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Professional Series Ported 12" Enclosure Skar Audio VS-12 · Single 12" Ported enclosure

Net volume
1.55 Cubic Feet
Tuning
35.0 Hz
Max mounting depth
4.430 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
Cutout
11.040 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
External dimensions
32.00 Inches W × 16.00 Inches H × 11.25 Inches D
Front baffle
Three 3/4" MDF layers, 2.25" total | Woofer Flush-Mounted In The Outer Layer
Buy at Audio IntensityFactory-direct, ships from Tullahoma
Skar Audio VS-12Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Alignment: 1.55 cu ft net vented at 35.0 Hz. F3 32.8 Hz anechoic, 3.08 dB passband ripple
  • Driver: Skar Audio VS-12 D2/D4, 500 W RMS, 9.1 mm Xmax, 36.00 Hz Fs
  • Build: Front-firing standard box, 2.25" three-layer baffle with the woofer flush-mounted in the outer layer, Skar Audio logo acrylic, dado joinery, 21.8 sq in front slot port beside the woofer with one bend along the back wall, port and excursion gated at 600 W
  • Cabinet: 32.00" W x 16.00" H x 11.25" D, 51 lb, threaded insert kit included

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SeriesProline X Professional
Driver-Specific FitmentSkar Audio VS-12 D2/D4 (Dual 2 Ohm or Dual 4 Ohm)
Enclosure TypePorted | Front-Firing Standard Box
External Width32.00 Inches
External Height16.00 Inches
External Depth11.25 Inches
Internal Volume (Gross)2.04 Cubic Feet
Internal Volume (Net After Displacement)1.55 Cubic Feet
Port TypeVertical Slot Beside The Woofer | Front Exit | One 90 Degree Bend Along The Back Wall
Port Geometry1.50 x 14.50 Inches, 21.8 Square Inches, 23.72 Inches Of Path
Port Area21.8 Square Inches
Port Tuning (Fb)35.0 Hz
Port Mouth1/2 In Roundover On All Four Edges, 38.8 Square Inches At The Face
Port Air Velocity18.6 m/s In The Channel, 10.4 m/s At The Mouth, At 600 W (17.0 m/s Chuff Threshold)
Design Power Basis600 W RMS (1.2 x The Driver Rating) For Port Velocity And Excursion
Predicted F332.8 Hz (Anechoic)
Passband Ripple3.08 dB (Anechoic)
Subsonic Filter28 Hz High-Pass, 24 dB/Octave - REQUIRED On A Vented Enclosure
Driver Fs36.00 Hz
Driver Qts0.750
Driver Qes / Qms0.890 / 5.040
Driver Vas34.510 Liters / 1.219 Cubic Feet
Driver Sd530.9 Square Centimeters
Driver Mms219.90 g
Driver BL14.28
Driver Xmax9mm (One-Way)
Driver Displacement0.07 Cubic Feet (Published by Skar Audio)
Driver Sensitivity85.3 dB
Driver Power Handling500 Watts RMS
Driver Overall Diameter12.770 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
Mounting Depth Required4.430 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
Cutout Diameter11.040 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
Flush Mount Recess13.750 Inches In The Outer Layer
MaterialLangboard Elite 3/4" MDF
ConstructionShopSabre CNC / Two Windowed Braces Front To Back Either Side Of The Woofer
JoineryDado Joinery (CNC-Cut), Flat Panels
Front Baffle ConstructionThree 3/4" MDF layers, 2.25" total | Woofer Flush-Mounted In The Outer Layer
Baffle Layers3
AcrylicGlossy Black Skar Audio Logo Insert, Outer Layer, Standard
Mounting HardwareThreaded Insert Kit Included: 8-12 Inserts, Drill Bit, 2.5 In Allen-Head Screws, Allen Key, Gasket Tape
Voice Coil ConfigurationDual 2 Ohm
Terminal CupProline X ABS/Carbon Fiber Composite | Back Panel, Terminal-Cup Side | 12g OFC Pre-Wired
DampingNone - Ships Dry. Polyfill Detunes A Ported Enclosure
Recommended Power350-500 Watts RMS (Skar Audio Rated: 500W RMS)
Carpet FinishPlush Black
Shipping Weight58 lb
ShippingUPS Ground Parcel, Included In The 48 States
Bundle OptionsEnclosure Only (Bring Your Own Skar Audio VS-12)
Warranty2-Year Limited (Enclosure)
ManufacturedTullahoma, Tennessee, USA

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
1.55
cu ft
Tuning
35.0
Hz · Fb
Half power
32.8
Hz · F3, anechoic
Xmax at
826
W RMS · 28 Hz subsonic
With NO filter
136
W RMS · unfiltered
Port
10.4
m/s at the mouth · 600 W

01Is this driver right for a ported box?

