We research a lot of 12-inch subwoofers and found the Power Acoustik MOFO-124X 12-Inch Dual 4-Ohm VC 2700-Watt Pro Subwoofer to be the best 12 inch subwoofer of 2021.
Acoustik won the top spot in our roundup of the best 12 inch subwoofers of 2021 due to a combination of price, sound, and premium-grade audio. Weighing in at a little over half a pound, the MOFO-124X packs a fantastic 2700 watt sound that we’re used to seeing from larger, more expensive subwoofers.
The Power Acoustik is a fantastic product sold at a relatively affordable price. It delivers incredible, rich bass that doesn’t collapse, even at higher volumes. It’s built using state-of-the-art internal components that will add class to any automobile system.
For as impressive as the winner of our roundup is, all five subwoofers we rated in this review distinguished themselves from their competition. When we put this review together, we made sure to find the best 12" subwoofers in various configurations and for a variety of different setups.
As you read through our review, you’ll see we took the time to include the best budget option and a best dual subwoofer option. By structuring the review this way, we hope to bring value and insight to a broad spectrum of audio enthusiasts. Whatever the type of installation or configuration involved, each one of these subwoofers stood out to us.
Toro Tech produced an excellent 12-inch subwoofer that (almost) won the top spot. Rockford Fosgate distinguished itself by designing a top-of-the-line subwoofer that’s easy on the wallet. Skar Audio produced a two-subwoofer system that’s sold as a pair at a reasonable price and doesn’t let you down in the audio quality department.
Last but not least, Rockville produced a 12-inch subwoofer that can complement just about any vehicle speaker system without breaking the bank.
Here’s the most critical part - the best 12-inch subwoofers of 2021. Please read our review to find the best 12-inch subwoofer for your vehicle.
The best 12-inch subwoofers of 2021 are the Power Acoustik MOFO 124X, which packs an eye-popping 2700 watts. When we compared our first visual impressions of this subwoofer against its tech specs, we thought we were going to toss this subwoofer into the “forget about” pile.
How wrong we were. By all appearances, this is a modest subwoofer weighing in at just over half a pound. Its outer casing is stylish, with a blue finish and diamond-plate-shaped accents. It features a cone designed from non-pressed pulp, with a polystyrene foam surrounding the cone for padding. The wire terminals are high-grade nickel and aluminum alloy.
While we don’t have to fixate on appearance when reviewing car audio components, there’s something about popping open your trunk to show off your setup, and these speakers look amazing. They lend some much-needed elegance to any subwoofer cabinet. We couldn’t get over how light this subwoofer was since we’re used to installing similar subwoofers that weigh twice as much.
In terms of audio, this speaker didn’t disappoint. The feather-light MOFO-124X delivers clear, crisp bass. Where its audio performance stood out, though, was at higher volumes. We kept waiting for the bass on the MOFO-124X to bottom out and collapse, but it never did; even when we pushed it to the top of its range, it delivered clear bass with no flabbiness.
The second-place winner of our review of the best 12-inch subwoofers of 2021 goes to Toro Tech’s Fierce 12 12-inch subwoofer. With its distinctive bright red cables and four separate models available with outputs going up to 4000 watts, this is a subwoofer that has proprietary technology to spare.
Take whatever internal speaker component you can think of, and chances are Toro Tech has come up with a way to make it state-of-the-art. This subwoofer’s internal wiring is an 8-gauge oxygen-free copper wire, with reinforced, heavy-duty leads made from silver alloy. Even in its most modest configuration, this subwoofer can blast up to 1600 watts.
The magnets on this unit also deserve mention. With 130-ounce high-energy strontium ferrite magnets, the result is profound yet crisp bass that you can hear a mile away. Skar coated this subwoofer’s interior in high-tech EROM ribbed foam. As a bonus, this subwoofer features a ported box with two rounded ports.
We also liked the broad detection range of 35 hertz to 300 hertz. The one factor that pushed this subwoofer out of the top spot was audio quality. While this speaker’s technical specifications feature an almost mind-numbing array of proprietary components, the audio rate was average, with a ton of distortion and flabbiness at higher volumes.
When it came to the subwoofer model that hit the sweet spot between quality and price, the Rockford Fosgate Punch P2 won hands down. This was the speaker that, perhaps more than any other we tested, delivered premium sound for a modest price. With the Rockford Fosgate Punch, you’ll get clean, interference-free bass even at higher volumes.
With a cone of reinforced kevlar-style fiber and nickel-plated terminals, this is a subwoofer that doesn’t skimp on design or internal acoustics. The result of this is a bass sound that stays sharp and crisp and complements your Audi without overwhelming it. We also liked how it still detected audio, even when we played more mellow-sounding tracks.
