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Performance Optimized · Datasheet

AudioControl Spike SPK-10 Box: Sealed 10" Down Fire Enclosure Single 10" Sealed enclosure

Net volume
0.91 cu ft after the brace and the driver displacement
Max mounting depth
5.32 in required, 0.75 in clearance above the motor
External dimensions
30.00 in W × 6.82 in in the down fire position H × 15.00 in D
Front baffle
1.5 in double baffle, outer layer machined as a flush recess
Buy at Audio IntensityFactory-direct, ships from Tullahoma
AudioControl Spike SPK-10Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Alignment: 0.91 cu ft net, Qtc 0.69 to 0.72, F3 47.4 Hz on the SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) and 50.4 Hz on the SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm); height set by the motor, not the airspace
  • Driver: AudioControl Spike SPK-10 (SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) and SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm)), 500 W RMS, 14 mm Xmax, 5.32 in mounting depth
  • Standoffs: Included, 1.75 in, shipped uninstalled. Installed height near 8.57 in
  • Cabinet: 30.00"W x 15.00"D x 6.82"H in down fire position, excludes standoffs, square corners

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SpecificationValue
SeriesProline X Performance Optimized Down Fire
Compatible DriverAudioControl Spike SPK-10 (SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) and SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm)), quantity 1. Direct fit
ConfigurationSingle 10 inch, sealed down fire
Mounting PositionTrunk or cargo floor, baffle facing down on standoffs
Firing DirectionDownward. Feet ship uninstalled, so front or up firing is also possible
External Width30.00 in
External Depth15.00 in
External Height6.82 in in the down fire position, excludes standoffs
Installed Height8.57 in including the 1.75 in standoff
Internal Volume, Gross0.98 cu ft
Internal Volume, Net Acoustic0.91 cu ft after the brace and the driver displacement
Height Set ByDriver clearance: the 5.32 in motor, not the airspace
Driver Mounting Depth5.32 in required, 0.75 in clearance above the motor
Floor Slot1.04 times the cone area at the 1.75 in standoff
Alignment, SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm)Qtc 0.693, fc 46.4 Hz, F3 47.4 Hz anechoic
Alignment, SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm)Qtc 0.717, fc 51.1 Hz, F3 50.4 Hz anechoic
Woofer Opening9.250 in, cut for AudioControl's frame
Frame Outer Diameter10.748 in
Bolt CircleNot published by AudioControl; threaded insert kit included
Driver Displacement0.0626 cu ft, AudioControl spec
SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) Fs / Qts / Qes / Qms / Vas38.4879 Hz / 0.5746 / 0.6341 / 6.1223 / 11.7161 L
SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm) Fs / Qts / Qes / Qms / Vas41.2638 Hz / 0.5788 / 0.6576 / 4.83 / 13.8342 L
Driver Sd314 cm2, AudioControl spec
Xmax14 mm, one-way, method not stated
Driver Power Handling500 W RMS
Wiring OptionsAudioControl sells the SPK-10 as SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) and SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm): the SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) is a single 2 ohm coil, a 2 ohm load; the SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm) is a single 4 ohm coil, a 4 ohm load. A parallel load at or under 1 ohm needs an amplifier rated for it.
Parameter SourceAudioControl Spike Series user manual
MaterialLangboard Elite MDF
ConstructionCNC cut, V-groove and dado joinery, square corners
Panel Thickness0.75 in
Front Baffle1.5 in double baffle, outer layer machined as a flush recess
Internal BracingWindowed brace, dadoed to the shell
Driver MountingThreaded insert kit and stainless machine screws included; inserts set at install, no bolt circle is published
Terminal CupsOne Proline X ABS and carbon fiber composite, side mounted, pre wired 12 gauge OFC
StandoffsIncluded, 1.75 in, shipped uninstalled
DampingLight polyfill wall lining, does not alter acoustic volume
CarpetPlush black
Shipping Weight39 lb
Warranty1 Year Limited
Built InTullahoma, Tennessee

