Alpine SWE-1242

Type-E 12" 4-ohm subwoofer

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Item# 500SWE1242

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Original price $64.99

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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 Alpine SWE-1242

by Steven Johnson

Affordable Alpine Type-E subwoofers add a solid shot of bass to your system without draining your bank account. These subs handle up to 25% more power than previous Type-E models, but still use the same tried-and-true design that's made this line so popular with budget-conscious bassheads.

The SWE-1242 12" subwoofer uses a pulp cone reinforced with Kevlar® that responds quickly, yet is very durable. A Santoprene™ rubber surround controls the cone's extended movement for powerful and accurate low-frequency response. Alpine builds the heavy-gauge, custom-stamped steel frame to stand up to the demands of hard playing, while the sub's extended pole piece is vented to dissipate heat and control distortion.

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Highlights:

12" 4-ohm subwoofer
Kevlar®-treated pulp woofer cone with Santoprene rubber surround
dual oversized Nomex® spiders
frequency response: 28-1,000 Hz
power range: 50-250 watts RMS
peak power: 750 watts
sensitivity: 89 dB
top mount depth: 6-1/4"
sealed box volume: 0.8-1.7 cu. ft.
Recommended Q-Logic Box Type: 1, 2
warranty: 1 year
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

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Priced per speaker

Note: Sorry, Crutchfield cannot ship Alpine products to Guam or Puerto Rico.

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...	Kevlar Reinforced Pulp
Surround Material Loading...	Santoprene rubber
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	N/A
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 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response Loading...	28 - 1000 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) Loading...	50-250
Peak Power Handling (Watts) Loading...	750
Top Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	6 1/4
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	6 13/16
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) Loading...	10 7/8
Vas (liters) Loading...	61
Fs (Hz) Loading...	31
Qts Loading...	0.66
Xmax (millimeters) Loading...	11.7
Parts Warranty Loading...	1 Year
Labor Warranty Loading...	1 Year

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

One 12" subwoofer
Type-E Subwoofer Application Guide (English/French)
Warranty card
Customer Care Registration card

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
Manual Correction

Features

Kevlar Reinforced Pulp Cone: This Alpine Type-E subwoofer has a Kevlar reinforced pulp cone. Kevlar adds strength and tear resistance to the woofer cone while maintaining the benefits of a pulp cone design.

Santoprene Rubber Surround: The high-excursion 3/4" Santoprene rubber surround is durable and resistant to the elements, resulting in a very reliable performance. The surround is specially designed to resist deformation that is common in woofers with wide surrounds. This design gives the surround more control over the woofer cone to reduce distortion and possible driver failure.

Dual Progressive Nomex Spiders: This subwoofer has dual Nomex spiders for added stability and mechanical durability. The custom progressive roll gives the woofer a longer, more linear stroke with maximum centering and restoring force. Special edge control design and Nomex construction provide excellent tear resistance, strength and long-term reliability.

Gasket Cover: Alpine uses a Concealed Mount Gasket System to cover the mounting screws for a clean look.

Custom High Strength Steel Basket: The frame is custom stamped from high strength steel.

Bumped Back Plate and Extended Vented Pole Piece: This woofer combines a bumped back plate and an extended pole piece, giving it a nearly 1" peak-to-peak cone excursion. This extra long cone movement provides a higher bass output.

Enclosure Compatibility

Sealed Box Volume: The sealed box sizes recommended by Alpine range from 0.8 cu/ft to 1.7 cu/ft.

Manual Correction

Frequency Response: The manual lists the frequency response as "Fs-1 kHz" (Fs=Free Air Resonance frequency). According to Alpine, the actual frequency response is 28 Hz to 1 kHz.

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Reviews for the Alpine SWE-1242

Average Customer Review:

51 people say:

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5 Star: (45)

4 Star: (2)

3 Star: (2)

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5 out of 5

Amazing!

Written By Mo, 18103 on Friday, August 31, 2012

Best subs ever! I have two 12's in the back of my 2010 Chevy cobalt coup and I swear the whole car is gonna fall apart one day! Play some odd future on these and the bass is just to good!

