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Professional Series · Datasheet

Professional Series Ported Dual 8" Enclosure JL Audio 8W7AE-3 · Dual 8" Ported enclosure

Net volume
1.32 Cubic Feet
Tuning
35.0 Hz
Max mounting depth
6.830 Inches (JL Audio Spec)
Cutout
6.940 Inches (JL Audio Spec)
External dimensions
34.00 Inches W × 14.00 Inches H × 12.00 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
JL Audio 8W7AE-3Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Alignment: 1.32 cu ft net vented at 35.0 Hz. F3 34.4 Hz anechoic, 1.93 dB passband ripple
  • Driver: JL Audio 8W7AE-3 Single 3 Ohm, 500 W RMS, 19.0 mm Xmax, 35.20 Hz Fs
  • Build: Front-firing standard box, 2.25" three-layer baffle with the woofer flush-mounted in the outer layer, JL Audio logo acrylic, dado joinery, 25.0 sq in front slot port beside the woofer with one bend along the back wall, port and excursion gated at 1200 W
  • Cabinet: 34.00" W x 14.00" H x 12.00" D, 51 lb, threaded inserts pressed into the baffle on the published 7.390 inch bolt circle

Spec of record

Technical specifications

SeriesProline X Professional
Driver-Specific FitmentJL Audio 8W7AE-3 Single 3 Ohm (Single 3 Ohm)
Enclosure TypePorted | Front-Firing Standard Box
External Width34.00 Inches
External Height14.00 Inches
External Depth12.00 Inches
Internal Volume (Gross)2.05 Cubic Feet
Internal Volume (Net After Displacement)1.32 Cubic Feet
Port TypeVertical Slot Beside The Woofer | Front Exit | One 90 Degree Bend Along The Back Wall
Port Geometry2.00 x 12.50 Inches, 25.0 Square Inches, 33.34 Inches Of Path
Port Area25.0 Square Inches
Port Tuning (Fb)35.0 Hz
Port Mouth1/2 In Roundover On All Four Edges, 40.5 Square Inches At The Face
Port Air Velocity22.4 m/s In The Channel, 13.8 m/s At The Mouth, At 1200 W (17.0 m/s Chuff Threshold)
Design Power Basis1200 W RMS (1.2 x The Driver Rating) For Port Velocity And Excursion
Predicted F334.4 Hz (Anechoic)
Passband Ripple1.93 dB (Anechoic)
Subsonic Filter28 Hz High-Pass, 24 dB/Octave - REQUIRED On A Vented Enclosure
Driver Fs35.20 Hz
Driver Qts0.610
Driver Qes / Qms0.650 / 9.500
Driver Vas17.400 Liters / 0.614 Cubic Feet
Driver Sd245.0 Square Centimeters
Driver Mms100.00 g
Driver BL9.70
Driver Re2.8 Ohm
Driver Xmax19mm (One-Way)
Driver Displacement0.06 Cubic Feet (Published by JL Audio)
Driver Sensitivity82.7 dB
Driver Power Handling500 Watts RMS
Driver Overall Diameter8.504 Inches (JL Audio Spec)
Mounting Depth Required6.830 Inches (JL Audio Spec)
Cutout Diameter6.940 Inches (JL Audio Spec)
Flush Mount Recess9.500 Inches In The Outer Layer
MaterialLangboard Elite 3/4" MDF
ConstructionShopSabre CNC / Windowed Brace Front To Back Beside 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 JL Audio Logo Insert, Outer Layer, Standard
Mounting HardwareThreaded Inserts On The Published 7.390 In Bolt Circle | Stainless Machine Screws Included
Voice Coil ConfigurationSingle 3 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 (JL Audio Rated: 500W RMS)
Carpet FinishPlush Black
Shipping Weight57 lb
ShippingUPS Ground Parcel, Included In The 48 States
Bundle OptionsEnclosure Only (Bring Your Own JL Audio 8W7AE-3)
Warranty2-Year Limited (Enclosure)
ManufacturedTullahoma, Tennessee, USA

Modelled response

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
1.32
cu ft
Tuning
35.0
Hz · Fb
Half power
34.4
Hz · F3, anechoic
Xmax at
3514
W RMS · 28 Hz subsonic
With NO filter
509
W RMS · unfiltered
Port
13.8
m/s at the mouth · 1200 W

01Is this driver right for a ported box?

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

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 54.2
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 EBP 54.2
JL Audio 8W7AE-3 · EBP 54.2
Between 50 and 100 a driver takes either load, and the choice becomes one of priorities rather than of physics. The JL Audio 8W7AE-3 reads 54.2. 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

1.32 cu ft net against a 34.8 L Vas, vented at 35.0 Hz.

