Shop

Performance Optimized · Datasheet

Performance Optimized Wedge Sealed 12" Enclosure Fi Car Audio Alpha 12 · Single 12" Sealed enclosure

Net volume
0.80 cu ft after the brace and Fi's published 0.11 cu ft displacement
Max mounting depth
6.125 in required; 0.75 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
External dimensions
18.66 in W × 15 in at the seat face H × 13.03 in at the base D
Front baffle
1.5 in double baffle, outer layer machined as a flush recess
Buy at Audio IntensityFactory-direct, ships from Tullahoma
Fi Car Audio Alpha 12Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Best For: Fi Car Audio Alpha 12 Trunk-Fit Builds
  • Net Volume: 0.80 cu ft (0.92 cu ft Gross)
  • Driver Match: Fi Car Audio Alpha 12 (S1, S2 or S4)
  • Construction: Rear-Firing Wedge | V-Groove/Dado | Double 1.5" Baffle | Threaded Insert Kit

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SpecificationValue
SeriesProline X Performance Optimized Wedge
Compatible DriverFi Car Audio Alpha 12 S1, S2 or S4, quantity 1. Direct fit
ConfigurationSingle 12 inch, single chamber sealed wedge
Mounting PositionTrunk or cargo area, tall face against the rear seat back
Firing DirectionRearward into the trunk. Not a down fire design, no feet included
External Width18.66 in
External Height15 in at the seat face
External Depth13.03 in at the base, tapering to 7.57 in at the top
Internal Volume, Gross0.92 cu ft
Internal Volume, Net Acoustic0.80 cu ft after the brace and Fi's published 0.11 cu ft displacement
Driver Mounting Depth6.125 in required; 0.75 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
AlignmentQtc 0.600, fc 53.0 Hz, F3 64.1 Hz anechoic
Fi Recommended Sealed0.8 to 1.5 cu ft (Qtc 0.60 to 0.52)
Woofer Opening11.0625 in, Fi's published cutout
Frame Outer Diameter12.625 in, Fi's published figure
Bolt CircleNot printed by Fi; threaded insert kit included
Driver Displacement0.11 cu ft, Fi's published figure
Fs / Qts / Qes / Qms / Vas36.2 Hz / 0.41 / 0.44 / 6.43 / 25.85 L
Driver Sd480 cm2, published by Fi
Xmax17 mm one way, Fi spec
Driver Power Handling1000 W RMS, Fi spec
Wiring OptionsThe single coil comes as S1, S2 or S4: 1, 2 or 4 ohms, wired straight to the amplifier.
Parameter Sourceficaraudio.com Alpha Series product page, Thiele-Small and Technical Specifications tables
MaterialLangboard Elite MDF
ConstructionCNC cut, V-groove and dado joinery
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 included, NOT pre-installed: Fi prints no bolt circle
Terminal CupsOne Proline X ABS and carbon fiber composite, side mounted, pre wired 12 gauge OFC
Acrylic InsertGloss black acrylic baffle insert standard
DampingLight polyfill wall lining, does not alter acoustic volume
CarpetPlush black
Shipping Weight32 lb
Warranty1 Year Limited
Built InTullahoma, Tennessee

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
0.80
cu ft
System Qtc
0.60
sealed
Half power
64.1
Hz · F3
Xmax at
955
W RMS · no filter
With 25 Hz subsonic
1360
W RMS · +42%
Amplifier
1000
W RMS recommended
This enclosure holds 0.80 cu ft net . In it the Fi Car Audio Alpha 12 runs a system Qtc of 0.60 with half power at 64.1 Hz, and the cone reaches its 17.0 mm travel limit at 955 W, below the driver’s 1000 W thermal rating, so travel is what stops you here, not heat. Run a subsonic filter at 25 Hz and that becomes 1360 W — +404 W, or 42 percent more power for the same 17.0 mm of travel.

01Is it a sealed driver?

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

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 82.3
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 single 1, 2 or 4 ohm 82.3
single 1, 2 or 4 ohm · EBP 82.3
At 82.3 the Alpha 12 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

0.80 cu ft against a 25.9 L Vas.

α = Vas ÷ Vb = 1.14  ·  Fc = Fs√(α+1) = 53 Hz  ·  Qtc = 0.60
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 -6 -12 -18 -24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB
single 1, 2 or 4 ohm · Qtc 0.60, Fc 53 Hz, F3 64.1 Hz
The box lifts resonance from 36.2 Hz free-air to 53 Hz and half power lands at 64.1 Hz, anechoic, before any cabin gain. Figures are Fi Car Audio’s published Alpha 12 parameters from its Alpha Series product page, including the 0.11 cubic foot driver displacement. One parameter set covers the S1, S2 and S4 single coil versions.

