serious punch for moderate price
Pros:
good speaker value, great deep base that shakes the house. Big!
Cons:
Big! Silver grill to complement other speakers in the line, but not pretty
The Bottom Line:
You can spend alot more and not get any appreciable difference in sound. JBL quality at an affordable price.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
Size does matter. Go to a listening room and feel the difference between a 8", 10" and a 12" sub. This is my first serious sub, replacing a small subwoofer that was part of a speaker package I'd bought on a budget years ago.
I have to qualify my review by saying that this is the only big sub I tested in MY room. All subs sounded pretty similar in soundrooms, but these speakers really appear to be affected by your individual space. I purchased this subwoofer because a) it was a 300w,12" sub
b) I got it for a fantastic price.
Setup is simple, plugged my 800w sony receiver into it from the subwoofer output, turned on the power switch, then had fun tuning the crossover (50hz-150hz) and subwoofer level. You can set the sub to almost continuous rumble above 100hz, or punchy bass below. Set the level from make-you-sick-it's-hitting-so-hard to actually complimenting your speakers.
The unit also includes high power inputs if your receiver has no subwoofer output, and a 180degree phase switch.
I turned the unit on, put in "V for Vendetta" and noticed nothing. Fiddled with the dials, still nothing. Suddenly, at around 5minutes into V, the 1812 overture comes on, complete with explosions. This speaker pounds so hard it almost made me sick. My whole living room was shaking from the sound. THIS is what you don't get in a soundroom...if you have a timber frame and drywall house it's going to vibrate when this unit really starts working.
Play "Saving Private Ryan" and you're IN the battle!
So is it the best subwoofer out there? Maybe! It is a BIG, tight sounding,high powered subwoofer. I bought this unit because it was the most subwoofer I could get for the money. Comparable to units from klipsch, mtx etc, at about $100 less.
Now, the unit is BIG! It's 19"Hx18"Dx14"W, this is a pretty hefty piece weighing about 45lbs. Might be best to make sure you have room for it in your home.
Also, it has a SILVER grill! C'mon JBL, this is a piece of furniture! I have the unit hidden behind a chair, but even so I'm thinking of re-covering the entire grill with black fabric. Let's offer this with a black grill, no?
