

Have just changed my a SVs pb 200 sub paired to Canton dm 75 Soundbase to a Samsung q90r atmos set up. The new speaker works well with great sound separation and does the job however I can honestly say the base is although it does it’s job it’s almost boarder line pathetic . The moral of the story I guess is if you like your base there ain’t no going back after Svs.

thats why im using a sundown sa 12 for my home theatre. going to build a custom ported box into 4 cubes out of my 8 cube shelf for an sa 15 to get the even richer lows, and so after displacement and box build its going to be perfect tune and spec for the sub

I really love all your videos. They are explaining so much that has confused me for a long time. Thank you.

Both works for movies or music and both are good. it's all about the taste. For clear quicker detailed with sound quality SB and for boomy deeper bass PB.

Always Ported but with very good BoX and tune

Can you please give examples of a small room and a large room? I have a 20’x24’ living room/home theater room. 90% movies and 10% musics. What SVS subwoofer do you recommend? Thanks

I have a PB13U and it's awesome at rocking the listening sofa when the movie soundtrack calls for a lot of 15-30hz effects. However it's just not punchy. It can't slam my head to a wall in a way a great sealed, high capability sub will. Can't have it all. :-)

Explanation is like a sealed subwoofer.

Many ported subs just sound terrible. No port noise on a sealed sub etc.

As much as i love svs...i use 2x 18 inch jbl jrx100 passive subs i use a crown xls1502 4ohm 1225watt in bridged mono crossovers set to 47.5hz and these subs are ported...ideal for home theater. Super happy with it and lot cheaper

Looking to add a pb-2000 to my setup but the lack of a magnetic grill and the recent price increases have given an edge to the competition.

I always wanted to see a svs in action I need to upgrade from my velodyne ch10

Hello, I'm trying to decide what would be better for my home theater, some help would be greatly appreciated. My home theater room will 1300 cubic feet, 17f wide 13f length and 8f ceiling. There will be a a walkway behind the media center with no door besides that it's a closed off room, I'm trying to decide between a pb1000 or sb 1000. Also it will be a domby atmos set up and mostly for movies. Thanks

Overwhelming options!! :) I'm planning to build a home theater room. I am considering the ultra 16 sealed because the price of both ported is high. But what is considered a small medium room? I have no chance to go to a showroom before buying so I will ahve to make a decision based on reviews... excellent video

What is the perfect SVS theater System for a basement area1400 sqft. $4000.00 buget two woofers

Can you tell me when you said room size which is good ? My room 15 by 19 by 8ft. I’m planning to get sub. Which one is good for me. Thanks guys !

I'd like to add a subwoofer to my bedroom and am looking at the PB-1000 and SB-1000. I don't know the exact dimensions of my room, but it's definitely not large. I'm into music, movies, and gaming, so I was thinking that the PB-1000 would be a good compromise to satisfy all of those areas. It might be a little overkill for my setup, but I love hard-hitting bass! Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. Maybe a smaller subwoofer would be just as good? My budget is $500.

Absolutely now help 🥴still don’t know what to buy after seeing this video

Wife won't approve ported subs. Too big.

I was disappointed they didn't talk about different genres of music. Psytrance for example needs lots of bass and I much prefer a ported sub then a sealed. out doors it should be a front folded horn. Im surprised he didn't mention a passive sub as an alt to both sealed and ported when talking about music

This video was very informative . Learned a lot about the differences in ported VS non- ported. I've always wondered what the difference was.

At the moment i just got one Dali basis 100. But now i want better base for my 5.1 system. Will start to buy one and add one more later. I'm not realy sure what i should get at the moment. Listen to both music and movies. I have checked your sb 2000 but im abit worried if it's too low output, becouse its realy small. I got a apartment and pb 2000 are abit too big for me i think. /cheers

Just purchased 2 svs SB3000 to go with 4 RP8000 and a 64 iii center.... I can't wait to get it all hooked up. Running a Denon 4500h... was wondering if I should have gone with the pd3000. This is not a dedicated theater room. It is the living room for the home, that is 23'×17' with vaulted ceilings I go from 15' to 8' high with three opening to other rooms. 90% of the use will be movies.

damn it what's wrong with the internet! everywhere turn I see videos were all I'm getting is talk and info and NO DEMO!! PUT SOME MUSIC ON!!! thx for the video though!🙃

I would like to see a sealed sub in a larger box. I'm not desperate for small size.

Sealed is always better

So what I take away from this is that lets say the SB3000 and PB3000 will sound exactly the same for movies until I reach the limit of the SB3000? Only beyond that limit the difference between them will show?

I have a dual PB-2000 setup and love it!! 🙌🏼

How to get svs sound systems in india...???

SVS great product, great service!

What is the minimum distance we must keep the sub in order to hear the accurate low frequencies in a song? I have a Kenwood SW-305 which is a Ported subwoofer and im not able to get the exact response whereever i place, but if i go past my room to other room im hearing very nice response, unfortunately my room is smaller i think....it also has crossover controls and reverse function but it didnt help much either...

I am looking to get a ported 1000 next month. Hopefully on cyber monday.

How does plugging a ported sub compare to a sealed sub?

I live in a condo building and the living room that I plan to use the sub is 17' X 12', my question is would the ported or sealed be better if I want room shaking bass that I can FEEL at really low loudness levels, I can't play anything loud or the neighbors will complain. sucks to be me.

Is extended mode a compromise between sealed and ported, or for another purpose.

How many SB-16 ultras would it take for a equivalent, spl output of one PB-16 ultra?

"Ported Box" , "Sealed Box" , "Ported Cylinder" ... that's the model name abreviation source ?

I would love to hear more about placement. Is there a difference difference in that aspect?

I Have Question @SVS, active subwoofer have amplifier inside, by too much vibration, this amplifier will not broke up?

What if you bought the ported SVS subs, and anytime you wanted to change the way it sounded just plug the ports from none to all three ports to figure out what best fits your room or you can ajust to what you are listening to, I believe SVS has round foam port plugs to do just that.