I've been looking into getting a pair of subs, but I was wondering if someone could tell me the different kinds of boxes (bandpass, etc) and what they are used for. Any help is greatly appriciated.

There's 3 basic sub boxes: sealed, ported & bandpass.
Sealed box: A straight-up sealed box, no holes/vents whatsoever. Great for overall sound quality and tight bass response. Requires more power to go to the sub. Intended music type: trance & rock.
Ported box: This box has port(s) or vent(s). Requires less power to go to the sub than a sealed box. Noted fuller bass response (boomier). Intended music type: flexible.
Bandpass box: This typically, big box is composed of 2 chambers and port(s). VERY BOOMY BASS RESPONSE w/ special attention to certain lower frequencies. (Due to this, I recommend the other 2 options.) Requires much less power than the aforementioned boxes. Intended music type: Miami bass type of stuff.

Also, check out JL audio's site on sub boxes...

I used to have a bandpass box in my hatchback for a single 12" sub. This was my first experience with subs and my inexperience led me to believe that my system was great.... it sounded nice. I was an idiot. After all the screws started to strip out of the wood due to the subs movement, I replaced it w/ a Memphis slotted MDF box. This box alone made my sub sound 3 times louder and cleaner. I was happy... but then disappointed as the cone of my sub tore from the center out. Well... I'm still happy, I just need a stronger sub.

*note: The material of the box is important also. Some materials offer a better sound quality due to their properties. MDF is a great wood material that offers better sound than regular particle board. Fiberglass is another material that will work well (and often is in show vehicles).

there's also what you call a free air sub which doesn't have a box. You mount it in your rear deck and it uses the trunk as a box. You have to have a lot of power though. :)

Originally posted by kicker1_solo
there's also what you call a free air sub which doesn't have a box. You mount it in your rear deck and it uses the trunk as a box. You have to have a lot of power though. :)
Thanx for that... That is correct.

Originally posted by xivera

Thanx for that... That is correct. It's not really a type of a box, but I thought I'd post it anyway. :)

even though this post is long gone...lol here is a place that describes all woofer enclosures wou can think of....

Theories of Subwoofer Design (http://www.danmarx.org/audioinnovation/theories.html)

some subs that where forgotten are tranmission line (rarely used in car stereo), Passive Radiator (another rarely used enclosure), and Isobaric (compound, and push pull)

Isobaric, my friend uses. Passive radiator, I have used. I know people that use TLs. As for the point about "free air", what you described is not free air. It is infinite baffle. Free air is when you power a sub and it is all by itself, touching nothing, no box. In reality, I know of only one sub that produces music in free air and that is Adire Audio's latest home audio sub shown over at CEA...

P.S. please don't bring back extremely dead threads. It is one of my irritations

sorry, i was reading the "important" post and came upn a link to this one and they had forgotten some...

Example of a sealed box in my signiture

Example of a sealed box in my signiture

Your hood got stolen? That's a new one, lol. Sorry to hear about the loss. I just experience my first last week when my audio setup was stolen... at college while I was in a classroom 100 feet away with a window looking right out at the parking lot. I just never looked.

dead thread, dont bring it back again!

There's 3 basic sub boxes: sealed, ported & bandpass.
Sealed box: A straight-up sealed box, no holes/vents whatsoever. Great for overall sound quality and tight bass response. Requires more power to go to the sub. Intended music type: trance & rock.
Ported box: This box has port(s) or vent(s). Requires less power to go to the sub than a sealed box. Noted fuller bass response (boomier). Intended music type: flexible.
Bandpass box: This typically, big box is composed of 2 chambers and port(s). VERY BOOMY BASS RESPONSE w/ special attention to certain lower frequencies. (Due to this, I recommend the other 2 options.) Requires much less power than the aforementioned boxes. Intended music type: Miami bass type of stuff.

Also, check out JL audio's site on sub boxes...

This needs correction. Ported is not boomier when built right, nor is bandpass. Bandpass allows for much more flexibility and requires much more knowledge to be built right.

About there being a "free air box" what you are thinking of is infinite baffle, not free air

what about transmission line and horns....