Hi there guys Just wanna know where JBL subwoofers fall in terms of quality and performance etc What will be better for the same price? Where I live the good stuff aren't always available and usually is very overpriced. Thanx
I have had a lot of experience with jbl subwoofers, and components, for that matter. I have built several systems for friends and I am very impressed with the quality of the newer jbl gto series. They always end up sounding better than I thought they would (except in small sealed enclosures). They do very well in a ported or bandpass box that's built to the specs for the sub. It is my opinion that they are a great value, (meaning a lot of product for the money) and if you can find the sub that you're looking for, I'd say buy it.. it's highly unlikely that you'd be disappointed. and the new gto amps (2004 and newer) are great too! just my two cents.. fella's?
I agree. the gto series subwoofers sound great for the money. and also much better than i expected at first. i did a system in an 02 jetta turbo diesel with 2 15" gto's and 2 rockford fosgate 451s amps, both in their each 3 cubic foot ported boxes tuned to 30 hz. SUPER loud for the money she spent for the subs.
Thanx you guys. I'm thinking of buying a 10" JBL1000 series sub in their JBL built ported box. I'm driving a small compact hatch, so I think it would be sufficient. I got only about 150wrms for the sub.
small hatchback, single 10" sub, low power? I totally recommend a bandpass box.. are you any good at building things?
Well, I can try. Have built a sealed and ported box for my previous sub. Won't bandpass only play certain frequencies really loud? I assume that this box will require a bit of space also. I would love to get a balance between bootspace and subwoofer box. I would look into the 12" version also. Its just that the 10" is cheaper than the 12" and is rated to take the same power as the 12". Would the 10" and 12" subs 'sound' very different compared to each other
absolutely.. The excursion of the 12 is higher than that of the 10, and that's beside the fact that you're pushing a lot more surface area. Bandpass boxes tend to have a performance curve that kicks in more quickly (more efficient for low power applications), but they don't tend to hit quite the peak that a large ported box will offer. If you look at the performance of the jbl subs, though.. you'll notice that jbl's do rather well in a bandpass, and get very close to peaks for the other designs. I built a dual 8" bandpass (enclosed) for a pal, and used jbl gto's, and the sound that came from that little box (11"x12"x37") was absolutely astounding. They reside in the trunk of an 81 olds cutlass, and I've had people willing to bet money that they were 12's. I cannot stress enough how great these subs perform in a bandpass enclosure. The gto's come with recommended enclosure volumes on thier "white sheets". Keep as close as you can to these specifications and you won't be sorry. a single 12 bandpass might sound a little hollow with low power, but i doubt that it would bother you in a small hatchback. you could definitely go with a sealed box in there for the 12, and it would sound great. either way, I highly recommend bandpass for the gto in a hatchback, and Esecially if you're going with tens.. JMO!
Thanx hautewheeler. I think I'm gonna go with the 12" and build a sealed enclosure first. If I feel confident enough with my handywork, I'll try out the bandpass box. I'll check out the specs on their site. Just for interest, the car I'm driving is a little MKII Fiat Uno Turbo. It runs a 4 potter 1.4L turbo motor, just for those who are into cars and stuff.
