*Support OSS / Williston Audio Labs* for early access to videos: www.patreon.com/OldSchoolStereo One Time "Tip" for Video Support: paypal.me/BigDWiz *NOTE **_I made a mistake in the video. The box tuning frequency is around 38-40Hz as it is the low point between the two peaks (not 64Hz). I used the 2nd peak. I have since edited out that segment, but you will still see the text in the CONS portion. My apologies for the mistake. This error doesn't change my feelings about the sub_* *SHOP* (affiliate links) JBL BASSPRO 12: amzn.to/3ELIl9W Powered Car Audio Subwoofers: amzn.to/3OlPLEb Speaker Terminal Blocks: amzn.to/3EtEQDU *RELATED VIDEOS* ALPINE S-A60M Monoblock Amplifier: th-cam.com/video/p9GSkNzAvfk/w-d-xo.html JBL GTX500 Monoblock Amplifier: th-cam.com/video/ydoKkR4h41I/w-d-xo.html 1937 Ford Delivered: th-cam.com/video/MObMxNOQTM0/w-d-xo.html Update on 1937 Ford: th-cam.com/video/5hDoPgsiEPE/w-d-xo.html BUDGET Amps Tested: bit.ly/3EM49Ci VIDEO INDEX 0:00 INTRO 0:57 ALL IN ONE? 1:39 UNBOXING 2:45 FEATURES AND SPECS 4:35 IN CAR TESTS 7:45 REMOVING THE AMPLIFIER 8:29 AMP DYNO TEST 10:46 WHAT'S INSIDE? 11:55 PROS AND CONS 12:38 FINAL THOUGHTS 13:08 EXTRA TESTS *VIDEO GEAR* Camera - iPhone 13pro 1TB - amzn.to/3nCjGvc RODE Wireless Go II Microphones: amzn.to/3Q6NVHl Shure MV7 Microphone: amzn.to/3A4OICK Zoom H4n Audio Recorder: amzn.to/3BXjVsS 960 LED Panel: amzn.to/2Sxoq3S This VIDEO was EDITED with LumaFusion on an iPad Pro 12.9: iPad: amzn.to/2Ancr1W Software: goo.gl/6yvWss *TEST BENCH EQUIPMENT* SMD / D'Amore Engineering Amp Dyno: goo.gl/sJTcf7 XS Power D1400 Batteries - amzn.to/2BPFCKW XS Power PSC60 Charger - amzn.to/2CHGcfs Fluke 1000A AC/DC Clamp Meter: amzn.to/2Rw5WDA Handheld Dyno: amzn.to/2u2EgKV My Favorite Screwdriver Kit: amzn.to/2x0VzcE _DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase from one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases_
@@nearchd504 i know in older f1shittys with the sony sync stereo only the driver can hear the low bass from the subwoofer under the backseat on the passanger side. placement has alot to do with what frequecy you hear.
I bought it. I’m not an audio guy like that, but going from stock to this was amazing. I had a hard time dialing the setting in, which really made a difference. I have to keep messing with it. I’m sure it has more potential.
@@ajferri8978 I set mine a bit over half, I couldn't actually get the sound to be very distorted at all, but I felt anything past around 3 quarters is the loudness limit, so stay under there and you'll be good
The best prefab subwoofer & enclosure I've ever heard was the JBL PB1220 from about 2011. It was a JBL P1224 in a ported box tuned to 32Hz (no amp). It played super clean and loud. It sounded very tight for a ported box which was what I liked most about it.
@@luke144 The difference is that they used to have their own true lineup of subs. Now it seems they're all rebranded clones of Infinity models. Same goes for JBL amps and speakers.
I’d like to see the Rockford Fosgate powered subs and Kicker versions they had at SEMA 2022 reviewed. RF offers both sealed and ported versions. It would be interesting to see how they compared up against a budget setup of pre-made or even a DIY box with sub and amp. My guess would be you could build your own setup that would perform better for around the same price.
I have this in my car! It's the sub that first got me interested in big bass! I love it a ton, especially for the price and the 45 minute install time. I'm planning to move it to my wifes car and build a box with an 18" to reach the lows! Thanks for reviewing this sub!
@@kayanthony3746 your windshield will never break with skar audio 🤣😅. Not even close to getting a windshield broken with the rms skar products produce.
