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Performance Optimized · Datasheet

Performance Optimized Wedge Ported 12" Enclosure NVX VSW12v3 · Single 12" Ported enclosure

Net volume
1.55 Cubic Feet
Tuning
35.0 Hz
Max mounting depth
6.450 Inches (NVX Spec)
Cutout
11.220 Inches (NVX Spec)
External dimensions
30.00 Inches W × 15.50 Inches H × 9.25 Inches / 14.89 Inches D
Front baffle
Vertical Baffle - Driver Fires Rearward Into The Trunk
Buy at Audio IntensityFactory-direct, ships from Tullahoma
  • Alignment: 1.55 cu ft net vented at 35.0 Hz. F3 30.6 Hz anechoic, 1.77 dB passband ripple
  • Driver: NVX VSW12v3 D2/D4, 600 W RMS, 13.5 mm Xmax, 36.62 Hz Fs
  • Build: Rear-firing wedge, 20 degree rear rake, V-groove and dado joinery, triangular side-exit slot port with a 1/2" rounded mouth, double 1.5" baffle, side-mounted terminal cup
  • Cabinet: 30.00" W x 15.50" H x 14.89" D at base tapering to 9.25" D at top, 21.4 sq in port, ships dry

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SeriesProline X Performance Optimized Wedge
Driver-Specific FitmentNVX VSW12v3 D2/D4 (Dual 2 Ohm or Dual 4 Ohm)
Enclosure TypePorted | Rear-Firing Trunk Wedge
Baffle ConfigurationVertical Baffle - Driver Fires Rearward Into The Trunk
Wedge Angle20 Degrees On The Rear (Seat-Side) Panel
External Width30.00 Inches
External Height15.50 Inches
Top Depth9.25 Inches
Base Depth14.89 Inches
Internal Volume (Gross)2.02 Cubic Feet
Internal Volume (Net After Displacement)1.55 Cubic Feet
Port TypeTriangular Slot | Bottom-Rear Corner | Straight, No Bend | Side Exit
Port GeometryIsosceles, 6.75 Inch Legs, 21.4 Square Inches, 23.21 Inches Long, Side Mouth
Port Tuning (Fb)35.0 Hz
Port MouthTriangle Through Side A, 1/2 In Roundover On All Three Edges, 33.3 Square Inches At The Face
Port ThroatOpen Far End, 5.04 In Gap To Side B, 3/8 In Roundover On The Panel End
Port Air Velocity22.2 m/s In The Channel, 14.3 m/s At The Flared Mouth (17.0 m/s Chuff Threshold)
Predicted F330.6 Hz (Anechoic)
Passband Ripple1.77 dB (Anechoic)
Subsonic Filter28 Hz High-Pass, 24 dB/Octave - REQUIRED On A Vented Enclosure
Driver Fs36.62 Hz
Driver Qts0.554
Driver Qes / Qms0.622 / 5.063
Driver Vas26.230 Liters / 0.926 Cubic Feet
Driver Sd510.6 Square Centimeters
Driver Re3.8 Ohm
Driver Xmax14mm (One-Way at one-way)
Excursion Design BasisDerated To 13.5mm For Alignment - NVX Publishes At one-way
Driver Displacement0.09 Cubic Feet (Published by NVX)
Driver Sensitivity86.0 dB
Driver Power Handling600 Watts RMS
Driver Overall Diameter12.440 Inches (NVX Spec)
Mounting Depth Required6.450 Inches (NVX Spec)
Cutout Diameter11.220 Inches (NVX Spec)
MaterialLangboard Elite 3/4" MDF
ConstructionShopSabre CNC / Two Windowed C Braces At The Third Points, Seated On The Port Panel
JoineryV-Groove and Dado (CNC-Cut)
Front Baffle ConstructionDouble-Layer 1.5" MDF | Cosmetic Front Layer Routed For The Acrylic Insert
Mounting HardwareThreaded Inserts At Every Mounting Location | Stainless Steel Machine Screws Included
Voice Coil ConfigurationDual 2 Ohm
Terminal CupProline X ABS/Carbon Fiber Composite | Side Mounted, Opposite The Port | 12g OFC Pre-Wired
DampingNone - Ships Dry. Polyfill Detunes A Ported Enclosure
Recommended Power420-600 Watts RMS (NVX Rated: 600W RMS)
Carpet FinishPlush Black
Shipping Weight58 lb
Bundle OptionsEnclosure Only (Bring Your Own NVX VSW12v3)
Warranty1-Year Limited (Enclosure)
ManufacturedTullahoma, Tennessee, USA

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
1.55
cu ft
Tuning
35.0
Hz · Fb
Half power
30.6
Hz · F3, anechoic
Xmax at
2129
W RMS · 28 Hz subsonic
With NO filter
437
W RMS · unfiltered
Port
14.3
m/s at the mouth

01Is this driver right for a ported box?