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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"Coolness Factor"

Build Quality

Ease of Use

Sound Quality

Value

5 out of 5

4 in the Jeep

Written By David, Fort Pierce, FL on Wednesday, April 13, 2011

I have four of these 12"s in the rear of my '02 Grand Cherokee in a sealed enclosure, wired parallel on a 2-channel amp (200 RMS watts per sub). The sound is incredible, and they have lasted 10 years and counting, despite the torture I have put them through. I listen to very noisy, purposely distorted, super-fast hardcore techno, and when I'm not in that mood, I listen to Digital Bass (Bass 305, Bass Alliance, Bass Boy, Techmaster P.E.B., etc) I can't believe these subs look and sound as good as they did back in the day (early 2000s, I think I bought them in '01 or '02) Absolutely awesome product.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Wow.

Written By Kentra, Seneca Falls, NY on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Two of these in the trunk of my PT Cruiser. With the alpine mf450 amp.
with the volume at 20; with the bass at 0 it vibrates the mirror, at 3 it beats
in your chest well, and at 9 its just too loud to stay in the car.

best part about it is, how clear and crisp the sound is, there is No distortion
what so ever. Great buy. Not as loud as the type R, but just as clear.
Same for the Rockford P3.

2 out of 2 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Bangin'!

Written By 2005dakota, Clarksville. Tn on Sunday, April 06, 2008

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

These subs are sick!
Got two wired up to
a Blaupunkt PCA-1350
mono amp pushing 500
watts @ 2 ohms.
they sound clear
plus they hit hard
in my 2005 Dakota
club cab

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5 out of 5

Alpine SWE-1242

Written By Rudy, Hollister, Ca on Thursday, March 27, 2008

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I just bought these and installed them the other day and they hit hard...great price and great quality, I have not broken them in yet but I still have played it to see how loud it sounds and its great

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Great Subs, Great Price

Written By Melissa, Jacksonville, AL on Saturday, February 02, 2008

I bought two of these subs last year along with a Alpine MRP-M450 amp to put in my 2002 VW Jetta. It was the first time I've ever bought/installed a system in my car. These are the best subs money can buy. I've had them for about a year and they are still going strong. I'm about to put them in my 2006 Mustang with the same amp plus a Pioneer DEH-P400UB stereo and 4 Sony GT5725A 6x8's and I'm sure I'll have an ever better sound with a better CD player and better speakers. I highly recommed this sub to anyone that is looking for a great sound with great bass!

5 out of 6 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Great low price subs

Written By Nathaniel, Salisbury NC on Sunday, January 20, 2008

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I bought these for a christmas present for my son. He loves them! Built our own sealed box. Hooked them to a clarion amp. Great customer service!

2 out of 3 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

I LOVE THESE WOOFERS

Written By no cause i'm in Iraq, HONOLULU HI on Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

When I first saw that crutchfield was having a sale on these woofers I said to myself they are selling these for a low price. They must be terrible or they just don't perform to well. I was wrong I purchased four 12" woofers and they are loud. I have them running off of an 1000 watt amp @ 2ohm stereo and they are again very loud. The first day I had them installed I pushed them hard. I had so much pressure in my little dodge neon my ears hurt for about three days. Things started coming apart inside my vehicle and my mirror fell of my windshield. I would recommend anyone buy these woofers. IT'S WORTH YOUR WHILE

4 out of 4 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Alpine Type E 12"

Written By Josh, Sidney,OH on Monday, September 17, 2007

Ok, Ok, I was shoppin around and I didnt have much money. I found these Alpine 12's. WOW... For the price they are, they are probably the best bang for the Buck. I put these in a sealed box and I broke them in and, WOW did they pound. I drive a '91 ford escort and Im Bangin. After a while It just didnt sound too loud to me anymore,so, I went and was lookin around for a 15" sub... One of my friends had an extra 15" sub...He said it was an older speaker and he didnt want it. So i hooked it up With the 12" alpines and Im poundin Harder that four 12's. Im runnin an older, But Very Reliable amp...Four channel/300 watts per channel. It aint much but it POUNDS....I dont know much of The 15 or the amp...

