Rockford Fosgate T210D4
MSRP: $749.99
www.rockfordfosgate.com
Rockford Fosgate has a long history in car audio, famous for its “Punch” and “Power” series subwoofers and amplifiers, but when I was given the opportunity to test Rockford’s top of the line 10” subwoofer, I was a little dubious about whether I would like it because it’s only recommended for use in ported enclosures. I have always considered myself a “sealed box guy”, with my taste in music leaning toward rock and jazz. I prefer the tonal balance and accuracy of a sealed enclosure to the output and efficiency of a vented box. But I’m always open to new ideas and cool stuff and this woofer had an impressive look, so I wasn’t about to turn down this bad boy.
Before you even open the box, you notice one thing. This thing is heavy. In the world of high-end subwoofers, that’s usually a good indicator of quality. The T210D4 features an enormous, vented two-piece cast aluminum alloy basket. Referred to as a “basket in a bucket”, it serves as a rigid, resonance-free frame and a heat sink for the massive triple stacked, 194 oz. magnet motor structure. The striking cosmetic design of the woofer, along with the “T2” designation definitely makes you recall the special effects from the Terminator movies. The 3” voice coil is wound using flat edge aluminum wire around an anodized aluminum former. The aluminum voice coil former is directly attached to the aluminum cone and dust cap, to provide additional heat dissipation. Even if this techno-babble doesn’t make any sense to you, one look at the T210D4, and no one could deny that this is a serious subwoofer. A cosmetically matching aluminum screw concealing ring is included and can be mounted on the front or back of the woofer, to provide a finished look whichever way it’s mounted.
With a quick call to Rockford Fosgate’s technical support team, I was given an enclosure specification of 1.6 cu. ft. with a port cross section of 12 sq. in. that is 16 inches long, When referencing the owner’s manual, I found this enclosure to be tuned lower than those that were recommended. Before building any ported enclosure (for any woofer manufacturer), I would highly recommend calling and discussing your listening tastes with their enclosure design specialist, because the enclosure and port size will make a big difference on how the woofer will sound.
I subjected the T210D4 to my usual assortment of test tracks and was surprised and very pleased with its musicality and enjoyed the strong low frequency extension. The bass synthesizer on “Iguana” by Ray Obiedo was deep and tight. The T210D4 really moves some air, making you really feel the bass in addition to hearing it. At 2:33 of this track, it gave my car and me a good shaking. Unlike other subwoofers I have reviewed, the T210D4 never exhibited any loss of control with the low notes. I popped in “Lover’s Mask” by Michael Ruff to see how the T210D4 would fare against sealed enclosures I’ve reviewed in the past in terms of the detail and nuance of the deep bass and drums. Many ported enclosures I’ve listened to sacrifice musicality to gain output, but the T210D4 exhibited impressive detail, and was just slightly shy of matching the best sealed enclosure woofers. Next was “Pulp Culture” by Thomas Dolby, a track that I crank all the way up to enjoy the tight bass lines. The T210D4 reproduced the sound accurately and still had amazing low frequency extension. Enough to put a smile on my face.
After experiencing this amazing woofer, I no longer consider myself a “sealed box guy”. While I understand that not every one has the budget or airspace to dedicate to a subwoofer of this caliber, those that can will not be disappointed with the T210D4.