18SOUND 8CX401F
18SOUND (Eighteen Sound) 8CX401F — 8" / 8 inch Coaxial Driver · Coax / Coaxial Driver · Ferrite
2"/1" voice coils · 8 Ω
Part no.: 42A-CHS-KO-18S-0001
Documents
18SOUND 8CX401F — 8" · Coaxial Driver
280 W AES · 95 dB Sensitivity · Frequency range 65 Hz – 6100 Hz
Technical data
- Diameter: 8 "
- Voice coil: 2 "
- Power handling: 280 W AES
- Sensitivity: 95 dB
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Magnet: Ferrite
- Weight: 4.4 kg
- Mounting depth: 150 mm
- Frequency range: 65 – 6100 Hz
- Cone material: Polyester
- Coverage angle: 90 °
- Rec. crossover: 3.0 kHz
Datasheet (PDF) · Manufacturer page
Series: CX · Part no.: 42A-CHS-KO-18S-0001
18Sound 8CX401F: 8" ferrite coax with 280 W, 95 dB and 3.0 kHz crossover for monitors
An 8" coax with a ferrite magnet, a 2" voice coil in the woofer and a 1" voice coil in the tweeter: the 8CX401F from 18Sound's CX series is the compact coaxial driver for applications where weight does not matter but space and point-source behaviour do. Key figures: 280 W AES, 95 dB sensitivity, 8 Ω, low-frequency section from 65 Hz to 6100 Hz. The tweeter uses a polyester diaphragm and radiates through a 90° cone.
The woofer parameters are well laid out for an 8": Fs 56 Hz, Qts 0.34, Vas 23.9 l, BL 9.3 Tm with only 18 g of moving mass. The Xmax of 5.8 mm is respectable for an 8" driver and allows useful low end in a reflex enclosure. At 4.4 kg the ferrite model is heavier than comparable neodymium coaxials, but the ferrite motor is insensitive to temperature and, in practice, undemanding when it comes to cooling.
Use and enclosure
Bass reflex is the right format with an EBP of 147. Guideline: about 16 l net, tuned to 62 Hz, f3 around 66 Hz. That gives a small near-field box or a compact stage monitor that reproduces speech and instruments fully and only needs a sub for bass-heavy material. Sealed it is 7.2 l with fc at 116 Hz, which suits installation speakers with a separate sub or surround channels in a home theatre. The enclosure calculator at 42.audio provides port dimensions for both. The 150 mm mounting depth is small enough for slim cabinets.
The recommended crossover to the tweeter is 3.0 kHz, considerably higher than in the large NCX models with their bigger HF coils. The 1" coil needs that distance from its resonance. The woofer runs up to 6100 Hz, so it can work cleanly up to the crossover and roll off beyond it with shallow filters. The 90° cone gives wide dispersion, ideal for monitors, small installations and desktop near-field monitors with active crossovers.
What to look out for
- Ferrite magnet, 4.4 kg: heavier than neodymium, but insensitive to temperature
- Mounting depth 150 mm: fits slim cabinets and shallow wedges
- Crossover around 3.0 kHz: the 1" HF coil needs distance below
- Re 5 Ω, 8 Ω nominal, 280 W AES: small amplifiers and plate amps are enough
- Xmax 5.8 mm with Vas 23.9 l: useful low end in 16 l bass reflex
Frequently asked questions
Does the 8CX401F work as a near-field monitor?
Yes. In about 16 l bass reflex tuned to 62 Hz it reaches an f3 around 66 Hz; crossed actively at 3.0 kHz you get a coax monitor with point-source radiation in a 90° cone.
How does it compare to the B&C 8FCX51?
The 8FCX51 has a stiffer suspension with Fs 69 Hz, Qts 0.34 and Vas 16 l. The 8CX401F with Fs 56 Hz and Vas 23.9 l reaches slightly lower but needs marginally more volume. Both are listed in the driver database at 42.audio.
Which amplifier should I use?
A channel around 280 W AES into 8 Ω uses the full rating. With 95 dB sensitivity the driver also reaches decent levels with smaller plate amps; what matters is clean high-pass filtering below the tuning frequency.
18Sound 8CX401F: 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 8CX401F is a 8-inch coaxial driver with ferrite magnet from the CX 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 8CX401F 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 | 56 Hz |
| Total Q Qts | 0.34 |
| Electrical Q Qes | 0.38 |
| Mechanical Q Qms | 3.23 |
| Equivalent volume Vas | 23.9 l |
| Moving mass Mms | 18.0 g |
| Cone area Sd | 227 cm² |
| Linear excursion Xmax | 5.8 mm |
| Force factor BL | 9.3 Tm |
| DC resistance Re | 5 Ω |
| Voice coil inductance Le | 0.96 mH |
Enclosure suggestion
The EBP of 147 suggests a bass-reflex enclosure. EBP = fs / Qes = 56 / 0.38
Sealed (Qtc 0.707)
- Enclosure volume Vb
- 7.2 l
- System resonance Fc
- 116 Hz
- Cut-off frequency F3
- 116 Hz
Bass reflex (QB3 after Small)recommended
- Enclosure volume Vb
- 13.6 l
- Tuning frequency Fb
- 67 Hz
- Cut-off frequency F3
- 72 Hz
Vb is the required net internal volume, Fb the tuning frequency of the reflex port and F3 the frequency at which the level has dropped by 3 dB. Calculated approximation after Small. A starting point for simulation, not a finished build plan.
Comparable drivers
Same size, same type, Qts within ±30 %.
- B&C Speakers 8FCX51fs 69 Hz · Qts 0.34 · Vas 16 l · in the database
- 18 Sound 8CX650fs 65 Hz · Qts 0.35 · Vas 16.6 l · in the database
- B&C Speakers 8CXN64fs 71 Hz · Qts 0.33 · Vas 10.5 l · in the database
- B&C Speakers 10cxn76fs 58 Hz · Qts 0.3 · Vas 19 l · in the database
- SB Audience ROSSO-8CX250fs 70 Hz · Qts 0.32 · Vas 15.8 l · in the database
- B&C Speakers 8CX21fs 74 Hz · Qts 0.36 · Vas 15 l · in the database
Specifications
| Allgemein | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | 18SOUND |
| Category | Coaxial |
| Series | CX |
| Magnet | Ferrite |
| Impedance (Ω) | 8 |
| Power handling (W) | 280 |
| Sensitivity (dB) | 95 |
| Frequency from (Hz) | 65 |
| Frequency to (Hz) | 6100 |
| Abmessungen & Korb | |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 8 |
| Voice coil (inch) | 2 |
| Mounting depth (mm) | 150 |
| Weight (kg) | 4.4 |
| Thiele-Small-Parameter | |
|---|---|
| Re (Ω) | 5 |
| Le (mH) | 0.96 |
| Fs (Hz) | 56 |
| Qms | 3.23 |
| Qes | 0.38 |
| Qts | 0.34 |
| Vas (l) | 23.9 |
| Xmax (mm) | 5.8 |
| BL (Tm) | 9.3 |
| Mms (kg) | 0.018 |
| Sd (m²) | 0.0227 |