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 FPR12-02

by John Pollard

Shallow sub, intense bass
MTX built the FPR12-02 subwoofer to give you big bass in a vehicle that that doesn't have room for traditional large subwoofers. This sub comes in at only 3-3/8" deep, so it mounts in low-profile enclosures that'll fit almost anywhere. This sub handles up to 400 watts RMS, and delivers the kind of powerful performance that you'd usually only experience with a traditional sub. Its 2-ohm impedance makes it a great match for your mono amp.

Durable design
You can push the FPR12-02 hard, and it's built to survive in the tough car environment. A lightweight aluminum dustcap protects the polypropylene cone, while the rugged rubber surround offers long-lasting durability. MTX's unique Spider Plateau Venting keeps your subwoofer running cool during intense jam sessions. This sub requires a sealed box.

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Highlights:

12" shallow-mount subwoofer with single 2-ohm voice coil
polypropylene woofer cone with rubber surround
power range: 200-400 watts RMS (800 watts peak power)
frequency response: 22-150 Hz
sensitivity: 83 dB
top-mount depth: 3-3/8"
sealed box volume: 0.84 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...	2 ohms
Cone Material Loading...	Polypropylene
Surround Material Loading...	Rubber
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	0.84
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	N/A
Port diameter (inches) Loading...	N/A
Port length (inches) Loading...	N/A
Free-Air Loading...	No
Dual Voice Coil Loading...	No
Sensitivity Loading...	89.3 dB at 2.83 watts 83 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response Loading...	22 - 150 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) Loading...	200-400
Peak Power Handling (Watts) Loading...	800
Top Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	3 3/8
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	N/A
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) Loading...	11 1/16
Vas (liters) Loading...	43.67
Fs (Hz) Loading...	29.4
Qts Loading...	0.77
Xmax (millimeters) Loading...	13
Parts Warranty Loading...	5 Years (3-5 Prorated)
Labor Warranty Loading...	5 Years (3-5 Prorated)

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

One 12" Subwoofer
Specification sheet

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
Warranty

Features

Shallow Mount Design: The MTX Thunder Flat Piston Round (FPR) subwoofers are designed for applications where space is a premium. They are optimized to perform best in a sealed enclosure, no matter what type of music you listen to. The recommended enclosure design (0.84 cubic feet) was tested by the MTX engineering team. The subwoofer uses a polypropylene cone with an aluminum dustcap.

Specifications:

Fs (resonant frequency): 29.4 Hz
Qms (mechanical Q at Fs): 5.45
Cms (suspension compliance): 0.105 mm/N
Mms (diaphragm/coil mass, including acoustic load): 279.17 g
Rms (suspension's mechanical resistance): 9.59 kg/s
Vas (equivalent compliance volume): 43.67 liters
Xmax (maximum linear peak): 13 mm
D (cone diameter): 10.35"
Sd (cone area): 543.3 cm² (0.05433 m²)
Vd (peak displacement volume): 0.7051 liters
Qes (Electrical Q at Fs): 0.90
Re (voice coil DC resistance): 1.75 Ω
Bl (force factor): 10.00 Tm
Qts (total Q at Fs): 0.77
η₀ (reference efficiency): 0.114%

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.