I ran three 10” RF in a sealed box in 2005. I don’t think they had different lines of subs just all the same. They were 150rms and I ran a Kicker Zr bridge to 1.3 ohms giving each sub 100 watts. To this day people still talk about how much that system slammed. Why is it so damn difficult for people to build a high quality product that is low in wattage?!!!!!! My 10” infinity kappa 1000s are rated at 400rms a piece and those 2 are INCREDIBLE for SQ and SPL. But most people can’t push 1000rms off thier stock . Miss the old days
I bought my first one at my local audio place and had them install it, it made it a year before it quit on me. I just got my 2nd in from Amazon for half the price I paid for it the first time
I thought it was pretty decent giving its a single 12 on 100-150 RMS. I bet this would work in tons of applications and especially for older cars with smaller charging systems.
I always thought the "saddle" between the two highest impedance points was the port-tuning point, so from your sweep somewhere in the high 40's. Guess I had misunderstood. Great video, and definitely valuable info for people in the market.
I’d love to see more of these type of products tested. Definitely an excellent choice like you said for budget minded and those with space confinement in their vehicle. Love all your videos Big D!!!
Not sure if anybody already mentioned it But tuning frequency of a box is actually the minimum between those two impedance peaks. So in your case it appears to be around 44hz. Which is expectable from active prefab. And still too high, lol.
This is a good honest review. I put one of these into a friends car and was soo disappointed. It sounded like it was tuned to 50hz. I told her it would take a while to break in, but we were both underwhelmed. A cheap amp/sub/box combo would be so much better.
I showed tuning later in the video and just noticed I forgot to add the video index…edit I need to remove the tuning portion. It’s tuned at 38Hz, I misread the instructions for the IMSG+ 🤦♂️
I almost bought one of those years ago but ended up buying a Cerwin Vega underseat powered subwoofer. It was boomy but looking back I'm impressed at the amount of bass it produced with basically no box.
This is a newer version because mine doesn't look like that. Look closely at the beginning of the video and you will see pictures of them with a silver dust cap. Those are the bangers! They are hard to find and I wish he had reviewed that model instead (maybe a throwback review).
I actually have this same exact Powered Sub installed in my 2012 Infiniti G25 Journey With Some Kicker door speakers front and rear, sound deadening foam and 4 gage wire. I’m really happy with it, for a beginner subwoofer it doesn’t suck at all and I would buy it again. I’ve had it installed for a year now and no wear and tear, I’m actually going to get a subwoofer cover so I can start suing my trunk again, I’ve been lagging but it not having a factory cover is my only complaint from a first time sub buyer.
I still have the older model had it for years as well very nice for the price and plenty of bass for the average person. Seems like they dropped build quality when they started shipping it out to Walmart and other places im not sure if they do anymore though
Obviously this is for mass consumption on a budget. For $220 it is what it is. My guess is it was designed to sold mostly on line because a side by side could comparison wouldn't yield much sales for this item. It's a beginner box. It has its place in the market but not for ppl like us. I wonder if it was designed for the south American market? Either way thanks for the video.
I have a Toyota that came with the JBL system, and thought about buying these woofers (just the woofers themselves) to put in my current box so I could say it's still an all JBL system lol
I love what you do and I just want to say thank you. I have considered the sub in the past and it's awesome to see real world testing of this different equipment without having to buy all of it myself.
I actually own this unit! Well.. the first generation with the silver color woofer. My expectations were low, but I was quite happy with it in the long run. Enough bump for me at least facing the trunk and out of phase. I was considering upgrading it with a dual coil woofer down the road.
Big D, JBL also makes the Basspro 12 hub. It actually fits in the spare tire in the hatch or trunk area. I have the Cerwin Vega VPAS 12st. (spare tire), and I love it. I have an '05 Acura RSX Type-S, and the Cerwin Vega fits perfectly in the recessed area of my spare. It was the perfect budget solution and space saving. The factory carpet fits nicely over it. Would love to see you do a review on either or both of these options. It's stealth bass for sure. Love your channel. I grew up in the late 80's and early 90's when bass was king. Yeah Boy!!
@@wal would love to see some of these spare tire, all in one, bass hubs compared as well. CV, Kicker, JBL all have their respective and current models out there.
It's always interesting to see reviews like this. I got back into the hobby because of a random ad for a skar all in one and was thinking that little box would add some bump to my factory system. Then I got bit by the bug
Love to see the Infinity Primus 1270B getting a test. Many years ago I had a similar looking Infinity, different driver but similar looking size to the 1270, think it was called a Kappa box. I had no money, no space, and no skill to build anything...that little Infinity got my younger self out of trouble. No spl monster obvious, but was tight, deep and accurate. And it didn't blow up.
I bought a couple of these Stage 12 SVC subs for just $100 recently. I got them for home use though. I needed something for DIY subwoofers in my surround sound system. These worked well for this. I built my own boxes. I’m posting this because I just wanted to say that for $50 a piece these are very good subwoofers. I don’t know squat about these JBL Sub boxPros though. However, if you want a good cheap sub for your home system then build a good tuned box and put one in it.
