
Performance Optimized · Datasheet
Performance Optimized Down Fire Ported 10" Enclosure | JL Audio 10TW3 Single 10" Ported enclosure
- Net volume
- 1.28 Cubic Feet
- Tuning
- 35.0 Hz
- Max mounting depth
- 3.268 Inches (JL Audio Spec)
- Cutout
- 9.606 Inches (JL Audio Spec)
- External dimensions
- 31 Inches W × 7.75 Inches H × 15.00 Inches D
- Front baffle
- Down Firing - Driver Fires Toward Floor
- Alignment: 1.28 cu ft net vented at 35.0 Hz. F3 28.8 Hz anechoic, 4.17 dB passband ripple
- Driver: JL Audio 10TW3 -D4, 400 W RMS, 15.2 mm Xmax, 32.30 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
| Series | Proline X Performance Optimized Down Fire |
|---|---|
| Driver-Specific Fitment | JL Audio 10TW3 -D4 (Dual 4 Ohm) |
| Enclosure Type | Ported | Down Fire Geometry | Floor-Coupled |
| Baffle Configuration | Down Firing - Driver Fires Toward Floor |
| External Width | 31 Inches |
| External Depth | 15.00 Inches |
| External Height | 7.75 Inches (Cabinet Only) |
| Feet | Included - 1.75 Inch Standoff, Required For Down Fire Operation |
| Installed Height | 9.50 Inches (7.75 Cabinet Plus 1.75 Feet) - MEASURE AGAINST THIS, NOT THE CABINET HEIGHT |
| Dimension Reference | All External Dimensions Measured In Down Fire Position |
| Internal Volume (Gross) | 1.39 Cubic Feet |
| Internal Volume (Net After Displacement) | 1.28 Cubic Feet |
| Port Type | L-Wrap Slot | One Folded Wall | Single Faceted 90 Degree Bend |
| Port Tuning (Fb) | 35.0 Hz |
| Port Channel | 3.25 x 6.25 Inches (20.3 Square Inches) |
| Port Path Length | 27.58 Inches (Centreline) |
| Port Mouth Area | 22.1 Square Inches (2.50 Inch Corner Chamfer) |
| Port Air Velocity | 16.5 m/s At Tuning (17.0 m/s Chuff Threshold) |
| Predicted F3 | 28.8 Hz (Anechoic) |
| Passband Ripple | 4.17 dB (Anechoic) |
| Subsonic Filter | 28 Hz High-Pass, 24 dB/Octave - REQUIRED On A Vented Enclosure |
| Driver Fs | 32.30 Hz |
| Driver Qts | 0.620 |
| Driver Qes / Qms | 0.660 / 11.350 |
| Driver Vas | 19.800 Liters / 0.699 Cubic Feet |
| Driver Sd | 365.0 Square Centimeters |
| Driver Mms | 231.00 g |
| Driver BL | 25.40 |
| Driver Re | 9.0 Ohm |
| Driver Xmax | 15mm (One-Way) |
| Driver Displacement | 0.02 Cubic Feet (Published by JL Audio) |
| Driver Sensitivity | 82.1 dB |
| Driver Power Handling | 400 Watts RMS |
| Driver Overall Diameter | 10.512 Inches (JL Audio Spec) |
| Mounting Depth Required | 3.268 Inches (JL Audio Spec) |
| Cutout Diameter | 9.606 Inches (JL Audio Spec) |
| Woofer Ring | 11.500 Inch OD, Bonded Under The Baffle In A Machined Recess |
| Material | Langboard Elite 3/4" MDF |
| Construction | ShopSabre CNC / Windowed Brace Between Cutout And Port Terminus |
| Joinery | V-Groove and Dado (CNC-Cut) |
| Front Baffle Construction | Double-Layer 1.5" MDF | Outer Layer Flush Recess, Driver Mounts To Inner Layer |
| Corner Profile | Square (Down Fire Series Standard) |
| Mounting Hardware | 8 x #8-32 Hurricane Nuts Fitted (16 Positions Cut For Driver Orientation) | Stainless Steel Machine Screws Included |
| Voice Coil Configuration | Dual 4 Ohm |
| Terminal Cup | Proline X ABS/Carbon Fiber Composite | Side Mounted | 12g OFC Pre-Wired |
| Damping | None - Ships Dry. Polyfill Detunes A Ported Enclosure |
| Recommended Power | 280-400 Watts RMS (JL Audio Rated: 400W RMS) |
| Carpet Finish | Plush Black |
| Bundle Options | Enclosure Only (Bring Your Own JL Audio 10TW3) |
| Warranty | 1-Year Limited (Enclosure) |
| Manufactured | Tullahoma, Tennessee, USA |
Performance in this enclosure
01Is this driver right for a ported box?
