Performance Optimized · Datasheet

Performance Optimized Down Fire Ported 10" Enclosure | Arc Audio Black Series 10 Single 10" Ported enclosure

Net volume
1.22 Cubic Feet
Tuning
34.0 Hz
Max mounting depth
5.688 Inches (Arc Audio Spec)
Cutout
9.188 Inches (Arc Audio Spec)
External dimensions
31 Inches W × 7.75 Inches H × 15.00 Inches D
Front baffle
Down Firing - Driver Fires Toward Floor
Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Alignment: 1.22 cu ft net vented at 34.0 Hz. F3 30.4 Hz anechoic, 0.36 dB passband ripple
  • Driver: Arc Audio Black Series 10 D2, 400 W RMS, 16.0 mm Xmax at 70% BL, 40.60 Hz Fs
  • Build: Proline X V-groove and dado joinery, L-wrap slot port with a faceted 90 degree bend, double-layer 1.5" baffle, side-mounted terminal cup
  • Cabinet: 31" W x 15.00" D x 7.75" H measured in down fire position, 9.50" tall installed on its feet, square corners, ships dry

Technical specifications

SeriesProline X Performance Optimized Down Fire
Driver-Specific FitmentArc Audio Black Series 10 D2 (Dual 2 Ohm)
Enclosure TypePorted | Down Fire Geometry | Floor-Coupled
Baffle ConfigurationDown Firing - Driver Fires Toward Floor
External Width31 Inches
External Depth15.00 Inches
External Height7.75 Inches (Cabinet Only)
FeetIncluded - 1.75 Inch Standoff, Required For Down Fire Operation
Installed Height9.50 Inches (7.75 Cabinet Plus 1.75 Feet) - MEASURE AGAINST THIS, NOT THE CABINET HEIGHT
Dimension ReferenceAll External Dimensions Measured In Down Fire Position
Internal Volume (Gross)1.39 Cubic Feet
Internal Volume (Net After Displacement)1.22 Cubic Feet
Port TypeL-Wrap Slot | One Folded Wall | Single Faceted 90 Degree Bend
Port Tuning (Fb)34.0 Hz
Port Channel3.00 x 6.25 Inches (18.8 Square Inches)
Port Path Length28.41 Inches (Centreline)
Port Mouth Area26.5 Square Inches (3.00 Inch Corner Chamfer)
Port Air Velocity13.1 m/s At Tuning (17.0 m/s Chuff Threshold)
Predicted F330.4 Hz (Anechoic)
Passband Ripple0.36 dB (Anechoic)
Subsonic Filter27 Hz High-Pass, 24 dB/Octave - REQUIRED On A Vented Enclosure
Driver Fs40.60 Hz
Driver Qts0.520
Driver Qes / Qms0.600 / 4.090
Driver Vas18.000 Liters / 0.636 Cubic Feet
Driver Sd339.8 Square Centimeters
Driver Mms137.60 g
Driver BL15.90
Driver Re4.0 Ohm
Driver Xmax16mm (One-Way at 70% BL)
Excursion Design BasisDerated To 13.6mm For Alignment - Arc Audio Publishes At 70% BL
Driver Displacement0.07 Cubic Feet (Published by Arc Audio)
Driver Sensitivity84.9 dB
Driver Power Handling400 Watts RMS
Driver Overall Diameter10.500 Inches (Arc Audio Spec)
Mounting Depth Required5.688 Inches (Arc Audio Spec)
Cutout Diameter9.188 Inches (Arc Audio Spec)
Woofer Ring11.500 Inch OD, Bonded Under The Baffle In A Machined Recess
MaterialLangboard Elite 3/4" MDF
ConstructionShopSabre CNC / Windowed Brace Between Cutout And Port Terminus
JoineryV-Groove and Dado (CNC-Cut)
Front Baffle ConstructionDouble-Layer 1.5" MDF | Outer Layer Flush Recess, Driver Mounts To Inner Layer
Corner ProfileSquare (Down Fire Series Standard)
Mounting Hardware8 x #8-32 Hurricane Nuts Fitted (16 Positions Cut For Driver Orientation) | Stainless Steel Machine Screws Included
Voice Coil ConfigurationDual 2 Ohm
Terminal CupProline X ABS/Carbon Fiber Composite | Side Mounted | 12g OFC Pre-Wired
DampingNone - Ships Dry. Polyfill Detunes A Ported Enclosure
Recommended Power280-400 Watts RMS (Arc Audio Rated: 400W RMS)
Carpet FinishPlush Black
Bundle OptionsEnclosure Only (Bring Your Own Arc Audio Black Series 10)
Warranty1-Year Limited (Enclosure)
ManufacturedTullahoma, Tennessee, USA