I got one of these all in one units. Gravity war zone powered sub, claims 1000w max watt comp sub. Haha maybe 100watts at the most. But it does its purpose. Made my stock system sound better. Was like $139 for the unit.
Due to your review, I paired a TopStrongGear TSG-1100.1D w/ a Kicker TL7T 12" 2ohm in my '22 Silverado. Not sure the SPL level, but it hits pretty damn good!
The model that was sold before this one was also tuned very high. It basically fell flat at anything below ~35 Hz, and just made excursion noise after that. I think that a sealed or a passive radiator version of this would have sounded way better, as well as being able to reproduce true subwoofer frequencies.
Haven't owned the older version, have heard a couple but did buy the newer version for a gf's car lol its night and day difference. Needless to say it went back to Amazon literally the very next day after delivery. Appreciate the review. Ty sir 👍
the vented box is way too small for the woofer. sealing the port would improve it a lot. most car subs actually would sound the best sealed because of the cabin gain of the car. the early roll off of the sub + cabin gain will have the flattest frequency response. You just need more subs to make it louder.
80hz is usually my cutoff for subwoofer frequency........ This is barely a subwoofer🤣 For a similar price you can grab a Skar 8" preloaded and amp which produces a much better sound for the money.
Best budget powered sub goes to the Rockford fosgate p300, followed by the p500. Best sealed powered sub is the audison prima. Best ported powered sub goes to the JL audio microsub+
It would seem this sub set up was put together by the accountants. The only probable reason to use an a/b amp is if that the plate amp already existed for home subwoofers and would be even cheaper since the a/c power supply is deleted. Delete the grille, grab an off the shelf box design, skip the tuning and you’re done.
@@2011joser Performance is a judgement call. A lot of people like it, some don't. You can't please everyone. Still, 129db is pretty impressive performance. BTW, the tuning frequency was around 38-40 hz. Bid D got that part wrong.
@@JasonWW2000 Do you work for JBL or own their products? The test clearly showed peak output at 73hz. Not shure how much you know about car audio but that is considered mid bass or mid range and would be cut out of the subwoofer signal by a crossover. A subwoofer that peaks at a frequency it doesn’t see when installed is a failure.
@@2011joser Be careful saying "clearly". Whats clear to you may not be clear to anyone else. The footage using the smd device was incorrect. He read it as 64hz when it was really 38hz. He removed that section from the video.
I have this sub in my system and I love it. Great for the price and has a good amount of bass. It hits hard for a single 12'. I have no complaints coming from a powered sub that's not too big and isn't crazy expensive.
It seems that the tuning frequency of the box is about 40Hz (lowest point between those two high peaks). I think the driver it self is probably a high-Q driver in a too small (reflex) box.
This new revision of the BassPro was an obvious cost cutting measure from the previous series it replaced. The cost went up at the same time, for a lesser product. The Bass knob felt cheap, and they eliminated the woofer protection. Seems to be the way a lot of Car audio is going in this rescission.
Hmm the driver can do 35Hz so the port tuning is fuked up on this. I only use big high quality sealed box enclosures with proper bracing. Sure it's not as loud (loud enough) but they go low and sound precise and you feel involved in the music even at moderate listening levels. Sealed > port > slot for SQ.
Wow. I have a teeny tiny class d amp made by kicker for the Dodge products. I think it was a 150 -200 watts at 1 ohm. Made 114 watts at 2 ohms. Made a single smaller sub sound decent. Had and sold at least 5 of them. No complaints.
Very first sub I had was a pioneer 10 in a 4th order bandpass box from Best Buy. The box was octagonal with plexiglass over the top of the sub. Was definitely the coolest that Best Buy had at the time.
I heard one of those back in the day, it sounded really good at the stereo shop that was selling them. I think quality has went down over the years in the car audio market (on things like these loaded powered “sub” boxes)
I’m disappointed with the power terminals on that as well as everything else. The Rockford PS-12 is not a lot more than this one, but the power gets weird into a plug that makes it easy to remove if you need the extra space. If you need to remove it for any reason you must remove the fuse otherwise you’ve got live wires hanging out back there
I have this installed in a 2019 VW Tiguan & have been disappointed with it since day one! For the size of the box I felt that it didn't have the low frequencies that I listen too & wasn't loud enough even when turned up! I'm using the stock deck with the converter & that doesn't help but I have a JL Audio 12 all in one in another car & it out performs the JBL hands down! Gonna swap it out a.s.a.p!
