Performance Optimized · Datasheet

Performance Optimized Down Fire Ported 8" Enclosure | Prodigy NB2-8 Single 8" Ported enclosure

Net volume
1.08 Cubic Feet
Tuning
33.0 Hz
Max mounting depth
5.000 Inches (Prodigy Spec)
Cutout
7.188 Inches (Prodigy Spec)
External dimensions
31 Inches W × 7.75 Inches H × 13.50 Inches D
Front baffle
Down Firing - Driver Fires Toward Floor
Buy at Audio Intensity
  • Alignment: 1.08 cu ft net vented at 33.0 Hz. F3 27.8 Hz anechoic, 4.34 dB passband ripple
  • Driver: Prodigy NB2-8 D4, 300 W RMS, 14.0 mm Xmax at 70% BL, 37.34 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 13.50" 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 FitmentProdigy NB2-8 D4 (Dual 4 Ohm)
Enclosure TypePorted | Down Fire Geometry | Floor-Coupled
Baffle ConfigurationDown Firing - Driver Fires Toward Floor
External Width31 Inches
External Depth13.50 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)1.24 Cubic Feet
Internal Volume (Net After Displacement)1.08 Cubic Feet
Port TypeL-Wrap Slot | One Folded Wall | Single Faceted 90 Degree Bend
Port Tuning (Fb)33.0 Hz
Port Channel2.50 x 6.25 Inches (15.6 Square Inches)
Port Path Length28.82 Inches (Centreline)
Port Mouth Area22.1 Square Inches (2.50 Inch Corner Chamfer)
Port Air Velocity13.3 m/s At Tuning (17.0 m/s Chuff Threshold)
Predicted F327.8 Hz (Anechoic)
Passband Ripple4.34 dB (Anechoic)
Subsonic Filter26 Hz High-Pass, 24 dB/Octave - REQUIRED On A Vented Enclosure
Driver Fs37.34 Hz
Driver Qts0.448
Driver Qes / Qms0.515 / 3.417
Driver Vas6.955 Liters / 0.246 Cubic Feet
Driver Sd202.9 Square Centimeters
Driver Mms117.44 g
Driver BL17.88
Driver Re6.1 Ohm
Driver Xmax14mm (One-Way at 70% BL)
Excursion Design BasisDerated To 11.9mm For Alignment - Prodigy Publishes At 70% BL
Driver Displacement0.07 Cubic Feet (Published by Prodigy)
Driver Sensitivity83.7 dB
Driver Power Handling300 Watts RMS
Driver Overall Diameter8.500 Inches (Prodigy Spec)
Mounting Depth Required5.000 Inches (Prodigy Spec)
Cutout Diameter7.188 Inches (Prodigy Spec)
Woofer Ring9.500 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 4 Ohm
Terminal CupProline X ABS/Carbon Fiber Composite | Side Mounted | 12g OFC Pre-Wired
DampingNone - Ships Dry. Polyfill Detunes A Ported Enclosure
Recommended Power210-300 Watts RMS (Prodigy Rated: 300W RMS)
Carpet FinishPlush Black
Bundle OptionsEnclosure Only (Bring Your Own Prodigy NB2-8)
Warranty1-Year Limited (Enclosure)
ManufacturedTullahoma, Tennessee, USA

Performance in this enclosure

Net airspace
1.08
cu ft
Tuning
33.0
Hz · Fb
Half power
27.8
Hz · F3, anechoic
Xmax at
825
W RMS · 26 Hz subsonic
With NO filter
277
W RMS · unfiltered
Port
13.3
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 = 72.5
SEALED 0–50 TRANSITION 50–100 PORTED 100–150 0 50 100 150 EBP 72.5
Prodigy NB2-8 D4 · EBP 72.5
Between 50 and 100 a driver takes either load, and the choice becomes one of priorities rather than of physics. The Prodigy NB2-8 D4 reads 72.5. 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

1.08 cu ft net against a 7.0 L Vas, vented at 33.0 Hz.

Fb = 33.0 Hz  ·  F3 = 27.8 Hz  ·  passband ripple 4.34 dB
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 +6 +0 −6 −12 −18 −24 FREQUENCY · Hz LEVEL · dB −3 dB Fb 33.0
Prodigy NB2-8 D4 · Fb 33.0 Hz, F3 27.8 Hz
Anechoic, before any cabin gain, with the 26 Hz subsonic filter already applied. The vent takes over below 33 Hz and the cone stops doing the work there, which is what holds travel down at the bottom of the passband.

03Ported vs Sealed

No sealed comparison is shown for this driver.