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
1.22
cu ft
Tuning
34.0
Hz · Fb
Half power
30.4
Hz · F3, anechoic
Xmax at
1641
W RMS · 27 Hz subsonic
With NO filter
419
W RMS · unfiltered
Port
13.1
m/s at the mouth

01Is this driver right for a ported box?

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

EBP = Fs ÷ Qes = 67.7
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 EBP 67.7
Arc Audio Black Series 10 D2 · EBP 67.7
Between 50 and 100 a driver takes either load, and the choice becomes one of priorities rather than of physics. The Arc Audio Black Series 10 D2 reads 67.7. 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

1.22 cu ft net against a 18.0 L Vas, vented at 34.0 Hz.

Fb = 34.0 Hz  ·  F3 = 30.4 Hz  ·  passband ripple 0.36 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 −6 −12 −18 −24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB Fb 34.0
Arc Audio Black Series 10 D2 · Fb 34.0 Hz, F3 30.4 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, 1.22 cu ft net vented at 34.0 Hz, against Arc's minimum sealed box, 0.70 cu ft (0.70 gross, 0.63 net after the driver).

Ported Fb 34.0 Hz  ·  the 0.63 cu ft sealed box runs Qtc 0.74, Fc 58 Hz
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 −6 −12 −18 −24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +8.4 dB at 33 Hz
Ported · this cabinet, 1.22 cu ft, Fb 34.0 HzArc's minimum sealed, 0.63 cu ft net, Qtc 0.74
Shaded blue is where the ported alignment is louder for the same power, orange where the sealed one is. The sealed curve is Arc's minimum sealed box, 0.70 cu ft (0.70 gross, 0.63 net after the driver), 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 8.4 dB at its widest and 6.0 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 3.8 dB spread, the 0.63 cu ft sealed box 3.0 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 −6 −12 −18 −24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB +8.4 dB at 33 Hz
Ported, in-car · 3.8 dB spreadArc's minimum sealed, 0.63 cu ft net, in-car · 3.0 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 3.8 dB of spread against 3.0 dB for Arc's minimum sealed box, 0.70 cu ft (0.70 gross, 0.63 net after the driver). The sealed curve is flatter on paper; the ported one trades that for output. 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 Arc Audio's published 16.0 mm. The two traces are the same cabinet with the subsonic filter switched on and switched off.

PXmax = 1641 W with a 27 Hz subsonic  ·  419 W with none  →  the filter is worth 3.9×
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 4 8 12 16 20 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 16.0 mm design limit 13.6 mm · 70% BL derated 1641 W reaches Xmax here
1641 W · subsonic at 27 Hz, 24 dB/oct419 W · no subsonic filterXmax 16.0 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 16.0 mm. With a 27 Hz subsonic that takes 1641 W, reached first at 26 Hz. Take the filter away and the same cabinet reaches 16.0 mm on 419 W — the filter is worth 3.9× 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 419 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 — Arc Audio rate this one at 400 W RMS, and that is the number that binds first here: heat stops you before travel does, so treat 400 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. The dashed line at 13.6 mm is the figure the cabinet was actually designed against: Arc Audio publish this Xmax on a 70% BL basis, and we derate it before sizing the port so the alignment carries margin against an optimistic spec rather than sitting right on it.

Installer's take

Two things make this page worth reading. The first is 0.36 dB. That is the passband ripple, anechoic, across the whole usable band, and it is the flattest of the seventy-one cabinets we have modelled in this chassis. The Prodigy NB3-12 is next at 0.80, then the JL 8W1v3 at 0.96. Nothing else is under one.

The second is that Arc agree with us. They are the only Arc series to publish a ported net volume -- 1.25 to 1.50 cubic feet, tuned at 32 for SQ or 42 for SPL -- and we land at 1.22 and 34 without having looked. Two percent under their floor and two hertz above their SQ tune, from a chassis designed years before their sheet was written. When an independent solve lands on the maker's own number, both are probably right.

