Performance Optimized Down Fire Sealed 12" Enclosure | Alpine RSW12 Single 12" Sealed enclosure

The neodymium motor. Most subwoofers use a ferrite magnet, a large slug of material behind the cone that occupies internal volume and adds depth. The Alpine RS-W12 uses a high-grade neodymium magnet, which produces the same motor force from a much smaller structure. Alpine publishes a displacement of just 0.05 cubic feet for this driver, where a conventional 12 typically displaces two to four times that and even most shallow 12s land near 0.09. Almost all of the cabinet volume is usable air, so a 0.70 cubic foot net enclosure fits inside a 5.75 inch tall box.

One inch of cabinet height for 50 percent more cone area. The 10 inch enclosure is 4.75 inches tall at 0.50 cubic feet net with a 380 cm² driver. This 12 inch enclosure is 5.75 inches tall at 0.70 net with a 572 cm² driver. Both share the 30 by 15 inch footprint, both use the same 600 watt RMS neodymium motor platform with 20mm of Xmax, and both are dual voice coil. If your vertical clearance allows 5.75 inches, take the 12. If it does not, the 10 is the shortest enclosure we build.

Because height is the reason to buy a shallow driver. Alpine publishes an F3 of 35 Hz at 0.60 cubic feet net, 30.5 Hz at 0.90, and 29 Hz at 1.20. At 0.70 net this cabinet lands in the low 30 Hz range while holding the enclosure at 5.75 inches tall. Building to 0.90 or 1.20 would reach a couple of hertz lower but produce a noticeably taller box, and at that point a conventional 12 inch subwoofer becomes the better choice than a shallow one.

Both fit this cabinet identically and both carry the same 600 watt RMS rating, 20mm Xmax and neodymium motor. The difference is the load presented to your amplifier. The RS-W12D2 has dual 2 ohm coils, giving a 1 ohm load in parallel or 4 ohms in series. The RS-W12D4 has dual 4 ohm coils, giving 2 ohms in parallel or 8 ohms in series. Choose whichever produces a load your amplifier is stable and efficient at. Alpine's application guide ships with the driver and diagrams every option.

Side mounted. Every Proline X Performance Optimized enclosure uses a side mounted terminal cup regardless of alignment, whether standard, wedge, or down fire. On this cabinet that keeps the connection fully accessible with the enclosure in its installed position, since the baffle faces the floor. The cup is our Proline X ABS and carbon fiber composite unit, recessed, with stainless hardware, copper ring terminals, and pre-wired 12 gauge OFC.

Down Fire cabinets are built with square corners as a series standard. The 3 inch top down corner radius used on other Proline X alignments does not apply here. A down fire box is a low, wide platform that sits flat against a floor or under a seat, and square corners maximize usable internal volume for a given footprint while keeping the cabinet stable on its mounting surface.

V-groove and dado joinery, CNC-cut on ShopSabre routers from Langboard Elite MDF. Every panel joint is a machined interlocking groove that mechanically locks the panels before adhesive is applied, which is what keeps the cabinet airtight under sustained pressure cycling. The front baffle is a double layer at 1.5 inches, two bonded 3/4 inch sheets. That matters especially here, where an 11-5/8 inch cutout sits in a cabinet only 5.75 inches tall and the baffle carries more structural load than it would in a taller box. Perimeter cross-bracing and pre-installed polyfill complete the build. Assembled and inspected in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

No. This listing is for the enclosure only. Bring your own Alpine RS-W12D2 or RS-W12D4. The cutout and mounting depth are direct fit for either version.