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Performance Optimized · Datasheet

Performance Optimized Wedge Wide Sealed Triple 12" Enclosure Arc Audio SW12 · Triple 12" Sealed enclosure

Net volume
0.740 cu ft per driver, 2.22 cu ft total, after both dividers and Arc Audio's published 0.042 cu ft displacement per driver
Max mounting depth
2.40 in required; 3.74 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
External dimensions
44 in W × 17 in at the seat face H × 12.63 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
  • Best For: Triple Arc Audio SW12 SUV Cargo-Floor Builds
  • Net Volume: 0.740 cu ft per Driver (2.22 cu ft Net Total)
  • Driver Match: Three Arc Audio SW12 (Dual 4 Ohm), matched
  • Construction: 3 Chambers | 44" Wide Wedge | V-Groove/Dado | Double 1.5" Baffle | 3 Terminal Cups

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SpecificationValue
SeriesProline X Performance Optimized Wedge Wide
Compatible DriverArc Audio SW12, quantity 3, matched. Direct fit
ConfigurationTriple 12 inch sealed wedge, 3 chambers, 1 driver 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 Height17 in at the seat face
External Depth12.63 in at the base, tapering to 6.44 in at the top
Internal Volume, Gross2.43 cu ft total
Internal Volume, Net Acoustic0.740 cu ft per driver, 2.22 cu ft total, after both dividers and Arc Audio's published 0.042 cu ft displacement per driver
Driver Mounting Depth2.40 in required; 3.74 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
Alignment Per DriverSW 12 D4 Qtc 1.005, fc 53.3 Hz, F3 41.8 Hz anechoic
Woofer Openings3 at 11.000 in
Woofer LayoutOne row across the face
Frame Outer Diameter12.5 in
Fs / Qts / Qes / Qms33.1 Hz / 0.624 / 0.729 / 4.319
Vas / Sd / Xmax33.4 L / 533 cm2 / 16 mm
Driver Power Handling400 W RMS per driver, 1200 W RMS for the set of 3 (thermal rating)
Recommended Amplifier280-400 W RMS per driver, 840-1,200 W RMS for the full set, at 2.67 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 BracingTwo full-height 3/4 in dividers
Driver MountingThreaded inserts, stainless machine screws included
Terminal CupsThree Proline X ABS and carbon fiber composite, on the rear panel, 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 Weight68 lb
Warranty1 Year Limited
Built InTullahoma, Tennessee

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
0.740
cu ft per driver
System Qtc
1.01
sealed
Half power
41.8
Hz · F3
Xmax at
1109
W RMS per driver · no filter
With 25 Hz subsonic
1140
W RMS per driver · +3%
Amplifier, per driver
280–400
W RMS recommended
This enclosure holds 0.740 cu ft net per driver. In it the Arc Audio SW 12 D4 runs a system Qtc of 1.01 with half power at 41.8 Hz, and the cone reaches its 15.5 mm travel limit at 1109 W per driver, above the driver’s 400 W thermal rating, so heat stops you before travel does. A 25 Hz subsonic filter adds little here: 1140 W per driver against 1109 W, 3 percent. The box already resonates at 53 Hz, so its own rolloff has removed most of what the filter would have stopped.

00Sizing the amplifier

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

Per driver 280–400 W RMS  ×  3 drivers  =  full set 840–1,200 W RMS at 2.67 ohms
Look for a mono amplifier rated 840–1,200 W RMS at 2.67 ohms, the load the set wires to most easily. The top is the driver’s 400 W thermal rating; with the 25 Hz subsonic set the cone still has travel to spare there, reaching Xmax only at 1140 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 = 45.4
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 Dual 4 Ohm 45.4
Dual 4 Ohm · EBP 45.4
EBP under 50 means a motor that wants a sealed load. The SW 12 D4 sits at 45.4, inside that band, which is why this is a sealed build rather than a ported one.

02What the box does to it

0.740 cu ft against a 33.4 L Vas.

α = Vas ÷ Vb = 1.60  ·  Fc = Fs√(α+1) = 53 Hz  ·  Qtc = 1.01
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 -6 -12 -18 -24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB
Dual 4 Ohm · Qtc 1.01, Fc 53 Hz, F3 41.8 Hz
The box lifts resonance from 33.1 Hz free-air to 53 Hz and half power lands at 41.8 Hz, anechoic, before any cabin gain. Figures are Arc Audio’s published parameters; Qes and Qms reproduce the printed Qts. This cabinet holds three drivers in three separate sealed chambers of 0.740 cubic feet each, 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 15.5 mm, and in this alignment a subsonic filter barely moves it.

