Our take on the Sony Xplōd™ XS-GTX121LS

Sony designed the XS-GTX121LS sub enclosure to deliver space-saving bass in your compact car or truck. The enclosure houses an explosive 12" sub with a unique five-sided design that helps the cone stay stiff while reducing standing waves that can diminish your bass output. The sub's sturdy internal construction gives you strong performance over the long haul.

This sealed enclosure produces tight, accurate bass, and its medium-density fiberboard construction means this box can stand strong when the bass gets heavy. Industrial-grade black carpet protects your trunk from nicks and scratches. This loaded enclosure handles serious power — up to 300 watts RMS — so you can throw down with confidence. The gold-plated binding post terminals accept just about any speaker connector on the planet.

Highlights:

sealed enclosure with one 12" subwoofer
medium-density fiberboard construction covered with black carpet
5-way binding posts accept pin connectors, spade connectors, banana plugs (single or dual), or bare wire (up to 12 gauge)
4-ohm total impedance
power handling: 50-300 watts RMS (1000 watts peak power)
frequency response: 42-1,000 Hz
sensitivity: 87 dB
17-5/8"W x 14-3/8"H x 7-5/8"D1 x 6-3/16"D2
warranty: 1 year
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs

General
Woofer Size (inches) Loading...	12
Woofer Material Loading...	Polypropylene
Enclosure Type Loading...	Sealed
Color Loading...	Black
Pieces in System Loading...	1
Width (inches) Loading...	17-5/8
Height (inches) Loading...	14-3/8
Depth (inches) Loading...	7-5/8
Second Depth (inches) Loading...	6-3/16
Connector Type Loading...	5-way posts
Frequency Response Loading...	42-1,000 Hz
Power Range (Watts RMS) Loading...	50-300
Maximum Wattage Loading...	1000
Sensitivity Loading...	87 dB
Impedance Loading...	4 ohms
Parts Warranty Loading...	1 Year
Labor Warranty Loading...	1 Year

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What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

Sealed enclosure with loaded 12" woofer
4 Installation feet
Eight 3/4" Pan-head self tapping screws
Eight 1-1/4" Flat-head self tapping screws
Instructions (English/ French/ Spanish)
Warranty information

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Features

Enclosure: The Sony XS-GTX121LS is a sealed enclosure loaded with one front firing 12" woofer. The box is made of 5/8" medium density fiberboard (MDF) and covered with black carpet on all sides. The enclosure is a slim design to maximize installation flexibility.

Binding Posts: The enclosure features a pair of gold-plated, color-coded, 5-way binding posts on the left side that will accept pin connectors, spade connectors, single banana plugs, dual banana plugs, or bare wire up to 12 gauge.

Woofer: The XS-GTX121LS has a 12", single voice coil, 4-ohm, five-sided polypropylene cone woofer with a rubber surround for lower distortion, louder sound and deeper bass.

Power Ratings: The woofer can handle up to 300 watts RMS; 1,000 watts peak.

Frequency Response: The frequency range for the system is 42 to 1,000 Hz.

Sensitivity: The sensitivity rating is 87 dB (1W/1 m); the in-car sound pressure level is 90 dB (1 watt, measured at the driver's seat).

Mounting: The Sony XS-GTX121LS was designed to fit in the cargo or trunk area of most vehicles, or behind the seat in many pickups. Four mounting brackets are included, along with 16 self-tapping mounting screws to secure the box.

Dimensions:

Width: 17.625"
Height: 14.375"
Depth (deepest point, along the bottom edge of the speaker frame): 7.577"
Depth (bottom of enclosure): 6.921"
Depth (top of enclosure): 6.165"

Review Summary

Average Customer Review:

5 people say:

5 Star:

(3)

4 Star:

(1)

3 Star:

(1)

2 Star:

(0)

1 Star:

(0)

3 customers also rated:

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1-5 of 5 items Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness

5 out of 5

Ridiculous bang for the buck

Written By PeterG, Pittsburg, CA on Friday, July 22, 2011

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

This was my first sub, and I loved it! It was stolen out of my car a month back, and I replaced it with a 10" RF prime sub based on some stellar reviews, and was really disappointed. So I returned that and got this. What a difference! The sound is crystal clear, very resonant, and plenty of volume. For the price, the best around. Even better than some much higher end stuff I have heard. I HIGHLY recommend this to you!

