Without a subwoofer, your lows won’t have the power to hit those heart-thumping rhythms you love in songs.
This equipment is designed to be a loudspeaker that engages more sub-bass frequencies to create a more rounded and authentic sound.
Since bass notes are often under 100 Hz, better resonance happens when you can produce the frequencies at a higher volume. That’s why the goal of almost every subwoofer is to confine the audio to narrow spaces.
The Bandpass Box helps create the necessary space to help your subs shine within any composition.
What Is a Bandpass Box and What Are the Pros and Cons?
The Bandpass Box is a specially designed subwoofer where the woofer cones get placed within a dedicated chamber. This process ensures that the cone produces a smoother sound while contributing more volume to the mix. It creates a boom effect with two sections, creating a ported and enclosed result.
By definition, a Bandpass Box is a simple sealed enclosure with an acoustical filter in the front. That design works to limit the higher end of the driver frequency response. With that natural limiting, the selection of a mid-bass driver is crucial.
If you decide to equip your vehicle with a Bandpass Box, the mid-bass driver won’t typically fit if it is 6.5 inches are larger.
When this enclosure is used with an insufficient driver, you’ll end up with extra muddiness in your mix.
Think about the sound a soggy waffle makes when striking a cardboard box. That’s what a Bandpass Box does to an insufficient mid-bass.
Several pros and cons are worth reviewing when looking at the Bandpass Box design for any subwoofer.
| List of the Pros of a Bandpass Box | List of the Cons of a Bandpass Box |
| Bandpass Boxes provide a higher efficiency rate than competitive designs, ensuring a consistent sonic experience. | Although custom options are available, this product is notoriously challenging to complete as a DIY project. |
| You’ll experience less subwoofer excursion with this option. | The Bandpass Box design is naturally resistant to motion. |
| They’re more durable than other subwoofer and enclosure combinations. | The filtering action can reduce the sound quality and smoothness found in the lower frequencies. |
| You can access this technology in a variety of sizes, including a 12-inch model. | It can mask the distortion in the mix, making it harder to tell if something is wrong with the cone or other components. |
| The boom effect that listeners want from their subs is more present with this technology. | Listeners who are used to a different bass experience sometimes struggle to adapt to how the Bandpass Box performs. |
| Customized designs are available from various brands. | The box can be impractically big for some installations, especially if you want a larger speaker in a smaller vehicle. |
What Are the Advantages of a Bandpass Box?
When exploring the potential options that a Bandpass Box offers, some distinctive advantages stand out when comparing these subs to others at a similar price point.
1. A Bandpass Box delivers improved efficiencies.
Bandpass subwoofers are highly efficient speakers. They produce excellent sub-bass and bass soundwaves in virtually any environment, primarily since the ports work as an effective low-pass filter.
Since the enclosure only releases at the desired frequency range, you can have consistency with the listening experience in any environment.
You’ll notice a more profound bass extension to all your favorite songs and compositions with a Bandpass Box. Even the depth, harmonics, and quality of different effects stand out with this equipment.
Users can improve this advantage even more by customizing their chambers and fine-tuning the speakers to whatever bandwidth they prefer.
2. Less subwoofer excursion occurs with a Bandpass Box.
The Bandpass Box lets you control the cone motion, ensuring that lower excursion occurs. Since there is limited movement, you’ll experience less air circulation than competitive designs manage.
What occurs gets channeled into a higher acoustic output since the cone isn’t required to do all the work.
3. Bandpass Boxes are more durable than other subs.
Since a Bandpass Box doesn’t push the drivers to the limit, you’ll notice higher long-term durability rates with these subs compared to other models.
The manufacturer uses polypropylene cones to add more durability to the product. Although that makes them more rigid than other designs, they’re significantly more durable.
When you add in the protective case, chambered design, and overall manufacturing quality, a Bandpass Box is built to provide low-frequency support for an extended time.
4. You can find different sizes of Bandpass Box options.
When you start shopping for Bandpass Box subs, you’ll find that they come in several different sizes and shapes. That means you can incorporate this technology almost anywhere you listen to music, from the car to your home to the backyard.
You could even rig up a system for your office at work, but you’d probably talk to your boss about that idea first.
The biggest sizes are typically the best when working with a Bandpass Box. The fourth, sixth, and eighth order all work for different situations. That means there’s something here for almost everyone to enjoy.
Once you’ve got your preferred model, you can start tweaking the bandwidths and waves to maximize your listening experience.
5. Bandpass Boxes deliver a lot of extra boom.
Have you ever heard someone with a terrible sub blaring it at a red light? The extra vibration makes your teeth rattle ten feet away from the speaker because of how much distortion and buzz are part of the audio experience.
When you want to get a boom-like effect with your cheap subs, that’s the only way to get the job done.
