JL Audio

[Tony 10+ year member]

I tested a Custom JL box with 3-w6-12's. I had them hooked up to my Audiobahn 18001D amp @ 4 ohms and dam* near blew all 3. I cut them off before they did because they began to smell burnt. I just wanted to say that I think JL sucks and are overated as far as how much power than can handle and how good they are for spl. I did the test for a friend and he agrees that my 1Concept 15 hits way harder than those 3-12's ever would. Audiobahn 18001d Audiobahn 4401x Audiobahn AEX250 2 Audiobahn caps with digital read outs Audiobahn AEX 7 eq. up front 1-Concept 15 woofer This my system.

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[AFIREINSIDE 10+ year member]

i think 1/2 the people here will dissagree with you bro.. jl makes good subs.. and JL OFFERS A 3 YEAR WARRANTY.. YOU CAN SEND THOSE PUPPYS BACK ALL YOU WANT.. FOR 3 YEARS.. CAN'T BEAT THAT BRO.. go get some more.. and don't ****ing blow them up : )

 

[Unregistered]

I don't really know, but maybe they have a three year warranty because they are peices of shit and the company knows it? hmmmm, just a thought. But , I like Jl audio's, i like kicker better but if i wouldn't have gotten kicker i prolly would've chosen Jl's. Would've is the key word.

 

[Phatillusion 5,000+ posts]

Hmm. Sounds like somebody doesn't know what they are doing. I just finished a JL setup about a month ago, with 2 JL12W6's. I was pushing a good 350-375 watts apiece, and they were bumping like a mother. Second of all, I think JL is more of a SQ sub than SPL, although they are capable of decent SPL numbers.

Audiobahn 18001d Audiobahn 4401x Audiobahn AEX250 2 Audiobahn caps with digital read outs Audiobahn AEX 7 eq. up front 1-Concept 15 woofer This my system.

The JL system I setup would smoke yours, and I think just about everyone on here will agree, because you have no idea what you are doing. I'd hate to break it to you, but if you smelled burning coming off the sub, then the voice coil was burnt, so you didn't turn it off before they blew. Second of all, how many ohms were you running the subs at, I don't see how you could achieve a 4 ohm load, and even if you did you would only be pushing 200 watts to them which they can easily handle. But I'd be willing to bet that you were probably running them around 1.67 ohms, and had no idea what you were doing. Anybody else out there wanna agree w/me.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

prolly playing "volume master" with the gains too. tony try a adire audio sub.... you might like it..... jls are musical woofers except the w7's then you just need some 8's to make music lol example of system

alpine hu

1 12w7

2 8w3's

1 xr 6.5 component set

1 class d amp

2 150x 2 amps for 8's and components lol

 

[Tony 10+ year member]

To all the playboys who said I did'nt know what I was doing I wired the sub's in series 3-dual 6 ohm woofers wired in series would be 4 ohm load . On in paralell would it be 1 ohm load plus I checked with a ohm meter and it read 4.1 ohms. The subs did'nt blow I turned off just in time because they still work but 1 sound a little bit scratchy but you really can't tell. As far as sound quality they are pretty good I heard a lot of people brag about them being a ultimate spl woofer and I just disagree. It ain't no thang playboy. Holla.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

so you were playing "volume master" eh tony? bad bad bad http://www.adireaudio.com knock yourself out

 

[B&R Innovations]

Yep you definatly had the gain all the way up

I have 2 w3's both running at 430 watts RMS

and they eat it up

NO problems whatsoever

They are D2 12's

i havem wired up to 4 ohms, my amp pisses me off, and runnin it 2 ohm mono, it just craps on itself.

anyways

Ive wired it up to about 600 rms, sounded just fine

 

[zane 10+ year member]

I suppose that this is a bad time to mention that I ran well over 1500 watts into a pair or 12W0's and they held up fine.

Either way, it sounds as if somthing in your set-up was not quite right Tony. JL Audio woofers are about the least likely sub on the market to blow IMO, based on years of installing and competing.

Lets examine a few things, firstly- for anyone in doubt- a trio of W6's can be wired to 4 ohms mono. Take a look at this for how to do it:

Now that that is out there--->

What size enclosure were your W6's in? Also what type? Ported, Sealed, Bandpass-etc?

What were your gains set at on your amplifier?

I ask this, because what you said your subs did- is an exact symptom of an improperly set gain. If your subs behaved this way- they were clipping. Clipping results primarily from a gain control set to high or if one cranks the volume control most of the way up.

