REL vs JL AUDIO

For best sound with a sub you want to use a highpass. It can be in the preamp (most two channel preamps don’t have one) or external. 

 The JL “E” line of subs has a highpass built in but no EQ built in. The Fathom line does not include a highpass and you need an external one but has built in room correction. 

Without room correction you will have dips and peaks in the bass. 

With that being see I have two E112 subs that have both broken twice and need repaired. While JL did fix them once for free under warranty and once at my cost (pretty cheap to fix honesty) I can’t recommend them as a brand. But they sound great for music. 

deadhead1000,



A swarm with mini subs would be interesting, especially for an irregular room. 4 duel driver 6.5” kefs (8 drivers total) subs would have a lot of surface area.



 In my head I alway like big drivers for bass but I know that is not science based… and it comes down to box size and efficiency. 


Anyway back on topic. Even though Rel subs are made in China I bet they have less failures than JL which probably uses Chinese electronics in a U.S. assembled sub (just assuming and I have no actual knowledge). 


I would also love to know if it seems like JL Audio’s fail more simply due to more market saturation, but my reliability experience has not been good. 

focker39,

I would not worry about the rated power and look at total DB output if using in a home theater application. For music who cares as you will not be at the limit.


I would guess you are seeing the difference between the efficiency of sealed vs passive radiator. The sealed box of the JL will require more power. Also keep in mind going from 800 watts to 1600 watts is only worth 3db and when not driven at the limit will not matter.

mijostyn,

thanks for the information and I agree. 
Integrating a sub without a highpass is a waist of time IMO and causes more problems than it fixes. 


The resistor idea is a good one for sure. Though I think a DYI sub with highpass and measurements is way over a lot of peoples heads (mine included). Understanding and doing are two different things. Baby steps lol. 

Any thoughts on a direct to consumer subs like JTR Captivator RS1. I heard about it on Audioholics and it looks interesting (great measurements).  Kind of a “DIY” value done for you. It would need a proper highpass of course. 

https://www.jtrspeakers.com/jtr-captivator-rs1

mijostyn,

thanks for the opinion. If my JL subs fail for the 3rd time I might give JTR a try.
As for DIY just not for me. As an engineer for 20 years I sure I could figure it out (I dabbled in a lot of tech over the years in industry), but it just does not interest me. I want things as plug and play as possible. Creating things, tweaking software, etc just seems like work to me these days. But I really respect the big DIY setups, very cool for sure.
I have also remodeled two houses from the studs up and I just want to listen to music these days. No more construction, electrical, plumbing, no more projects for me.

missioncoonery

“Seems like the people with the high end loudspeakers are using JL AUDIO. Is REL Midfi?......are you for real?...”

Don’t you know if your cables are not 3 months salary you have a mid-fi system lol.



I find much of the discussion here to be total nonsense and relate a lot to psychoacoustics

I bought a pair of revel and in the process of researching opinions I ran across a number of articles on Revel’s blind testing and found it fascinating. 

This recent video is good. Get better toward the end. 
https://youtu.be/xEZkz4Li-0M



Anyway back on topic. It does not matter whether you go JL or Rel it is all about integrating it well. You need a highpass and you should measure your room or you will spend a long time dialing it in. 

Subs are super important these days as speaker prices are getting crazy and bass is very important. Even the newest crop of  mid sized speakers (Sopra 2/3, Wilson Sabrina X, Olympica III, Revel 228be etc, 803d3) have no deep bass. They rely on room gain and that never sounds a good as a proper sub or very large speaker.