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
0.91
cu ft
System Qtc
0.69–0.72
sealed
Half power
47.4–50.4
Hz · F3
Xmax at
401
W RMS · no filter
With 25 Hz subsonic
510
W RMS · +27%
Amplifier
500
W RMS recommended
This enclosure holds 0.91 cu ft net . In it the AudioControl SPK-10 runs a system Qtc of 0.69–0.72 with half power at 47.4–50.4 Hz, and the cone reaches its 14.0 mm travel limit at 401 W, below the driver’s 500 W thermal rating, so travel is what stops you here, not heat. Run a subsonic filter at 25 Hz and that becomes 510 W — +109 W, or 27 percent more power for the same 14.0 mm of travel.

01Is it a sealed driver?

Efficiency bandwidth product places the motor before anything else is decided.

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 60.7–62.7
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 SPK-10S2 60.7 SPK-10S4 62.7
SPK-10S2 · EBP 60.7SPK-10S4 · EBP 62.7
At 60.7–62.7 the SPK-10 sits in the transition band, not the sealed band. That is not a mismatch: a transition motor works in either alignment, and sealed buys a smaller box and a gentler roll-off at the cost of some low-end output. Stage 02 shows what this airspace actually does with it.

02What the box does to it

0.91 cu ft against an 11.7 L Vas.

α = Vas ÷ Vb = 0.45  ·  Fc = Fs√(α+1) = 46–51 Hz  ·  Qtc = 0.69–0.72
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 -6 -12 -18 -24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB
SPK-10S2 · Qtc 0.69, Fc 46 Hz, F3 47.4 HzSPK-10S4 · Qtc 0.72, Fc 51 Hz, F3 50.4 Hz
The box lifts resonance from 38.5–41.3 Hz free-air to 46–51 Hz and half power lands at 47.4–50.4 Hz, anechoic, before any cabin gain. Parameters are AudioControl’s own user manual for each coil plotted. Only the coils this listing carries are plotted; the other version falls outside a well-behaved sealed alignment in this cabinet.

03The watts that reach Xmax (in this enclosure)

Travel scales with the square root of power, so there is one wattage that puts the cone exactly on 14.0 mm — and a bigger one once a subsonic filter stops it wasting travel below the passband.

PXmax = 401–408 W unfiltered  →  510–549 W with a 25 Hz subsonic
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 4 8 12 16 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 14.0 mm 401 W reaches Xmax here
SPK-10S2 · 401 W, no filterSPK-10S4 · 408 W, no filterSPK-10S2 · 549 W with subsonic at 25 Hz, 24 dB/octSPK-10S4 · 510 W with subsonic at 25 Hz, 24 dB/octXmax 14.0 mm one-way
Every trace touches the limit and no further, because each is drawn at the exact power that puts that coil on 14.0 mm. Unfiltered that is 401 W, reached first at 20 Hz. It sits under the 500 W the driver can take thermally, so the enclosure sets the ceiling, not the voice coil. The dashed traces are the same driver behind a subsonic filter at 25 Hz, 24 dB/oct: stopping the cone wasting travel below the passband lets it take 510 W before hitting the same 14.0 mm. That is 27 percent more amplifier for the price of one filter setting.
ParamValueUnitNote
Fs38.49 / 41.26Hzfree-air resonance
Qts0.575 / 0.579SPK-10S2 / SPK-10S4
Vas11.72 / 13.83Lequivalent compliance
Sd314.0cm²effective piston area
Xmax14mmone-way, method not stated
Pe500Wcontinuous RMS
SPL82.1dB1 W / 1 m, derived from T/S

Driver parameters as published by AudioControl user manual. Curves computed against this enclosure’s actual net airspace.

From the shop floor

Installer's take

0.91 cubic feet: Qtc 0.693 on the SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) and Qtc 0.717 on the SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm), F3 47.4 Hz on the SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) and 50.4 Hz on the SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm).

Measure the installed height, not the cabinet height: 6.82 tall on its own, 8.57 with the standoffs on the 30 by 15 footprint.

AudioControl measures the 2 ohm and 4 ohm SPK-10 as separate drivers and they do not match, so every coil is aligned on its own figures. Their numbers hold together on every check I run.

