I have a 500/1 JL amp: 10w7 or 12w7 (underpowered)

[Hundreth 10+ year member]

is too much when you have a 500.1 that's overrated.. i believe that amp (500.1) is rated just about 700 or 685 watts at 3ohms which is enough for this cat.
what application did you hear the two (9500 & w7) subs in b/c i'm positive its tuning....

I heard the 10 9500 ported (sledgehammer, and a different low tuned box) and sealed as well. The 10W7 I heard sealed and in their high output ported box.

Out of those boxes, the sledgehammer was the worst... extremely loud but extremely peaky. The sealed was okay but the 10W7 sealed just sounded better to me. The low tuned ported worked out the best for the 9500 but I still preferred the sound of the W7. I'm not saying the 10W7 absolutely kills the 9500, I just think it sounds better.

BTW I also think the 500.1 is enough for the 12W7, but it could def handle the 1000.1 without a problem.

 

[frankiebones 10+ year member]

the numbers for the w7 are quite conservative. either one can handle at least 1000 watts, and IMO the 500/1 won't even be using the 10 to it's full potential. i would also suggest putting it in a ported box rather than sealed. i know that it's easier to build a sealed box, but you would be much happier with ported, even if you have to buy the box. so i say go with the 12w7, because most likely you will eventually be looking at that fat surround on the 10w7 and think of buying a new amp anyways.
also, have you ported your w6? that would greatly increase output.

for what i want, which is the best possible SQ i can afford, i would rather go sealed. i have never owned a ported sub, but i have heard many and the transition bw notes just isnt the same. i have been tempted to go ported many times, since thats the only way to get the hair on your head vibrating even in the front seat, but if its at the cost of SQ, i'd rather do anything but.

appreciate ur feedback. using the full potential of the w7 is what i want to do, which is why i may be leaning towards a 10 but its looking like 55% 10W7, 45% 12W7.

 

[frankiebones 10+ year member]

I just bought the same sub/amp setup you have now. Out of curiousity, is the W6 not loud enough for you? Why do you want a W7?
I was thinking of getting a W3, but decided a W6 would have extra oomph if I needed it. I never even considered a W7.

its pretty loud, and i am happy with the overall SQ. however, i got a ridiculous price on it, i can sell it to my buddy for a decent amt, and the W7 is sick sounding.

i heard a 10w7 in a '99 audi S4 pushed by a JL 500/1 amp. the guy had a pioneer 9800 HU (which is identical to mine except it has bluetooth capabilities), so it was a very very similar set up to my own, except of course the w7 instead of the w6.

i know tuning and HU settings and a billion other variables were present, but i couldnt believe how smooth the transition in the bass line was during TOOL's "46 & 2." Then i listened to the breakdown in the middle of Opeth's "the baying of the hounds" and was sold.

 

[frankiebones 10+ year member]

just to add this info to the thread, JL's site lists the Efficiency (1W/1m) for the 10 as 84.3 dB SPL. For the 12, its 86.2 dB SPL.

HOWEVER, then it says:

"Efficiency (1W/1m) is not an accurate indicator of a subwoofer’s output capability and should not be used as a comparison to other subwoofers to determine which one is 'louder'."

well if its not a way of determining which is louder, what is it?

 

[Excalibur0428 10+ year member]

my friend runs a 12w7 off a 1000/1 and it sounds absolutley amazing in his ported box.

I'm going to be running a 10w7 off a 1000/1 or a Kicker 1000.1 in a ported box tuned to about 32-34hz. Pretty excited about it because i'll be having the sub and port facing out of the square hole in the middle of the back seat of my car. (the hole in some cars that you can pull a flap down or something to gain entrance into your trunk from inside your car)

It'll be a pretty cool box build and install. What do you think?

 

[JohnBlayz142 10+ year member]

for what i want, which is the best possible SQ i can afford, i would rather go sealed. i have never owned a ported sub, but i have heard many and the transition bw notes just isnt the same. i have been tempted to go ported many times, since thats the only way to get the hair on your head vibrating even in the front seat, but if its at the cost of SQ, i'd rather do anything but.
appreciate ur feedback. using the full potential of the w7 is what i want to do, which is why i may be leaning towards a 10 but its looking like 55% 10W7, 45% 12W7.

As a big fan of JL and their products, and as somebody that used to sell/install them, I would highly recommend going ported with both the w6v2 and the w7. They both sound very nice in the sealed enclosures, but the output and low end extension you gain from the ported enclosure is highly worth it. If I were you I would look into a 13w6v2. A single one of those ported will get quite loud. Feel free to ask more opinions though, as I have extensively listened to just about all of JL's subs. The w3v3 I've only heard sealed in 1 setup however.

About the SPL sensitivity rating, it's not an end all statistic at all. It's how loud the given sub will play with 1 watt on it, measured from 1 meter away. Just a simple efficiency rating. When properly powered, the sub's features and specifications as well as your install/enclosure will dictate how loud you can get.

 

[frankiebones 10+ year member]

As a big fan of JL and their products, and as somebody that used to sell/install them, I would highly recommend going ported with both the w6v2 and the w7. They both sound very nice in the sealed enclosures, but the output and low end extension you gain from the ported enclosure is highly worth it. If I were you I would look into a 13w6v2. A single one of those ported will get quite loud. Feel free to ask more opinions though, as I have extensively listened to just about all of JL's subs. The w3v3 I've only heard sealed in 1 setup however.

