[Sub Sonic]

I hear people say they are SQ subs and they sound great. Others say they sound bad and sloppy. Others say they are SPL subs. I think most agree they have a lot of output and at least more than other JL models. Why is this the case? Are they very sensitive to enclosure designs? I can see if it was ported but sealed desigs should be easier. With most models in the same brand it is usually very clear which sound better than the next. If a person wanted to buy the highest end and best subs in JLs brand, what should they do? Local,shops dont want to carry any high end models since they feel it is a loss to them and most people around here just buy very low end stuff. Volume sales. Cant get a listen to anything just have to go by reputations. I just look at youtube videos and from what i can see, the W7 movement doenst look as symetrical and smooth as the W6 line. For people looking for the best regardless of price, it is hard. I would hate to spend all that money for a W7 and it sound like crap - just a loud moter that has a lot a displacement.

What do you think?

 

[1fastkingcab]

I have done lots of W7 based builds in my opinion the W7 is a fantastic SQL subwoofer, there are may subs that sound better and there are also lots of options that get louder. BUT there are very few that can do both.

I don't think you'll find anyone that will say a w7 sounds better than a w6

I prefer the W6 series over the W7 not only for the sound quality but also the mounting depth of the W6's let you get more creative with the install. the W7's are so deep you can run into a pinch on the install.

 

[Weigel21]

I've heard a couple W7's, not bad subs, but too costly for myself.

As for the poor reviews, as stated, there are better subs if you are seeking top SPL or top SQ and it's for those reasons I believe some of the reviews are poor. I've also seen many great products get poor reviews due to user error, often lack of knowing how to properly tune the equipment.

 

[ndm]

I hear people say they are SQ subs and they sound great. Others say they sound bad and sloppy. Others say they are SPL subs. I think most agree they have a lot of output and at least more than other JL models. Why is this the case? Are they very sensitive to enclosure designs? I can see if it was ported but sealed desigs should be easier. With most models in the same brand it is usually very clear which sound better than the next. If a person wanted to buy the highest end and best subs in JLs brand, what should they do? Local,shops dont want to carry any high end models since they feel it is a loss to them and most people around here just buy very low end stuff. Volume sales. Cant get a listen to anything just have to go by reputations. I just look at youtube videos and from what i can see, the W7 movement doenst look as symetrical and smooth as the W6 line. For people looking for the best regardless of price, it is hard. I would hate to spend all that money for a W7 and it sound like crap - just a loud moter that has a lot a displacement.

What do you think?

I have owned 12w6v2, 12w7, 13w7 and have done comparisons and builds with the 10w6v2 and 8w7.

I do not know what it is about so many people that for lack of better words "hate" on the w7.

While I really enjoyed my w6v2's I cannot help but to gravitate back to the w7. I have run the 13w7 for almost a decade now and can honestly say that it is the sub for me. I have used it in jl spec sealed and ported as well as lower tuned ported enclosures. I have had it down firing, rear firing, up firing, board loaded, fiberglass enclosures, etc...

I'm telling you that after everything I have thrown at this sub it has always sounded great. It has a certain authority to it that I have not been able to find in any other subwoofer including the w6.

Now don't get me wrong. I ran the 12w6v2 for a long time and loved it too. It was clean and one of my favorites. They are smaller and lighter and the reduced mounting depth is a real treat since the 13w7 is a chore trying to fit it in smaller spaces.

I love the w7 because it to me has what it takes to satisfy the bass-heads, audiophiles and the in between folks. It has survived so much abuse and still is working like new. I am simply amazed that it is still going after all these years.

I will admit though, I wish it was a little more shallow and weighed a little less. Also the price is pretty lofty too. All said though, I have gotten more than my money's worth out of this sub.

Here is my description of the special sound of the 13w7-

Good subs in a trunk sound like a couple monkeys trying to beat their way out of the trunk.
The W7 is like a really pissed off gorilla back there.

If you want a great sounding sub with good authority and great composure then get the w6.
If you want a great sounding sub with gobs of authority and great composure when you need it to but still have the ability to get silly when you want, W7 is your sub.


Oh, at one time I had four 12w6v2's ported in my blazer. It was great. I can honestly say that I prefer the one 13w7 ported over all four of those. I was in my transition from a sort of young bass head to where I am today.


My listening preferences are more toward the SQ side of SQL. I am no pure audiophile but I most certainly am not a basshead.

 

[subterFUSE]

They are also designed with odd impedance loads, either 3 ohm or dual 1.5 ohm.

 

[ChrisB]

I found the 13w6v2 easier to implement sealed than my cousin's 13w7 ported. Granted, at that particular time, I didn't have much processing power. For some strange reason, when lacking processing power, I find sealed subwoofers easier to implement than ported.