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

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 58.9
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 EBP 58.9
NVX VSW122v3 D2 · EBP 58.9
Between 50 and 100 a driver takes either load, and the choice becomes one of priorities rather than of physics. The NVX VSW122v3 D2 reads 58.9. Ported buys output and low-end reach around tuning; sealed buys a shallower rolloff below it. This cabinet takes the first trade.

02What the box does to it

1.55 cu ft net against a 26.2 L Vas, vented at 35.0 Hz.

Fb = 35.0 Hz  ·  F3 = 30.6 Hz  ·  passband ripple 1.77 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB Fb 35.0
NVX VSW122v3 D2 · Fb 35.0 Hz, F3 30.6 Hz
Anechoic, before any cabin gain, with the 28 Hz subsonic filter already applied. The vent takes over below 35 Hz and the cone stops doing the work there, which is what holds travel down at the bottom of the passband.

03Perceived Ported vs Sealed

This cabinet, 1.55 cu ft net vented at 35.0 Hz, against the 1.60 cu ft sealed wedge we build for this driver (PO 12-S W VSW).

Ported Fb 35.0 Hz  ·  the 1.60 cu ft sealed box runs Qtc 0.70, Fc 46 Hz
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +6.0 dB at 37 Hz
Ported · this cabinet, 1.55 cu ft, Fb 35.0 HzSealed wedge we build, 1.60 cu ft, Qtc 0.70
Shaded blue is where the ported alignment is louder for the same power, orange where the sealed one is. The sealed curve is the 1.60 cu ft sealed wedge we build for this driver (PO 12-S W VSW), not this cabinet with the port blocked: two different boxes, because that is the choice a buyer actually has. Across 25 to 60 Hz the vent is worth 6.0 dB at its widest and 4.4 dB on average. This is the anechoic picture, which is not what you hear in a car.

04Real World Ported vs Sealed

The same two boxes with cabin gain applied, 45 Hz corner, 18 dB ceiling.

Flatness across 25–60 Hz: ported 3.8 dB spread, the 1.60 cu ft sealed box 2.4 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +6.0 dB at 37 Hz
Ported, in-car · 3.8 dB spreadSealed wedge we build, 1.60 cu ft, in-car · 2.4 dB spread
Cabin gain lifts both boxes by the same amount, so the gap between them does not change: what changes is the shape each one ends up with. A car pressurises below roughly 45 Hz, which fills in the sealed box's shallower rolloff and over-drives it where the ported box is already flat. Across 25 to 60 Hz, the band kick and bass fundamentals occupy, this alignment holds 3.8 dB of spread against 2.4 dB for the 1.60 cu ft sealed wedge we build for this driver (PO 12-S W VSW). The sealed curve is flatter on paper; the ported one trades that for output. Note where the curves cross. Below about 23 Hz the sealed alignment becomes the louder of the two and stays louder all the way down, by up to 3.8 dB: a sealed box rolls off gently into the subsonic region where a vented one falls away steeply once it is below tuning and the vent stops contributing. If the content you are chasing lives below 23 Hz, a sealed alignment reaches further down than this one does. Cabin gain here is a house assumption, not a measurement of your vehicle.

05The 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 NVX's published 13.5 mm. The two traces are the same cabinet with the subsonic filter switched on and switched off.

PXmax = 2129 W with a 28 Hz subsonic  ·  437 W with none  →  the filter is worth 4.9×
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 4 8 12 16 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 13.5 mm 2129 W reaches Xmax here
2129 W · subsonic at 28 Hz, 24 dB/oct437 W · no subsonic filterXmax 13.5 mm one-way, published
Each trace touches the limit and no further, because each is drawn at the exact power that puts the cone on 13.5 mm. With a 28 Hz subsonic that takes 2129 W, reached first at 27 Hz. Take the filter away and the same cabinet reaches 13.5 mm on 437 W — the filter is worth 4.9× the safe power. A vent unloads the cone below tuning, so there is nothing holding it once the box stops loading: on a sealed build a subsonic filter is an improvement, here it is required equipment. The unfiltered trace is still rising where this chart stops at 20 Hz, so treat 437 W as a bound rather than a floor. Every wattage on this page is a MECHANICAL limit, not an electrical one. It is the power at which the cone runs out of linear travel in this cabinet, and nothing more. What the voice coil can dissipate as heat is a separate ceiling set by the driver, not by the box — NVX rate this one at 600 W RMS, and that is the number that binds first here: heat stops you before travel does, so treat 600 W as the ceiling and the travel figures above as headroom. Final wired impedance, amplifier output and how long you hold the level are all electrical questions this graph does not answer.