As I said about the Rockville. Companies have been trying for three decades to beat the value of the SAS Bazooka Amplified Tubes. Even when they used Class A/B amps they were hard to beat with Class D you don't even need direct battery power up to 100w. People are turned off by the design. Flat under seat subs don't work either, they are loud but don't get down. The physics don't lie unless you use the correct size port, radiator or a ton of amp power for tiny sealed enclosures, you can't beat a Bazooka Tube and that is why they still rate well on Amazon and Crutchfield with many repeat users coming back after trying other options. Dave I will send you a few tubes to test.
I've got one of the older Versions of this JBL box with the protection bars and the non-red logo and without a built-in amp, just passive box. Also the previous owner changed the JBL sub with a Sony Xplod ""1300 Watt"" (380W RMS) Subwoofer, which does actually look nicer to my eyes than the original woofer. By now I only have used it in the workplace office rather than in a car, but it does make a lot of stuff in the room go buzzing! Can't really measure the output, but my guess is that my box in that environment seems to be maxing at 55-ish Hz, at least thats when it sound the most boomy and rattly. Its quite a not-small room, high ceilings (old building with thick walls, Germany). The amp was just the cheapest i could get (new), Class AB Crunch GPX500.2 bridged, minimum 4 Ohm (which this woofer has) and 250W RMS at 14.4 Volts. I use it with a "rejected" 18Ah UPS battery at the moment. 12.7V on idle, 10.5 Volts on full boom, really dirty setup, but it is just for the lolz. Funnily, if you play 61Hz Sine Wave, the box starts moving backwards :D (not secured in the office) Maybe thats also around its peak? The whole setup cost me like 110€ incl. shipping and tax. Woofer + Box was 35€ used + 16€ shipping, rest is amp and cables. Must try it inside the company car, its a Nissan Primastar transporter, not-small hollow box with windows all-around.
i am cirious of what you would think of the Kicker pt250, had it in my car for a while and now my parents have it and it was a good speaker for the $250 that it cost.
Glad to see you still have the blaupunkt 1804bt! I love that amp I use it for a Bluetooth speaker at work powering two infinity reference 6x9s and a skar ix-10 on the bridge mode.
I would have guessed that Rockville would have appeared at the top for Amazon since they have been doing powered subwoofers for a while and seem to be the most popular. Though Rockville does have many different ones available, so maybe this confuses people and hence why they wouldn't be Amazon's top recommended.
@@jeffmccrady9456 Their subs are pretty good too, they always sell out of their shallow subs real quick. Rockville might be some of the best(along with Power Acoustik and NVX) when it comes to value and quality for the money. If you listen to people who have tried all kinds of brands like HiFiVega and HiFi Vector, they tend to rank Rockville subs highly. Many people hate on Rockville without having even tried them just because EXO made a video where he ran them at their inflated max numbers during a long period of time until they blew. But it is unfair to single them out because overrating and printing max power ratings all over the product to mislead people is something pretty much all budget brands have been doing as well as several middle of the road, more well known brands like Kenwood and Pioneer. Heck, in the mid 2010's even Alpine and JL were briefly doing it too.
I am finding a lot of (cheap) home audio speakers and amps are rated at 3 ohm loads. I would say that is how they are getting the 150W "stable" on this gadget.
The tunning frequency of the box is the lowest point of impedance between the two impedance peaks. At this case the tunning frequency is near 38 and not 65 as you said.
Man I got a early 2000s JBL home theater 10 from goodwill…and this thing BANGS in my bedroom, plate amp says 180w!! Plays down to 33hz strong I calculated the box to be tuned at 39hz
5 years ago I bought a Cyber Monday bundle for my old school Bug $350. Kicker 350 watt RMS class D, Polk 10” in a smaller sealed box than this JBL, wiring kit, JVC deck and 4 6.5” speakers from Sonic Electronix. It was hands down one of the most cost effective decent quality systems I ever bought. These kind of matched bundles are a way better deal
I think it's a great product it's a great supplemental entry level I heard one in a Chevy crossover but not for those who know what good base is but excellent for the price
Great video. Can you do a video on the previous active subwoofer with the cover you showed? I have it in my car and I'm very curious what it really does watt wise. It might be the same amp as the one in this video. If so let me know
I’ve been messing with car audio since 1983. I would say I was one of the first that was booming around town in an 81 Honda Civic hatchback with an alpine deck with a Lear Jet power booster eq. with a couple 12” Cerwin Vegas. (Loved that little car) I worked in a pro audio company for. Couple years and that is where I really amped my game up by installing pro speakers in my cars by 84-85. You would feel me coming down the road before I got there. Lol! JBL is not the same any more like most companies. It’s all about the shareholders and making money for them first. while delivering substandard😂 garbage that just makes the mark if that coming from over seas. The entire industry has left a real bad taste in my mouth. Nothing is the same and will be. A lot of these components cannot be modified or repaired since companies are geared to sell you a new piece instead of trying to repairing it because that is the throw away society we now live in. I feel bad for the younger generation that will never get to experience the fun that I had growing up.
