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SPEAKERS AND SUBS
The Rockford Fosgate RFT4101A is an amplified 10-inch subwoofer in a ported cylindrical enclosure. The amplifier is rated at 150 watts RMS, has a built-in low pass crossover that is continuously variable from 50 to 200 Hz, and offers high and low level inputs. Also supplied is a remote mount bass boost control with a range from 0-12 dB at a center frequency of 45 Hz.
Installation
At first glance, you know this is not your average bass tube. The swept back sub and low profile enclosure gives it a real sweet look. This low slung design also made it very stable when I placed it in the back of my full-sized van. Even without installing the supplied mounting brackets and straps, the RFT4101A would stay put under heavy braking. For those unforeseen sudden stops though, you might want to make sure it’s properly anchored to the vehicle.
As far as the wiring goes, it doesn’t get much easier than this. Power is provided by running the supplied 10-gauge wire and fuse holder to your battery. If you’re running straight to a factory radio, you can splice directly to your rear speaker wires using the high-level input connector. A turn-on wire is not required in this configuration since the amplifier will automatically sense audio in and turn on. However, since I was hooking to an aftermarket stereo, I went with the low-level inputs and remote turn-on wire.
The remote punch bass control is installed by simply plugging in telephone type connectors at both the amplifier and control ends. That’s it, you’re done!
User Evaluation
Having worked with some other tube-style amplified subwoofers before, I was a little apprehensive about what I was about to hear. I‘m glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The RFT4101A reproduced rich clean bass even at the higher crossover points without any of the popping noises that I usually encounter with these types of units.
Frequency response tests confirmed the manufacturer specs with a smooth curve from 40 to 125 Hz. The tuned frequency showed to be around 50 Hz. With that in mind, I blasted a 49 Hz tone through the system. The RFT4101A produced a respectable SPL of124.4 dB. — not bad considering the volume of air it was working in.
The remote punch bass control definitely increased the boom factor and would be a must-have for the bass head, but for my taste, this subwoofer sounded great even without it plugged in. A little tweaking to blend in the bass with the rest of my system and my van was a rockin’. Rockford Fosgate has shown us how to do the amplified bass tube right.
Price & Contact: Call for pricing; Tel: 800-366-2349, Web: www.rockfordfosgate.com
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