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

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 40.4
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 EBP 40.4
Skar Audio VS-12 D2 · EBP 40.4
Under 50 the raw number leans sealed. The Skar Audio VS-12 D2 reads 40.4, so this is a ported build against the grain of its own EBP: it works because the alignment is tuned for in-car response rather than for an anechoic curve, and because the cabinet holds port area and volume the driver can actually use.

02What the box does to it

1.55 cu ft net against a 34.5 L Vas, vented at 35.0 Hz.

Fb = 35.0 Hz  ·  F3 = 32.8 Hz  ·  passband ripple 3.08 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB Fb 35.0
Skar Audio VS-12 D2 · Fb 35.0 Hz, F3 32.8 Hz
Anechoic, before any cabin gain, with the 28 Hz subsonic filter already applied. The vent takes over below 35 Hz and the cone stops doing the work there, which is what holds travel down at the bottom of the passband.

03Perceived Ported vs Sealed

This cabinet, 1.55 cu ft net vented at 35.0 Hz, against Skar Audio's recommended sealed box, 0.65 cu ft.

Ported Fb 35.0 Hz  ·  the 0.65 cu ft sealed box runs Qtc 1.27, Fc 61 Hz
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +8.1 dB at 29 Hz
Ported · this cabinet, 1.55 cu ft, Fb 35.0 HzSkar Audio's recommended sealed, 0.65 cu ft net, Qtc 1.27
Shaded blue is where the ported alignment is louder for the same power, orange where the sealed one is. The sealed curve is Skar Audio's recommended sealed box, 0.65 cu ft, not this cabinet with the port blocked: two different boxes, because that is the choice a buyer actually has. Across 25 to 60 Hz the vent is worth 8.1 dB at its widest and 6.6 dB on average. This is the anechoic picture, which is not what you hear in a car.

04Real World Ported vs Sealed

The same two boxes with cabin gain applied, 45 Hz corner, 18 dB ceiling.

Flatness across 25–60 Hz: ported 1.6 dB spread, the 0.65 cu ft sealed box 6.2 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +8.1 dB at 29 Hz
Ported, in-car · 1.6 dB spreadSkar Audio's recommended sealed, 0.65 cu ft net, in-car · 6.2 dB spread
Cabin gain lifts both boxes by the same amount, so the gap between them does not change: what changes is the shape each one ends up with. A car pressurises below roughly 45 Hz, which fills in the sealed box's shallower rolloff and over-drives it where the ported box is already flat. Across 25 to 60 Hz, the band kick and bass fundamentals occupy, this alignment holds 1.6 dB of spread against 6.2 dB for Skar Audio's recommended sealed box, 0.65 cu ft. Flatter is the whole point of tuning this high. The two alignments converge at the bottom of the band rather than crossing cleanly, so there is no meaningful subsonic advantage either way here. Cabin gain here is a house assumption, not a measurement of your vehicle.

05The 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 Skar's published 9.1 mm. The two traces are the same cabinet with the subsonic filter switched on and switched off.

PXmax = 826 W with a 28 Hz subsonic  ·  136 W with none  →  the filter is worth 6.1×
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 4 8 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 9.1 mm 826 W reaches Xmax here
826 W · subsonic at 28 Hz, 24 dB/oct136 W · no subsonic filterXmax 9.1 mm one-way, published
Each trace touches the limit and no further, because each is drawn at the exact power that puts the cone on 9.1 mm. With a 28 Hz subsonic that takes 826 W, reached first at 25 Hz. Take the filter away and the same cabinet reaches 9.1 mm on 136 W — the filter is worth 6.1× the safe power. A vent unloads the cone below tuning, so there is nothing holding it once the box stops loading: on a sealed build a subsonic filter is an improvement, here it is required equipment. The unfiltered trace is still rising where this chart stops at 20 Hz, so treat 136 W as a bound rather than a floor. Every wattage on this page is a MECHANICAL limit, not an electrical one. It is the power at which the cone runs out of linear travel in this cabinet, and nothing more. What the voice coil can dissipate as heat is a separate ceiling set by the driver, not by the box — Skar rate this one at 500 W RMS, and that is the number that binds first here: heat stops you before travel does, so treat 500 W as the ceiling and the travel figures above as headroom. Final wired impedance, amplifier output and how long you hold the level are all electrical questions this graph does not answer.

