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 Sony XS-GTR120L

by Jo Greene

Sony designed their Xplōd™ GTR subs with a unique design that delivers impactful, chest-thumping low notes. The Sony XS-GTR120L 12" sub features an innovative five-sided polymer cone that reduces standing waves that can diminish your bass output. Dimples in the cone serve a dual purpose — they reinforce the cone for optimal stiffness, and lighten it for quick response between notes.

This sub handles up to 380 watts RMS, and its steadfast rubber surround and sturdy internal construction gives you strong performance over the long haul. The woofer installs in a standard round opening, and works well in sealed or ported enclosures.

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Highlights:

12" 4-ohm subwoofer
polymer cone features dimpled, five-sided design
rubber surround
grille not included
power range: 50-380 watts RMS (1300 watts peak power)
frequency response: 30-1000 Hz
sensitivity: 88.5 dB
mounting depth: 6-7/16"
sealed box volume: 0.77 cubic feet
ported box volume: 1.13 cu. ft.
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...	Polymer
Surround Material Loading...	Rubber
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	0.77
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	1.134
Port diameter (inches) Loading...	3
Port length (inches) Loading...	11.625
Free-Air Loading...	No
Dual Voice Coil Loading...	No
Sensitivity Loading...	88.5 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response Loading...	30 - 1000 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) Loading...	50-380
Peak Power Handling (Watts) Loading...	1300
Top Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	6 7/16
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	7 1/4
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) Loading...	10 15/16
Vas (liters) Loading...	60
Fs (Hz) Loading...	32
Qts Loading...	0.35
Xmax (millimeters) Loading...	7.5
Parts Warranty Loading...	1 Year
Labor Warranty Loading...	1 Year

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

One 12" woofer
1 Strip of self-adhesive foam gasket
Ten 1-1/4" Self-tapping screws
Installation/Connections sheet (English/ French/ Spanish)
Warranty information
Thiele/Small parameters and Enclosure recommendations sheet
Template

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

P5 Cone Design: The five-sided polypropylene cone uses a unique dimpled design; this stiffens the cone, resulting in lower distortion and higher power handling.

Rubber Surround: The Hash Marks on the rubber Stroke Stabilizer surround provide added stability.

Binding Posts: The binding post wire terminals will accept pin connectors, spade lugs, single banana plugs, and bare wire up to 10 gauge. The binding posts are spaced too far apart to accept dual banana plugs.

Enclosure Compatibility: This woofer can provide extended bass in sealed and ported enclosures: