Rockford Fosgate Punch P312D4 12" Car Subwoofer

I am a huge car audio enthusiast. Ever since my first car back in 1997, I have been trying to push the envelope on what my vehicles can do. My very first car, a 1995 Mustang started out with the most simplistic of sound systems, featuring a floating box for ease of removal, with a couple of 12" subwoofers and just a basic amp. I upgraded the deck, the wires, and all of that, but at the end of the day, it was still your basic sound system.

Since then I have done much more work, including a full car audio system on my competition 2003 Toyota Celica GT-S. I went all out on that car, with custom fiberglass enclosures, custom highlights, and lots of performance to go along with it, including nine 10" subwoofers, and more door speakers than anyone could ever imagine. There were amps all over the place, extra batteries, capacitors, everything. It was definitely the sport compact car audio enthusiast's dream setup.

Ever since then I have been involved in the industry, attending shows, working on comptetition cars, while trying to avoid sinking too much money into my own vehicles, as I have a son to feed now. Regardless, I have managed to create quite the impressive sound system in all three of my vehicles, and plan on doing substantially more into the future.

But the one that comes from all of this, is that I truly do know my car audio. I have tried so many different subwoofers, played around with numerous decks, and seen a large variety of application combinations that have worked and haven't worked. I have touched hundreds of systems in my years, and with that experience, I know what will work and what won't work.

Rockford Fosgate Punch Stage 3 P312 D4 Subwoofer
If you are looking for a high quality subwoofer and you aren't worried about spending a little bit of money, then the obvious choice is going to be Rockford Fosgate. For years, Rockford has made the absolute best subwoofers on the market, but with performance, comes a cost.

The Rockford Punch series is one of the most popular series that Rockford produces. These subs offer incredible lows, that are rich in quality, while producing great bass at the same time.

Sound Quality
The Punch stage 3 subs, pump out 1,000 watts of peak power, that will make your entire car shake, while at the same time having the ability to product amazing quality. The sound quality, coupled with the distinct lows is why you pay a premium for the Rockford Fosgate name. You aren't going to find a better sounding speaker on the market, than one manufactured by Rockford. The speakers are capable of producing theater quality sound even with a less than perfect setup. While I don't recommend going cheap on your box or your car linings, even without all of the upgrades that you would expect to do with a Rockford subwoofer, you'll have an incredible sound that is second to none.

With these subwoofers you can hear every little beat, even the ones in rapid succession, which is where most subs fail. These subs can quickly respond to keep up with even the fastest of bass hits, produces an excellent quality sound that you don't normally expect to find inside of a vehicle. However, if you want to kick it up and blow our your neighbors, these speakers can go from gentle, pleasing bass, to hard thumping, trunk rattling power.

Durability
Rockford speakers cost more, because they are just better made speakers. It is extremely rare to hear of a Rockford subwoofer, amplifier, capacitor, etc, being blown out. The reason being that they take the time to ensure that their products are made properly. They take a lot of time taking care of the little details to ensure that you have an excellent all around product.

In my personal experience, you can't blow out a Rockford subwoofer. I have been watching these subwoofers compete in competitions for years and I have yet to see a vehicle blow one out, while I have seen multiple JBLs, Pioneers, Infinity, etc blown out. Rockford might not be the most economical speaker, but when you consider the likelihood of having to replace one of these speakers, versus the number of speakers you'll have to replace with other brands, the cost may very well even out, especially if you compete regularly in SPL competitions.

Product Details
* 12" subwoofer with dual 4-ohm voice coils
* molded polypropylene woofer cone with foam surround
* 102-ounce double stacked magnet structure
* frequency response: 20-200 Hz
* power range: 100-500 watts RMS (250 watts per coil)
* peak power handling: 1,000 watts
* sensitivity: 87 dB
* top-mount depth: 6-3/8"
* sealed box volume: 0.75 cubic feet
* ported box volume: 1.75 cubic feet
* Recommended Q-Logic Box Type: 1, 2, 3
* warranty: 1 year

Final Thoughts
If you are looking for hard hitting sound, extremely quality lows and mids, then this is going to be great speaker for you. The price is somewhat higher than most other subwoofers in it's class, but they are definitely worth every penny. They will have far less distortion, far better handling, and are a lot more durable than your standard speaker. The proof is in the performance.

Car Audio/Video Reviews by Richard Ramsey
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