Rockville RBG15FA 15" 2400w Active Powered Pro Subwoofer Folded Horn PA/DJ Sub, Black

I have worked with the Mackie SWA1801z Subwoofers (the design that inspired the Rockville RBG18FA) since they debuted in the early 2000's. When they came on the market initially, the Mackie subs carried a hefty price tag, but sounded AMAZING when paired with top speakers connected via the high-pass outputs. I have played hundreds of shows over the years using this system. In recent years, however, I began having serious issues with the thermal overload circuitry kicking in, which resulted in an intolerable "pumping" sound as the speakers would momentarily mute the system during peaks.I was attracted to the Rockvilles because they were nearly identical in appearance to the Mackie subs. Upon researching, I learned that Rockville by their own admission essentially copied the design of the long-discontinued Mackie SWA1801z, only improved upon it with the addition of a cooling fan, XLR-1/4" combo inputs, an adjustable crossover frequency knob, and a higher peak power rating. I read the reviews, and I took a chance.The Rockville RBG18FA was shipped promptly - It arrived in two separate boxes - one for the plate amplifier (which requires user-installation) and another for the speaker cabinet. The speaker cabinet was double boxed, and arrived with reinforced heavy duty cardboard corner pieces. I own two of these, and each arrived undamaged - which is quite a feat considering how heavy they are, and earlier than the promised delivery dateOnce everything arrived I attached the plate amplifier to the back of the speaker (don't over-tighten the screws), and bolted on the wheels. Despite the weight of these subs, they are easy to move around with the included caster wheels. (Best to lock the wheels once positioned to minimize the possibility or rattling)My band had our first performance with the new subs last weekend - I drove them significantly harder than I was able to drive the Mackies and the sound was just as good, if not better. I did not experience issues with thermal overload, despite driving the system hard.The price - When introduced The Mackies cost almost 3 times what the Rockville knock off costs ($1400 for the Mackies vs. $500 for the Rockville. The only discernable design difference is the use of MDF as opposed to plywood on the Mackies.These subs will not appeal to those seeking a compact, lightweight design.However, for those who are more concerned with great sound and chest-thumping bass, I don't think there is a better value on the market.

Im giving it a 3 for now, haven't had a chance to test the units sound quality yet. the unit came double boxed with cardboard padding, two corners are slightly caved in but are not noticeable (likely fedex did this so im not including this in my star rating). when I unboxed the unit I only found 3 casters in a bag stuffed inside the sub vent, the forth caster had torn a hole in the bag then rolled to the back of the vent and fell into the sub housing, I had to disassemble the front of the sub and remove the speaker to get to the caster. some of the bolts that hold the wheels on were not long enough to reach the threads on the nuts mounted to the inside of the unit so the wheels are not held on with all the bolts yet (gotta go to the hardware store). I plugged in the unit and it powers on, I will update as soon as I can test the speaker.(*update*)sub works better than expected and can handle high volume without clipping. found longer bolts at lowes (Hillman metric hex cap m8-1.25x30 stainless screws) to fix issue with wheels. overall I like this sub. the high pass outputs work well but I prefer using the full range outputs for my Harbinger 600w mains. the high pass outputs introduce a little hum to the mainsbut the full range outputs are quiet. oh, the "protect" light is for the thermal protection system. if the sub overheats the light will come on and the sub will not work till it cools down, the manual doesn't explain this and other users are mistaken about its purpose.(*update*)performed flawlessly at my cousins wedding which i DJed. plenty of output for a medium venue. i paired this with a driverack PA2 to control both this sub and my mains and was very happy with the results.Few year update: still blowing people away with bass. Used this a week ago at an outdoor gig (a first for this sub). This sub performed amazingly outdoors with a ton of thump, could hear it hitting from a couple neighborhood blocks away. Was a bit more of a challenge to dial in the EQ but that was my Driverack PA2’s fault. Turns out auto level and EQ don’t work well outdoors.oh, this thing is sinfully heavy, needs 2 to 3 to carry safely. i can carry it alone, but its murder on my back.

The media could not be loaded. Bought these and they just arrived. Item was well packaged and came undamaged. However, we hooked these up and everything was just muffled. We have a set off 4 QSC highs and lows and never had a problem. We order the Rockville Subs to work with Small parties and events at the outside bar and save the QSCs for the larger events.Right out the box it sounds like the speaker is under water and attempting to suffocate and drown itself to be gone from this world I think. This is a poor build and an even worse investment. Do yourself a favor and save yourself the money and headache.The video shows the speaker turned all the way up and its like that regardless of where the volume is on the module. Run away from this infernal 130lb piece of junk. I want my money back