About the SPL sensitivity rating, it's not an end all statistic at all. It's how loud the given sub will play with 1 watt on it, measured from 1 meter away. Just a simple efficiency rating. When properly powered, the sub's features and specifications as well as your install/enclosure will dictate how loud you can get.

thanks bro, seriously. but let me tell you, i am a metalhead, and i listen to some sh*t like Opeth that has ridiculously fast double-bass drumming. everything i have ever heard about ported v. sealed, and what i have heard with my own ears tells me that some of the distinction and seperation bw each hit would be lost if i went ported.

i dont listen to rap at all. the last rap album i bought was cypress hill's 'black sunday' when i was in 7th grade.

when i spoke to someone at JL at length, he listened carefully to my goals and tastes, and strongly recommended sealed. at the time, i had a 10" type R, and I had hoped that by getting a much higher quality sub, I could get away with porting it and still have comprable SQ. he disagreed.

he was not trying to sell anything, i just called the 800 number and kept the guy on the phone for over an hour (this was about a month ago) bc once he told me that my car was the most bass unfriendly car hes dealt with, i had a lot of questions.

if i got either the 10 or the 12W7, which is very likely, I would get them in the prowedge box. i like the way they look and let me put it to you this way; i am a guido from NYC with a huge family that started asking my mother what i wanted for x-mas 3 weeks ago. thats really the only reason i am upgrading from w6 to w7.

i really appreciate ur advice, but what it comes down to is i gotta find somewhere to hear a W7 ported in a sedan (which is what i have).

 

[frankiebones 10+ year member]

my friend runs a 12w7 off a 1000/1 and it sounds absolutley amazing in his ported box.
I'm going to be running a 10w7 off a 1000/1 or a Kicker 1000.1 in a ported box tuned to about 32-34hz. Pretty excited about it because i'll be having the sub and port facing out of the square hole in the middle of the back seat of my car. (the hole in some cars that you can pull a flap down or something to gain entrance into your trunk from inside your car)

It'll be a pretty cool box build and install. What do you think?

sounds f*ckin sick!!, but when u ask me what i think, i hesitate to say much. i'm no expert in car audio, but it sounds like its gonna rump!

 

[rubicon 10+ year member]

for what i want, which is the best possible SQ i can afford, i would rather go sealed. i have never owned a ported sub, but i have heard many and the transition bw notes just isnt the same. i have been tempted to go ported many times, since thats the only way to get the hair on your head vibrating even in the front seat, but if its at the cost of SQ, i'd rather do anything but.

Ported can sound just as good as sealed in an optimal enclosure. If build and tuned correctly, a ported design can actually sound better and more natural than its sealed counterpart. Just take a look at all the greatest home audio subwoofers in terms of SQ and you'll see that majority are ported, yet they still retain a fairly flat response curve and produce rediculously smooth and natural sounding bass.

 

[frankiebones 10+ year member]

its not just ur post, i was just thinking about it while looking at the JL catalog on the bowl...f*ck it, lets do this, let's port this motherf*cker down!

so now it comes down to, the same question, 10 or 12. i know a lot of people say its a myth that a smaller cone area means tighter bass (personally, i dont have enough experience to weigh in), but if im gonna go ported, i might as well go ported.

so i'll get the 12W7 and a Dutch Master, you guys bring the chronic, and port the motherf*cker!

(at this pt, in his final year of law school, frankiebones lost his mind)

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

Ported can sound just as good as sealed in an optimal enclosure. If build and tuned correctly, a ported design can actually sound better and more natural than its sealed counterpart. Just take a look at all the greatest home audio subwoofers in terms of SQ and you'll see that majority are ported, yet they still retain a fairly flat response curve and produce rediculously smooth and natural sounding bass.

yes, in a home where bass doesnt' get quite the boost it will get in a car. Home subs are ported because you need the extra output down low to get a flat responce, in a car you actualy need the bottom end attenuated to achieve the same balance, ala a sealed enclosure.

 

[frankiebones 10+ year member]

seriously, i know there have been so many threads, but is the H.O. box worth the money, and can a better box be built in terms of SQ?

 

[PowerNaudio 10+ year member]

frankiebones, i had a JL 500/1 for over 2 years in that time i ran various subs including the type r 10" that you mention you had or have, but never a JL series sub. which i regret. either way the JL 500/1 puts out way over 500wrms. i read an article reviewing the JL 500/1 amp and like limitkid7 stated the jl does close to 650wrms of clean power. i think that amp and the 12W7 will go well in a ported enclosure. the sub is a beast and would be much better with the 1000/1 amp but the 500/1 will push it cleanly in a ported enclosure since in a ported it would be much easier to move the sub then in a sealed enclosure. you can get a ported enclosure to sound just as good as a sealed enclosure. you re just going to have to get a custom enclosure from a reputable designer and builder. buying even a jl enclosure may not yield the results you re looking for. so i recommend keeping the amp and going with the 12W7, it will be louder then the 10" with equal or greater sq.

in your setup i think the most important aspect if you go with ither the 10" or the 12" will be your enclosure it needs to be designed to get the most out of the sub in your particular vehicle.

laters

 

[JohnBlayz142 10+ year member]

If you put a JL sub in a ported box built to the specifications found on their website, it will accurately reproduce music the way it is supposed to....you know you could build/buy a simple sealed box, see how you like it, and always get a ported built if you feel it's not loud enough for you.

I don't listen to quite the same type of music, but all my ported setups ever have hit every note I've listened to just fine. Good luck.

 

[JohnBlayz142 10+ year member]

you re just going to have to get a custom enclosure from a reputable designer and builder. buying even a jl enclosure may not yield the results you re looking for. laters

Actually, a box built to JL's specs is perfect for a JL sub. They publish those guidelines for a reason, and that is to have the woofers sound as good as possible....they actually have blueprints on the site if you feel like tackling the project yourself, with all measurements.