Shop

Performance Optimized · Datasheet

Dayton Audio Reference RSS315HO Dual Box: Sealed 12" Wedge Enclosure Dual 12" Sealed enclosure

Net volume
0.62 cu ft per chamber after the divider and the driver displacement
Max mounting depth
5.75 in required; 0.75 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
External dimensions
27.97 in W × 16 in at the seat face H × 12.82 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
Dayton Audio Reference RSS315HOBuy at Audio Intensity
  • Best For: Dual Dayton Audio Reference RSS315HO Trunk-Fit Builds
  • Net Volume: 0.62 cu ft per chamber (1.48 cu ft Gross Total)
  • Driver Match: Pair of Dayton Audio Reference RSS315HO (RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) and RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm)), matched
  • Construction: Dual Chamber | Rear-Firing Wedge | V-Groove/Dado | Double 1.5" Baffle | 1 Shared Terminal Cup | Inserts Installed

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SpecificationValue
SeriesProline X Performance Optimized Wedge
Compatible DriverDayton Audio Reference RSS315HO (RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) and RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm)), quantity 2. Direct fit
ConfigurationDual 12 inch, two separate chambers, 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 Width27.97 in
External Height16 in at the seat face
External Depth12.82 in at the base, tapering to 6.99 in at the top
Internal Volume, Gross1.48 cu ft total
Internal Volume, Net Acoustic0.62 cu ft per chamber after the divider and the driver displacement
Driver Mounting Depth5.75 in required; 0.75 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
Alignment, RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) per chamberQtc 0.623, fc 52.6 Hz, F3 60.7 Hz anechoic
Alignment, RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm) per chamberQtc 0.782, fc 45.4 Hz, F3 41.5 Hz anechoic
Woofer Opening11.10 in, two, cut for Dayton's frame
Frame Outer Diameter12.36 in
Bolt Circle11.61 in, Dayton spec; threaded inserts pre-installed
Driver Displacement0.092 cu ft, estimated; Dayton publishes none
RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) Fs / Qts / Qes / Qms / Vas26.2 Hz / 0.31 / 0.33 / 3.63 / 53.7 L
RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm) Fs / Qts / Qes / Qms / Vas21.5 Hz / 0.37 / 0.41 / 3.7 / 61.3 L
Driver Sd515 cm2, Dayton spec
Xmax12.3 mm, one-way, as Dayton publish it
Driver Power Handling700 W RMS per driver
Wiring OptionsDayton sells the RSS315HO as RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) and RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm); a matched pair should share a coil. A pair of single 4 ohm drivers lands on 2 ohms in parallel or 8 ohms in series. A pair of dual 4 ohm drivers lands on 4 ohms with each woofer's coils in series and the woofers in parallel, or 1 ohm with everything in parallel. Anything under 1 ohm, and many amplifiers at 1 ohm, is outside what the amplifier is built for, so series wiring is the safe default.
Parameter SourceDayton Audio spec sheet
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 BracingFull-height 3/4 in divider
Driver MountingThreaded inserts pre-installed at Dayton's bolt circle; stainless machine screws included
Terminal CupsOne Proline X ABS and carbon fiber composite, side mounted, pre wired 12 gauge OFC to both driver positions
Acrylic InsertGloss black acrylic baffle insert standard
DampingLight polyfill wall lining in both chambers, does not alter acoustic volume
CarpetPlush black
Shipping Weight43 lb
Warranty1 Year Limited
Built InTullahoma, Tennessee

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
0.62
cu ft per chamber
System Qtc
0.62–0.78
sealed
Half power
41.5–60.7
Hz · F3
Xmax at
485
W RMS · no filter
With 25 Hz subsonic
603
W RMS · +24%
Amplifier
700
W RMS recommended
This enclosure holds 0.62 cu ft net per chamber. In it the Dayton Audio RSS315HO runs a system Qtc of 0.62–0.78 with half power at 41.5–60.7 Hz, and the cone reaches its 12.3 mm travel limit at 485 W, below the driver’s 700 W thermal rating, so travel is what stops you here, not heat. Run a subsonic filter at 25 Hz and that becomes 603 W — +118 W, or 24 percent more power for the same 12.3 mm of travel.

01Is it a sealed driver?

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

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 52.4–79.4
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 RSS315HO-4 79.4 RSS315HO-44 52.4
RSS315HO-4 · EBP 79.4RSS315HO-44 · EBP 52.4
At 52.4–79.4 the RSS315HO 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

0.62 cu ft against a 53.7 L Vas.

α = Vas ÷ Vb = 3.04  ·  Fc = Fs√(α+1) = 45–53 Hz  ·  Qtc = 0.62–0.78
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 -6 -12 -18 -24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB
RSS315HO-4 · Qtc 0.62, Fc 53 Hz, F3 60.7 HzRSS315HO-44 · Qtc 0.78, Fc 45 Hz, F3 41.5 Hz
The box lifts resonance from 21.5–26.2 Hz free-air to 45–53 Hz and half power lands at 41.5–60.7 Hz, anechoic, before any cabin gain. Parameters are Dayton Audio’s own spec sheet for each coil plotted. Driver displacement is not published and is estimated. 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 12.3 mm — and a bigger one once a subsonic filter stops it wasting travel below the passband.

