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

Net volume
2.49 Cubic Feet
Tuning
34.5 Hz
Max mounting depth
8.500 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
Cutout
11.020 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
External dimensions
32.00 Inches W × 16.00 Inches H × 18.50 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 VXF-12Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Alignment: 2.49 cu ft net vented at 34.5 Hz. F3 29.7 Hz anechoic, 3.05 dB passband ripple
  • Driver: Skar Audio VXF-12 D2/D4, 1500 W RMS, 25.0 mm Xmax, 32.10 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, 50.8 sq in front slot port beside the woofer with one bend along the back wall, port and excursion gated at 1800 W
  • Cabinet: 32.00" W x 16.00" H x 18.50" D, 65 lb, threaded insert kit included

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SeriesProline X Professional
Driver-Specific FitmentSkar Audio VXF-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 Depth18.50 Inches
Internal Volume (Gross)3.84 Cubic Feet
Internal Volume (Net After Displacement)2.49 Cubic Feet
Port TypeVertical Slot Beside The Woofer | Front Exit | One 90 Degree Bend Along The Back Wall
Port Geometry3.50 x 14.50 Inches, 50.8 Square Inches, 35.26 Inches Of Path
Port Area50.8 Square Inches
Port Tuning (Fb)34.5 Hz
Port Mouth1/2 In Roundover On All Four Edges, 69.8 Square Inches At The Face
Port Air Velocity22.7 m/s In The Channel, 16.5 m/s At The Mouth, At 1800 W (17.0 m/s Chuff Threshold)
Design Power Basis1800 W RMS (1.2 x The Driver Rating) For Port Velocity And Excursion
Predicted F329.7 Hz (Anechoic)
Passband Ripple3.05 dB (Anechoic)
Subsonic Filter27 Hz High-Pass, 24 dB/Octave - REQUIRED On A Vented Enclosure
Driver Fs32.10 Hz
Driver Qts0.320
Driver Qes / Qms0.350 / 4.850
Driver Vas35.400 Liters / 1.250 Cubic Feet
Driver Sd471.4 Square Centimeters
Driver Mms233.80 g
Driver BL23.30
Driver Xmax25mm (One-Way)
Driver Displacement0.14 Cubic Feet (Published by Skar Audio)
Driver Sensitivity87.1 dB
Driver Power Handling1500 Watts RMS
Driver Overall Diameter12.500 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
Mounting Depth Required8.500 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
Cutout Diameter11.020 Inches (Skar Audio Spec)
Flush Mount Recess13.500 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 Power1050-1500 Watts RMS (Skar Audio Rated: 1500W RMS)
Carpet FinishPlush Black
Shipping Weight72 lb
ShippingUPS Ground Parcel, Included In The 48 States
Bundle OptionsEnclosure Only (Bring Your Own Skar Audio VXF-12)
Warranty2-Year Limited (Enclosure)
ManufacturedTullahoma, Tennessee, USA

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
2.49
cu ft
Tuning
34.5
Hz · Fb
Half power
29.7
Hz · F3, anechoic
Xmax at
6337
W RMS · 27 Hz subsonic
With NO filter
1555
W RMS · unfiltered
Port
16.5
m/s at the mouth · 1800 W

01Is this driver right for a ported box?

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

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 91.7
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 EBP 91.7
Skar Audio VXF-12 D2 · EBP 91.7
Between 50 and 100 a driver takes either load, and the choice becomes one of priorities rather than of physics. The Skar Audio VXF-12 D2 reads 91.7. Ported buys output and low-end reach around tuning; sealed buys a shallower rolloff below it. This cabinet takes the first trade.

02What the box does to it

2.49 cu ft net against a 35.4 L Vas, vented at 34.5 Hz.

Fb = 34.5 Hz  ·  F3 = 29.7 Hz  ·  passband ripple 3.05 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +12 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB Fb 34.5
Skar Audio VXF-12 D2 · Fb 34.5 Hz, F3 29.7 Hz
Anechoic, before any cabin gain, with the 27 Hz subsonic filter already applied. The vent takes over below 34 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, 2.49 cu ft net vented at 34.5 Hz, against Skar Audio's recommended range (low end) sealed box, 1.25 cu ft.

Ported Fb 34.5 Hz  ·  the 1.25 cu ft sealed box runs Qtc 0.45, Fc 45 Hz
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +12 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +10.4 dB at 35 Hz
Ported · this cabinet, 2.49 cu ft, Fb 34.5 HzSkar Audio's recommended sealed, 1.25 cu ft net, Qtc 0.45
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 range (low end) sealed box, 1.25 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 10.4 dB at its widest and 6.1 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 7.6 dB spread, the 1.25 cu ft sealed box 3.8 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +12 +8 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +10.4 dB at 35 Hz
Ported, in-car · 7.6 dB spreadSkar Audio's recommended sealed, 1.25 cu ft net, in-car · 3.8 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 7.6 dB of spread against 3.8 dB for Skar Audio's recommended range (low end) sealed box, 1.25 cu ft. The sealed curve is flatter on paper; the ported one trades that for output. Note where the curves cross. Below about 24 Hz the sealed alignment becomes the louder of the two and stays louder all the way down, by up to 4.5 dB: a sealed box rolls off gently into the subsonic region where a vented one falls away steeply once it is below tuning and the vent stops contributing. If the content you are chasing lives below 24 Hz, a sealed alignment reaches further down than this one does. 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 25.0 mm. The two traces are the same cabinet with the subsonic filter switched on and switched off.