Almost all pre-built bass boxes for cars have far too high tuning in the frequency response, so they play poorly with a one-note bass. This applies to both passive and active subwoofers. Another thing is that the boxes are often too small in terms of internal volume. So these so-called all-in-one pre-built bass boxes are better suited for those who just want a slightly more complementary sound than what is already in the car. Of course, it is also possible to modify this to see if it is possible to make it play better.
I've never understood the point of these powered subwoofers, how does it really make things easier? The hardest part of installing an amp and sub is running the wires which you still have to do with one of these?
So I kinda want to say this is one of those examples that "measure horrible but sound good". I've owned this exact subwoofer before, albeit the previous silver and black model with the grill/protection bars. Even though it's only measuring 120ish watts, this thing put out a stupid amount of bass. I had it in the trunk of a Dodge dart, tapped into the factory speaker outputs, and this thing really put out a ton of bass. If you had the gain anywhere above 25% it would drown out all the other speakers in the car and the whole cabin would just feel like it was submerged in bass. My biggest complaint was that at times, I found it difficult to perfectly blend it with the other speakers, but I believe the high tuning frequency (as well as a bit of 'operator error') was contributing to that.
I have almost every model of the Cadence self powered subs here. Hatchback, Slimline, tube, Bandpass , etc. I swear the same build house is building all of these for every company. Some of them look like the same form factor as this JBL. I ended up giving away 6 of them for free so far to my subscribers. If you would like to test any of the models as a A/B comparison against the JBL let me know and I cans send you one to test.
I have been asking for you to do this exact video as I have the previous model of the JBL GT 12 PRO and have always wondered how it would stack up on your list. I have been rocking it for over 5 years and it makes it into every car I swap to but I have always thought that if the amp blows or the subwoofer goes out I would keep the enclosure and just upgrade the either amp or the sub. You have given me options to build bigger. Thanks, Big D.
The older model of this comes with a metal bass Knob with a green light and the controls on the back of the amp the knobs are actually better quality and the overall build seems more quality with the older model 🤔
New management and new cost savings and this is the products you get. JbL used to be on top as well as Kenwood, pioneer. Seems kicker passed them up and left em in the dust
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*NOTE **_I made a mistake in the video. The box tuning frequency is around 38-40Hz as it is the low point between the two peaks (not 64Hz). I used the 2nd peak. I have since edited out that segment, but you will still see the text in the CONS portion. My apologies for the mistake. This error doesn't change my feelings about the sub_*
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Update on 1937 Ford: th-cam.com/video/5hDoPgsiEPE/w-d-xo.html
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VIDEO INDEX
0:00 INTRO
0:57 ALL IN ONE?
1:39 UNBOXING
2:45 FEATURES AND SPECS
4:35 IN CAR TESTS
7:45 REMOVING THE AMPLIFIER
8:29 AMP DYNO TEST
10:46 WHAT'S INSIDE?
11:55 PROS AND CONS
12:38 FINAL THOUGHTS
13:08 EXTRA TESTS
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This VIDEO was EDITED with LumaFusion on an iPad Pro 12.9:
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I’ve had this sub for couple months now and I’m not a professional but it did not disappoint!! It’s super punchy and the bass hits hard!!
i think maybe the version he got was different and was worse than ours because mine feels amazing
@@azurish7820 im not that technical just let me know JBL Basspro 12 Vs JBL Basspro nano who wins ?
😢
I'd be very interested to see this same sort of testing on one of those flat under-seat units
Same...
I’ve got a kicker hs8 and I’ve heard factory car stereos with louder/deeper bass than it puts out
Dont even waste ya time with em, I Tried them with my Ute. Sounded SHITTTThouse
Underseat subwoofer don't sound like a subwoofer should sound.
@@nearchd504 i know in older f1shittys with the sony sync stereo only the driver can hear the low bass from the subwoofer under the backseat on the passanger side. placement has alot to do with what frequecy you hear.
This is the one you've been missing D, way to step up the reviews game! This is why your the #1 go to on TH-cam for all things bass!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
amen!!!!
@@RJSDZNS amen!!!!
I bought it. I’m not an audio guy like that, but going from stock to this was amazing. I had a hard time dialing the setting in, which really made a difference. I have to keep messing with it. I’m sure it has more potential.
