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Performance Optimized · Datasheet

Performance Optimized Wedge Wide Sealed Triple 8" Enclosure Ground Zero GZHW 20 · Triple 8" Sealed enclosure

Net volume
0.494 cu ft per driver, 1.48 cu ft total, after both dividers and an estimated 0.057 cu ft displacement per driver
Max mounting depth
5.70 in required; 0.75 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
External dimensions
40 in W × 13 in at the seat face H × 12.27 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
Ground Zero GZHW 20Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Best For: Triple Ground Zero GZHW 20 SUV Cargo-Floor Builds
  • Net Volume: 0.494 cu ft per Driver (1.48 cu ft Net Total)
  • Driver Match: Three Ground Zero GZHW 20 (D1), matched
  • Construction: 3 Chambers | 40" 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 DriverGround Zero GZHW 20, quantity 3, matched. Direct fit
ConfigurationTriple 8 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 Width40 in
External Height13 in at the seat face
External Depth12.27 in at the base, tapering to 7.54 in at the top
Internal Volume, Gross1.72 cu ft total
Internal Volume, Net Acoustic0.494 cu ft per driver, 1.48 cu ft total, after both dividers and an estimated 0.057 cu ft displacement per driver
Driver Mounting Depth5.70 in required; 0.75 in clearance above the motor against the raked rear panel
Alignment Per DriverGZHW 20 / GZHW 20XSPL D1 Qtc 0.644, fc 45.6 Hz, F3 50.4 Hz anechoic
Woofer Openings3 at 7.360 in
Woofer LayoutOne row across the face
Frame Outer Diameter8.27 in
Fs / Qts / Qes / Qms38.9 Hz / 0.550 / 0.600 / 7.470
Vas / Sd / Xmax5.2 L / 214 cm2 / 20 mm
Driver Power Handling700 W RMS per driver, 2100 W RMS for the set of 3 (thermal rating)
Recommended Amplifier490-700 W RMS per driver, 1,470-2,100 W RMS for the full set, at 1.5 ohms
Parameter SourceGround Zero 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 Weight58 lb
Warranty1 Year Limited
Built InTullahoma, Tennessee

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
0.494
cu ft per driver
System Qtc
0.64
sealed
Half power
50.4
Hz · F3
Xmax at
775
W RMS per driver · no filter
With 25 Hz subsonic
1143
W RMS per driver · +48%
Amplifier, per driver
490–700
W RMS recommended
This enclosure holds 0.494 cu ft net per driver. In it the Ground Zero GZHW 20 / GZHW 20XSPL D1 runs a system Qtc of 0.64 with half power at 50.4 Hz, and the cone reaches its 20.0 mm travel limit at 775 W per driver, above the driver’s 700 W thermal rating, so heat stops you before travel does. Run a subsonic filter at 25 Hz and that becomes 1143 W per driver — +368 W, or 48 percent more power for the same 20.0 mm of travel.

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 490–700 W RMS  ×  3 drivers  =  full set 1,470–2,100 W RMS at 1.5 ohms
Look for a mono amplifier rated 1,470–2,100 W RMS at 1.5 ohms, the load the set wires to most easily. The top is the driver’s 700 W thermal rating; with the 25 Hz subsonic set the cone still has travel to spare there, reaching Xmax only at 1143 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 = 64.8
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 D1 64.8
D1 · EBP 64.8
At 64.8 the GZHW 20 / GZHW 20XSPL D1 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

0.494 cu ft against a 5.2 L Vas.

α = Vas ÷ Vb = 0.37  ·  Fc = Fs√(α+1) = 46 Hz  ·  Qtc = 0.64
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 -6 -12 -18 -24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB
D1 · Qtc 0.64, Fc 46 Hz, F3 50.4 Hz
The box lifts resonance from 38.9 Hz free-air to 46 Hz and half power lands at 50.4 Hz, anechoic, before any cabin gain. Figures are Ground Zero’s published parameters; Qes and Qms reproduce the printed Qts. This cabinet holds three drivers in three separate sealed chambers of 0.494 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 20.0 mm — and a bigger one once a subsonic filter stops it wasting travel below the passband.

