Everyone has their preferences. Some "Audiophiles" would even gasp at the thought of using sub woofers in a 2-channel rig.
Your initial findings are generally correct. I would first look at your intended uses. Mostly home theater and lots of Deceptacons roaming through your living room? Large ported subs might be to your liking. Want to break out your Massive Attack and Victor Wooten collection? A stereo pair of sealed (REL, SVS SB13s) would probably work better.
Also consider integration with your mains. What are you using, and how low can they go? How about your room size? Do you need stealth for WAF, or can you plop a large ported box anywhere you damn well choose?
I haven't heard any of the ported/sealed hybrid designs, but to me they seem a bit gimmicky. I'm all for tuning (a parametric EQ is a nice feature), but it seems the hybrids are trying too hard to be all things to all people.
Your initial findings are generally correct. I would first look at your intended uses. Mostly home theater and lots of Deceptacons roaming through your living room? Large ported subs might be to your liking. Want to break out your Massive Attack and Victor Wooten collection? A stereo pair of sealed (REL, SVS SB13s) would probably work better.
Also consider integration with your mains. What are you using, and how low can they go? How about your room size? Do you need stealth for WAF, or can you plop a large ported box anywhere you damn well choose?
I haven't heard any of the ported/sealed hybrid designs, but to me they seem a bit gimmicky. I'm all for tuning (a parametric EQ is a nice feature), but it seems the hybrids are trying too hard to be all things to all people.