18SOUND 12NMB1000
18SOUND (Eighteen Sound) 12NMB1000 — 12" / 12 inch · Midrange with Lower Midrange (ML) · Midrange · Neodymium
4" voice coil · 8 Ω
Part no.: 42A-CHS-MT-18S-0011
Documents
18SOUND 12NMB1000 — 12" · Midrange Driver
600 W AES · 102 dB Sensitivity · Frequency range 60 Hz – 3000 Hz
Technical data
- Diameter: 12 "
- Voice coil: 4 "
- Power handling: 600 W AES
- Sensitivity: 102 dB
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Magnet: Neo
- Weight: 5.6 kg
- Mounting depth: 116 mm
- Frequency range: 60 – 3000 Hz
Datasheet (PDF) · Manufacturer page
Series: NMB · Part no.: 42A-CHS-MT-18S-0011
18Sound 12NMB1000: 12" midrange with 4" voice coil, 600 W AES and 102 dB
A Qts of 0.19 tells you everything about the intention behind the 12NMB1000: this 12" driver from the NMB series by 18Sound (Eighteen Sound) is a midrange with surplus motor strength, not a compromise for bass. BL 24.4 Tm on a moving mass of 61 g, plus 102 dB sensitivity and 600 W AES – that is the design for midrange duty in large three-way systems and for horn-loaded midrange sections where a driver with tight control is needed.
The 4" voice coil carries the power rating, the neodymium motor keeps the weight at 5.6 kg and the mounting depth at 116 mm. The operating range of 60 Hz to 3,000 Hz shows that the cone is meant for the midrange, not the presence region; Le of 0.69 mH is low for a 4" coil and helps keep the response from dropping early at the top. Xmax at 3.5 mm is deliberately modest – excursion is not the currency here, force is.
Use and enclosure
The 12NMB1000 belongs in a sealed midrange chamber. The guideline for that is about 4.5 l with a system resonance near 201 Hz – a small volume that fits easily inside a three-way cabinet. The bass reflex guideline of 7.4 l tuned to 101 Hz, with f3 around 144 Hz, shows that extension is not on the table; the EBP of 284 points unambiguously toward midrange or horn loading. As the driver on a midrange horn, the strong motor pays off because the horn provides the acoustic load that the low Qts asks for.
At the bottom, the crossover should sit well above 60 Hz, in the region a woofer covers better anyway. At the top, the usable range ends at 3,000 Hz, so the hand-over to a compression driver goes sensibly below that. A sensitivity of 102 dB also means the midrange is usually louder than the woofer and gets attenuated in the crossover or DSP. The enclosure calculator on 42.audio helps with the exact alignment.
What to look out for
- 8 Ω nominal, Re 5.5 Ω: one amplifier channel up to the 600 W AES rating.
- Mounting depth 116 mm at 5.6 kg: shallow enough for midrange chambers behind baffles or horns.
- Qts 0.19 and BL 24.4 Tm: needs a horn or a small sealed volume, not a reflex box.
- Xmax 3.5 mm: a high-pass is mandatory so low-frequency content does not limit the cone mechanically.
- Le 0.69 mH: low inductance for a 4" coil, which keeps the crossover simpler.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 12NMB1000 suitable as a mid-woofer in a two-way cabinet?
No, the motor is too strong and the excursion too small for that. With Qts 0.19 and an f3 around 144 Hz in the reflex guideline, the lower midrange is missing. The driver plays in three-way systems as a midrange or in front of a midrange horn.
What is the difference to the 18Sound 12MB1000?
The 12MB1000 is the ferrite version with almost identical parameters: Fs 54 Hz, Qts 0.18, Vas 60 l. The 12NMB1000 uses neodymium instead and weighs 5.6 kg. Both are in the 42.audio shop with datasheets and in the driver database for comparison.
Which crossover frequencies make sense?
The 60 Hz to 3,000 Hz range is the limit, not the recommendation. In practice the high-pass sits well above the system resonance of the midrange chamber, and the hand-over to the horn noticeably below 3,000 Hz, where the cone still moves as a piston.
18Sound 12NMB1000: manufacturer, spellings and classification
18Sound, 18 Sound and Eighteensound all refer to the same manufacturer: Eighteen Sound S.r.l. of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The 12NMB1000 is a 12-inch midrange driver with neodymium magnet from the NMB series, available from 42.audio, 18Sound dealer in Germany, with datasheet and full specifications in the driver database.
At 42.audio you get the 18SOUND 12NMB1000 with datasheet PDF, all key data in the driver database and the enclosure calculator. More drivers from this manufacturer: Atlas 18Sound.
Thiele-Small parameters
| Nominal impedance | 8 Ω |
|---|---|
| Resonance frequency fs | 54 Hz |
| Total Q Qts | 0.19 |
| Electrical Q Qes | 0.19 |
| Mechanical Q Qms | 8.4 |
| Equivalent volume Vas | 58.0 l |
| Moving mass Mms | 61.0 g |
| Cone area Sd | 531 cm² |
| Linear excursion Xmax | 3.5 mm |
| Force factor BL | 24.4 Tm |
| DC resistance Re | 5.5 Ω |
| Voice coil inductance Le | 0.69 mH |
Comparable drivers
Same size, same type, Qts within ±30 %.
- 18 Sound 12MB777fs 49 Hz · Qts 0.19 · Vas 101 l · in the database
- 18 Sound 12MB700fs 49 Hz · Qts 0.19 · Vas 101 l · in the database
- 18 Sound 12MB1000fs 54 Hz · Qts 0.18 · Vas 60 l · in the shop
- 18 Sound 12MB710fs 46 Hz · Qts 0.2 · Vas 81 l · in the database
- 18 Sound 12MB720fs 46 Hz · Qts 0.2 · Vas 81 l · in the database
- 18 Sound 12MB810fs 46 Hz · Qts 0.2 · Vas 81 l · in the database
Specifications
| Allgemein | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | 18SOUND |
| Category | Mid Frequency |
| Series | NMB |
| Magnet | Neo |
| Impedance (Ω) | 8 |
| Power handling (W) | 600 |
| Sensitivity (dB) | 102 |
| Frequency from (Hz) | 60 |
| Frequency to (Hz) | 3000 |
| Abmessungen & Korb | |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 12 |
| Voice coil (inch) | 4 |
| Mounting depth (mm) | 116 |
| Weight (kg) | 5.6 |
| Thiele-Small-Parameter | |
|---|---|
| Re (Ω) | 5.5 |
| Le (mH) | 0.69 |
| Fs (Hz) | 54 |
| Qms | 8.4 |
| Qes | 0.19 |
| Qts | 0.19 |
| Vas (l) | 58 |
| Xmax (mm) | 3.5 |
| BL (Tm) | 24.4 |
| Mms (kg) | 0.061 |
| Sd (m²) | 0.0531 |