PXmax = 775 W per driver unfiltered  →  1143 W per driver with a 25 Hz subsonic
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 8 16 24 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 20.0 mm 775 W reaches Xmax here
D1 · 775 W, no filterD1 · 1143 W with subsonic at 25 Hz, 24 dB/octXmax 20.0 mm one-way
Every trace touches the limit and no further, because each is drawn at the exact power that puts that coil on 20.0 mm. Unfiltered that is 775 W per driver, reached first at 20 Hz. It sits above the 700 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 1143 W per driver before hitting the same 20.0 mm. That is 48 percent more amplifier for the price of one filter setting.
ParamValueUnitNote
Fs38.90Hzfree-air resonance
Qts0.550D1
Vas5.20Lequivalent compliance
Sd214.0cm²effective piston area
Xmax20mmone-way linear travel
Pe700Wcontinuous RMS
SPL78.9dB1 W / 1 m, derived from T/S

Driver parameters as published by Ground Zero GZHW 20 / GZHW 20XSPL D1 published specifications. Curves computed against this enclosure’s actual net airspace.

From the shop floor

Installer's take

Start with the size. 0.494 cubic feet per driver puts the GZHW 20 at Qtc 0.644, resonance 45.6 Hz, half power 50.4 Hz anechoic. The 5.70 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 12.27 in deep where it meets the floor, 7.54 at the top, 40 wide and 13 tall. In an SUV the 40 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.

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. GZHW 20 / GZHW 20XSPL D1: the clean options are 0.67 ohms and 1.5 ohms. Wire for 1.5 ohms (coils in parallel, the three in series) unless the amplifier is rated stable at 0.67 ohms. Work the load out before you buy the amplifier, not after.

Power. Size the amplifier for the set, not one driver: 490 to 700 W RMS per driver is 1,470 to 2,100 W RMS across all 3 at 1.5 ohms. At 2,100 W the charging system is part of the install: alternator output, the big three, and a battery that holds voltage under load.

Ground Zero's Qes and Qms reproduce the printed Qts within 3 percent, so the alignment rests on a self-consistent set. Ground Zero do not publish driver displacement; we deduct an estimated 0.057 per driver, so true net can sit a few hundredths either way.

Polyfill is in as a wall lining in every chamber. Do not add more: it makes the box act larger and walks Qtc off 0.64.

Before you order

Questions

Does this fit the Ground Zero GZHW 20, and its coil versions?

Yes. Each opening is cut to 7.360 in for the 8.27 in frame, and the 5.70 in deep motor clears the raked rear panel with 0.75 in to spare. Coil versions of the Ground Zero GZHW 20 share the frame, cutout and mounting depth, so any of them drops in. The alignment on this page is computed on the GZHW 20 / GZHW 20XSPL D1 parameters.

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

Why 0.494 cubic feet per driver, and what alignment does it target?

On Ground Zero's published Fs 38.9 Hz, Qts 0.550 and Vas 5.2 liters, 0.494 cubic feet per driver gives Qtc 0.644, system resonance 45.6 Hz and half power 50.4 Hz.

The 5.70 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?

Ground Zero rates the GZHW 20 at 700 watts RMS per driver. Recommended amplifier: 490 to 700 W RMS per driver, 1,470 to 2,100 W RMS for the full set of 3.

Each GZHW 20 / GZHW 20XSPL D1 has two 1 ohm voice coils, 2 ohms in series or 0.5 ohms in parallel. With each driver's coils in series and the three cups in parallel, the three present 0.67 ohms to a mono amplifier. With each driver's coils in parallel and the three in series, they present 1.5 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 40 inches wide, 13 tall and 12.27 deep at the base, tapering to 7.54 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 50.4 Hz per driver with system resonance at 45.6 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 0.494 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 Ground Zero GZHW 20 drivers. The cabinet is cut direct fit to them, not a general purpose 8 inch box.

Same series, same size

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