So It`s Ok To Mix and Match Ported and Sealed Subwoofers ??

As I understand it, the thinking of 4 subs is not about volume but room integration.

It's not a terrible approach, but IMHO among the most wasteful. With a good room, precise integration, even 1 sub may suffice.

It is the "precise integration"  that troubles most people, and a reason for the 4 sub solution. It kind of eliminates the need for so much measurement, alignment, etc. The Anthem, JL and Dirac systems do an amazing job of measuring and calibrating this for you, far better than previous systems, IMHO.

Also, if your current speakers are ported, plug them before subbing.

Best,

E

This article does a good job of critiquing approaches to a bad room:

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/are-you-putting-subwoofers-behind-viewer

But if you already have effective bass traps, open walls, and have an effective EQ stratejy, such as room correction, you don't even have to have 2.

Very risky scm taking advice from one of the least knowledgeable on this subject on the whole site. DYODD.

The Audiokinesis Swarm are ported, yes, but all come with plugs. Plug a port and it becomes a sealed speaker.

There's nothing magical about ported/sealed. Its simply a tradeoff made between efficiency, extension, and cabinet volume. Briefly, ported speakers tend to have a response curve that is more efficient at higher bass frequencies, but then falls off rapidly past a certain point, the tuning frequency. Sealed cabinets have a lower efficiency but fall off more gradually. So plugging a port has the effect of reducing bass output at what tends to be a more problematic range due to room reinforcement, while also allowing a little deeper bass thanks to the more gradual rolloff. 

Two of my 5 subs are sealed. Two are ported. One, Talon Roc, is isobaric and ported. Isobaric is when two drivers are mounted together such that they both move the same air together. Anyway, point is, it is perfectly okay to mix. Often times in fact it is preferable. 

Watch who you take advice from around here. Remember, there's no editors, and anyone can post.

Hello scm,

    I utilize a 4-sub Audio Kinesis distributed bass array (DBA) system in my 23'x16' room that also has rather large openings (4-5'x7' pass-thrus along the front of one side wall and at one side of the rear wall.) to other rooms but I have 8' tall ceilings that are not cathedral type.
    I'm fairly surprised that you're committed to using 4 or even more subs in your room and system since there are relatively and inexplicably few Audiogon members who have first hand experience using a 4-sub DBA system, ever personally auditioned one or are even committed to trying the concept. So, I am curious how you became committed to giving it a go.
    Don't get me wrong, you've made a very wise decision that I'm absolutely certain you will never regret in the least. I've been using my 4-sub DBA system for over 4 years now, initially with Magnrepan 2,7QR and currently with 3.7i planar-magnetic main speakers for both 2-ch music and HT, and its performance never fails to put a smile on my face on a daily basis with either. Prepare to be amazed.
    I'm willing to assist you at attaining similar results in your room and system if you'd like. On this post, I'll just give you some broad answers to your questions, provide some useful information and ask you
a few questions:

1. Both my Audio Kinesis Debra and the AK Swarm system are complete kit 4-sub DBA systems that are priced at about $3K, include 4 relatively small subs (the Debra's are 14.5"D x 12"W x 28"H and the Swarm's are a bit wider and squarer in shape), utilize 10" aluminum long-throw drivers, are operated in mono mode with bass extension down to 20 Hz +/- 3 dB, a 1Kwatt class AB amp/control unit that powers all 4 subs and are supplied with a set of 4 port plugs that allows for a choice of operating all 4 subs in either ported or sealed configuration.
    Unexpectedly, I discerned no significant difference in bass sound quality in either configuration but operate all of mine in ported configuration because I perceived the bass performance to have a bit deeper extension.  
    In my opinion, there's little sense in ordering a 2nd sub amp/control unit to configure the DBA system in stereo since humans cannot localize bass frequencies below about 80 Hz and virtually all commercially available musical content has the L+ R channel bass below about 100 Hz summed to mono, anyway.

2. It's possible to create a Custom 4 or even a more numerous sub DBA system utilizing any subs an individual chooses. These custom DBA systems can perform just as well or even better than either AK complete kit system, can consist of various sub sizes, brands, models, can consist of a combination of sealed and ported subs and only have a few downsides.  
    Depending on the particular subs chosen, one downside of a custom DBA system is it will typically be more expensive than either AK complete kit price of about $3K . Other downsides are that all traditional self-amplified subs utilized in a custom DBA are required to posses control settings for volume, cutoff frequency and continuously variable phase and these controls need to be set individually on each sub, rather than once for all 4 subs on the AK amp/control unit.

3. The AK and custom DBAs work incredibly well even without any room treatments, mics, equalizers or room correction software and hardware. However, all of these additional tools can be utilized at the individual's discretion and may or may not further improve bass quality performance. I can attest to this because I've been using my 4-sub AK Debra DBA system without any of these potential bass performance aids for over 4 years with stunningly good results. I consider this as the strongest evidence of the DBA concept's effectiveness. I have no doubt the 4-sub DBA concept will work equally well in your slightly larger room.  
     
    Nevertheless, I recently ordered about $3,500 in GIK room treatments with assurances that these tools will only further improve the bass response performance in my room. I honestly have a hard time imagining how the bass performance in my room, already what I consider to be near state of the art, could be even better but I'm very curious to find out; these should arrive next week and be installed within a week after.
     You may have noticed I haven't asked for any further information on your room, room treatments or the make, model or type of your main speakers. The reason is that none of this matters, the 4-sub DBA concept works extremely well in virtually any room, with any pair of main speakers and with or without assistance of room treatments or DSP of any kind.
    Okay, lastly a few questions for you:
1. Do you have a total budget amount?
2. How did you learn of and about the effectiveness of multiple subs?
3. Are there any reasons you want to use more than 4 subs in your room?
4. Do you have a preference for a complete kit 4-sub DBA or a custom one?


Thanks,
  Tim

Thanks guys for helping out.

Millercarbon...that`s encouraging to see that there should be no issues using ported and sealed subs together.

Tim...at the very least I`ll add two but I`m not afraid to add 4 if I want.
This Forum and a few others that I frequent are what got me interested in the idea.
I like the idea of eliminating the need for room correction devices I`ve read a lot about it and I`m not interested in it at all.

I`ve also read that 3 subs can pretty much rival 4 if everything melds.

The sub I use now is a sealed box Revel Ultima15 powered by the same amp used in the swarm. At that rate then maybe just two will suffice.

I like Rythmik subs and my daughter and her husband uses one with the GR Research woofer in it with their MMG`s.
But I don`t think I need to spend that much so I`m leaning to the smallish SVS SB/PB 1000.
I want subs with speaker level inputs to daisy chain off my main amp.

My main speakers are ported but they have a 3 position dial on the back for room boundary adjustments. 

Steve