3 out of 11 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

great buy

Written By T.J., Lovington, NM on Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I got 2 of them in a single cab 86' chevy 1-ton welding truck. My biggest problem was obviously space so I had the original bench seat pulled out and a set of bucket seats installed. Then a center console was built that houses the speakers and fires them straight down into the floorpan. It's a sealed unit with 1.2 cubic ft per speaker. They are being pushed by a Kenwood KAC-8103D 300watt mono amp. But wired to create a 2 ohm load which gets a 500 watt delivery out of the amp. They sound great and hit hard. I get little to no distortion at high volumes no matter what I'm listening to and I've even gotten quite a few compliments lately on how clean and well balanced everything sounds. I think I definately got my moneys worth on this deal and recommend them to anyone looking for clean tight bass at an affordable price.

4 out of 5 people found this helpful

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3 out of 5

type e sub

Written By jon, pennsauken, nj on Wednesday, June 27, 2007

the type-e is good for the money but there are better subs out there no doubt

1 out of 10 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Very Nice Subs

Written By SuBsInDuBs13, Chicago, IL on Friday, April 20, 2007

I have one 12" in my 96' Saturn in a Bandpass box. I have a 1000 watt Legacy amp hooked up to it and this sub POUNDS! I just recently got a Type-S and its blows away the Type-E but the Type-E is a very good sub to have.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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3 out of 5

Still a few problems that need to be worked out

Written By Bryan, Saginaw, Michigan on Monday, April 16, 2007

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I listen to alot of rap and a little rock here and there. They are plenty loud for me but they have the same problem that I had with my 12" P1 Rockford Fosgates. After about 2 min of having them turned up some what loud (not cranked) you start to smell something. It smells like burning electrical. After some research I found out that what I am smelling. Is the copper voice coils heating up very hot. They used to thin of copper to be able to handle 250 RMS. I have changed amps and re wired the whole system. The box is a cutom sealed box built to perfect dimensions for the Alpine type E series. My amp is giving them 278 RMS to each sub so there is no problem there. Like I said they are ok but dont get your hopes up buying these subs. If I were you I would save the money and the hastle and not buy these. If I were to do it all over again i would probley buy a couple of Infinity Reference series. I have Infinity Refernce speakers and amps and so far they havnt let me down.

3 out of 8 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

High Quality Sound

Written By Michael, Marion, AR on Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

I got a pair of these put in my 1994 Ford Taurus. I custom built my box to the specifications (crutchfield's and alpine's website details are a bit different but I chose the consistent size on both sites of 1.25cu ft per sub). The box was a sealed dual chamber box which the install shop really liked. I actually followed the review on crutchfield's website (just with two chambers, instead of one). Anyways these subs hit really accurate lows and can get insanely loud if you turn it up. I have a Profile 1000M block which matches RMS perfectly with these two subs. Everyone is jealous :P

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Worth Every Dollor

Written By Mr. Decatur, Stone Mountain,GA on Thursday, January 25, 2007

I just recived 2 of these subs today with a q logic box and got them installed. Let me say that these subs are worth every dollar. I use to have 2 12'visonik bass package but it didnt hit nearly as hard as these subs hear. I now need too invest in some dynomat for my trunk cuz the subs hit so hard they beatin my trunk ass right now, i have them powered by the MRP-M450 amp and that thing is worth the money as well. Before i got these i didnt believe that subs could knock and shake things of the wall until i bought these things.Cause my old visoniks they werent bad spaekers its just that they didnt come nowhere close to the sound these produce. If u want some heavy bass great quality subs 4 a low price i strongly recommend these things U can turn your cd player all the way up 2 the max and these subs would still play with no type of distortion.I recomend u not turning these up all the way tho unless u have just grown tired of hearing lol.

3 out of 6 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Awsome

Written By Henry, Atlanta, GA on Saturday, December 23, 2006

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

these subs are loud for the money. they hit very hard. i like them alot and am very satisfied.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Alpine SWE-1242

Written By Shawn, Jacksonville, FL on Thursday, November 16, 2006

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

THESE ARE GREAT SUBWOOFERS. I INSTALLED 4 OF THEM IN MY 1997 ECLIPSE IN A WALL CONFIGURATION. ITS PURE,HEART POUNDING BASS!