From the shop floor

Installer's take

I built this box for one VS-12 on the full Professional chassis: three layers of baffle with the frame flush in the outer one, and a slot port that runs along the back wall to put 35.0 Hz in a 11.2 inch deep box.

One cabinet serves both coils. It was solved so the VS-12 D2 and the VS-12 D4 each pass every velocity, excursion and ripple gate in the same box.

Skar publishes no bolt circle, so the box ships with a threaded insert kit rather than pressed inserts.

500 watts RMS by Skar's rating. The D2 wires to 4 ohms in series or 1 ohm in parallel; the D4 to 8 ohms series or 2 ohms parallel. Skar Audio publishes no mounting hole locations for the VS-12, so the inserts are not in the baffle when the box arrives. The insert kit is in the box: set the inserts where the woofer's own holes fall, with the drill bit and the 2.5 inch allen-head screws in the kit, and lay the gasket tape before the woofer goes down.

It ships dry. Do not add polyfill to a ported box. Set your subsonic filter at 28 Hz.

Before you order

Questions

Why is this enclosure tuned to 35.0 Hz?

With a Qts of 0.75 the VS-12 is above the 0.707 Butterworth line before it goes in any box, so no sealed cabinet makes it flat; a port is what it wants. The slot is gated at 600 W, 1.2 times Skar's rating: the channel runs 18.6 m/s and the mouth 10.4, and the cone peaks at 7.8 of its 9.1 mm with the subsonic filter in place. Skar's own ported recommendation is 2.00 cubic feet at 32 Hz, before driver and port displacement. Tuning is chosen for in-car response rather than an anechoic curve: a vehicle adds roughly 12 dB per octave below about 45 Hz, and this tuning is where that sum comes out flattest across 25 to 60 Hz.

Why is this a Professional build and not a Performance Optimized box?

The VS-12 also builds in the Performance Optimized ported wedge and ported down-fire, the smaller and cheaper boxes. The Professional cabinet is the step up for it: a 2.25 inch three-layer baffle with the woofer flush in the outer layer, and a slot port gated at 600 W. It carries a 2 year warranty, against 1 year on the Performance Optimized lines.

Threaded inserts or a kit?

Skar Audio does not publish the mounting hole locations for the VS-12, so we cannot install the threaded inserts before it ships. The threaded insert kit comes in the box instead: inserts sized to the woofer, the correct drill bit, 2.5 inch allen-head screws, an allen key and woofer gasket tape. You set the inserts when you mount the woofer, and this box ships with one kit.

Do I need a subsonic filter?

Yes, at 28 Hz, 24 dB per octave. Below tuning a vented box stops loading the cone and excursion runs away toward DC. With the filter in place this cabinet puts the Skar Audio VS-12 at 85 percent of its usable travel at 600 W.

Would a sealed box be better for me?

The two alignments converge at the bottom of the band on this driver rather than crossing cleanly, so there is no meaningful subsonic advantage either way. Above 25 Hz the vent is the louder of the two for the same power. The Performance Graphs tab plots this cabinet, 1.55 cubic feet vented at 35.0 Hz, against Skar Audio's recommended sealed box, 0.65 cu ft, so you can judge it yourself.

How does the front port work?

It is a vertical slot beside the woofer, the full height of the cavity, 1.50 inches wide and 21.8 square inches. It runs 6.00 inches to the back wall and turns once along it for 12.47 inches; the fold costs about 1.5 Hz and the port is cut for it. The channel runs at 18.6 metres per second at 600 W, 49 percent of its turbulence limit, and the mouth edges carry a 1/2 inch roundover so the air leaves the face at 10.4 metres per second against the 17 metres per second threshold where a slot starts to chuff.

What does the price cover, and how does it ship?

51 lb, 32.00" W x 16.00" H x 11.25" D external. Every Professional cabinet is priced the same way, by its size: this one is 3.33 cubic feet outside. Delivery to the 48 states is inside the price; it ships as a 51 lb parcel and checkout adds nothing. Do not add polyfill; it ships dry on purpose.

Is the VS-12 included?

No. This is an enclosure only, cut for the Skar Audio VS-12 specifically: the 11.040 inch cutout, the 4.430 inch mounting depth allowance and the 1.55 cubic foot alignment all come from Skar Audio's published parameters. It fits both coil versions (D2 and D4), and the cabinet was checked against both. Bring your own driver.

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