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Performance Optimized · Datasheet

Performance Optimized Wedge Wide Sealed Quad 8" Enclosure Arc Audio ARC 8 · Quad 8" Sealed enclosure

Net volume
0.364 cu ft per driver, 1.45 cu ft total, after the divider and Arc Audio's published 0.040 cu ft displacement per driver
Max mounting depth
4.75 in required; 0.75 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
External dimensions
44 in W × 13 in at the seat face H × 11.32 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
Arc Audio ARC 8Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Best For: Quad Arc Audio ARC 8 SUV Cargo-Floor Builds
  • Net Volume: 0.364 cu ft per Driver (1.45 cu ft Net Total)
  • Driver Match: Four Arc Audio ARC 8 (Dual 2 Ohm), matched
  • Construction: 2 Chambers | 44" Wide Wedge | V-Groove/Dado | Double 1.5" Baffle | 2 Terminal Cups

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SpecificationValue
SeriesProline X Performance Optimized Wedge Wide
Compatible DriverArc Audio ARC 8, quantity 4, matched. Direct fit
ConfigurationQuad 8 inch sealed wedge, 2 chambers, 2 drivers per chamber
Mounting PositionSUV cargo floor, raked face against the rear seat back
Firing DirectionRearward toward the liftgate. Not a down fire design
External Width44 in
External Height13 in at the seat face
External Depth11.32 in at the base, tapering to 6.59 in at the top
Internal Volume, Gross1.64 cu ft total
Internal Volume, Net Acoustic0.364 cu ft per driver, 1.45 cu ft total, after the divider and Arc Audio's published 0.040 cu ft displacement per driver
Driver Mounting Depth4.75 in required; 0.75 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
Alignment Per DriverARC 8 D2 Qtc 0.688, fc 54.1 Hz, F3 55.6 Hz anechoic
Woofer Openings4 at 7.125 in
Woofer LayoutOne row across the face
Frame Outer Diameter8.3125 in
Fs / Qts / Qes / Qms22.7 Hz / 0.289 / 0.317 / 3.331
Vas / Sd / Xmax48.1 L / 231 cm2 / 15 mm
Driver Power Handling150 W RMS per driver, 600 W RMS for the set of 4 (thermal rating)
Recommended Amplifier100-150 W RMS per driver, 400-600 W RMS for the full set, at 4 ohms
Parameter SourceArc Audio published specifications
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 BracingOne full-height 3/4 in divider
Driver MountingThreaded inserts, stainless machine screws included
Terminal CupsTwo Proline X ABS and carbon fiber composite, side mounted, one per chamber, pre wired 12 gauge OFC
Acrylic InsertGloss black acrylic baffle insert standard
DampingLight polyfill wall lining in every chamber, does not alter acoustic volume
CarpetPlush black
Shipping Weight57 lb
Warranty1 Year Limited
Built InTullahoma, Tennessee

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
0.364
cu ft per driver
System Qtc
0.69
sealed
Half power
55.6
Hz · F3
Xmax at
268
W RMS per driver · no filter
With 25 Hz subsonic
338
W RMS per driver · +26%
Amplifier, per driver
100–150
W RMS recommended
This enclosure holds 0.364 cu ft net per driver. In it the Arc Audio ARC 8 D2 runs a system Qtc of 0.69 with half power at 55.6 Hz, and the cone reaches its 15.0 mm travel limit at 268 W per driver, above the driver’s 150 W thermal rating, so heat stops you before travel does. Run a subsonic filter at 25 Hz and that becomes 338 W per driver — +70 W, or 26 percent more power for the same 15.0 mm of travel.

00Sizing the amplifier

Every wattage on this panel is per driver. This cabinet holds four, so the amplifier feeds all four at once.

Per driver 100–150 W RMS  ×  4 drivers  =  full set 400–600 W RMS at 4 ohms
Look for a mono amplifier rated 400–600 W RMS at 4 ohms, the load the set wires to most easily. The top is the driver’s 150 W thermal rating; with the 25 Hz subsonic set the cone still has travel to spare there, reaching Xmax only at 338 W. Below the bottom of the range it will play, just with less headroom; above the top you are buying power the drivers cannot use.

01Is it a sealed driver?

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

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 71.6
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 Dual 2 Ohm 71.6
Dual 2 Ohm · EBP 71.6
At 71.6 the ARC 8 D2 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

0.364 cu ft against a 48.1 L Vas.

α = Vas ÷ Vb = 4.67  ·  Fc = Fs√(α+1) = 54 Hz  ·  Qtc = 0.69
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 -6 -12 -18 -24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB
Dual 2 Ohm · Qtc 0.69, Fc 54 Hz, F3 55.6 Hz
The box lifts resonance from 22.7 Hz free-air to 54 Hz and half power lands at 55.6 Hz, anechoic, before any cabin gain. Figures are Arc Audio’s published parameters; Qes and Qms reproduce the printed Qts. This cabinet holds four drivers in two sealed chambers of 0.727 cubic feet, two drivers to a chamber, so each driver works into 0.364 cubic feet and that is the volume plotted here.