2 out of 2 people found this helpful

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2 out of 5

You Get What You Pay For

Written By Kenan, Morrison, IL on Tuesday, September 26, 2006

I bought these subs because of the great ratings and I think Alpine is the best. In my opinion, these subs are okay for the price, but not good for loud, hard hitting bass. I have two of them hooked up to an Alpine M450 in 2 ohms. I'm not dissatisfied, but not satisfied. I almost regret buying them.

6 out of 13 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Can be Heard down the street!

Written By Richard, Moncks Corner, South Carolina on Sunday, September 03, 2006

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

At first I thought these speakers sucked, but turns out I had my new amp *Pioneer 760w* speakers hooked up wrong. Got it right and these things are pounding hard in my 2004 mustang. Girlfriend and my friend said you can feel the bass in your chest, and they were standing outside the car! Excellent subs for the price! Thanks Crutchfield.

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2 out of 5

Spend an extra $10 and get the Infinity 1242w

Written By E, St. Louis, Mo. on Sunday, August 27, 2006

I bought a couple of these last year before I discovered my beloved Kicker CVR's, and at that time I had the Infinity 1230w's (basically last year's version of the current 1242w; white with a black surround.) I was impressed with an Alpine MRP350 amp I had once and decided to give these a shot, and they didn't have near the "guts" <--(if you know what I mean) of the Infinity's, which is odd since the Infinity's were usually touted as more of an SQ sub than an SPL one.

But basically, the 1230w's smoked the Alpines. Driven with the same amp (a Bazooka BA1500; 500W X 1,) the Alpine's bottomed out pretty badly. My BA1500 was murdering them, which was disappointing since their RMS power rating suggests that they SHOULD be able to handle that much power, but they just can't. At least not at higher volumes with any amount of bass boost applied.

They make that dreaded "I can't handle this" popping sound when given that much power, even in a sealed box. I ended up returning them and going back to my Infinity's. If you're looking for a sub for $100 or less, take my advice: These aren't the ones. Get the 1242w's instead for $10 more.

P.S. Before anyone responds to this by saying something like "that reviewer is nuts, I have a 900W amp driving these and they sound fine", consider that not every amp that has a wattage total pasted on the top of it can truly deliver that amount. The BA1500 is CEA-compliant, whereas a good number of amps are not. Make sure you know what your amp is truly capable of before buying these or any subs. A "true" CEA-compliant 900W amp would blow these things apart. Peace.

8 out of 15 people found this helpful

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Rated 5-stars by consumers

For a more in-depth review and enhanced detailed information on the Alpine SWE-1242, please visit the Crutchfield website product page (/S-v0wDzXu26Jb/p_500SWE1242/Alpine-SWE-1242.html ).

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Alpine SWE-1242

Type-E 12" 4-ohm subwoofer

Item# 500SWE1242 offer details

Review Summary

By buying this product you'll earn up to 65 Rewards points.

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

Our take on the Alpine SWE-1242

by Steven Johnson

Highlights:

Shop all Alpine Component Subwoofers

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

Features and Specs

Product Research

Our Product Research Team

Product Reviews

Reviews for the Alpine SWE-1242

Average Customer Review:

Review this product:

Crutchfield Video Review Guidelines

Filter by rating:

Amazing!

4 in the Jeep

Wow.

Bangin'!

Alpine SWE-1242

Great Subs, Great Price

Great low price subs

I LOVE THESE WOOFERS

Alpine Type E 12"

great buy

type e sub

Very Nice Subs

Still a few problems that need to be worked out

High Quality Sound

Worth Every Dollor

Awsome

Alpine SWE-1242

You Get What You Pay For

Can be Heard down the street!

Spend an extra $10 and get the Infinity 1242w

Accessories

Add accessories for the Alpine SWE-1242

Reduce ambient road noise and your vehicle's "rattles," for better sound inside your car. See all categories & accessories

Smart people protect with SquareTrade- The best warranty at the best price

Sorry, the Alpine SWE-1242 is no longer available for purchase.

Looking for a similar item?

Shop Component Subwoofers

Or, you can still...