Do you like JL Audio products?

michaelkingdom · 05-06-2012

I've been in this hobby for a few years now and I'm interested to find out about people's perceptions of JL Audio. I've been to a few car audio shops where techs have expressed dislike for JL while others have mercilessly praised them for their quality.

My system is a patchwork of Hertz / JBL MS8 / Image Dynamics / Infinity / JL. I have the JL 13w7 woofer running off the 1000/1 JL amp and I absolutely love it. That said, I don't know if I'm blissfully unaware of something...?

Do you like JL products?

whitet · 05-06-2012

I personally have never had any JL products, but I really want to try one of their 5 channel amps (HD900/5).

I have my eye on one of those.. small footprint and can power my entire system while being under the seat!

Interested in what others have to say.

mephistopholes · 05-06-2012

Shops tend to sell what they sell. The salesman that was trashing JL probably didn't have a wall of JL products behind him he was trying to move but rather a wall of one or more competitors he would have you believe made better stuff. I would walk away from that shop.

If you love your sub/amp setup, then that is all that matters.

My only experience with JL is with a 10w1 many years ago. It was a nice little sub. Would not have won any spl competitions but it ran very well for what I needed it to do.

**Mic10is** · 05-06-2012

Like with many things, when you reach a certain level of Popularity, then anything except that is "better" or cooler, despite how Good it really is.

JL Audio has been around ALONG time. They have continued to make stellar products for years and continue improving and releasing new and better products.

Ive run just about every major amp brand , from Arc Audio, Genesis, Helix, ID Q series, MTX, Mosconi etc...and am now switching all my amps out to JL HD Amps.

I think its a testament to the qualify and performance of their products when guys like Mark Elderidge and Scott Buwalda use the amps and other products w/ no modifications or changes.

ou812 · 05-06-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mic10is

Like with many things, when you reach a certain level of Popularity, then anything except that is "better" or cooler, despite how Good it really is.

JL Audio has been around ALONG time. They have continued to make stellar products for years and continue improving and releasing new and better products.

Ive run just about every major amp brand , from Arc Audio, Genesis, Helix, ID Q series, MTX, Mosconi etc...and am now switching all my amps out to JL HD Amps.

I think its a testament to the qualify and performance of their products when guys like Mark Elderidge and Scott Buwalda use the amps and other products w/ no modifications or changes.

Very well said and I agree.

**Pitmaster** · 05-06-2012

Anyone ever had the foam surround split on the joints? Had this happen on a 10W3 a while back.

Angrywhopper · 05-06-2012

I'm a huge JL fan.

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JLTw7 · 05-07-2012

Yes I do. Been using a couple of their products ever since. Probably there are a lot of good or better products out there but I am happy with what I have used.

12w7
13w3v3
12w0v3
12w6v1
15w0v1
zr650 CSI
a4300
gmax 1200
HD600/4
HD1200/1

fish · 05-07-2012

Never had an issue with any JL product I've used that wasn't my own fault. I've used their original W6 & W3 series subs, & now have 3 of the HD amps. Couldn't be happier.

I also heard the ZR 6.5" mids in the dash of a car a couple weeks ago that sounded great. He also had ZR800 8" midbass in the kicks, those things got down.

**edouble101** · 05-07-2012

JL Audio is one of the only companies that I have used and had no issues with.

Lars Ulriched · 05-07-2012

I think the foam surround on 12W6 is not suitable in the climate here...it often got crack after 3 years..

**gu9cci** · 05-07-2012

I use before the HD amps and they are great.

Khymera-B · 05-07-2012

Loved the JL amps and subs that I've owned. No complaints. Always met and often exceeded expectations.

DC/Hertz · 05-07-2012

I love my JL slash amps. I dont care for the HD full ranges, I tried to like them but just couldnt, I dont know what it was but they didnt bring out the "aliveness" of my front stage. If space was a issue I could like them if I had to, I think I would go ZED though.

The W6v2 is amazing at its street price. W7... Only the 13 does it for me. Everything else is just average chinesse production for what it is.

The speaker line up isnt anything special, the crossover points are horrible. Who wants tweeters that cant take power below 4K? Not in my install.

My ZR800s look like they where glued by a pre schooler. Sound pretty good though.

BuickGN · 05-07-2012

I love the amps and subs. Comps are nice as well but I think their best products are the subs and amps.

I ran a pair of 12W6s for 8 years in Vegas and Phoenix summers with absolutely no issues. Still have them, used them sealed, ported, bandpass, and IB. I've also run the 10 and 13W7 at one time or another and they always surpassed expectations.

The HD series amps are tiny power houses with very low noise floor and make more than rated power. I've directly compared the HD amps with my McIntosh, the older JL A/B amps, the Leviathan, etc, and the HD is every bit as good in SQ and actually seem to be less harsh when pushed past it's limits. I'm not saying any of those amps sounded better than the other under normal conditions but the HD is definitely just as good as the McIntosh and sounds better when pushed.

Some people hate JL only because they're mainstream or because the W7 doesn't cost $50. I think you get a lot of sub or amp for the money.