From the shop floor

Installer's take

In the wedge the VSW12v3 vents at 35.0 Hz in 1.55 cubic feet and reaches 30.6 Hz anechoic, with the port mouth at about 14 m/s at full power.

One cabinet serves both coils: it is designed on the VSW122v3 (D2), and the VSW124v3 (D4) solves to 1.54 cubic feet at 34.5 Hz with an F3 of 31.1 Hz in this wedge, so the same box fits either.

What sets the depth here is the port panel clearing the 6.45 inch motor. NVX publishes the bolt circle, so the threaded inserts are pressed at the shop and the screws are in the box.

600 watts RMS by NVX's rating. The D2 wires to 4 ohms in series or 1 ohm in parallel; the D4 to 8 ohms series or 2 ohms parallel. It ships dry, no polyfill in a ported box, and set the subsonic filter at 28 Hz.

Before you order

Questions

Why is this enclosure tuned to 35.0 Hz?

Sealed, the VSW12v3 needs 1.47 cubic feet net to reach a Qtc of 0.707. Vented, it trades that for deeper extension. The wedge's port runs 22.2 m/s in the channel and 14.3 at the flared mouth at NVX's 600 W rating, with the cone peaking at 7.2 of its 13.5 mm. Passband ripple is 1.8 dB. Tuning is chosen for in-car response rather than an anechoic curve: a vehicle adds roughly 12 dB per octave below about 45 Hz. In this cabinet that lands at 3.8 dB of in-car spread across 25 to 60 Hz.

Why the 20 degree wedge, and why rear-firing?

The raked face is the seat side. A factory rear seat back leans about 20 degrees off vertical, so the cabinet sits flat against it and uses floor a square box wastes. The baffle stays vertical and fires rearward into the trunk, which acts as the acoustic extension into the cabin. This one is 14.89 inches deep at the base and 9.25 at the top, 30.00 wide and 15.5 tall.

Do I need a subsonic filter?

Yes, at 28 Hz, 24 dB per octave. Below tuning a vented box stops loading the cone and excursion runs away toward DC. With the filter in place this cabinet puts the NVX VSW12v3 at 53 percent of its usable travel at full rated power; without it there is no meaningful number to quote.

How much power can I run, and at what impedance?

NVX rate the VSW12v3 at 600 W RMS and that is the thermal ceiling. The Performance Graphs tab shows the mechanical limit, the power at which the cone reaches the end of its travel in this cabinet: here the cone sits at 53 percent of usable travel at the rating, so heat is what stops you, not travel. A D2 coil is 4 ohms in series or 1 ohm in parallel; run series unless the amplifier is rated for 1 ohm. A D4 is 8 series or 2 parallel.

Would a sealed box be better for me?

Below about 23 Hz, yes. The sealed wedge we build for it is louder down there by up to 3.8 dB, because a sealed box rolls off gently where a vented one falls away steeply under tuning. Above that this alignment is the louder of the two for the same power. The Performance Graphs tab plots this cabinet against the 1.60 cu ft sealed wedge we build for this driver (PO 12-S W VSW).

How does the side port work?

It is a triangular slot in the bottom-rear corner: the floor and the raked back wall are two sides, one bevelled panel is the third. It runs across the cabinet, opens into the box through a 5.04 inch gap at the far end and exits through the side panel as the same triangle. Straight, no bend: 23.21 inches of path and 21.4 square inches of channel running at 22.2 metres per second, 54 percent of its turbulence limit. The three mouth edges are rounded over at 1/2 inch, so the opening at the face is 33.3 square inches and the air leaves it at 14.3 metres per second against the 17.0 threshold where a slot port starts to chuff; the panel's throat end is rounded at 3/8 inch for the same reason. The terminal cup is on the other side.

Does this enclosure ship with polyfill?

No, and do not add any. Every sealed Proline X enclosure ships with polyfill; a ported one must not, because damping changes the effective volume the port is tuned against. The port here is cut to 23.21 inches for 35.0 Hz. Stuff it and you move the tuning without shortening the port.

Is the VSW12v3 included?

No. This is an enclosure only, cut for the NVX VSW12v3 specifically: the 11.220 inch cutout, the 6.450 inch mounting depth allowance and the 1.55 cubic foot alignment all come from NVX's published parameters. It fits both coil versions (D2 and D4), and the cabinet was checked against both. Bring your own driver.

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