Pros: Excellent low sound, great price, fully enclosed
Cons: Mid level bass requires a separate speaker
The Bottom Line: Incredible speaker for lows, needs an additional mid range speaker to achieve all levels of bass. More than enough bass for most uses.
biscuitfarmer's Full Review: Rockford Fosgate Punch® P1L-110 Car Subwoofer
I have been a HUGE car audio fanatic for the last ten years. Ever since I was capable of driving, I have had a desire to blast my speakers at levels that weren’t fit for anyone’s ears. This has led to thousands of dollars in purchases, countless maxed out credit cards, and eventually led to a huge interest in the car customization business in general.
Over the last ten years, I have done countless installs on my own vehicles, my friends vehicles, and customer vehicles after I started up my own customization business in 2000, which eventually would be put out of business, by the economy crushing September 11th.
Since the time September 11th, I have still maintained a great deal of side business, including work done for a local shop on a need basis. I now perform the majority of my installations as more of a hobbyist than for income. This affords me the opportunity to try out the latest equipment and improve the car customization scene within the state of Alaska.
Rockford Fosgate PL1-110
Lately, I have been seeing a lot more speaks that are self contained. These speakers provide a lot of power, already in a box, for a much lower cost than having the box created by a shop. Plus, the majority of the boxes are much nicer than the cheap ones that many shops would create for you. Such is the case with the Rock Fosgate PL1-110, full enclosed subwoofer.
The box itself has an excellent, medium density fiberboard blend, that in reality is going to be stronger than most boxes you'll see on the market. The box itself is cut to reflect the Rockford style, with an excellent Rockford Fosgate name isert, as well as an attractive silver plastic frame inserted into the box for a port and for looks.
Sound Quality
Overall, the sound quality of this speaker is incredible for an already enclosed package. Often times I find that during shipping, especially to Alaska, the speakers shift in the box slightly, creating gaps that hinder overall speaker performance. However, I have yet to have one of these come off of the truck with any distortion, but being the person that I am, I'm always going to go above and beyond to create the best quality sound, so I still made some improvements.
These speakers were made to hit super low, and that's what they do extremely well. If you are looking for a general all around bass sound, you aren't going to be able to hit it as well with these particular speakers. They sound great in the low range, but really don't produce as well, when you are talking mid range. For the mid range bass, I would highly suggest purchasing an 8" Kicker midrange subwoofer. This will give you the all around sound that you crave. Of course, if you are more into deep throaty bass, then this subwoofer is all that you really need.
The speaker itself is quite loud and distortion free. The quality on the bass is very smooth, but to the trained ear, you can hear slight distortion through the box. You can read below to find out how to eliminate or minimize this minor distortion on the box. This will create an unbelieveable sound quality for your ride.
Suggested Sound Quality Improvements
I have a real issue with metal touching wood. Just the thought of it screams with distortion. However, everyone is doing it this way. Why? I couldn't tell you, because there is an easy solution that will make the sound quality substantially better, and it doesn't cost much money either. What I recommend for these speakers and any other one that comes already enclosed is to unscrew the sub from the box, and take rubber tubing, run it around the edge of the sub, and screw the sub back into place. What this does is create a soft barrier between the sub and the box, preventing that minimal distortion. It will give you a much more quality sound and will cost you about $2 to do. It is definitely the best improvement you can make to any box.
The next step that I take is to spray the inside of the box with silicone. Why? Well, fiberboard, is a rather porous box type. Because of this, distortion to some degree is inevitable. By creating a protective layer between the bass and the board, you are able to eliminate some of the shock distortion. You could also use foam, but this deadens your sound somewhat and makes it somewhat muffled. I always suggest the silicone spray. It's a really fine spray, throw on a few layers, and it will give you a little more crispness to your sound.
Finally, if you don't have a port to your box, then my biggest recommendation is to create a small port. A port is essentially just a hole in the box, that allows for bettter airflow. I generally cut two small holes, as opposed to the single large hole that many shops use. My reasoning behind this, is that if you create two holes, on opposite sides of the box, it creates a similar air flow to that of a HI-C can. With only one hole, the HI-C doesn't pour all that easy, but with a second hole on the opposite side of the can, suddenly it pours out substantially better. Why use one hole if two can force air through better? Now, keep in mind, these two holes have to be relatively small, both only about 1-2" in diameter. If you create them much larger than that, you are defeating the purpose of uses the box to boost the sound. Also, do not port directly out the back of the box, port out the sides. This will create more boom for your buck. Also, make sure that you spray silicone around the edges of the ports so that the sound quality retains it's crispness. You could also throw rubber around the edge, which creates a higher quality sound, just ensure the rubber has no gaps in it or you could create a slight flapping sound as the rubber moves.
Durability
Rockford creates an excellent speaker. Out of all of the speakers that I have worked with over my lifetime, I have found that Rockford creates some of the most reliable speakers on the market. Of course, this quality and durability comes at a premium price. The speaker itself is able to withstand some long term thumping. Unlike most speakers that generally lose their ability to provide crisp bass over time, I have seen no evidence that Rockford slowly loses it's capability. In fact, I have seen Rockford subs pumping for 5 plus years, which in general, I have found that speakers generally should be replaced every 2-3 years as they fade in quality over time. With Rockford subs, I have found them to be just as high quality five years after installation. They still hit hard, regardless of how often you use them. This particular sub is no different. While there isn't a lot of long term data on this particular version, I'm sure if the past is any indicator, the Rockford quality will hold true.
Specifications
- one Punch Stage 1 10" woofer with molded polypropylene cone
- ported 5/8" MDF enclosure
- binding post connectors
- frequency response 20-200 Hz
- power range 50-150 watts RMS
- sensitivity 86 dB
- 17-1/4"W x 13-1/2"H x 16"D
- warranty: 1 year (woofer only)
Final Thoughts
Overall, it's a great speaker. It provides high quality, low level bass, at a great price, for an enclosed speaker. It's not going to produce super powerful amounts of sound, as it's not a super power speaker, but it will deliver the power that the average consumer needs and then some.
If you are looking for competition sound, you will definitely need something more powerful, but if you just want to improve the overall level of sound in your car, while having the power to go above and beyond general needs, this setup will be more than enough.
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