Fb = 35.0 Hz  ·  F3 = 34.4 Hz  ·  passband ripple 1.93 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB Fb 35.0
JL Audio 8W7AE-3 · Fb 35.0 Hz, F3 34.4 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, 1.32 cu ft net vented at 35.0 Hz, against JL Audio's recommended sealed box, 0.88 cu ft per driver, 1.75 cu ft for the pair.

Ported Fb 35.0 Hz  ·  the 1.75 cu ft sealed box runs Qtc 0.80, Fc 46 Hz
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +3.1 dB at 47 Hz
Ported · this cabinet, 1.32 cu ft, Fb 35.0 HzJL Audio's recommended sealed, 0.88 cu ft net x2, 1.75 cu ft, Qtc 0.80
Shaded blue is where the ported alignment is louder for the same power, orange where the sealed one is. The sealed curve is JL Audio's recommended sealed box, 0.88 cu ft per driver, 1.75 cu ft for the pair, 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 3.1 dB at its widest and 2.5 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 1.7 dB spread, the 1.75 cu ft sealed box 1.9 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +4 0 −4 −8 −12 −16 −20 −24 −28 −32 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +3.1 dB at 47 Hz
Ported, in-car · 1.7 dB spreadJL Audio's recommended sealed, 0.88 cu ft net x2, 1.75 cu ft, in-car · 1.9 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 1.7 dB of spread against 1.9 dB for JL Audio's recommended sealed box, 0.88 cu ft per driver, 1.75 cu ft for the pair. Flatter is the whole point of tuning this high. 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 3.0 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 both cones exactly on JL Audio's published 19.0 mm. The two traces are the same cabinet with the subsonic filter switched on and switched off. Every power figure in this section is for the pair, split evenly.

PXmax = 3514 W with a 28 Hz subsonic  ·  509 W with none  →  the filter is worth 6.9×
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 19.0 mm 3514 W reaches Xmax here
3514 W · subsonic at 28 Hz, 24 dB/oct509 W · no subsonic filterXmax 19.0 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 19.0 mm. With a 28 Hz subsonic that takes 3514 W, reached first at 25 Hz. Take the filter away and the same cabinet reaches 19.0 mm on 509 W — the filter is worth 6.9× 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 509 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 — JL Audio rate this one at 1000 W RMS, and that is the number that binds first here: heat stops you before travel does, so treat 1000 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 one for a pair of 8W7AE-3 in a single shared chamber, which is how a dual ported box should be built: one volume, one port, both drivers loading the same air.

It gets the full Professional treatment, a 2.25 inch three-layer baffle with both woofers flush mounted in the outer layer, and the port on the left of the face.

Wiring is where a dual bites you. These are one coil each, so you can land on half the driver's nominal impedance in parallel or twice it in series. Check what your amplifier is rated for before you wire it, not after.

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?

Both drivers share one chamber and one port rather than sitting in separate boxes, so the pair works against the whole volume and the port is sized for the pair rather than doubled. The port carries 25.0 square inches of area at 35.0 Hz, and the design power for the velocity and excursion checks is 1200 W for the pair. Passband ripple holds at 1.93 dB across the tuning, with F3 at 34.4 Hz. 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?

A single 8W7AE-3 also builds in the Performance Optimized ported down-fire, the smaller and cheaper single-driver box. A pair takes this Professional cabinet: one shared chamber on a 2.25 inch three-layer baffle with both woofers flush in the outer layer, and a slot port gated at 1200 W for the pair. It carries a 2 year warranty, against 1 year on the Performance Optimized lines.

Threaded inserts or a kit?

Threaded inserts pressed into the baffle on the published 7.390 inch bolt circle, stainless machine screws included. The inserts are in the baffle when it arrives; the machine screws are in the terminal cup bag.

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 JL Audio 8W7AE-3 at 58 percent of its usable travel at 1200 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 3.0 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, 1.32 cubic feet vented at 35.0 Hz, against JL Audio's recommended sealed box, 0.88 cu ft per driver, 1.75 cu ft for the pair, 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, 2.00 inches wide and 25.0 square inches. It runs 6.25 inches to the back wall and turns once along it for 21.34 inches; the fold costs about 1.5 Hz and the port is cut for it. The channel runs at 22.4 metres per second at 1200 W, 54 percent of its turbulence limit, and the mouth edges carry a 1/2 inch roundover so the air leaves the face at 13.8 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, 34.00" W x 14.00" H x 12.00" D external. Every Professional cabinet is priced the same way, by its size: this one is 3.31 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 8W7AE-3 included?

No. This is an enclosure only, cut for the JL Audio 8W7AE-3 specifically: the 6.940 inch cutout, the 6.830 inch mounting depth allowance and the 1.32 cubic foot alignment all come from JL Audio's published parameters. It fits both coil versions; the alignment published here is the Single 3 Ohm. Bring your own driver.

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