With the P212S4 loaded into the enclosure, I headed out to my 1999 4-Runner. I used the existing Crossfire VR1000D already installed in the rear panel of the SUV to power the Rockford. At 4-ohms, this amplifier will make right around 500 watts, which should be sufficient considering the RMS and Max power handling specifications are given as 200 and 400 watts, respectively.
The enclosure was placed at the back of the vehicle in the cargo area. I performed a few trial runs to verify the best location that would benefit the subwoofer and to adjust the amplifier crossover and gain structure properly. As expected, I wound up with the woofer loading to the right rear corner near the lift gate, but the bass response appeared to have a small ripple in it. I took the woofer out of the enclosure and tried it again at 1ft3 and again at 1.13ft3. I found that the latter internal volume yielded the best response and since it fell within the specification for the P212S4 in the manual, I decided to use it for the test.
Conclusion
No beating around the bush. No sugarcoating. I'm just going to cut to the chase-subwoofers in this price range don't get much better than this. I admit, I was a bit apprehensive at first when I opened the box to see the flamboyant sytling of the P212S4, especially condidering its mere $159.99. My apprehension when I started pulling the woofer apart, as it is not a technical marvel. So much for judging a book by its cover, but I digress. Rockford obviously knows how to balance engineering and cosmetics. Even at this price level they've managed to build in flair, confidence, panache-whatever you choose to call it-into a woofer that truly deserves a listen. Go check it out.
Listening
R&B
Usher
Caught Up
I kicked off my listening test with Caught Up, track 7 off of Usher's Confessions album. For any R&B enthusiast, this should be a very familiar song. When listening to this track, there are a couple of cues that I pay close attention to with subwoofers. The first is the variety of bass notes that have a distinct tone of their own. The P212S4 did a good job responding quickly to the pitch change without ever sounding one-notish. Each synthesized bass note was clear and offered up little to no overhang in the playback. The second cue is the assortment of both tight and strong bass lines, with the former often leading off. Here again, the response of the P212S4 was commendable and the body of the heady bass lines was served up with a good, strong output without ever becoming boomy. The bass was also very stable as I cranked the volume knob and never seemed to lose its composure, even as I neared the output potential of my amplifier. This sub is definitely suited for R&B.Score: 8/10
Jazz
Fred Hersch Trio
Played Twice
Played Twice is a very dynamic recording by the Fred Hersch Trio; in this case, the trio of instruments consists of a piano, bass and drums. Contained within this track are a series of overlapping bass and drum transients that help in defining the speed and accuracy of all the speakers in a system. Unlike the note shifts in the Usher track that contained individual beats, if you will, overlapping notes can be difficult to recreate with authenticity since the woofer cone is already in motion when the second note starts. This definitely had some effect on the P212S4. When the dynamics picked up and the bass and drum collided, the Rockford had a hard time keeping pace. In some instances the attack of the drum was subdued by the reverb of the bass drawing away from the detail of the instruments. This was not the case when the instruments were played individually. The plucks of the bass were produced with reasonable reverb and the drum notes tight, both tonally pleasing.Score: 6/10
Electronica
Mouth Music
Ruler of the Tides
Digging through my collection, I came across my Boston Acoustics Bass Collection Disc 2 CD. Track 2, Ruler of the Tides, by Mouth Music offers up a nice heavy dose of bass. The bass line throughout the song has elongated notes that provide a distinguished rhythm with a descending frequency shift. Subwoofers in too small of an enclosure or those simply not up to the task tend to have a hollow sound to them, apparent in the first synth bass line. The Rockford belted this out, solid, highly composed. I could actually hear the graininess in the digitally produced low frequencies in the recording. As the song progressed, the volume went up and the P212S4 came through with authority, loving every bit of the low bass notes. The response was very linear and free of peaks; in the larger than optimum enclosure the power handling was great and the woofer did not provide any symptoms of being over-damped. This is quite a feat since I was definitely pushing the sub with more power than it was designed to handle.Score: 9/10
Alternative Rock
New Radicals
Technicolor Lover
A kick drum starts off Technicolor Lover by the New Radicals with a solid, easy beat that the P212S4 makes easy work of. Jumping in is the double strike of a tom drum whose skin tone is produced by the midrange and the fundamental and decay largely handled by the subwoofer. Because of this shift in speakers due to the crossover, the subwoofer must be able to blend well with the other components in the system. The Rockford excelled at this too, as there was almost a seamless transition from the midrange to the P212S4. By doing so, the subwoofer becomes less "localized" to the rear of the vehicle. It's these little things that make listening to music much more enjoyable and less fatiguing to the ears. This is a woofer that will be easy to work with for a variety of applications.Score: 8/10