resonance and sealed enclosures

It will depend on the "Q" or tuning of the driver in that specific cabinet. Most sealed designs typically have a lower Q, meaning that they have a much smaller peak ( if any ) at resonance. This is why they sound far more natural and offer better control than a vented design, which typically has a tremendous peak ( both in output and impedance ) at the point of resonance.

While this type of speaker would be phenomenal for a computer type system, you can always vary the type and quantity of stuffing material to alter the bass response to your tastes as needed. More stuffing will reduce the peak at output, provide more extension and give the bass a tighter, drier sound. Reducing the stuffing will give you greater output at a higher frequency, making the bass sound more "lively", but also with less control. Finding the right spot for what you desire in your specific installation shouldn't be that difficult. Sean
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A port is typically tuned at the point of resonance that the woofer achieves within that given box. By "counter-acting" this resonance, two smaller resonances are created. It is this elevated bass plateau due to these resonances that typically results in greater extension. At the same time, more resonance equates to less control and definition, which is why most vented designs sound "sloppy" compared to a well designed sealed box. The sealed box loses when it comes to output levels though, so you have to choose which trade-offs you want to live with and go from there. As i've mentioned before, sealed vs vented is equivalent to quality vs quantity.

I don't think that a 10" sub would be out of place filling in the bottom for 5.25" mid-woofers. If you cross it over properly, you can play around with the placement and probably get it to work pretty well. As far as using it on a desk-top, that may be a bit much depending on the size of the cabinet and the size of the desk : ) Sean
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This has to do with port velocity and turbulence within and / or near the port entrance and exits. Using a port that has radiused flares tends to reduce these problems quite a bit. This allows the port to maintain more consistent tuning / proper operation over a wider spl range. If such a port is not used, the output of the port will be far peakier in a specific spl range and lower the performance standard if used outside of a narrow range of average spl's. Using a port that is flared on one side rather than at the inlet and the outlet is better than a straight port, but it will still run into the same problems, albeit to a lesser extent. Sean
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El: I don't have a lot of personal experience with this type of design as compared to others that i've discussed, which for the record, is called an Aperiodic or "Vario-Vent" by some. From what i have heard, experienced and read about these designs, i like it better than most commercially available ported and passive radiator designs. Like anything else though, one would have to carefully select the proper box / driver combo to obtain optimum results.

As a side note, there was a commercial speaker designer that was posting on AA under the pseudonym of "Mr Bigglesworth". Whoever he was, he wanted to remain anonymous but at the same time, tried to share his experiences and educate the masses. When it came down to it, he stated that if one were do all of the measuring in the world and their goal was to achieve the highest levels of linearity possible, a sealed and stuffed low Q box would be what they would end up with. I asked him what his thoughts were on Aperiodic's and Transmission Lines and he referred me back to the sealed box along with an explanation why he had those thoughts. Given that i was already on the same page that he was, i didn't need much convincing. I was just looking to compare notes with someone inside the industry that didn't have a reputation to uphold or specific product to market. Sean
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Push / Pull lowers distortion, increases power handling, faster transient response, lower impedance peak at resonance, improved power transfer characteristics, etc... If properly implimented, it can be quite beneficial. I'm using a dipolar push-pull arrangement for my own personal subs. The dipolar pattern reduces standing waves, which further improves the linearity of in-room response. Problem is, you've got to use twice as many drivers, resulting in a lower impedance, much higher cost to build and the need for a much sturdier amp. Sean
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