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

PXmax = 268 W per driver unfiltered  →  338 W per driver 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 15.0 mm 268 W reaches Xmax here
Dual 2 Ohm · 268 W, no filterDual 2 Ohm · 338 W with subsonic at 25 Hz, 24 dB/octXmax 15.0 mm one-way
Every trace touches the limit and no further, because each is drawn at the exact power that puts that coil on 15.0 mm. Unfiltered that is 268 W per driver, reached first at 20 Hz. It sits above the 150 W the driver can take thermally, so the voice coil gives up before the suspension does. 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 338 W per driver before hitting the same 15.0 mm. That is 26 percent more amplifier for the price of one filter setting.
ParamValueUnitNote
Fs22.70Hzfree-air resonance
Qts0.289Dual 2 Ohm
Vas48.14Lequivalent compliance
Sd231.0cm²effective piston area
Xmax15mmone-way linear travel
Pe150Wcontinuous RMS
SPL84.3dB1 W / 1 m, derived from T/S

Driver parameters as published by Arc Audio ARC 8 D2 published specifications. Curves computed against this enclosure’s actual net airspace.

From the shop floor

Installer's take

Start with the size. 0.364 cubic feet per driver puts the ARC 8 at Qtc 0.688, resonance 54.1 Hz, half power 55.6 Hz anechoic. The 4.75 in deep motor sets the shallowest the wedge can be, and that smallest box is still more air than flat wants, so it lands below 0.707: tighter and more damped, trading a little extension for control.

Measure the base depth, not the top. This cabinet is 11.32 in deep where it meets the floor, 6.59 at the top, 44 wide and 13 tall. In an SUV the 44 has to clear between the rear wheel wells at floor height, the base depth is measured from the seat back with the seat upright and latched, and the 13 has to clear the cargo cover.

The two terminal cups are on the side panels, one per chamber, so they sit close to the wheel wells. Land the speaker wire on both before the box slides into its final spot, with slack to pull it forward again.

Two drivers share each chamber, so they have to match: same model, same coil, wired in phase. One driver reversed in a shared chamber pushes against its partner and the pair cancels instead of adding. Check polarity at each cup with a battery tap before the box goes in.

Impedance. ARC 8 D2: wire for 4 ohms (coils in series, each chamber's pair in series, both cups in parallel), the load most monoblocks are built to deliver full power into; 1 ohm is the other clean option (coils in series, each chamber's pair in parallel, both cups in parallel). Work the load out before you buy the amplifier, not after.

Power. Size the amplifier for the set, not one driver: 100 to 150 W RMS per driver is 400 to 600 W RMS across all 4 at 4 ohms.

Arc Audio's Qes and Qms reproduce the printed Qts within 3 percent, so the alignment rests on a self-consistent set.

Polyfill is in as a wall lining in every chamber. Do not add more: it makes the box act larger and walks Qtc off 0.69.

Before you order

Questions

Does this fit the Arc Audio ARC 8, and its coil versions?

Yes. Each opening is cut to 7.125 in for the 8.3125 in frame, and the 4.75 in deep motor clears the raked rear panel with 0.75 in to spare. Coil versions of the Arc Audio ARC 8 share the frame, cutout and mounting depth, so any of them drops in. The alignment on this page is computed on the ARC 8 D2 parameters.

Run four matched drivers, same model and same coil, so every chamber sees the alignment on this page.

Why 0.364 cubic feet per driver, and what alignment does it target?

On Arc Audio's published Fs 22.7 Hz, Qts 0.289 and Vas 48.1 liters, 0.364 cubic feet per driver gives Qtc 0.688, system resonance 54.1 Hz and half power 55.6 Hz.

The 4.75 in deep motor sets the shallowest the wedge can be, and that smallest box is still more air than flat wants, so it lands below 0.707: tighter and more damped, trading a little extension for control.

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

Arc Audio rates the ARC 8 at 150 watts RMS per driver. Recommended amplifier: 100 to 150 W RMS per driver, 400 to 600 W RMS for the full set of 4.

Each ARC 8 D2 has two 2 ohm voice coils, 4 ohms in series or 1 ohm in parallel. Wire every driver's coils in series. With the two drivers in each chamber in parallel and the two cups in parallel, the four present 1 ohm to a mono amplifier. With the two drivers in each chamber in series and the two cups in parallel, they present 4 ohms. Use the lower load only on an amplifier rated stable there.

Will it fit my SUV?

It is 44 inches wide, 13 tall and 11.32 deep at the base, tapering to 6.59 at the top. Measure between the rear wheel wells, the floor depth with the seat upright, and the height under your cargo cover.

The raked face goes against the seat back and the woofers fire toward the liftgate.

Why two drivers per chamber instead of four chambers?

Four chambers would need three dividers, and on a 44 inch face that space is needed for the woofers. Two matched drivers in one sealed chamber move together and see the same pressure, so each behaves as if it had half the chamber to itself: 0.364 cubic feet per driver here.

It also gives two terminal cups, one per pair, which keeps the wiring to the amplifier simple.

What is the expected low-frequency extension?

Anechoic F3 is 55.6 Hz per driver with system resonance at 54.1 Hz.

Those figures exclude cabin gain. An SUV cabin adds real output below about 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 in every chamber, and the quantity is chosen so it does not change the acoustic volume.

Do not add more. Packing a sealed box makes it behave as though it were larger, which moves the alignment away from 0.364 cubic feet per driver.

Are the drivers included?

No. This is an enclosure only. You receive the cabinet finished in plush black carpet with the gloss black acrylic baffle insert, two side-mounted pre-wired terminal cups, the polyfill lining in place, threaded inserts and stainless machine screws.

Bring four matched Arc Audio ARC 8 drivers. The cabinet is cut direct fit to them, not a general purpose 8 inch box.

Same series, same size

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