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 Kenwood KFC-W12DVC

by John Pollard

Redesigned for better bass

Kenwood designed the KFC-W12DVC subwoofer to deliver tighter, more focused bass, while requiring less power. So what's this mean to you? You'll get really strong bass from a sub that's nimble enough to keep up with the upper notes of a bass guitar, yet efficient enough to run with moderate power. But this subwoofer will handle up to 250 watts RMS, so it will definitely move some air when you want it to. You can wire the sub's dual voice coils for either 2-ohm or 8-ohm total impedance, and that gives you a lot more flexibility if you add another KFC-W12DVC down the road.

Built tough

Kenwood's "Diamond Array" pattern strengthens the polypropylene cone, helping it to maintain its shape when you're pushing the bass hard. The lightweight urethane surround is treated to resist damage from heat and humidity. Throw one or two of these Kenwoods into an enclosure, provide plenty of power, and your music will have the punch it needs for a long, long time.

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Highlights:

12" subwoofer with dual 4-ohm voice coils
textured polypropylene cone with urethane surround
power range: 50-250 watts RMS (125 watts RMS per coil)
peak power handling: 1,000 watts
frequency response: 36-300 Hz
sensitivity: 85 dB
top-mount depth: 6-1/4"
sealed box volume: 1.25 cubic feet
ported box volume: 1.5 cubic feet
warranty: 1 year
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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...	Foam
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	1.25
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	1.5
Port diameter (inches) Loading...	N/A
Port length (inches) Loading...	N/A
Free-Air Loading...	No
Dual Voice Coil Loading...	Yes
Sensitivity Loading...	85 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response Loading...	36 - 300 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) Loading...	50-250
Peak Power Handling (Watts) Loading...	1000
Top Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	6 1/4
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	6 15/16
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) Loading...	10 15/16
Vas (liters) Loading...	67.2
Fs (Hz) Loading...	29
Qts Loading...	0.6
Xmax (millimeters) Loading...	7.35
Parts Warranty Loading...	1 Year
Labor Warranty Loading...	1 Year

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

One 12" Dual 4-ohm voice coil subwoofer
Eight 1-3/8" Self-tapping screws
Safety instructions
Warranty information
Template
Specifications on box lid

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

Features

Dual 4-ohm Voice Coils: This woofer features two 4-ohm voice coils that offer 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.

Long Stroke Design: The pole piece has been extended to provide a more linear magnetic field for woofer operation. This lowers distortion and provides the woofer with better low frequency response.

Double Stacked Magnet: The stacked magnet assembly is used to create a powerful linear motor with increased excursion capability for superior bass output.

Spring Terminals: The wire terminals are spring posts. They will accept pin connectors, single banana plugs, or bare wire up to 10 gauge.

Enclosure Compatibility

Sealed Box: Kenwood recommends a sealed enclosure with an optimum internal volume of 1.25 cubic feet (from 0.75 to 1.75 cubic feet is acceptable). 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.

Ported Box: Kenwood recommends a ported enclosure with an internal volume of 1.5 cubic foot (from 1.0 to 2.0 cubic feet is acceptable) using a 12-3/4" x 1-1/2" x 21-1/2" slot port. Ported (or vented) 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. However, this efficiency comes at the expense of very low frequency output.