What's a component sub and why would I want one?

A component sub is simply a speaker that's designed to reproduce bass once it's installed in a compatible enclosure. Think about the impact of a movie soundtrack in a big theater or even in your own home HDTV setup. A component sub can add the same kind of power to the music in your car. And a car sub is not all about the boom that you hear on a street corner (although that's cool too) - you can pair a component sub with your choice of enclosure to get bass just the way you like it, from tight and punchy to fat and loose. And once you experience music in your car with a well-tuned subwoofer, you'll never go back.

Our take on the MTX RTL12-44

by John Pollard

MTX's Road Thunder subs dish out heavy-hitting bass in your ride, perfect for filling out rock, R&B, jazz, classical, or anything else on your playlist. The RTL12-44 sub features an 12" polypropylene cone supported by a big rubber surround that resists cracking or separating. The sub's cooling system features forced-air venting in the stamped solid-steel frame that keeps the voice coils cool. The uniquely shaped spider assembly and extended pole piece ensure linear cone movement, so your bass sounds full, deep, and clean.

Dual 4-ohm voice coils allow you to wire this sub for 2- or 8-ohm impedance, giving you more flexibility in setting up your system. MTX optimizes this Road Thunder sub for sealed, ported, and bandpass enclosures so you can choose the type of bass you want in your ride. And MTX protects this sub with their unique 5-year warranty.

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Highlights:

12" subwoofer with dual 4-ohm voice coils
polypropylene woofer cone with nitrile-butyl rubber surround
stamped solid-steel frame
power range: 100-200 watts RMS (600 watts peak power)
frequency response: 24-150 Hz
sensitivity: 85.8 dB
top-mount depth: 5-1/2"
sealed box volume: 1.0 cubic feet
ported box volume: 2.32 cubic feet
warranty: 5 years (free repair or replacement for 2 years; prorated replacement for years 3 through 5)
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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


Size Loading...	12 -inch
Impedance Loading...	4 ohms
Cone Material Loading...	Polypropylene
Surround Material Loading...	Rubber
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	1
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	2.32
Port diameter (inches) Loading...	N/A
Port length (inches) Loading...	N/A
Free-Air Loading...	No
Dual Voice Coil Loading...	Yes
Sensitivity Loading...	91.8 dB at 2.83 watts 85.8 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response Loading...	24 - 150 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) Loading...	100-200
Peak Power Handling (Watts) Loading...	600
Top Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	5 1/2
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	6 1/16
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) Loading...	11 1/16
Vas (liters) Loading...	74
Fs (Hz) Loading...	30.4
Qts Loading...	0.761
Xmax (millimeters) Loading...	9.4
Parts Warranty Loading...	5 Years (3-5 Prorated)
Labor Warranty Loading...	5 Years (3-5 Prorated)

Product Research

What's in the box?

One 12" Dual 4-ohm voice coil subwoofer
Specifications and wiring instructions

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 Compatibility
Warranty

Features

Dual 4-ohm Voice Coils: This woofer features dual 4-ohm voice coils, offering wiring flexibility. When the voice coils are wired in parallel the woofer presents a 2-ohm load. When the voice coils are wired in series the woofer presents an 8-ohm load.

Terminals: The woofer features two pair of heavy-duty spring post terminals which can accept single banana plugs, pin connectors, or bare wire up to 10-gauge.

Spider Plateau Venting: Heat from the voice coil is vented through vents that surround the back of the spider. As the woofer travels back and forth, cool air is pulled in and heated air is pushed out.

Asymmetrical Linear Drive System (ALDS): The Asymmetrical Linear Drive System consists of a flat, progressive spider that improves suspension and an extended pole piece that smoothes out the cone's linear motion. The result is high output and low distortion.

Enclosure Compatibility

Sealed Box: For the best possible sound quality where space is a premium MTX recommends a sealed enclosure with an internal volume of 1.0 ft³. Sealed enclosures provide the most control over a woofer, will handle a lot of power, and provide accurate sonic reproduction, making them suitable to all types of music.

Vented Box: The recommended vented box has a net internal volume of 2.32 ft³ with a slotted port 13-3/4" x 2-1/2" x 28-3/4". Vented (or ported) enclosures typically provide better overall efficiency than sealed so they are suitable for use with smaller amplifiers, giving you more bass output from less power.

Warranty

5 Year Warranty Terms: This product carries a 5-Year Prorated Warranty with the following terms:

Years 1-2: Products found to be defective in materials or workmanship during the first two years will be, at Mitek's option, repaired or replaced by Mitek at no charge. The warranty period does not renew, but continues on from the original date of purchase.
Years 3-5: The purchase price of an item which becomes defective after the first two years and prior to the end of the warranty period will be prorated and credited toward the purchase of a new MTX product. The amount of proration is determined by dividing the original purchase price by the number of months in the warranty period (60), then multiplying the result by the number of months remaining in the warranty period.