How to Make a Sealed Box Louder?
Several methods can improve the sound of your sealed box. The most effective way to get a louder sound is to position it at a suitable place. Also, sealed subwoofer boxes can provide more accurate sound and more bass than ported ones.
What makes it powerful is its shape and size. However, using large boxes can drastically decrease the sound quality if the speaker is weak (Better if you disapprove of this myth).
However, you can still enhance the sound of your sealed subwoofer box by following some tips. As an audio expert, I’ve deeply understood its nature. This helps me get the most efficient ways to enhance the sealed box.
Let’s dive in without wasting any further time!
Does a Sealed Box Hit Harder?
The answer is straightforward: it depends on the audio system being used and the desired sound output. Remember that you will get poor sound quality if you use a mismatched amplifier with your sealed subwoofer. However, if you are confident about your audio system, let’s move forward.
A sealed box will generally provide more control over the sound than a ported one since it does not allow air to escape through any vents or ports. This can result in a tighter bass response, which allows for more powerful bass and better sound quality.
However, a ported subwoofer box may be preferred if louder volumes are desired since it increases the system’s efficiency by allowing air to escape through the port.
As per my experience, sealed boxes tend to have better acoustics than ported ones when dealing with low-frequency sounds (bass). Sealed subwoofer containers provide a more natural and consistent bass response since air cannot escape through the ports.
On the other hand, ported subwoofer boxes are better for dealing with higher-frequency sounds, as they allow for increased efficiency and louder sound volumes.
9 Effective Ways to Make Your Sealed Box Louder Than Before:
These simple methods can improve sound quality and make sealed boxes louder than ever. Follow them one by one:
1. Reposition Your Sealed Box:
Subwoofer box placement is essential to improving sound loudness whether you place your sealed speaker box in the home theater or your car stereo. I have mentioned tips and tricks for both the room and car below:
1.1 For Home Theaters:
One way to increase the volume is by positioning the box in an area with fewer obstacles blocking sound waves from leaving the enclosure. This could mean finding a corner or other area of the room that is less cluttered.
The larger the open space, the fewer obstacles there are for sound waves to bounce off, resulting in louder sound levels. In addition to positioning the box away from objects that can absorb sound, you can also make it louder by moving it closer to the source of the sealed subwoofer box sound.
This could mean moving it closer to speakers, amplifiers, or other audio equipment. When closer to these elements, the box can amplify the waves and increase their output.
1.2 For Car Stereo:
A few placement tips you should consider while positioning your sealed subwoofer enclosure in the car are:
- One way to reposition your sealed subwoofer box is by adjusting its location. The ideal position for a sealed container is mounted as close to the middle of the vehicle as possible. This will help achieve even sound distribution throughout the car and ensure that each speaker receives equal power. Additionally, mounting it closer to the dash can reduce reverberations and reflections caused by reflective surfaces in your vehicle.
- Another way to reposition your sealed box is by angling it at a 45-degree angle. This helps the waves evenly distribute in the cabin and create a fuller, richer, and louder sound. Additionally, you can lift the subwoofer box slightly off the ground to avoid any obstructions that could block waves from reaching your speakers.
- Finally, keep your sealed container away from other sound sources such as amplifiers, car-stereo components, or speakers. The vibration from these sound sources can interfere with the performance of the sealed box, resulting in a decrease in volume and clarity level.
2. Fill Box With Polyfill:
Check if your enclosure is filled with polyfill material (1). If not, filling a sealed container with it will surely enhance the sound’s loudness. Polyfill is a great way to make your sealed box louder. It can also help maximize the efficiency of your speaker system by reducing air leakage and reflecting audio waves into the box.
When you fill your sealed subwoofer box with polyfill, it acts like thousands of tiny pillows that absorb some of the back wave energy created by your speakers and reduce standing waves in the box. This reduces distortion and prevents sound from escaping through air gaps or open ports.
Additionally, polyfill helps increase the speaker’s maximum volume by reducing air leakage around the edges of the box. To get optimal performance from your speakers, fill your sealed container with the right amount of polyfill for your application.
Note that: Too much or too little can lead to undesired results.
3. Tighten Your Speaker Components:
If you use your subwoofer box daily, the bass will loosen up your enclosure components, such as screws and nuts. Therefore you need to ensure they are tightly gathered.
Tightening the nuts and screws on speaker components inside a sealed enclosure can make your sound system louder. This happens due to increased pressure from the tightened screws and nuts, which create an airtight seal that increases the efficiency of your speakers.
Additionally, tightening all the screws and nuts helps maintain structural integrity by providing additional support for the frame and components. This will reduce rattling, which can cause sound distortion and degrade the overall quality of your audio.
When tightening speaker components, avoid over-tightening them, as this can damage the parts or even break them. You should also ensure that all screws and nuts are tightened evenly, so there is no imbalance in the structure. Also, ensure to use the right tools when tightening screws and nuts, so they don’t get stripped.