However, there were still a couple of things that we were disappointed about. The first was the installation. With so many high-end internal components, these speakers are not a quick install. The Kevlar material around the inner cone is particularly fragile, so mounting this subwoofer on a rear dash or in a door is out of the question.
Besides the fact that this subwoofer only sells as a single unit, which means you’ll pay twice as much to install this unit as part of a dual set up correctly, the design of the speakers themselves demands a little extra protection. If you want to install this subwoofer, you’ll need to pay extra to get a vented and sealed cabinet to establish and protect it adequately.
We ran into one unique challenge as we were putting together this 12 inch subwoofer roundup because many of the highest quality subwoofers on store shelves in 2021 only sell as single units. While several companies are selling 12-inch subwoofers as dual pairs for cars and some home setups, many of these double subwoofer sets are low quality.
So long story short, we figured we should give one spot in our roundup of the best 12-inch subwoofers of 2021 to a dual-mount subwoofer. So our sold-as-pair spot goes to the Skar Audio VD-12. These are shallow mount subwoofers that mount at a depth of 4.92 inches. These speakers are expensive compared to other dual subwoofers out there.
The trade-off is these subwoofers only sell as a pair. The user experience with these speakers is comparable to many of the other higher-end subwoofers on our list in terms of audio quality. These speakers have an RMS of 400 watts, topping out at 800 watts. They have a programmed audio detection range of 35 to 300 hertz, with a sensitivity of 86.7 decibels.
Another big plus with these dual-mount subwoofers is an enhanced audio detection range of 35 to 300 hertz. With an improved audio detection range, you’ll never have to worry about your subwoofer failing to kick on or going to sleep when you hit a more mellow track in your playlist.
If you desire maximum bass, this subwoofer may be the best dual voice coil option you can get because it delivers some serious power. Sundown’s SA-12 delivers intense sound without distortion in these spectacularly crafted pairs. Though they may not be as flashy as some of the other products, the audio more than makes up for the drabness.
This subwoofer requires a sealed and ported case to ensure optimal bass, but once hooked up, it’s one of the more durable products you can buy. The dual voice coils deliver an impedance of 2 ohms, but you can certainly wire to a custom arrangement if desired.
While some subwoofers require delicate handling and extra effort during installation, these can take a little more handling. They can also take the heat better than some alternatives thanks to a unique design feature heat dissipation 4-layer copper coil windings.
Again, these subwoofers aren’t much to look at, but they make up for it with quality craftsmanship and audio. Of course, that pounding bass doesn’t come cheap, but when your car is rocking and you’re enveloped in tunes, you probably won’t mind much.
We looked at over 50 different 12-inch subwoofers in the process of trying to find the best 12-inch subwoofers of 2021. In the course of our research, we’ve concluded that anyone looking for a 12-inch subwoofer should base their decision on the following three factors.
The first question you’ll need to answer is how much bass you want. Any 12-inch subwoofer can deliver some serious bass, but if you want your vehicle shaking at a stoplight, then you need to push for more power. Choosing a suitable double din head unit is also important. You may want to listen to demo products to whittle out the ones that cause distortion.
You should choose a subwoofer that works with the type of space you’ll use it in. Do you plan to set up under the seats or in your trunk? Remember that some higher-wattage subwoofers require special receivers and dedicated amplifiers to operate correctly. Don’t forget to consider how it will look, especially if you prefer a flashy setup.
Another issue you’ll need to address is ease-of-installation and the scope of your know-how. Some higher-end subwoofers, besides requiring dedicated receivers or amplifiers, also require specially vented and sealed cabinets. Larger commercial systems could even require climate-controlled cabinets.
Ensure you understand the ideal installation type for your subwoofer. Remember that technical installations for some subwoofers are incredibly complicated and require professional assistance, costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.
The other variable you’ll need to factor in is wattage. Simply put, the higher the wattage, the deeper the bass, even at higher volumes. While some car-audio enthusiasts and other audiophiles might put stock in absurdly high wattage specs on their subwoofers, remember that a high wattage does not mean a better subwoofer.
Unless your dead-set on a super-intense subwoofer, ask yourself if a higher-wattage subwoofer is really what you need. For casual music listeners, you can turn on your subwoofer and never have to adjust its settings over the whole of the speaker’s lifespan.
Overall, we found the Power Acoustik MOFO-124X to be the best 12-inch subwoofer of 2021.
Remember that choosing the best 12-inch subwoofer for your vehicle comes down to several factors, such as price, audio quality, and installation ease. When selecting a 12-inch subwoofer, choose one that’s going to work to provide rich bass within a chic setup.
