This is a great sub for the price! I wanted to use a smaller wedge shaped box for the rear of my Ford Escape, and started looking at shallow subs. This one had the dual voice coils that could run this at 2 ohm, so it seemed like the perfect match for an older alpine sub I picked up that would run it at 2 Ohms w. 350 watts max power. This speaker is rated at 400, so that was no issue. After hooking it all up, it took me a bit to dial the sound in. I hadn't realized my amp had a recessed dial for "Bass EQ" that essentially means "bass boost" that was turned up slightly, which made the speaker sound muddy. After cranking that all the way down, it made a huge difference. I set the high pass filter for the sub on the head unit at 100Hz, and the amp at 100hz as well, and then nudged it a little for some overlap, and it finally sounded like I expected it to. Speaker / headphone companies and internet arguments usually say there isn't a "burn in" period, but I swear this speaker started sounding better after about a week of use with no other adjustments.
Additionally, I installed a amp volume knob I purchased separately to be able to adjust the bass on the fly, and mounted it flush inside my steering column, so I had the control right by my turn signal and left hand. I listen to music on so many different formats and platforms that going into the head unit menu to constantly fiddle with the sub volume was way too time consuming to consider. This allows me to leave it where the bass is blended in normally with the rest of the music, or to pump it up slightly if I want a big more bass. If I pull into a quiet neighborhood at night, I can easily cut the bass down without turning the whole stereo down.
The speaker sound is great, actually better than I expected for a sub a this price. Initially, when I couldn't get the sound out of it that I wanted, I was right on the verge of returning it. However, I'm glad I didn't, this speaker can thump! As I mentioned, I have a wedge sealed compact box, so I didn't expect to get that much bass out of the entire package. The box came with polyfill, and I just dropped this speaker right in, clearance wasn't an issue. It's actually so loud that I do tend to turn it down if I have the windows down or if someone is in the car that isn't used to louder music. The bass is great, and really rounded out the full sound of my system, using the high pass filter let the door speakers stop sounding muddy from putting bass through them, so now the mids shine a lot more and everything is a nice full sound. This sub essentially gives me the deep bass I was looking for in electronic music and hip hop, and in other music like rock, gives a great thump to the bassline without sounding flabby. Note: This obviously isn't the same as two 12's in a ported box, so I wouldn't expect that kind of earth shattering bass that rattles the mirror of the car next to you. However, to anyone who doesn't know what a set of 12's sound like, this one speaker is enough to make your passenger jump in the seat when the bassline drops. It's in the back hatch area and still deep enough to feel in my chest cavity. I rarely even turn it up even close to all the way as it actually too overpowering at that point. At this point I've played hours of hip hop of all eras, drum & bass, drumstep, and other diverse genres of bass heavy electronic music through it, and there hasn't been anything it hasn't handled at a high volume. I'd only suggest you use a decent brand amp that can give it the power that it wants, and it should sing for you.
A couple things to note:
Wiring it for 2 ohm: Both on the Rockford website, and in the instructions I received, it showed the positive terminal posts on the same side, so two reds on one side, two black on the other. However, mine actually came with them diagonally across from each other, so essentially one red and one black on each side, making the wiring diagram somewhat incorrect. I had never used a dual coil setup, so before I blew my speaker out with a mistake of some sort, I double checked with Rockford to make sure that one of the two sets wasn't the primary set to wire to first, before wiring to the second set of posts. Rockford's customer service wasn't that helpful, saying: "just put both + together and run to the + of the amp, , then, , run both - together. and to the - of the amp." Yes, that wasn't my question, so I asked again if it mattered which of the two sets I started with, and no response. So, I went ahead and left it as I had set it up (which was the correct way), although I was kind of annoyed that this meant the speaker wires crossed each other across the rear magnet (making a wire "X"), instead of just going from one side of the magnet to the other. That's a small nitpick, but still kind of annoying that the instruction diagram didn't match the actual item I received, and the wires didn't look as clean, even though nobody will see them.
Finding a OEM speaker grille to fit: My box is in the rear of my SUV, and I knew with camping and travel season ahead, there would potentially be a time that the speaker could be exposed to something pointy, etc. I know the speaker is there, but you never know if you tell someone to toss something in the back, that they are being that careful. I spent weeks looking for any hint online of what OEM grille you can get for this speaker. The Rockford website wasn't helpful, and emailing the local Rockford dealers got no response. So, I took a gamble, and found the one that fits PERFECTLY with no tools, no removing of the trim ring, and took about 1 minute to install. You need the Rockford R1 Grille Insert, model R1G-10. Amazon didn't have it in stock. I found this on the electronic / audio site that starts with a C and ends with -utchfield. They not only had it in stock, but they had some at half price with scratch and dent packaging (the item itself isn't dented). It popped right in. You just line it up around the edge of the speaker, push one side in, and work your way around. Once you get to the last part, you very slightly bend it inward and it slides in. Then go around the whole thing and push all the sides down for good measure. It's a nice, heavy-ish metal that seems to be a lot more sturdy than the cheap aftermarket ones I found on here, and the center is slightly concave, instead of sticking out like the cheap ones. It fit in there perfectly with enough tension so it doesn't move at all. Just a tip in case anyone else is looking to cover theirs.
Overall, at this point, I'd give this a 9/10, mine sounds fantastic, and I'll bet that people who have given this low scores either didn't power or tune theirs correctly, or were expecting a dual 12" sound from a compact 10" sub. If you want big sound in a small space, I'd definitely give this one a shot.
| Recommended Uses For Product | Compression |
|---|---|
| Compatible Devices | Irrelevant attribute |
| Subwoofer Diameter | 10 Inches |
| Mounting Type | Car Mount |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Controller Type | Irrelevant attribute |
| Included Components | Irrelevant attribute |
| Product Dimensions | 12"D x 12"W x 5.4"H |
| Speaker Maximum Output Power | 200 Watts |
| Item Weight | 10 Pounds |
| Frequency Response | 30 Hz |
| Impedance | 4 Ohm |
| Is Waterproof | FALSE |
| Maximum Range | 10 Meters |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Speaker Size | 10 |
| Vehicle Service Type | Car |
| Package Type | Frustration-Free Packaging |
| Manufacturer | Rockford Fosgate |
| Item Weight | 10 pounds |
| Item model number | R2SD4-10 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Warranty | 1 Year |