PXmax = 1109 W per driver unfiltered  →  1140 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 15.5 mm 1109 W reaches Xmax here
Dual 4 Ohm · 1109 W, no filterDual 4 Ohm · 1140 W with subsonic at 25 Hz, 24 dB/octXmax 15.5 mm one-way
Every trace touches the limit and no further, because each is drawn at the exact power that puts that coil on 15.5 mm. Unfiltered that is 1109 W per driver, reached first at 38 Hz. It sits above the 400 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, and they sit almost on top of the solid ones: 1140 W per driver against 1109 W. At 53 Hz the filter sits well below resonance, where the sealed alignment has already rolled the cone off at 12 dB/oct, so there is little wasted travel left for it to recover. Set it anyway to keep road rumble out of the cone, but do not size the amplifier around it.
ParamValueUnitNote
Fs33.10Hzfree-air resonance
Qts0.624Dual 4 Ohm
Vas33.44Lequivalent compliance
Sd533.0cm²effective piston area
Xmax15.5mmone-way linear travel
Pe400Wcontinuous RMS
SPL84.1dB1 W / 1 m, derived from T/S

Driver parameters as published by Arc Audio SW 12 D4 published specifications. Curves computed against this enclosure’s actual net airspace.

From the shop floor

Installer's take

Start with the size. 0.740 cubic feet per driver puts the SW12 at Qtc 1.005, resonance 53.3 Hz, half power 41.8 Hz anechoic. That matches the single sealed box we build for this driver, so the wide box and the single sound alike per driver. Butterworth on these figures wants 4.16, which on this platform means deeper than the 23 in platform allows. It is a firm lift near resonance, 1.3 dB above flat.

Measure the base depth, not the top. This cabinet is 12.63 in deep where it meets the floor, 6.44 at the top, 44 wide and 17 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 17 has to clear the cargo cover.

All three terminal cups are on the rear panel, and the rear panel is the face that goes against the seat back. Wire all three before the box goes in, with enough slack to slide it into place; once the raked face is against the seat you cannot reach them.

Impedance. SW 12 D4: wire for 2.67 ohms (coils in series, the three cups in parallel), the load most monoblocks are built to deliver full power into; 6 ohms is the other clean option (coils in parallel, the three in series). Work the load out before you buy the amplifier, not after.

Power. Size the amplifier for the set, not one driver: 280 to 400 W RMS per driver is 840 to 1,200 W RMS across all 3 at 2.67 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 1.01.

Before you order

Questions

Does this fit the Arc Audio SW12, and its coil versions?

Yes. Each opening is cut to 11.000 in for the 12.5 in frame, and the 2.40 in deep motor clears the raked rear panel with 3.74 in to spare. Coil versions of the Arc Audio SW12 share the frame, cutout and mounting depth, so any of them drops in. The alignment on this page is computed on the SW 12 D4 parameters.

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

Why 0.740 cubic feet per driver, and what alignment does it target?

On Arc Audio's published Fs 33.1 Hz, Qts 0.624 and Vas 33.4 liters, 0.740 cubic feet per driver gives Qtc 1.005, system resonance 53.3 Hz and half power 41.8 Hz.

The cabinet is sized to the single sealed box we build for this driver, 0.74 cubic feet per driver, to keep it realistic for a cargo floor. Maximally flat would need 4.16 cubic feet per driver; this size trades a little low end for a compact box and a firm lift near resonance, 1.3 dB above flat.

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

Arc Audio rates the SW12 at 400 watts RMS per driver. Recommended amplifier: 280 to 400 W RMS per driver, 840 to 1,200 W RMS for the full set of 3.

Each SW 12 D4 has two 4 ohm voice coils, 8 ohms in series or 2 ohms in parallel. With each driver's coils in series and the three cups in parallel, the three present 2.67 ohms to a mono amplifier. With each driver's coils in parallel and the three in series, they present 6 ohms. Three drivers do not reach the round loads a pair does, so check the result against your amplifier's minimum stable impedance before powering up.

Will it fit my SUV?

It is 44 inches wide, 17 tall and 12.63 deep at the base, tapering to 6.44 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 are all three terminal cups on the back?

Each driver has its own sealed chamber, and the center chamber has no side wall to take a cup. Putting all three on the rear panel gives a matching set, one cup per chamber.

Wire them at the amplifier end; there is no cross-chamber wiring inside the cabinet.

What is the expected low-frequency extension?

Anechoic F3 is 41.8 Hz per driver with system resonance at 53.3 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 0.740 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, three pre-wired terminal cups on the rear panel, the polyfill lining in place, threaded inserts and stainless machine screws.

Bring three matched Arc Audio SW12 drivers. The cabinet is cut direct fit to them, not a general purpose 12 inch box.

Same series, same size

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