Why it works: Fs 40.6 Hz and 18 litres of Vas make this a stiff driver, and 1.22 cubic feet is nearly double its Vas. The box is so large relative to the suspension that it stops shaping the response, and what is left is the driver's own curve with a port under it. Tuned below resonance at 34, that curve reaches 30.4 Hz.

In the car it is 3.49 dB of spread, which is fine and not remarkable. This is the cabinet for someone who EQs, or who wants the reference curve to start from.

Dual 2 ohm: 1 ohm parallel or 4 ohms series. Subsonic at 27 Hz. Ships dry.

Questions

Why is this enclosure tuned to 34.0 Hz?

Fs 40.6 Hz with only 18 litres of Vas is a stiff driver, and 1.22 cubic feet is nearly twice its Vas. A stiff driver in a box that large relative to its own compliance is the recipe for a passband with no bump in it, because the air spring barely participates. Tuning below Fs at 34.0 Hz then extends the bottom to an F3 of 30.4 Hz without disturbing the flatness above it. Tuning is chosen for in-car response rather than for an anechoic curve: a vehicle adds roughly 12 dB per octave below about 45 Hz, so a box tuned very low reinforces a region the cabin is already reinforcing and leaves 40 to 60 Hz thin. In this cabinet that lands at 3.8 dB of in-car spread across 25 to 60 Hz, which is where kick and bass fundamentals live.

Does this enclosure ship with polyfill?

No, and on this build in particular do not add any. Every sealed Proline X enclosure ships with polyfill pre-installed; a ported one must not, because damping material changes the effective volume the port is tuned against. The port on this cabinet is cut to 28.41 inches of centreline path for 34.0 Hz. Stuff it and you move the tuning without shortening the port, which gives you a mistuned box rather than a bigger-sounding one. The 0.36 dB passband you are paying for depends on it staying dry.

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 Arc Audio Black Series 10 at 58 percent of its usable travel at full rated power; without it there is no meaningful number to quote, because the excursion curve does not converge. On a sealed build a subsonic filter is an improvement. Here it is required equipment.

How much power can I run?

Arc Audio rate the Black Series 10 at 400 W RMS and that is the thermal ceiling. The figures on the Performance Graphs tab are a different quantity: they are mechanical limits, the power at which the cone reaches the end of its linear travel in this specific cabinet. Here the cone sits at 58 percent of usable travel at the driver's own rating, so heat is what stops you, not travel. Final wired impedance and amplifier output are separate questions again.

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, 1.22 cubic feet vented at 34.0 Hz, against Arc's minimum sealed box, 0.70 cu ft (0.70 gross, 0.63 net after the driver), so you can judge it yourself.

What is the L-wrap port and why does it matter?

It is a slot port formed by one folded wall: a leg down the long side of the cabinet past the woofer ring, one faceted 90 degree bend, and a leg across the end opening through a chamfered corner. On this cabinet that is 28.41 inches of centreline path and 18.8 square inches of channel, exiting a 26.5 square inch mouth. Air leaves at 13.1 metres per second at tuning against a 17.0 threshold, and the channel runs at 50 percent of its turbulence limit. One wall and one bend rather than a serpentine's three means less wall area inside the box, fewer joints to leak, and one place for flow to separate instead of three.

How is this enclosure built?

V-groove and dado joinery in 0.75 inch Langboard Elite MDF with a double-layer 1.5 inch baffle. The driver mounts to a 11.500 inch ring bonded under the baffle in a machined recess, carrying eight #8-32 hurricane nuts so it threads into steel rather than MDF. A windowed brace sits 2.74 inches clear of the cutout edge and 1.58 inches clear of the port terminus; the window is not weight saving, a solid panel there would split the cavity and make the box a bandpass. Walls seat into dados in both the lid and the baffle. Square corners, plush black carpet, side-mounted terminal cup.

Is the Black Series 10 included?

No. This is an enclosure only, cut and folded for the Arc Audio Black Series 10 specifically. The 9.188 inch cutout, the 5.688 inch mounting depth allowance and the 1.22 cubic foot alignment all come from Arc Audio's published parameters for this exact driver, and the port is sized against its Xmax and power rating. It is not a universal box with a 10 inch hole in it. Bring your own driver.

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