A Bandpass Box delivers a different user experience. The ported area units develop soundwaves that trigger a natural boom each time the drop comes. That’s why this equipment is an ideal choice for almost any musical genre.
Since the sealed construction prevents soundwave overlap, the audio tends to be more distinctive, precise, and accurate.
6. It comes with a customized design.
Users have the option to customize the design of their Bandpass Box. With the different models and options available today, you’ve got the opportunity to adjust the effects based on your personal preferences.
This advantage leads to a smoother bass and purer result, which is why the subs stand out in a marketplace filled with cheap subwoofer competitors.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Bandpass Box?
Although a Bandpass Box makes a lot of sense for most situations, it’s not always the right choice for everyone. For starters, if you don’t have the space to accommodate a sufficient mid-bass, you’re better off with a different enclosure or cabinet.
Here are some of the other potential disadvantages you’ll want to review before investing in this enclosure option for your subs.
1. They’re difficult to construct on your own.
When using a Bandpass Box, you’ll see that they come with multiple and different port sizes. They must have the vents connected correctly based on the speaker’s design and equipment options to deliver the trademark boom and smoothness.
It only takes one fault in the manufacturing process to create problematic sounds. Repairing these issues is not always possible, which is why purchasing one from a reputable brand with a significant warranty is your best option.
Even when you do everything right, the assembly process can sometimes let you down. If you must put together the Bandpass Box after receiving it, you’ll want to follow the instructions to the letter.
2. You’ll experience more resistance to motion.
Cones come with a specific speed limit when you use a sub. Even when the technology works as intended, the motor might not work as expected.
When it cannot elevate the cone’s speed, the sounds sometimes create faster motion than the unit can support. That means the driver can occasionally receive damage after a few months.
This issue occurs because the air pressure creates conflict and resistance within the box. If you’ve glued the enclosure’s joints, they can eventually work themselves loose. Some users have reported exterior cracking.
You’ll want to consider the power supply limitations of your Bandpass Box before finalizing your installation.
3. Some Bandpass Boxes reduce the sub sound quality.
Although Bandpass Box designs deliver excellent sound quality supports in most situations, they’re not always ideal in tight installation spaces.
Some users will also notice sound issues if an error occurs during the manufacturing process.
If you have a wider bandwidth design, the audio waves can distort with this option, creating a decrease in the listening experience and overall efficiency.
This issue is sometimes fixable by adding extra extensions or placing the unit in a larger space. If you’re unsure of your dimensions, you’ll want to take the time to measure everything out first to ensure you’ve got the room needed for your installation.
4. It can sometimes mask distortion.
Most boxes and enclosures create distortion at some point. Although the goal is to limit this effect, it can become a problem when it gets masked.
Since the cone gets placed in the internal chamber, you don’t always hear the changes in the audio quality.
Although the filtering effect is what you want, the cone and unit don’t stop vibrating because you’ve placed the equipment in a container. If too much of it is available, it can start rattling apart.
If you didn’t hear distortion before and some slowly enter the mix, you’ll need to check on the construction of your Bandpass Box.
5. It takes time to adjust the enclosure.
Since the Bandpass Box offers masking and design effects that change how the lower frequencies are perceived, it’s not easy to check for problems or damage insider the speaker.
The music comes from the front chamber only, which means it takes some time to adjust your maintenance and listening habits.
6. The size isn’t always practical.
The shape and size of a Bandpass Box can be problematic for some users. Since you need a larger enclosure to pass the lower frequencies effectively, the dimensional constraints might be more than you can manage.
Although you could put the speakers into a smaller container, you’ll end up losing the sound production qualities you want with this design.
Most smaller setups still provide a satisfactory performance, but you’ll see less of the boom effect and more roughness in the bass with those options.
Should I Be Using a Bandpass Box for My Subs?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for subwoofers. The benefit of the Bandpass Box enclosure option is that it offers more sensitivity to the driver and vibration release from the container. They’re easier to mess up, but the design is a feasible way to enhance your listening enjoyment.
For a long time, I settled for buying the prefab subs in a cabinet that you could quickly install in vehicles. I felt that the speed and ease of use were enough of a benefit to avoid something more custom.
When a friend of mine installed a Rockford Fosgate P3D4-10 subwoofer in a Bandpass Box, the results blew my mind. I’d never heard such a smooth and silky bass in my life!
Even with the volume cranked high, you didn’t get the overly distorted sounds. It was like being right in front of the speakers at a concert.
That’s when I decided that I needed to do the same thing. I have space for a 12-inch sub, so I invested in the JBL GT-12BP Bandpass Box.
Let me tell you – the deep bass has so much power that anything sounds legit.
It delivers a 45 to 130 Hz frequency response, has a slot vent for better sound pressure levels than sealed enclosures, and the poly cone is magical.
If you want to explore a better sub experience, a Bandpass Box can deliver! Once you take a look at the pros and cons of this option, you’ll know if this option is right for your listening needs.