I'm still tempted to do a pair of 13W7s in a future IB build.

captainobvious · 05-07-2012

JL has consistently made quality products over the years which is why they are still an industry giant. You may pay more than a "lesser" brand, but you get quality product and engineering for your money. I think it also says alot that they have survived using their dealer networks for this long while others have had to sell out to big box chains and reduce the quality (or percieved quality) of their brands.
They continually advance and engineer new terrific products instead of regurgitating the same old as well- HD amps, XD amps, W7 series, TW5, etc.

I have only used a few JL products over the years, mainly because of their pricepoints, but what I have used has been great.

**schmiddr2** · 05-07-2012

Search JL Audio in the build log section. Look how many members with many years of experience are using them. (Answer found)

**chefhow** · 05-07-2012

I have used JL subs, amps and components on and off since 1992/93 and have NEVER had a single component of theirs fail, and trust me I tried. In the new build I will be using JL gear and I dont care what people think. It works, it works well and it can stand the test of time in a car and that is all I need.

DC/Hertz · 05-07-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainobvious

JL has consistently made quality products over the years which is why they are still an industry giant. You may pay more than a "lesser" brand, but you get quality product and engineering for your money. I think it also says alot that they have survived using their dealer networks for this long while others have had to sell out to big box chains and reduce the quality (or percieved quality) of their brands.
They continually advance and engineer new terrific products instead of regurgitating the same old as well- HD amps, XD amps, W7 series, TW5, etc.

I have only used a few JL products over the years, mainly because of their pricepoints, but what I have used has been great.

A few things here... JL is sold in 95% of the shops in a given area. They are normally the best things these shops carry, not many have the "good" stuff. Normally they are up against other mass produced big box brands, not much compatition here. They "advance" every 10 years but still charge as much as they still charge as much as they did when introduced. I dont have anything against the products, I use them. But they are not the end all car audio company. when you pay JL retail price you are not only paying for that product but the R and D on their home audio line, I'm not buying home audio and could care less.

with that said, for a SQ based company they are priced pretty good and hold their own

indytrucks · 05-07-2012

Who cares what anyone else thinks. If you like it and are happy with your products that's really the most important thing.

**simplicityinsound** · 05-07-2012

yeah JL was around and when i first started out in this hobby, and dual w0s was waht i ran for a long time as my first ever full system. i think a lot of good points has been made above, what i think is:

1. becuase of their popularity, it is easy to say dislike them, since every one and their brother and dog wants JL...however, if a product is good, its good, and when my customers ask about JL, being that i don't carry JL, i say this "JL makes a fine product up and down their line, nothing crap, i can offering you similar performance at similar or sometimes lower costs, i think because JL is popular, they can, and rightfully SHOULD charge a lil extra for their products...you get a tried and true product line" so yeah, i do agree with the sentiment that for some things, you can find similar performance at a lower cost compared to JL, but that is true of virtually everything in life when you are talking about a quality made popular item.''

2. every manufacturers has had QC issues, and the most prominent for me personally was the earlier subs, i had a few where after a while, the dust separated from the cone. but again, i think for how long they have been and how popualr they are and thus being under the microscope, they have had a remarkable run of fixing any issues that come up.

3. what i love most about JL products is that they seem, almost above all other major manufacturers, to have the INSTALLER in mind when they design their stuff...aside from the W7 and its complicated mounting system (wich isnt all that hard unless you want to mount the sub inverted) everything else about them points to this. battery terminals are just awesome, the multiple configurations on the amps and the fact that they are virtually the only manufacturer that makes integrated GRILLES for their subs are key examples of this.

so in summary, their own popularity is their biggest demerit...we as human beings sometimes can help but want something "unqiue" or "different" to stand out, but we have to realize that it is that inate personalithy trait that causes us to want something else, and NOT a product issue most of the time.

I will make this statement as perhaps the most important: If i am qualified to carry JL, you can bet that i would indeed have the brand in my arsenal."

DC/Hertz · 05-07-2012

I think the part people hate the most about JL is the availability. Anybody can get ahold of the gear, thats not a good thing. Even more so the people that dont know JLs true purpose in the car audio world. The "My W6/W7 whomps so hard nothing is louder" crowd.

**chefhow** · 05-07-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by DC/Hertz

I think the part people hate the most about JL is the availability. Anybody can get ahold of the gear, thats not a good thing.

What is wrong with that? Availability is what makes them great, they have lines that suit MANY budgets, and they are easy to get ahold of via a dealer network. Who the hell wants to have to source something and then if something happens have to go to hell and back to have it warrantied assuming they will. Ease of access is what has helped make them who they are.

DC/Hertz · 05-07-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefhow

What is wrong with that? Availability is what makes them great, they have lines that suit MANY budgets, and they are easy to get ahold of via a dealer network. Who the hell wants to have to source something and then if something happens have to go to hell and back to have it warrantied assuming they will. Ease of access is what has helped make them who they are.

I think you misunderstood where I was going with that statement. Just look at your local craigslist, you should see my point.