No bolt circle is published, so the insert kit ships in the box: mark, drill and press at install. Sealed, so leave the polyfill as it is and run it at 500 watts or under per driver.

Before you order

Questions

Does this fit the AudioControl Spike SPK-10, and will any other 10 inch fit?

The Spike SPK-10, yes, in both coil versions. The baffle is cut to 9.250 in for AudioControl's 10.748 in frame. The 5.32 inch motor clears the cabinet with 0.75 inch to spare.

Any other 10, no. The airspace is engineered around the Spike SPK-10's own Qts and Vas, and a different woofer that happened to drop into the hole would not see the alignment printed on this page.

Why 0.91 cubic feet, and what alignment does it target?

0.91 cubic feet net on AudioControl's published figures: the SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) reads Qtc 0.693 with resonance at 46.4 Hz and half power at 47.4 Hz, and the SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm) reads Qtc 0.717 with resonance at 51.1 Hz and half power at 50.4 Hz. One cabinet serves both coils. AudioControl recommends 0.9 cubic feet for this driver; the 5.32 inch motor sets the minimum height of this down fire, which holds more. That is spread either side of maximally flat: the lower-Q coil a little drier, the higher-Q coil a little punchier.

The 5.32 inch mounting depth sets the minimum cabinet height here, so the airspace is what the motor allows rather than a free choice.

What amplifier power should I run, and how should I wire it?

AudioControl rates the Spike SPK-10 at 500 watts RMS, so target 350 to 500 watts RMS at the final load.

AudioControl sells the SPK-10 as SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) and SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm): the SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) is a single 2 ohm coil, a 2 ohm load; the SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm) is a single 4 ohm coil, a 4 ohm load. A parallel load at or under 1 ohm needs an amplifier rated for it. Confirm your amplifier's minimum stable impedance first.

How tall is this once the standoffs are on?

The cabinet is 6.82 inches tall measured in the down fire position, and that figure excludes the standoffs. The standoffs hold 1.75 inches under the baffle, so plan your space around a finished stack of roughly 8.57 inches.

The footprint is the standard Performance Optimized down fire platform, 30.00 inches wide by 15.00 deep. Height is the only dimension solved to the driver, and here it is the Spike SPK-10's 5.32 inch motor that sets it.

Why is the front baffle double-layered?

The baffle is two bonded 3/4 inch sheets, 1.5 inches through. A single 3/4 inch panel flexes under the pressure a 10 inch woofer puts on it at 500 watts, which smears output and works the driver loose over time; the second layer stiffens the face and gives the mounting hardware twice the material to bite.

The outer layer is machined as a flush recess to AudioControl's 10.748 inch frame, so the driver bolts to the inner layer.

What is the expected low-frequency extension?

Anechoic F3 is 47.4 Hz on the SPK-10S2 (single 2 ohm) and 50.4 Hz on the SPK-10S4 (single 4 ohm). The lower-Q coil rolls off gently with F3 above fc; the higher-Q coil carries a small lift near resonance.

Those figures exclude cabin gain. In a car the cabin's transfer function adds real output below 50 Hz, so in-vehicle response runs deeper than the numbers above.

Do I need to add polyfill or damping?

No. Polyfill is already installed as a light wall lining to control internal reflections, and the quantity is chosen so it does not change the acoustic volume.

Do not add more. Packing a sealed box with fill makes it behave as though it were larger, which walks the alignment away from the 0.91 cubic feet this cabinet was built to.

Is the driver included, and are the threaded inserts installed?

No driver. This is an enclosure only. You receive the cabinet finished in plush black carpet, one side-mounted pre-wired terminal cup, the polyfill lining already in place, the standoffs, and a threaded insert kit with stainless machine screws.

The inserts are not pre-installed: AudioControl publishes no bolt circle for the SPK-10, so set the driver in its recess, mark its holes, drill and press the inserts. The AudioControl Spike SPK-10 is purchased separately, and the cabinet is cut direct fit to it, not a general purpose 10 inch box.

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