A ported-versus-sealed chart is only worth reading against a sealed box someone would actually build: the one we make for the driver, or the one its maker recommends. Neither exists for the Prodigy NB2-8 D4 — we do not build a sealed enclosure for it and Prodigy publish no sealed volume for it — so rather than compare this cabinet against itself stuffed and sealed, a box no one would build, the comparison is left out.

04The 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 Prodigy's published 14.0 mm. The two traces are the same cabinet with the subsonic filter switched on and switched off.

PXmax = 825 W with a 26 Hz subsonic  ·  277 W with none  →  the filter is worth 3.0×
20 30 50 70 100 150 200 0 4 8 12 16 FREQUENCY · Hz CONE TRAVEL · mm PAST LINEAR TRAVEL · Xmax 14.0 mm design limit 11.9 mm · 70% BL derated 825 W reaches Xmax here
825 W · subsonic at 26 Hz, 24 dB/oct277 W · no subsonic filterXmax 14.0 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 14.0 mm. With a 26 Hz subsonic that takes 825 W, reached first at 27 Hz. Take the filter away and the same cabinet reaches 14.0 mm on 277 W — the filter is worth 3.0× 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 277 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 — Prodigy rate this one at 300 W RMS, and that is the number that binds first here: heat stops you before travel does, so treat 300 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 11.9 mm is the figure the cabinet was actually designed against: Prodigy 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

27.8 Hz anechoic out of an eight. That is deeper than the thinPRO12, deeper than the Arc X2V2, deeper than anything else I cut a ported box for. I did not expect it either, and I checked it twice before shipping the design.

It works because 6.96 litres of Vas is a very stiff suspension. When the driver barely notices the box, the box stops being the limiting factor and the port can be sized for airflow instead of being traded against volume. Add a 0.448 Qts, which is low enough to vent aggressively, and 1.08 cubic feet at 33.0 Hz falls out.

Now the part you need to read before you buy it. 8.6 dB of in-car spread is the widest number in this entire range, and the anechoic ripple at 4.34 dB is second only to the IDMAX10. This is not a flat cabinet. If you want flat in an eight, the IDQ8 is 1.09 dB of ripple and I would point you there without hesitation. What the IDQ8 will not do is 27.8 Hz.

Prodigy quote Xmax on a 70 percent BL basis, which is optimistic, so the alignment is built against a derated 11.9 mm rather than the printed 14. The port ends up at 15.6 square inches running 51 percent of its turbulence limit and 13.3 metres per second at the mouth, comfortably under the 17 where a slot starts to chuff.

One data note, because it is the honest thing to say: the Fs implied by Prodigy's own Mms and Cms runs 14 percent above the 37.3 Hz they print. Their motor figures are unreliable across the whole line, so this design leans on the alignment set and the physical dimensions and treats the motor data as indicative. The excursion check runs on the pessimistic route.

300 W RMS and it does not want more. Dual 4 ohm: 2 ohms parallel or 8 series. Subsonic at 26 Hz, and on this one it is not optional. Ships dry.

Questions

Why is this enclosure tuned to 33.0 Hz?

Two things make it possible. The NB2-8 has 6.96 litres of Vas, so the suspension is stiff enough that the box barely participates in the alignment and the port can be sized for the job rather than as a compromise. And a 0.448 Qts is low enough to vent hard. Tuned to 33.0 Hz in a 13.50 inch cabinet, that combination puts the half-power point below every other cabinet in this line. 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 9.5 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 28.82 inches of centreline path for 33.0 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 4.34 dB passband you are paying for depends on it staying dry.

Do I need a subsonic filter?

Yes, at 26 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 Prodigy NB2-8 at 71 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?

Prodigy rate the NB2-8 at 300 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 71 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?

Not one we can show you. We do not build a sealed enclosure for the Prodigy NB2-8 and Prodigy publish no sealed volume for it, so the Performance Graphs tab carries no ported-versus-sealed chart: the only sealed box left to plot would be this cabinet stuffed and sealed, which nobody would build, and a comparison against it would tell you nothing you could buy. What a vented box gives up is the region below tuning, where the cone unloads and the 26 Hz subsonic filter takes over; around 33.0 Hz the vent carries the load and cone travel drops to its minimum, which no sealed alignment can do.

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 28.82 inches of centreline path and 15.6 square inches of channel, exiting a 22.1 square inch mouth. Air leaves at 13.3 metres per second at tuning against a 17.0 threshold, and the channel runs at 51 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 9.500 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 2.83 inches clear of the cutout edge and 1.68 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 NB2-8 included?

No. This is an enclosure only, cut and folded for the Prodigy NB2-8 specifically. The 7.188 inch cutout, the 5.000 inch mounting depth allowance and the 1.08 cubic foot alignment all come from Prodigy'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 8 inch hole in it. Bring your own driver.

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