JL W6V2 or JBL GTI?

[T.I.K. 10+ year member]

$335 shipped from Car Audio Giants

I'd for sure check out CL and the classifieds before buying, you can generally find pretty decent prices on used woofers.

I personally like buying new, but I'm more paranoid than most people.

 

[Kickskid21 10+ year member]

Will the JBL sound just as good SQ-wise in a sealed box built to spec (1ft^3)?

 

[perfecxionX 10+ year member]

What do you mean by SQ? People keep throwing that term around and i bet most of them couldnt offer a single measure for defining it.

If the GTI's mounting depth and D6 ohm VC doesnt pose any problems for you then I would most definitely go that route.

 

[T.I.K. 10+ year member]

What do you mean by SQ? People keep throwing that term around and i bet most of them couldnt offer a single measure for defining it.
If the GTI's mounting depth and D6 ohm VC doesnt pose any problems for you then I would most definitely go that route.

I think of SQ as how smooth the bass is, and how flat the response is.

IMO, alot of subs are suited for that, as far as just general listening. I wouldn't buy a crazy expensive SQ geared sub unless I had the money to blow and I REALLY wanted top of the line SQ.

I feel like most drivers offered by any respectable company would satisfy the OP, but that's just me, I'm not a huge SQ buff.

 

[perfecxionX 10+ year member]

It seems as if there's SOOO many posts on which subs to pick, and everyone has a different opinion on the same sub and everyone makes such a big deal out of it. But Imho, does it really matter for a driver that plays 1, perhaps 2 octaves in the least sensitive range of our hearing?
My take is not that much, so long as you're not overdriving it or using it in the wrong enclosure... in other words it comes down to application and price for me. You take two subs, play a single tone or combination of tones at the same output... and chances are you won't be able to hear much if any difference as long as both drivers are within xmax and not being overdriven.

What is really surprising alot of times is how people can take 2 different subs and use them in 2 different applications, vehicles, with different amps, settings, etc. and then go on to make what they believe is a "fair" comparison. Or even worse when they keep everything the same, but use 2 different drivers with obviously different enclosure requirements and low end sensitivies and then go on to make what they deem a controlled test.

That's not to say I don't believe in ease of use. A low inductance woofer without a large inductive hump can be easier to work with, same with a driver that matches the transfer function of your vehicle smoothly... or a long throw woofer with low mechanical excursion. Low distortion is always nice if you plan on a high output system. But what bothers me is just the lack of control and attention when making driver to driver comparisons or evaluating drivers. If you're going to say a sub sounds boomy, slow, or sloppy, or can't play past 50hz (ridiculous statement btw) take a moment to think why could that be? Could it possibly be the enclosure? What does the frequency response look like? Am I pushing the driver beyond it's excursion capability? Is my trunk filtering out the top end beyond 80-90hz? Etc.. There's almost always a reason and chances are it's not the sub's fault if used properly.

Do you think subs really sound all that different? - DIYMA.com - Scientific Car Audio - Truth in Sound Quality

 

[destined2race 10+ year member]

If its down to those two id go the w6 myself as ive had tons of em. Ive heard the JBLs but havent owned them.

And for the Kicker amp id sell it and try to find a better amp if you want a nice sq combo. I have the same zx amp running my w7 right now and the 500/1v2 i had on it before sounded alot better to me. Only reason i have it was cause of a trade deal i couldnt refuse. Im going to go to an HD750 soon as i unload some of my other audio stuff.

 

[Kickskid21 10+ year member]

I had an Alpine R12 ported and it was loud and the bass wasnt very smooth. I don't want anything that's going to shake the entire car and rattle the trunk lid.

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

Do you think subs really sound all that different? - DIYMA.com - Scientific Car Audio - Truth in Sound Quality

Good in theory but you have left out an important factor. Brand loyalty and company image. This goes deep into psychology and IMO is very hard to overcome as customers are filled with info from friends, dealers, internet forums and past experiences and to top it off you really only hear about the strong negative or positive experiences of the user. Simply put, a nuthugger's gonna hug.

 

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

Do you think subs really sound all that different? - DIYMA.com - Scientific Car Audio - Truth in Sound Quality

good read. I agree, I still say a good SQ sub is one that remains transparent and a flat response is fairly easily attainable even if that sub needed to be run up to an xover point of say 80hz. I dont think that includes all subs, or even most for that matter.

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

I had an Alpine R12 ported and it was loud and the bass wasnt very smooth. I don't want anything that's going to shake the entire car and rattle the trunk lid.

Trunk rattle has to do with the quality of install and the quality of the car to begin with. An econobox's trunk is 10x more likely to rattle than say a BMW or Lexus, because the more expensive cars have better sound/vibration dampening to begin with.

 

[BnGRacing 10+ year member]

If you buy a W6v2, do not build it to 'spec'.

The specs for that sub are a compromise between SQ & power handling. These days, too many people equate power handling with driver quality and that couldn't be further from the truth. Oversize the box and reduce power to the sub and it'll sound gorgeous. 1.75ft^3 off 250-300w is really all you need for that sub b/c it's a very clever design and a very light cone. A 1000w amp is overkill and you will only damage the subwoofer.

 

[zako 10+ year member]

Will the JBL sound just as good SQ-wise in a sealed box built to spec (1ft^3)?

I modeled the 12 inch GTI in a sealed box, and it seemed like it needs a bigger box. Your 'spec' is probably what the manufacturer recommends. WinISD recommends 1.862cu ft if you want qtc of 0.707, which is a kind of a rule of thumb for best power handling and transient response. Putting a 2cu ft box is not realistic in many vehicles. I would have put it into this box, stuffed with polyfill to increase the 'effective' sealed volume (up to 1.5 pound for each cu ft). A lot of prefab 1cu ft boxes will not have the depth to mount a W12GTI anyways.

 

[Kickskid21 10+ year member]

Which will sound better with the ZX1000? I just got it and m not planning on buying a different amp.