Me too buddy, me too. I'm constantly it based on what I'm listening to.
how high did u set the gain? i cant tell when im turning it up if its distorting or just getting louder
@@ajferri8978 I set mine a bit over half, I couldn't actually get the sound to be very distorted at all, but I felt anything past around 3 quarters is the loudness limit, so stay under there and you'll be good
The best prefab subwoofer & enclosure I've ever heard was the JBL PB1220 from about 2011. It was a JBL P1224 in a ported box tuned to 32Hz (no amp). It played super clean and loud. It sounded very tight for a ported box which was what I liked most about it.
I agree that was a really good one.
That line of subs is awesome. I ran a pair of 1022s a number of years back, super efficient subs with great output.
JBL use to be a safe bet. They've gone way down hill.
I'm running the p1222 off a 500w RMS Kenwood amp and it hits hard lol
@@luke144 The difference is that they used to have their own true lineup of subs. Now it seems they're all rebranded clones of Infinity models. Same goes for JBL amps and speakers.
I’d like to see the Rockford Fosgate powered subs and Kicker versions they had at SEMA 2022 reviewed. RF offers both sealed and ported versions. It would be interesting to see how they compared up against a budget setup of pre-made or even a DIY box with sub and amp. My guess would be you could build your own setup that would perform better for around the same price.
indeed!!
!
I've put the all in one Rockford P300-12 in 3 different cars and i've actually been pretty impressed by it.
I have this in my car! It's the sub that first got me interested in big bass! I love it a ton, especially for the price and the 45 minute install time. I'm planning to move it to my wifes car and build a box with an 18" to reach the lows! Thanks for reviewing this sub!
That woofer can handle way more than that amp can supply. Jbl was trippin putting that baby amp on a double stack 12
PLEASE do more of these powered sub reviews! I’m in the market for one right now so this couldn’t come at a better time!
Thanks for the suggestion!
If you want real bass do not buy a powered sub. Get a separate sub and amp.
Go with Skar audio, just picked up a 1500 watt amp and a 12 in sub from them for less than $350. thought my windshield was gonna break.
@@kayanthony3746 your windshield will never break with skar audio 🤣😅. Not even close to getting a windshield broken with the rms skar products produce.
@@DayV914 They're awesome!!! Way better than this little crappy JBL powered bs
😬😬😬 I’d be pretty disappointed if I bought this as well… Great video as always
yeah man totally a downer for a JBL product. This may be the first one I've reviewed I cannot recommend...
Yeah, I would not be happy with that box tuning. That's something I'd expect out of a Bluetooth "boom box" or something, not a subwoofer.
@@volvo09 that's kinda what they are known for isn't it?
Yea I am glad you did a review on this it looks nice and it looks like it would sound good. But now we know the real deal of it.
I ran three 10” RF in a sealed box in 2005. I don’t think they had different lines of subs just all the same. They were 150rms and I ran a Kicker Zr bridge to 1.3 ohms giving each sub 100 watts. To this day people still talk about how much that system slammed. Why is it so damn difficult for people to build a high quality product that is low in wattage?!!!!!! My 10” infinity kappa 1000s are rated at 400rms a piece and those 2 are INCREDIBLE for SQ and SPL. But most people can’t push 1000rms off thier stock . Miss the old days
I bought my first one at my local audio place and had them install it, it made it a year before it quit on me. I just got my 2nd in from Amazon for half the price I paid for it the first time
I thought it was pretty decent giving its a single 12 on 100-150 RMS. I bet this would work in tons of applications and especially for older cars with smaller charging systems.
I always thought the "saddle" between the two highest impedance points was the port-tuning point, so from your sweep somewhere in the high 40's. Guess I had misunderstood. Great video, and definitely valuable info for people in the market.
You're correct. For a vented subwoofer, Fb is at the lowest impedance point between the two impedance peaks.
yes, he noted his mistake today.
I’d love to see more of these type of products tested. Definitely an excellent choice like you said for budget minded and those with space confinement in their vehicle. Love all your videos Big D!!!
awesome idea!!
Not sure if anybody already mentioned it
But tuning frequency of a box is actually the minimum between those two impedance peaks. So in your case it appears to be around 44hz. Which is expectable from active prefab. And still too high, lol.
I corrected this and edited out the incorrect segment. Thanks for the feedback
This is a good honest review. I put one of these into a friends car and was soo disappointed. It sounded like it was tuned to 50hz. I told her it would take a while to break in, but we were both underwhelmed. A cheap amp/sub/box combo would be so much better.
I showed tuning later in the video and just noticed I forgot to add the video index…edit I need to remove the tuning portion. It’s tuned at 38Hz, I misread the instructions for the IMSG+ 🤦♂️
@@wal JBL is too good to be tuning boxes that high! This is a strange product by them. Some of those RECOIL options look more promising that this.
