Mean Gene

My installer friend Rick just got back from a JL Audio training session in Houston & here's the latest on the new W7 woofer from JL. The 13.5" woofer has a linear one-way Xmax of 1.25 inches:eek: It's not a servo controlled type as I had originally been told so it won't face a lawsuit from Velodyne!! It must be mounted on a minimium 1.5" thickness surface so it'll take (2) .75" pieces of MDF screwed/bolted together. It also has 12 mounting screw holes & some kind of clamping ring - it's beginning to sound more & more like a true SPL woofer & not the SQPL woofer JL claims it to be designed as. One of the 13.5" W7's will move 166% more air than a PAIR of their 12W3's. Rick heard one of the 12" W7's & said it was impressive from a pressure standpoint but as it wasn't really part of a complete system, he'd wait until he heard one in a competition car. The 13.5" requires a 1.00 to 2.25 cubic foot enclosure ( sealed ) & slightly larger for the ported one but they would seem to be more efficient than other SPL woofers as the 13.5" only needs a minimium of 350 wrms & will handle 1000 wrms. JL was very secretive about info & will only sell the W7 to shops who have sent at least one of their installers to a JL seminar like this one. Rick wants me to try a pair of them but at an MSRP of $945/each, they are a little high for my budget!! Will get some followup info when I get a chance to pick Rick's brain some more.

Percy

Gene,

Thanks for the info! JL sure was turning up the hype when they claimed Sound Quality...and especially with those specs!

Percy

itzloud

Umm... JL has never made a strickly "SPL" woofer. According to manville smith at JL the W7 was made with SQ in mind, But is sooo beefy it has incredible potential for SPL. Mad props to JL for making a 13.5" woofer w/ as much SD as a normal 15".

sarkastro

The shop here that does all my work is going in for training on the 11th. With the hype they've been building for this thing, it better redefine car audio subs, or JL could become the audio equivalent of Ion Storm

LOUDSYSTEM

just go buy an Image Dynamics ID MAX 12 it cost half and i cant wait to see someone compare them

retrodrive

I am with LOUDSYSTEMS on IDMAX. I have heard it in many different installations and the only word I can describe that sub with is "impressive". Check out the install in my sig