I went from ported SVS subs to the Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive (sealed X4). My experience is that I needed all four to replace the SVS (both had dual drivers) but the quality and depth of the bass is superior. It's easier to get more slam from the ported IMO but worth it to add an extra sealed sub or two to get that slam as well.

Given the same driver sensitivity and power capability, ported subs should theoretically be twice as loud as a sealed sub thanks to the port. However, loud is not everything. We also experience bass through pressure waves, and the sealed sub does a better job of producing pressure waves.

My "T-Rex" audio track is from a 1994 Telarc Cincinatti Pops CD album entitled "The Great Fantasy Adventure Album". The album has a warning that there are infrasonic frequencies to 5 Hz on 5 tracks which include "T-Rex", "Jurassic Lunch" (another T-Rex), and the "Terminator" theme. These have proved to be excellent test tracks for evaluating a sub. My impression is that a sealed sub couples more energy to the room than a ported sub, although both types can be very impressive with these tracks.

The SQ of both ported and sealed subs can be degraded by design compromises. It's somewhat easier to design a great sealed sub, but the sealed design is no assurance of better SQ. A poor design is a poor design no matter the type.

Yeah Telarc has some awsome CD's. They also made some fantastic digital direct to disc LP's years ago. Their recording of the 1812 overture with live cannon does a good number on a subwoofer. I remember when the LP recording came out how the grills on our speakers popped off with the cannon blasts. Also how the tone arm on the turntable would dance on the groves with the cannon fire (literally several mm of deflection in the grooves!) It took a well adjusted and balanced tone arm with the tracking and anti-scating adjusted right just to stay in the groove!

Somewhere in my CD collection I have the 1812 overture played either by the Boston Pops or the Cincinatti Pops. Whether it's Telarc or not, I don't remember. It does have live cannon, I remember that much. I hadn't thought about that one, and I'll have to check it out on my new subs and speakers. We have two Pioneer Elite PD-F19 CD jukeboxes ganged together with capacity for 600 disks, and all of my and my wife's collection are in them. The jewel boxes with the liner notes are stored away, and unless I look them up, I don't remember all the details on each disk. The location index we use to find a particular disk only has the artist or group and the album title on it.

Bill

If it's Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops, it's Telarc.

AFAIK the Telarc recording of the Cincinnati Pops was the only one ever made where such care was taken to reproduce the sounds of the cannon and church bells. They recorded each of these sounds separately and digitally mixed them later. The big problem with the cannon was was the EXTREME dynamic range. They actually avoided flat topping of the cannon blasts. (Real cannon do produce a different kind of distortion caused by 'flat topping' in the 'either' itself as the exhaust products of the gunpowder in the cannon can leave the gun in faster than the speed of sound!)