@@soldieroftafari I was wrong. It’s tuned to around 38Hz. I’m editing out that segment
I almost bought one of those years ago but ended up buying a Cerwin Vega underseat powered subwoofer.
It was boomy but looking back I'm impressed at the amount of bass it produced with basically no box.
This is a newer version because mine doesn't look like that. Look closely at the beginning of the video and you will see pictures of them with a silver dust cap. Those are the bangers! They are hard to find and I wish he had reviewed that model instead (maybe a throwback review).
@@forsale313 Im running the older sub in my house with a different box. Still sound sgreat
I actually have this same exact Powered Sub installed in my 2012 Infiniti G25 Journey With Some Kicker door speakers front and rear, sound deadening foam and 4 gage wire. I’m really happy with it, for a beginner subwoofer it doesn’t suck at all and I would buy it again. I’ve had it installed for a year now and no wear and tear, I’m actually going to get a subwoofer cover so I can start suing my trunk again, I’ve been lagging but it not having a factory cover is my only complaint from a first time sub buyer.
Go 8 gauge
@@DEEJAYAIR I did far better still bumping it to this day
I installed one in a friends gen 1 Tacoma. Wouldn’t have been my pick. But he liked the deal he got it for in store. He loved how it sounded.
This review is great!! those ready boxes has never tested by anyone, at least not properly tested as you did. Very good work.
exactly!
I had the older model in my last vehicle. I wasn’t expecting greatness but for an all in one I was pretty impressed . I recommend it.
I still have the older model had it for years as well very nice for the price and plenty of bass for the average person. Seems like they dropped build quality when they started shipping it out to Walmart and other places im not sure if they do anymore though
Awesome 👏
Obviously this is for mass consumption on a budget. For $220 it is what it is. My guess is it was designed to sold mostly on line because a side by side could comparison wouldn't yield much sales for this item. It's a beginner box. It has its place in the market but not for ppl like us. I wonder if it was designed for the south American market? Either way thanks for the video.
I have a Toyota that came with the JBL system, and thought about buying these woofers (just the woofers themselves) to put in my current box so I could say it's still an all JBL system lol
I love what you do and I just want to say thank you.
I have considered the sub in the past and it's awesome to see real world testing of this different equipment without having to buy all of it myself.
I made this suggestion for newer content, db test etc. I really like the change of pace Great Job!!!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I actually own this unit! Well.. the first generation with the silver color woofer. My expectations were low, but I was quite happy with it in the long run. Enough bump for me at least facing the trunk and out of phase. I was considering upgrading it with a dual coil woofer down the road.
Same, I had the old silver one from 2016. It was my first subwoofer and I was pretty happy with it, it did a good job except for the suuuper low notes
I want to see the Rockville RVB12.1A 12 500w @$145, Rockville Rws12ca Slim 1200 Watt 12" @$175, and the Belva BSAP112 660W Max Single 12" @$180.
Big D, JBL also makes the Basspro 12 hub. It actually fits in the spare tire in the hatch or trunk area. I have the Cerwin Vega VPAS 12st. (spare tire), and I love it. I have an '05 Acura RSX Type-S, and the Cerwin Vega fits perfectly in the recessed area of my spare. It was the perfect budget solution and space saving. The factory carpet fits nicely over it. Would love to see you do a review on either or both of these options. It's stealth bass for sure. Love your channel. I grew up in the late 80's and early 90's when bass was king. Yeah Boy!!
Thanks for the suggestion
@@wal would love to see some of these spare tire, all in one, bass hubs compared as well. CV, Kicker, JBL all have their respective and current models out there.
I agree with you Jbl usually has quality products, I used to have a Dual 8" 300w all in one bandpass that sounded amazing!
I have the un powered one with a 12 . It is decent sounding for the price. It did need to break in .
It's always interesting to see reviews like this. I got back into the hobby because of a random ad for a skar all in one and was thinking that little box would add some bump to my factory system. Then I got bit by the bug
For the same price point, what amp and subwoofer combo would you recommend that makes a better bang for the buck?
Love to see the Infinity Primus 1270B getting a test. Many years ago I had a similar looking Infinity, different driver but similar looking size to the 1270, think it was called a Kappa box.
I had no money, no space, and no skill to build anything...that little Infinity got my younger self out of trouble.
No spl monster obvious, but was tight, deep and accurate. And it didn't blow up.