4. Use a Matched Amplifier:
Like above said, a mismatched amp can drastically result in weak sound. Either it will overpower or underpower your subwoofer. However, a matched amplifier to a sealed enclosure subwoofer will make it much louder than an unmatched one.
This is because the matched amplifier can provide more power, so the subwoofer can move more air and create a better bass response. Additionally, correctly matching the amplifier to the enclosure size and type can reduce distortion and increase efficiency.
The amplifier you choose should have a power rating higher than the subwoofer’s RMS or “root mean square” value. This will ensure that the amp can provide enough power to drive the subwoofer without causing it to overheat or distort.
Additionally, if the amp is equipped with an adjustable low-pass filter, this can help fine-tune the system and prevent unwanted frequencies from coming through.
5. Adjust Equalizer Settings:
Another way to get more power out of your sealed enclosure subwoofer is to adjust the equalizer settings (bass and treble level). Doing so can help change the output levels for specific frequencies. Lowering the level of a particular frequency can allow you to boost the output of other frequencies, resulting in louder overall sound from your subwoofer.
6. Ensure Sealed Box Doesn’t Have Any Air Leakage:
As the name suggests, a sealed subwoofer box is essential to making a speaker loud, as it keeps the air pressure within the tube consistent by preventing air leakage. This consistency helps maintain the efficiency of the waves produced.
Throughout the time sealed box starts showing unsealed spots on the box. When this happens, air can escape and cause inconsistent pressure in the enclosure, making the audio waves less efficient and quieter.
To prevent air leakage, you should ensure that the sealed box is constructed with high-quality materials like thick plywood and adhesive glue.
The edges of the enclosure should also be reinforced with silicone sealant or caulk to create an airtight seal. The speaker should also be securely anchored inside the box using screws and nuts.
If you suspect any leakage, use a smoke machine or soapy water to identify and plug the gaps. This will ensure that your sealed box consistently provides maximum sound output without losing pressure from air leaking out of the enclosure.
7. Use Appropriate Sized Box:
Using an appropriately sized sealed box can help to make a subwoofer louder. This is because the air inside the box provides a type of spring that helps push the cone back out when it moves in and out, increasing its efficiency.
You should choose the box size carefully for optimal performance. Ideally, it should be larger than the subwoofer’s size and tightly sealed. This will ensure that no air escapes from the subwoofer box, allowing it to resonate with the cone’s movements more effectively, resulting in a louder sound.
8. Use Appropriate Design:
Using a well-designed sealed box for your audio system can help make the sound of your system louder and more powerful. A closed box’s design can help trap air within it, reducing any reverberation that would typically occur during audio reproduction.
This means that all the sound produced by your system will remain inside the sealed subwoofer box, resulting in a more robust and louder sound from your audio system.
In addition, the box also helps to reduce distortion by preventing any waves created during audio production from bouncing back and causing interference.
9. Use a Plastic Rubber (If Box Has Holes):
If you use a box with holes to make the airflow escape from it, you can convert it to a sealed container and make it louder by closing the holes with a plastic rubber. Closing the holes of a sealed box with pliable rubber can make it louder by creating an acoustic-dampening effect.
This is because plastic rubber absorbs sound waves, which re-directs them back into the box and amplifies them. Therefore, when the sound wave is compressed, it creates more power and volume.
As a result, this allows the waves to be louder than if the plastic rubber were not present. Additionally, plastic rubber is an excellent material for trapping and isolating sound. It prevents external sounds from entering or leaving the subwoofer box, amplifying the sound inside.
General FAQs:
Does Size Matter for Better Sound in Sealed Box?
Size does matter when it comes to getting better sound from a sealed subwoofer box subwoofer. A larger box can provide more air space for the woofer, resulting in improved bass response and lower distortion.
Generally, the bigger the enclosure, the better the performance will be (The subwoofer should be robust too). The larger size also helps to reduce the flexing of the woofer’s cone, which can cause distortion.
The size of the subwoofer box also affects its resonance frequency, which is essential for sound quality. A larger enclosure will have a lower resonance frequency than a smaller one, resulting in more accurate sound reproduction. A larger chamber also helps to dampen out unwanted vibrations that can occur with smaller sealed boxes.
Do Sealed Boxes Sound Better?
The debate about whether sealed subwoofer boxes sound better than ported has been going on for decades. Some audiophiles will tell you that the tight seal of a sealed subwoofer box produces a cleaner, more controlled bass. On the other hand, some people prefer the extra punch and depth provided by a ported enclosure.
Do Sealed Subwoofers Need More Power?
The short answer to this question is, “it depends”. Sealed subwoofers can require more power than their ported counterparts, but the amount of power required largely depends on the size and shape of the enclosure.
A larger sealed speaker box will generally need more power to move air than a smaller one. Conversely, a smaller closed subwoofer box requires less energy than a larger ported enclosure.
It’s also important to consider that sealed enclosures are typically far more efficient than ported designs, allowing the same amount of power to go further when it comes to producing sound.
External Sources:
(1) Polyfill