PXmax = 6337 W with a 27 Hz subsonic  ·  1555 W with none  →  the filter is worth 4.1×
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 8 16 24 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 25.0 mm 6337 W reaches Xmax here
6337 W · subsonic at 27 Hz, 24 dB/oct1555 W · no subsonic filterXmax 25.0 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 25.0 mm. With a 27 Hz subsonic that takes 6337 W, reached first at 27 Hz. Take the filter away and the same cabinet reaches 25.0 mm on 1555 W — the filter is worth 4.1× 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 1555 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 1500 W RMS, and that is the number that binds first here: heat stops you before travel does, so treat 1500 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 VXF-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 34.5 Hz in a 18.5 inch deep box.

One cabinet serves both coils. It was solved so the VXF-12 D2 and the VXF-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.

1500 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 VXF-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.

The Performance Optimized wedge is the smaller and cheaper box, and I try it first for every driver. I could not make its port keep up with the VXF-12: the calmest port that fits that envelope goes noisy at about 770 watts, under what this coil is rated to take, so I did not sell you that box.

It ships dry. Do not add polyfill to a ported box. Set your subsonic filter at 27 Hz.

Before you order

Questions

Why is this enclosure tuned to 34.5 Hz?

Sealed, the VXF-12 needs 0.32 cubic feet net to reach a Qtc of 0.707. Vented, it trades that for deeper extension. The slot is gated at 1800 W, 1.2 times Skar's rating: the channel runs 22.7 m/s and the mouth 16.5, and the cone peaks at 13.3 of its 25 mm with the subsonic filter in place. Skar's own ported recommendation is 1.80 to 2.00 cubic feet at 33 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?

Every driver is run through the Performance Optimized wedge and down-fire before this chassis; the Professional box is where a driver lands when that smaller envelope, 30 inches wide and 18 inches deep with a triangular side port, cannot give it what it needs at its rated power. The VXF-12 did not clear the port gate there. The calmest wedge port that fits that envelope is 24.7 square inches at 28.5 by 11.75 by 17.39 inches, and its mouth runs 23.7 metres per second at 1500 W against the 17 metres per second line where a port starts to chuff. That port would stay clean to about 770 W. The slot on this box reaches 50.8 square inches and holds the mouth at 16.5 metres per second at 1800 W. An under-ported box does not fail quietly. Air speed at the mouth rises with power; past the chuff line the flow turns turbulent and the port is audible on every note. The turbulence also chokes the port, so the box behaves as if it were tuned higher than it is, loses output near tuning, and lets the cone travel further below tuning than the design allows. This chassis is a full-size front-firing box on a 2.25 inch baffle built from three 3/4 inch layers with the woofer flush-mounted in the outer layer, a Skar Audio logo acrylic, and a port and excursion budget checked at 1800 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 VXF-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 27 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 VXF-12 at 53 percent of its usable travel at 1800 W.

Would a sealed box be better for me?

Below about 24 Hz, yes. The maker's recommended sealed box is louder down there by up to 4.5 dB, because a sealed box rolls off gently into the subsonic region where a vented one falls away steeply once it is under tuning. Above that this alignment is the louder of the two for the same power. The Performance Graphs tab plots this cabinet, 2.49 cubic feet vented at 34.5 Hz, against Skar Audio's recommended range (low end) sealed box, 1.25 cu ft, so you can see exactly where they cross.

How does the front port work?

It is a vertical slot beside the woofer, the full height of the cavity, 3.50 inches wide and 50.8 square inches. It runs 11.25 inches to the back wall and turns once along it for 16.76 inches; the fold costs about 1.5 Hz and the port is cut for it. The channel runs at 22.7 metres per second at 1800 W, 40 percent of its turbulence limit, and the mouth edges carry a 1/2 inch roundover so the air leaves the face at 16.5 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?

65 lb, 32.00" W x 16.00" H x 18.50" D external. Every Professional cabinet is priced the same way, by its size: this one is 5.48 cubic feet outside. Delivery to the 48 states is inside the price; it ships as a 65 lb parcel and checkout adds nothing. Do not add polyfill; it ships dry on purpose.

Is the VXF-12 included?

No. This is an enclosure only, cut for the Skar Audio VXF-12 specifically: the 11.020 inch cutout, the 8.500 inch mounting depth allowance and the 2.49 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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