PXmax = 485–521 W unfiltered  →  603–723 W with a 25 Hz subsonic
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 4 8 12 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 12.3 mm 485 W reaches Xmax here
RSS315HO-4 · 521 W, no filterRSS315HO-44 · 485 W, no filterRSS315HO-4 · 723 W with subsonic at 25 Hz, 24 dB/octRSS315HO-44 · 603 W with subsonic at 25 Hz, 24 dB/octXmax 12.3 mm one-way
Every trace touches the limit and no further, because each is drawn at the exact power that puts that coil on 12.3 mm. Unfiltered that is 485 W, reached first at 20 Hz. It sits under the 700 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 603 W before hitting the same 12.3 mm. That is 24 percent more amplifier for the price of one filter setting.
ParamValueUnitNote
Fs26.20 / 21.50Hzfree-air resonance
Qts0.310 / 0.370RSS315HO-4 / RSS315HO-44
Vas53.70 / 61.30Lequivalent compliance
Sd514.7 / 507.1cm²effective piston area
Xmax12.3mmone-way, as Dayton publish it
Pe700Wcontinuous RMS
SPL86.5dB1 W / 1 m, derived from T/S

Driver parameters as published by Dayton Audio spec sheet. Curves computed against this enclosure’s actual net airspace.

From the shop floor

Installer's take

0.62 cubic feet per chamber: Qtc 0.623 on the RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) and Qtc 0.782 on the RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm), F3 60.7 Hz on the RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) and 41.5 Hz on the RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm).

The 5.75 inch motor clears the raked back with 0.75 to spare; the motor, not the airspace, sets the depth.

Dayton's spec sheet holds together on every check I run. Displacement is the one figure they do not give, so it is estimated.

The Reference HO is a small-box, low-Q driver: in a sealed box this size the lower-Q coil plays dry, with an early rolloff. It is the punchier choice, not the deep one.

Inserts are pressed at Dayton's bolt circle, so the driver bolts straight in. Sealed, so leave the polyfill as it is and run it at 700 watts or under per driver.

Before you order

Questions

Does this fit the Dayton Audio Reference RSS315HO, and will any other 12 inch fit?

The Reference RSS315HO, yes, in both coil versions. The baffle is cut to 11.10 in for Dayton's 12.36 in frame. The 5.75 inch motor clears the cabinet with 0.75 inch to spare. Run two of the same coil so the chambers match.

Any other 12, no. The airspace is engineered around the Reference RSS315HO'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 0.62 cubic feet per chamber, and what alignment does it target?

0.62 cubic feet net per chamber on Dayton's published figures: the RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) reads Qtc 0.623 with resonance at 52.6 Hz and half power at 60.7 Hz, and the RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm) reads Qtc 0.782 with resonance at 45.4 Hz and half power at 41.5 Hz. One cabinet serves both coils, built to the volume that keeps both closest to maximally flat. That is spread either side of maximally flat: the lower-Q coil a little drier, the higher-Q coil a little punchier.

The 5.75 inch mounting depth sets the minimum cabinet depth 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?

Dayton rates the Reference RSS315HO at 700 watts RMS per driver, so target 489 to 700 watts RMS per driver at the final load.

Dayton sells the RSS315HO as RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) and RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm); a matched pair should share a coil. A pair of single 4 ohm drivers lands on 2 ohms in parallel or 8 ohms in series. A pair of dual 4 ohm drivers lands on 4 ohms with each woofer's coils in series and the woofers in parallel, or 1 ohm with everything in parallel. Anything under 1 ohm, and many amplifiers at 1 ohm, is outside what the amplifier is built for, so series wiring is the safe default. 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 drivers fire 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 60.7 Hz on the RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) and 41.5 Hz on the RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm) on this page.

Why two separate chambers instead of one shared volume?

Two drivers sharing one sealed volume load each other: each driver's compression stroke becomes the pressure the other works against, which blurs the alignment either would have alone. A bonded full-height 3/4 inch divider gives each driver its own 0.62 cubic feet and its own polyfill.

It also means a failure in one driver does not unload the other, and the alignment on this page is the alignment in each chamber, not an average across a shared box.

What is the expected low-frequency extension?

Anechoic F3 is 60.7 Hz on the RSS315HO-4 (single 4 ohm) and 41.5 Hz on the RSS315HO-44 (dual 4 ohm) per chamber. 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 in both chambers 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 0.62 cubic feet per chamber 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 to both positions, the polyfill lining already in place, and stainless machine screws, with the threaded inserts already pressed.

The inserts are pressed at the shop on Dayton's published bolt circle for the Reference RSS315HO, so the driver bolts straight in. The pair of Dayton Audio Reference RSS315HO 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