The perfect starter sub at a great price.
Back in the day, a well-rounded car audio system had four speakers and an 8-track head unit. Bass response was accepted as something that you could comfortably hear through factory speakers. As music genres developed and production techniques accentuated certain sonic qualities, music listeners grew an affinity for bass. Now it’s our blood in the water. And who better to satisfy our frenzy than one of the industry leaders: Alpine Electronics.
The SWE-1042 is part of Alpine’s Type-E series subs. Among the company’s four subwoofer lines (not including their powered sub enclosures), the Type-E ranks in last place for power handling, output, price and quality. That is, they are Alpine’s “budget” subwoofers.
Considering these subs mark Alpine’s low point, the 1042 is a phenomenal speaker. Its RMS is 250W and its peak is 750W. Its frequency response is from 32Hz to 1kHz. Most likely, it’ll never come even close to filling that range after your crossover.
The materials are all standard grade for a quality subwoofer. The woofer cone is pulp reinforced with Kevlar. The surround is 3/4” Stantoprene, ExxonMobile’s chemical company that makes material components for everything from sports gear to medical equipment. And speaker surrounds.
After I blew up the original 10” speaker in my Alpine XR10 bandpass enclosure, I replaced it with a Blaupunkt. After I blew that up, I replaced it was the 1042. It’s driven by a 2500W amp that I keep on volume level 1. Obviously my preference is a V12 to component match, but that’s not in this musician’s budget. Its signal is fed from an Alpine IVA-W200 with very adjustable frequency controls to tweak the sub/cabin relationship. The enclosure is kept in the back of my SUV.
I can recall the three-step sub test from my days as a balding salesman at an audio retailer: does it shake your review mirrors?…does it shake your sideview mirrors?…does it shake the sideview mirrors of the car behind you? In my truck, the 1042 passed the first two. I have yet to get out at a traffic light and approach the vehicle behind me. It delivers punch and thunderous lows with distinguishable tone. I can feel the kick on my back. I can see the bass in my mirrors. It sounds great with my crossover set around 200Hz. Competition grade? Not even close. Budget sub replacement? Getting there. Baby’s First Sub? Perfect.
Although I have never had the 1042 in a flushmount enclosure, I can attest to the performance of all subs being subsonically enhanced in a bandpass enclosure with the tuned port in the rear cavity (as in behind the sub mount…perv). More or less, this “channels” the air flow, thus providing a more powerful punch from a ten-inch surface. One ten-inch in a bandpass is all you really need to get that awesome low end. And it can be yours for under $80 if you order online!
The Verdict