9 out of 9 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Sony Xplōd™ XS-GTX121LS

Written By AaronK, Southwest on Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

Awesome Buy!

Pros:

I loved how it was all set up.

Cons:

Nothing.

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5 out of 5

Lot's of Boom Boom

Written By Jager247, Waynesboro Va on Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Got this today to put in my 06 Titan, mounted under the back seat with no
problems. This sub is nice and tight. Feels like a hammer hitting you in the
chest. Very pleased. Running a S/O M1500 amp @300w RMS and a
Kenwood X395 head unit. with Polk 6.5 in all four doors. this system rocks.

6 out of 6 people found this helpful

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4 out of 5

Not bad!

Written By Nathan, Elk Grove, CA on Thursday, February 02, 2012

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

I got this sub because of the slim profile of the enclosure and of course the price point. I've had a bunch of different audio set ups in many different vehicles over the years stretching from 1,500 watt powered twin 12" MTX subs with large enclosures to the small kenwood 6X9 powered sub. The sony fit well under the bench seat of my silverado, and the mounting hardware provided made sure it stays put. I mated it with the Kicker DX250 watt mono amplifier and wiring kit. The sound isn't as loud as i would have thought but it does give enough punch to fill the cabin and shake your seat. The sound is a little muddier than other subs i have used, but with a little tuning with the head unit i got it sounded pretty decent and im very happy with it. If i had to do the purchase all over again i would still get this sub however i would buy the 500W kicker amp which would provide a better punch and sound quality.

Pros:

Price, build quality, compact size that will under a bench seat on ext cab trucks.

Cons:

Sound isn't as top quality as it could be.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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3 out of 5

At least it's inexpensive!

Written By Lost Lake, Wisconsin on Friday, November 11, 2011

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Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

I pulled a 10" JL W0 out of my truck to put this sub in. I figured this would give me more bass, and my truck is a Mega Cab so it's a lot bigger than any car, more like a minivan interior. I was hoping I could slide this sub under the rear seat and not have a sub behind the seat so I could still recline the rear seats. The speaker comes with no grill guard and the fit under the rear seat is kind of tight. I think if I put it under there the sub may be damaged when someone sits on the seat. I would like to find a grill guard for it. While I was swapping the two speakers out I had the opportunity to try them side by side. I am powering the sub with an Alpine 350 mono amp, coming off an Eclipse head unit. The JL W0 is the lowest end speaker they make. The JL moves a lot more than the Sony, the cone moves in and out a lot. Both are in sealed boxes. The sound from the JL is definitely sharper. Drum beats are crisper. The Sony is muffled and boomier, more muddy. While the Sony is louder it is more of a rumble. I am going to hook them both up and see if I can get the crisp sharp drums from the JL and keep some of the low end rumble from the Sony. If you are looking for accurate base, I'd keep looking past the Sony.

Pros:

I didn't have to spend a lot. Looks okay. The box is nice.

Cons:

Muddy sound.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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1-5 of 5 items

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Sony Xplōd™ XS-GTX121LS

Sealed enclosure with one 12" subwoofer

Item# 158GT121LS offer details

Review Summary

By buying this product you'll earn up to 100 Rewards points.

Our take on the Sony Xplōd™ XS-GTX121LS

Enclosed Subwoofers 101

Highlights:

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and Specs

Product Research

Our Product Research Team

Features

Product Reviews

Review Summary

Average Customer Review:

3 customers also rated:

Ridiculous bang for the buck

Sony Xplōd™ XS-GTX121LS

Lot's of Boom Boom

Not bad!

At least it's inexpensive!

Learn more about Enclosed Subwoofers

Learn more about Enclosed Subwoofers

Subwoofer Shopping Guide

Video: How to Choose a Subwoofer

Subwoofer Enclosures

Subwoofer Wiring Diagrams

Subwoofers FAQ

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