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 MTX RTS15-04

by Jo Greene

MTX's Road Thunder subs dish out heavy-hitting bass in your ride, perfect for filling out rock, R&B, jazz, classical, or anything else on your playlist. The RTS15-04 sub features a 15" polypropylene cone supported by a big rubber surround that resists cracking or separating. The sub's cooling system features forced-air venting in the stamped solid-steel frame that keeps the voice coil cool.

The uniquely shaped spider assembly and extended pole piece ensure linear cone movement, so your bass sounds full, deep, and clean. MTX optimizes this Road Thunder sub for sealed, ported, and bandpass enclosures so you can choose the type of bass you want in your ride.

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Highlights:

15" 4-ohm subwoofer
polypropylene woofer cone with nitrile-butyl rubber surround
stamped solid-steel frame
power range: 50-300 watts RMS (900 watts peak power)
frequency response: 22-150 Hz
sensitivity: 91.2 dB
top-mount depth: 6-1/2"
sealed box volume: 1.5 cubic feet
ported box volume: 2.5 cubic feet
warranty: 1 year
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Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs


Size Loading...	15 -inch
Impedance Loading...	4 ohms
Cone Material Loading...	Polypropylene
Surround Material Loading...	Rubber
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	1.5
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	2.48
Port diameter (inches) Loading...	N/A
Port length (inches) Loading...	N/A
Free-Air Loading...	No
Dual Voice Coil Loading...	No
Sensitivity Loading...	91.2 dB at 2.83 watts
Frequency Response Loading...	22 - 150 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) Loading...	50-300
Peak Power Handling (Watts) Loading...	900
Top Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	6 1/2
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	7 1/8
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) Loading...	13 3/4
Vas (liters) Loading...	165.2
Fs (Hz) Loading...	25.7
Qts Loading...	0.621
Xmax (millimeters) Loading...	10.67
Parts Warranty Loading...	5 Years (3-5 Prorated)
Labor Warranty Loading...	5 Years (3-5 Prorated)

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

15" SVC 4-ohm subwoofer
Specifications and wiring instructions

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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
Warranty

Features

Cone Design: The woofer uses a polypropylene cone with a raised MTX Audio logo. The NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) surrounds are resistant to ozone and UV rays for extreme durability.

Voice Coil: The 2" diameter, eight layer voice coil is designed for high power handling and large linear excursion.

Asymmetrical Linear Drive System (ALDS): The Asymmetrical Linear Drive System consists of a flat, progressive spider that improves suspension and an extended pole piece that smoothes out the cone's linear motion. The result is high output and low distortion.

Spider Plateau Venting: Heat from the voice coil is vented through metal-mesh covered vents that surround the back of the spider. As the woofer travels back and forth, cool air is pulled in and heated air is pushed out.

Terminals: The woofer features a pair of heavy-duty chrome spring post terminals which can accept single banana plugs, pin connectors or bare wire up to 10-gauge.

Enclosure Compatibility

Sealed Box: For the best possible sound quality where space is a premium MTX recommends a sealed enclosure with an optimum internal volume of 1.5 cubic foot. Sealed enclosures provide the most control over a woofer, will handle a lot of power, and provide accurate sonic reproduction, making them suitable to all types of music.

Vented Box: The recommended vented box has a net internal volume of 2.48 cubic feet with a slotted port 14-1/2" x 2" x 20-3/4". Vented (or ported) enclosures typically provide better overall efficiency than sealed so they are suitable for use with smaller amplifiers, giving you more bass output from less power.

Warranty

5 Year Warranty Terms: This product carries a 5-Year Prorated Warranty with the following terms:

Years 1-2: Products found to be defective in materials or workmanship during the first two years will be, at Mitek's option, repaired or replaced by Mitek at no charge. The warranty period does not renew, but continues on from the original date of purchase.
Years 3-5: The purchase price of an item which becomes defective after the first two years and prior to the end of the warranty period will be prorated and credited toward the purchase of a new MTX product. The amount of proration is determined by dividing the original purchase price by the number of months in the warranty period (60), then multiplying the result by the number of months remaining in the warranty period.