Basic question is whether voice coil cooling is significantly different in a sealed box than ported?

I've never used a sealed box before but I'm gonna be using an 05 model RE XXX (the old ones) and pushing right around or a little over rated RMS (about 1600 watts) and have been considering trying sealed to save space and weight. Recommended sealed size is about 1 cubic foot for the 12 and I'd stay at that size.

In my research on these subs I heard someone complaining about the voice coils heating up sealed but were fine ported, haven't been able to find much definitive info on this subject so it may have been his issues with settings, etc. I wanted to get the opinions of the experts here before I get too far into this design.

 

Voice coils are absolutely at a disadvantage for cooling in a sealed enclosure versus vented - especially if they're made well and are properly sealed. That being said, if you build the enclosure with relatively even dimensions to maximize the area around the coil area for cooling, you should be okay. They're rated to take the power for 8 hours, so even a long trek in your car should be fine.

Big Mack

 

Thanks Big Mack, you were one of the people I hoped would weigh in.

I can give good space around the motor and don't drive around all day pounding so maybe it wouldn't be a problem!

I'm still a little on the fence but might try sealed, it'd be alot simpler to fire a sealed box through the rear deck than ported. I'm not sure how satisfied the old basshead in me will be long term though, I have a feeling I'm still gonna want to get real loud once in a while.

Mack, is it the smaller dimensions of the sealed box that affect cooling or does the heat leave the box through the port? Maybe my interpretation is way off, but from my understanding the air in the port moves in and out like the cone of a woofer when the sub is playing so I wouldn't think heat would be escaping then. Does heat escape between notes or am I wrong on the way the air and heat acts in the enclosure altogether?

 

Glad to help, Kyle.

I've run sealed enclosures almost exclusively in my vehicles, and never smoked a coil. I've also run significant amounts of power to my subs and not had a problem dropping bottom from time to time without a problem.

Umm...not sure how to answer that, since it's two questions, really. Smaller comes into play, but sealed factor is more important. There is simply less air being exchanged between the inside and outside. Cones and surrounds allow small amounts of air to get exchanged with each movement. Nature of the beast. Air and heat leave the vent when you are running a vented enclosure.

Yes, the heat is being exchanged. The second the air moves out of the port, it is being moved and cooled by the environment if it is warmer than the air it is moving into (IE - heat rises). It may not be something you can feel right in front of your hand, but the air is not able to move in and out in a straight line like a piston would. If it did, port noise wouldn't exist.

And yes, heat does escape when the woofer isn't playing sound, but it doesn't exchange it nearly as quickly as when it is playing.

Big Mack

 

I also have run only sealed boxes when I was into sound systems. Ive run everything from AudioBahn to JL. The only time I have ever cooked a coil was when I threw to much to it, then again...I almost always overpowered my subs, and I used to run them constantly. IMO...I wouldn't really worry about that.

 

Big Mack, thanks for the clarification, wasn't sure exactly how that worked.

S8KWR, thanks for the insight.

I'm leaning towards trying sealed first, if I'm disappointed with the output I can always redo it ported later.