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.

Alpine Type-R SWR 1242D Subwoofer
One of my all time favorite subwoofers has to be the Type R series subwoofer. I have been a huge fan of the 12" subs that are produced in this series for as long as they have been making them. The main reasoning for my love for this subwoofer is the durability more than anything else. This particular subwoofer series is made out of Kevlar, which is a fairly flexible yet extremely durable material that is used in the manufacturer of bullet proof vests and is also used in a lot of racing applications for vehicles to reduce weight.

The Kevlar means an ultra light weight, super responsive cone, that can easily handle the rigors of even the most hardcore, non-stop performance requirements. I have seen these subs operate under conditions such as rallies, in which participants travel from one part of the country to another, driving essentially non-stop in the process. During these rallies, you want to out-shine the other vehicles involved, so you have to keep your components at peak performance. This means that these speakers are going to be running at a decent level virtually non-stop for upwards of 10 hours a day, with only a little relief during the stops for food and gas.

Sound Quality
Although the speakers maxes out at 1500 watts, sound quality isn't sacrificed in the process. The responsive Kevlar, allows for the perfect vibration creating an excellent sound quality, free of most all distortion even at the highest levels of operation.

The only problems that I have found with the sound quality is when there are more than one subwoofer utilizing the same enclosure. Even if you follow the manufacturer's guidelines, you are going to be starving these subwoofers for air. I have found the best performance encloses these subs individually or partitioning your enclosure to prevent them from bouncing off of each other. The result is a super crisp sound that is definitely worth the added effort.

Durability
Unless you plan on shooting these subwoofers with a shotgun, these things aren't going to blow out anytime soon. The Kevlar core is extremely strong, afterall it is used in bullet proof vests. I have seen these subwoofers in operation for multiple years, without requiring any repair or replacement. I have found that many other subs in the same class often are being replaced after only a year or two in operation. Of course this is dependent upon use, but the Alpine Type-R's are capable of being abused with wreckless abandon, and they still seem to hold up perfectly.

Product Details
» 12" subwoofer with dual 4-ohm voice coils
» Kevlar-reinforced pulp cone with Santoprene rubber surround
» cast aluminum frame with perimeter venting
» frequency response: 25-500 Hz
» power handling: 200-500 watts RMS
» peak power: 1,500 watts
» sensitivity: 85 dB
» sealed box volume: 0.57-1.00 cu. ft.
» ported box volume: 0.75-2.00 cu. ft.
» Recommended Q-Logic Box Type: 1, 2, 3
» warranty: 1 year

Final Thoughts
This is a damn near indestructable subwoofer that products high quality bass, without sacrificing sound quality in the process like so many other subs do. They are extremely durable and won't require replacement for years to come. In fact, many times I find that these subwoofers outlast the vehicles they were originally installed in. They are just built tough and often outlast even the worst car accidents, where the car doesn't make it. This is an excellent speaker to upgrade to, regardless of what you're pushing currently.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 200