If I had a car with space, I'd rock a 13w7 ported. Unfortunately, my subcompact car would give up the hatch to do so.

 

[1fastkingcab]

Just an example, in my GF's 1995 Mustang GT I had two 12w6v2's in a JL spec sealed enclosure running off a JL 1000/1v2 and it sounded just fine and finished 4th at a DB drag event (139.8db) which I thought was very respectable from a trunk car with a everyday around town system that wasn't specifically designed to be a 1 note wonder. We also still had access to the spare tire. with the same car, changing only the subs & enclosure, we ran a single 12w7-3 in the JL spec ported enclosure. I took the car to another Db Drag and finished 2nd (143.8db) and beat up on a handful of one note wonders and only lost 1st by .2db to a one note wonder hatchback probe with a DD 9512 and 2,500 watts

and the sound quality of the 12w7 was noting to be ashamed of, the 12W6's did sound better but it wasn't a deal breaker, and the Output of the W7 was phenomenal, not only at Db Drag frequencies but particularly below 35hz (box was ported @ 32hz)

and like it has been stated, with the 12W7 we lost the whole trunk.

 

[cubdenno]

Implementation. Or rather poor implementation.

You can apply that to any speaker though within reason.

 

[Sine Swept]

My thoughts - I built a ported box for a buddy (2 x 8w7's), when it was finished I threw the box on the back seat of my Toyota and gave it a whirl. It was probably the first time I had heard what would be considered an SQ sub. There was no motor/ suspension noise from the driver. Personally I think I like a little more distortion in there, but I like it to really wang.

The weird coil configurations are all about keeping the JL amp running with the JL sub, that is my guess. The 1000/1 are stable down to 1.5 ohms. My very first sub (an Ultimate KW1200) had dual 3's so I wasn't at all bothered by the coils.

The finished cosmetics of W7 is very nice, the hidden mounting system is pretty cool, though I found the 8W7 used very small holes that required me to track, no make that hunt down the appropriate machine screws, I think I even had to order from my hardware store. Not to mention how many holes there were to mount this mini beast

 

[Victor_inox]

90% of bassheads I ever met were ****ing imbeciles.
THat is a great sub if you know what you do or know how to use internet.

 

[snyderd758]

I think the"low" power handling per dollar scares people off also. Almost everyone you ask for an opinion of jl audio to a person says it is overpriced. For me it is well worth the money because you know that if you perform a quality install it will sound great.

 

[claydo]

I've been running 2 8w7s sealed, in a foot a piece for years, and I love em.......even after all this time they can still catch me off guard and make me smile. Say what you will based on your experiences, but for me they are hard to beat.

 

[turbo5upra]

I've been running 2 8w7s sealed, in a foot a piece for years, and I love em.......even after all this time they can still catch me off guard and make me smile. Say what you will based on your experiences, but for me they are hard to beat.

I'll second that his 8w7's are impressive.

 

[claydo]

Thanks brotha! They are lil beasts fo sho....

 

[hurrication]

90% of bassheads I ever met were ****ing imbeciles.

Same here. On top of that, most of them wouldn't know what good quality sound is even if it was ramming them in the *******.

 

[sirbOOm]

I'd rather have an IDMAX, personally.

 

[quality_sound]

I don't think you'll find anyone that will say a w7 sounds better than a w6

The W7 sounds better than the W6. And the W6v2. And the W6v3.

The "problem" with the W7 is that it has so much low end that it masks everything above it so people assume it's sloppy. The Gotham and Fathom are two of the best home theater sub systems on the planet and they use modified W7s with even more throw than the car version. The sun is fine.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Valdemar]

I like the w7. And I will always pay for a well engineered product.

I've noticed, at least around here, most people that bash a product have never heard it, or owned it. That and they don't understand that the bass is part of the music, not all the music with some tweeters here and there lol

 

[Danometal]

I once heard an A/B comparo at an audio shop between a 12W7 and a Memphis Mojo 12. The Mojo had noticeably more output at whatever power level they were using. I can't comment on the SQ as it was in a demo room and playing some bassy rap song.

I told them thanks for the demo and paid for my pack of ring terminals. No sub sale.

Edit: I never thought of it until just now, but maybe the difference in volume I was hearing was due to the coils. I bet the JL was running at 1.5 ohm while the Mojo was running at 1 ohm. Is that dishonest of them?

 

[Weigel21]

If powered off the same amplifier and said amplifier produced more power at 1 ohm than 1.5 ohms, then yeah, I'd call it an unlevel comparison. Still, I don't know why they wouldn't try to setup the JL to have a better sound or produce more output than the Mojo, I mean last I knew, the W7 sold for more.