Efficiency bandwidth product places the motor before anything else is decided.
02What the box does to it
1.28 cu ft net against a 19.8 L Vas, vented at 35.0 Hz.
03Perceived Ported vs Sealed
This cabinet, 1.28 cu ft net vented at 35.0 Hz, against the 0.50 cu ft sealed Down Fire we build for this driver (PO 10-S DF TW3).
04Real World Ported vs Sealed
The same two boxes with cabin gain applied, 45 Hz corner, 18 dB ceiling.
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 JL Audio's published 15.2 mm. The two traces are the same cabinet with the subsonic filter switched on and switched off.
Installer's take
3.27 inches with 15.2 mm of one-way travel. That combination is the whole argument for this driver over the TW1 sitting next to it. The TW1 is 4.37 inches deep and moves 10 mm; this is a full inch shallower and moves half again as far.
It has the better raw material too. 32.3 Hz against the TW1's 41.5, 19.8 litres of Vas against 10.3, and 365 square centimetres of cone against 268. On paper this should not be the shallower of the two, and yet it is.
The bill arrives as ripple. 4.17 dB is the widest of any JL cabinet here. That is what packing this much motor into 3.27 inches does, and I could flatten it by tuning lower and giving up volume, which would throw away the reach that made the driver interesting. So I have not.
In-car it lands at 4.5 dB. Mid-pack, better than the TW1's 5.5.
Dual 4 ohm: 2 ohms parallel or 8 ohms series. Subsonic at 28 Hz. Ships dry.
Questions
Why is this enclosure tuned to 35.0 Hz?
1.28 cubic feet vented at 35.0 Hz reaches an anechoic F3 of 28.8 Hz. A 32.3 Hz resonance with 19.8 litres of Vas is a considerably more capable starting point than the TW1's 41.5 Hz and 10.3 litres, and the extra cone area helps too: 365 square centimetres against the TW1's 268. 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 4.4 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 27.58 inches of centreline path for 35.0 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 4.17 dB passband you are paying for depends on it staying dry.
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 10TW3 at 48 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?
JL Audio rate the 10TW3 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 48 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, 1.28 cubic feet vented at 35.0 Hz, against the 0.50 cu ft sealed Down Fire we build for this driver (PO 10-S DF TW3), 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 27.58 inches of centreline path and 20.3 square inches of channel, exiting a 22.1 square inch mouth. Air leaves at 16.5 metres per second at tuning against a 17.0 threshold, and the channel runs at 43 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 2.91 inches clear of the cutout edge and 1.97 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 10TW3 included?
No. This is an enclosure only, cut and folded for the JL Audio 10TW3 specifically. The 9.606 inch cutout, the 3.268 inch mounting depth allowance and the 1.28 cubic foot alignment all come from JL 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.
Other Performance Optimized models
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- Arc Audio SW10 Dual 10" Sealed
- Audiofrog GB10 Dual 10" Sealed
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- Audiomobile GT2 Dual 10" Sealed
- Diamond Audio DMD-SH Dual 10" Sealed