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 17.0 mm — and a bigger one once a subsonic filter stops it wasting travel below the passband.

PXmax = 955 W unfiltered  →  1360 W with a 25 Hz subsonic
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 4 8 12 16 20 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 17.0 mm 955 W reaches Xmax here
single 1, 2 or 4 ohm · 955 W, no filtersingle 1, 2 or 4 ohm · 1360 W with subsonic at 25 Hz, 24 dB/octXmax 17.0 mm one-way
Every trace touches the limit and no further, because each is drawn at the exact power that puts that coil on 17.0 mm. Unfiltered that is 955 W, reached first at 20 Hz. It sits under the 1000 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 1360 W before hitting the same 17.0 mm. That is 42 percent more amplifier for the price of one filter setting.
ParamValueUnitNote
Fs36.20Hzfree-air resonance
Qts0.410single 1, 2 or 4 ohm
Vas25.85Lequivalent compliance
Sd480.0cm²effective piston area
Xmax17mmone-way linear travel
Pe1000Wcontinuous RMS
SPL86.3dB1 W / 1 m, derived from T/S

Driver parameters as published by Fi Car Audio Alpha 12 product page. Curves computed against this enclosure’s actual net airspace.

From the shop floor

Installer's take

0.80 cubic feet, Qtc 0.600. That is Fi's own minimum recommended sealed volume for the Alpha 12.

The Alpha 12 has a low Qts for a sealed driver, so it lands dry even at Fi's smallest recommended box. Expect tight and controlled rather than big: it rolls off early, and the cabin fills in the bottom.

Cut is 11.0625, Fi's own figure. Inserts ship in the kit, not pressed: Fi prints no bolt circle. Mark from the driver, drill, press. It is sealed, so leave the polyfill as it is and run it at 1000 watts or under.

Before you order

Questions

Does this fit the Fi Car Audio Alpha 12 in S1, S2 and S4, and will any other 12 inch fit?

The Alpha 12, yes, in all three coil versions: they share the frame, the 11.0625 in cutout and the 6.125 in mounting depth, and the motor clears the cabinet with 0.75 in to spare. Fi publishes one parameter set for the Alpha 12 that covers the S1, S2 and S4 single coil versions, so one alignment serves all three.

Any other 12, no. The airspace is worked out from the Alpha 12'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 0.80 cubic feet, and what alignment does it target?

0.80 cubic feet is Fi's own minimum recommended sealed volume for the Alpha 12. On Fi's figures (Fs 36.2 Hz, Qts 0.41, Vas 25.85 liters) that is Qtc 0.600 with half power at 64.1 Hz. Below Qtc 0.707 the rolloff starts early and gently and F3 sits above fc: a dry, tightly damped box.

Fi's own recommended sealed range for the Alpha 12 is 0.8 to 1.5 cubic feet, which reads Qtc 0.60 to 0.52. Reaching 0.707 would take about 0.46 cubic feet, smaller than Fi recommend, so we build to Fi's figure.

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

Fi rates the Alpha 12 at 1000 watts RMS, so target 700 to 1000 watts RMS at the final load.

The single coil comes as S1, S2 or S4: 1, 2 or 4 ohms, wired straight to the amplifier. Confirm your amplifier's minimum stable impedance first.

Why the wedge angle, and why rear-firing into the trunk?

The seat-side face carries a 20 degree rake that matches the lean of a factory rear seat back, so the cabinet sits flush against it and the cargo space in front stays usable. The baffle is the vertical trunk-lid-side face, so the driver fires rearward into the trunk cavity.

The trunk acts as an acoustic extension for the sealed box, and the cabin adds real output below 50 Hz, so in-vehicle response runs deeper than the anechoic 64.1 Hz on this page.

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 12 inch woofer puts on it at 1000 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 the 12.625 inch frame, so the driver bolts to the inner layer and sits flush with the gloss black acrylic insert.

What is the expected low-frequency extension?

Anechoic F3 is 64.1 Hz, with system resonance at 53.0 Hz. Below Qtc 0.707 the rolloff starts early and gently and F3 sits above fc: a dry, tightly damped box.

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 0.80 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 with the gloss black acrylic baffle insert, one side-mounted pre-wired terminal cup, the polyfill lining already in place, and a threaded insert kit with stainless machine screws.

The inserts ship loose on purpose: Fi prints no bolt circle for the Alpha 12, so you set the driver in the recess, mark its holes, drill and press the inserts. The Fi Car Audio Alpha 12 is purchased separately, and the cabinet is cut direct fit to it, not a general purpose 12 inch box.

Same series, same size

Other Performance Optimized models