@yogiboy I have also always preferred sealed enclosures. Bass is tighter, seems much more accurate. Takes more power. So be it.
Why not acoustic suspension?
When I was young, late 60's early 70's, the sealed or acoustic suspension speakers were quite commonplace. Now bass reflex, ported speakers seem to be much more common. My understanding is that both speaker designs, assuming competent design will perform very well. Perhaps with the ported getting a slightly lower bass response and higher efficiency gives it the edge. Thinking efficiency though, amplifier watts don't cost that much more today so it doesn't seem like a deal maker. What I don't understand from a pragmatic corporate standpoint is why more acoustic suspension speakers aren't available. My understanding is that the sealed speaker box can be smaller which would be a plus from a cost standpoint, both in less material, lighter cabinet and more speakers could be shipped in a truck reducing shipping cost. Any thoughts as to why the industry has shifted so hard in the bass reflex direction?
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This is just my subjective opinion, but my sense from listening to speakers is that true acoustic suspension speakers tend to sound a bit congested compared to other configurations be they infinite baffle, which are also totally enclosed, or ported, or speakers using passive radiators, which are sort of in between in a way. When I was in college in the early 1970s I worked at a high end store in the Seattle area. We carried JBL, Altec Lansing, both representing the ported school, AR and KLH, acoustic suspension and electrostatic for KLH, Bozak, infinite baffle, Klipsch, horn loaded. In other words the store had the goods of the day. McIntosh introduced their ML series speakers, which were acoustic suspension. Initially we displayed them in a room along side Bozak and within months the rep informed the owner that our speaker sales were lagging his other Mac dealers. The elephant in the room was Bozak. We moved the two lines into separate rooms and sure enough Mac speaker sales picked up. Customers were getting confused. For me the Bozaks sounded easy, the Macs forced. Before I graduated I bought Bozaks. Another example, love them or hate them was the Bose 901. Originally an acoustic suspension design, but starting with the Series III a ported speaker. I felt and feel that the speaker worked better once it was ported. More open, freer, easier sounding. Later I bought Ditton 66 speakers, a passive radiator design, very easy on the ears, nothing forced about them at all. So that is my take on why acoustic suspension speakers have gone into decline. They simply don’t sound as good as others all else being equal. |
Back in college, I had a pair of large advents in the proletarian vinyl cabinets. They were powered by a hand me down Heathkit AR15 and made for a great sounding system. Bass was tight but quite solid. Am currently using a pair of smaller stand mount Revels which are rear ported. I still prefer sealed box subwoofers. I am using a near vintage Velodyne SPL 1000 to great effect. I find it has less bloom than similarly priced ported units and will replace it with another sealed unit when this relic finally expires. |
I’m a big fan of sealed boxes which I think have better imaging than those with ports, the bass a bit less extended, but after chasing low bass in my youth, I much prefer sealed front dispersion only. I remember visiting the AR Booth on a mezzanine level at Grand Central Terminal in the 60’s when I was in college in Brooklyn, NY 1966-1970. My 1st decent speakers, bought in 1968 with wedding money, from Sam Goody’s were AR-2ax, compact 3 way with 10" woofer, designed to fit in/on a bookcase. I loved them until I was ransacked and they were stolen. A discussion here about ’what past component do you miss?’ inspired me to acquire and refurb a pair of AR-2ax for my garage/shop system. They sounded so good that I moved them into my office, and restored a second pair for down there. https://www.audiogon.com/systems/10092 Meanwhile, my main system speakers are a new enclosure with drivers from 1956, with an optional rear vent which I used open in a prior location with no wall behind the speakers, but it is closed here. So, these are sealed Vintage 4 way Acoustic Suspension with a 15" woofer They are over 100 lbs, on 3 wheels, I alter the toe-in if a friend listens with me https://www.audiogon.com/systems/11516 I just realized, my small home theater, DBX100 main L and R are sealed acoustic suspension also I do have an ’un-sealed back’, I cut huge access/cooling openings in the AV cabinet’s back, then I made a hanging/sliding/removable back in matching wood, so the wires would not be seen against the white painted wall behind when viewing thru the cutouts from the front And, a former favorite, JSE Infinite Slope Model II’s are also sealed https://www.audiogon.com/systems/11418
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Smaller spaces, smaller enclosures, easier stocking/shipping, customers can fit them in their vehicles, larger sounding, greater range in specs, separate stands, separate self-powered subs, I think a combo of advantages is why so many makers are using ports, and I suspect many younger people have never even heard fully sealed designs. I gave my JSE Model IIs to my son, they were too big for his wife, so he gave them to a mutual friend, who enjoys living in an old firehouse he bought and converted. They sound awesome there. He got a 2nd pair. Another friend took my advice and got a pair in his large room. So, after I'm gone, and after Donna's gone, or if she moves after I'm gone and is willing/needing to part with them, my son is not going to want my awesome sounding speakers, and while my son has a TT, and some LP's, I doubt that he is going to want all the CDs and LP's either. Maybe my son's friend will want them, he brings his equipment and music here frequently, loves their sound, he has room to swap them in/out, and he's 27 years younger than Donna and me. |
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