What frequency were your subs crossed over at?

I ask this due to the fact that you said one sub sounds scratchy now. That indicates to me- a damaged voice coil. Too high of a crossover point can lead to over-excursion.

What direction are the subs facing?

What type of music do you listen to?

What type of vehicle are these in?

One thing is certain, something is a miss if you are having these problems. Lets try and narrow it down a bit and get those subs moving for you.

In an old install I did, the guy was using 3 12w6's running off of an Earthquake PHD-2 amplifier, and they hit incredibly hard all together. So much in fact, that it hurt to be in the car. Your woofers are plenty capable, as with most JL Subs, they may just need a little fine tuning.

take it easy,

-zane

 

[natem33 10+ year member]

Hey Zane, I know this is off the subject but, in your diagram of the series wiring the amp was wired to the positive of one voice coil and then the amp to the negative of the other voice coil on the same sub. The remaining positive and negative were then looped together. What is the benifit or technical reason for this configuration versus wiring the positive and negative of the same voice coil to the amp and loop the other voice coil together. Thanks.

 

[zane 10+ year member]

IF I am following you correctly, and that is a big IF.........

You are simply asking why the amplifier connections can not be simply wired to one of the voice coils and then connect the other voice coils + and - together.

Simple reasoning- DVC subs require both VC's to be in use so that mechanical problems within the sub do not arise. While one voice coil recieves the + and the other recieves the - both VC's recieve a signal. Placing a "jumper" across the + of one side and the - of the other side is what effectlively alters the woofers impedence, thus allowing it to operate efficiently at the 4ohm mono load when all 3 woofers are joined together.

take it easy,

-zane

 

[Phatillusion 5,000+ posts]

, I don't see how you could achieve a 4 ohm load, and even if you did you would only be pushing 200 watts to them which they can easily handle.

Okay I see how you got 4 ohms. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not always 100% sure on what configurations achieve "x" ohms. I really didn't feel like doing the math either. But Zane and Audiolife made the point I was trying to get across, something in your setup wasn't done right. Whether it be your gain or volume control. Most people mistakingly think that they have to turn the gain all the way up, for the amp to be at full power. I've heard this quote so many times, and it gets funnier each time "My system hits so hard, and I only have the gain half way up, man if I turned the amp up all the way, those subs would be slammin." I'll admit, when I got my first system I thought the gain was the power control also, I found out that it wasn't after blowing a sub or two.

I suppose that this is a bad time to mention that I ran well over 1500 watts into a pair or 12W0's and they held up fine.

Leave it up to Zane to top everyone else, that's twice the amount I was pushing into the W6's I set up a month or so ago. The guy is putting his car in a small comp this weekend. I think he can take at least 2nd in SQ. But as for SPL, I'm not sure. I think they are divinding the categories into # of subs. I'll let you all know how it does. Nothing big just a little who's got what comp.

 

[Unregistered]

all u people say you give subs 10 times their rated power and they "ate it". i could hook up a 100 watt sub to a 1500 watt amp and have it sound fine, i just would keep the volume way down. and zane, when you said the w0's handle 1500 fine, were you actually giving them 1500 watts? or were they just hooked up to a 1500 watt amp? probably the later. eat that, sh*t saks,

 

[Tony 10+ year member]

Jl's sq is good I will admit that but what they charge for the woofers are too much. The box was a sealed box all in the same chamber. I believe that by the box being in the trunck of my boy car being (Boneville) it was trapping the bass inside. Maybe if I had it in my Honda Wagon I would have though twice. As far as my amp goes the gains were only 3 Quarter the way up. I feel you don't need to turn your amp up no more than that but I had my amp power supply and outputs upgraded by a local tech so my amp put out a little more power than the stock 18001D's. My boy traded that box for 3 Fosgate 12's and hits much harder so he is content now. Preciate it though players.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

you had your gains 3/4's the way up? wth you runnin a 1990 pioneer head unit with .5 volt out? you be a volume master haha and to the unregisatered d00od power "handleing is a generic term for recomended...small sealed box done propperly handleing goes up due to the boxxes suspension to the driver......yawns when you learn the theories start yapping until then learn then shoot off its just funny how people come here saying they got the stuff when its no different then anyone elses you learn the theories to apply you grasp your equipments true performance..thats why you guys that buy this stuff in prefab boxxes hit 20 db less or sounds like puke then you come here doggin on stuff i find it uterly hilarious. bad boyz bad:nono: