Sealed

Sealed Subwoofers: Best for Critical Music Applications

A properly designed sealed subwoofer will typically exhibit less phase rotation, lower group delay, and reduced ringing in the time domain. Sealed cabinet subwoofers are generally more accurate in frequency response and better at rendering instrumentals in a convincing way. These characteristics make the sealed subwoofer a natural choice for critical music applications and are typically described by enthusiasts as sounding tighter and more articulate or musical, with less perceived overhang.

A sealed subwoofer naturally has a shallower roll-off slope than a ported subwoofer. A sealed subwoofer will typically have considerably lower dynamic output limits than a ported subwoofer in the same price range as well, and usually in a more compact form factor.