I bought a couple of these Stage 12 SVC subs for just $100 recently. I got them for home use though. I needed something for DIY subwoofers in my surround sound system. These worked well for this. I built my own boxes. I’m posting this because I just wanted to say that for $50 a piece these are very good subwoofers. I don’t know squat about these JBL Sub boxPros though. However, if you want a good cheap sub for your home system then build a good tuned box and put one in it.
I got one of these all in one units. Gravity war zone powered sub, claims 1000w max watt comp sub. Haha maybe 100watts at the most. But it does its purpose. Made my stock system sound better. Was like $139 for the unit.
Due to your review, I paired a TopStrongGear TSG-1100.1D w/ a Kicker TL7T 12" 2ohm in my '22 Silverado.
Not sure the SPL level, but it hits pretty damn good!
It would be cool to see you test a.... Rockford Fosgate p500 12p
Thanks for the suggestion!
The model that was sold before this one was also tuned very high. It basically fell flat at anything below ~35 Hz, and just made excursion noise after that. I think that a sealed or a passive radiator version of this would have sounded way better, as well as being able to reproduce true subwoofer frequencies.
Haven't owned the older version, have heard a couple but did buy the newer version for a gf's car lol its night and day difference. Needless to say it went back to Amazon literally the very next day after delivery.
Appreciate the review.
Ty sir 👍
Thanks for watching and commenting!
the vented box is way too small for the woofer. sealing the port would improve it a lot. most car subs actually would sound the best sealed because of the cabin gain of the car. the early roll off of the sub + cabin gain will have the flattest frequency response. You just need more subs to make it louder.
80hz is usually my cutoff for subwoofer frequency........ This is barely a subwoofer🤣 For a similar price you can grab a Skar 8" preloaded and amp which produces a much better sound for the money.
Best budget powered sub goes to the Rockford fosgate p300, followed by the p500.
Best sealed powered sub is the audison prima.
Best ported powered sub goes to the JL audio microsub+
Phoenix Gold makes a pretty great one as well, worth checking out
Sealed yes. I had a box like this with a single 12" JL W6. I closed the port. It came alive.
It would seem this sub set up was put together by the accountants. The only probable reason to use an a/b amp is if that the plate amp already existed for home subwoofers and would be even cheaper since the a/c power supply is deleted. Delete the grille, grab an off the shelf box design, skip the tuning and you’re done.
they actually put a lot of effort into it to create a decent product at rock bottom prices.
@@JasonWW2000 as the test showed, whatever effort they put in delivered on price but clearly not on performance.
@@2011joser Performance is a judgement call. A lot of people like it, some don't. You can't please everyone. Still, 129db is pretty impressive performance. BTW, the tuning frequency was around 38-40 hz. Bid D got that part wrong.
@@JasonWW2000 Do you work for JBL or own their products? The test clearly showed peak output at 73hz. Not shure how much you know about car audio but that is considered mid bass or mid range and would be cut out of the subwoofer signal by a crossover. A subwoofer that peaks at a frequency it doesn’t see when installed is a failure.
@@2011joser Be careful saying "clearly". Whats clear to you may not be clear to anyone else. The footage using the smd device was incorrect. He read it as 64hz when it was really 38hz. He removed that section from the video.
I have this sub in my system and I love it. Great for the price and has a good amount of bass. It hits hard for a single 12'. I have no complaints coming from a powered sub that's not too big and isn't crazy expensive.
Awesome 👏
You should check out the Massive audio All in one systems , they look promising !
It seems that the tuning frequency of the box is about 40Hz (lowest point between those two high peaks). I think the driver it self is probably a high-Q driver in a too small (reflex) box.
You’re correct and I screwed up. I’ll remove that segment
@@wal He's right , it's the low point between the peaks. just watched the SMD vid on that
@@neal00 yes my bad! I’ll edit out that segment
This new revision of the BassPro was an obvious cost cutting measure from the previous series it replaced. The cost went up at the same time, for a lesser product. The Bass knob felt cheap, and they eliminated the woofer protection. Seems to be the way a lot of Car audio is going in this rescission.
I got an edge all in 1 900 watt woofer, and it cost £90 its actually brilliant the whole car shakes
Hmm the driver can do 35Hz so the port tuning is fuked up on this. I only use big high quality sealed box enclosures with proper bracing. Sure it's not as loud (loud enough) but they go low and sound precise and you feel involved in the music even at moderate listening levels. Sealed > port > slot for SQ.
can you please take a look at the Rockford fosgate p300? I've read good things but I value your opinion!
Thanks for the suggestion
Nice to see the all in one getting tested. Keep them coming. Sad that this one is horribly tuned.
It was actually tuned to around 40hz
Wow. I have a teeny tiny class d amp made by kicker for the Dodge products. I think it was a 150 -200 watts at 1 ohm. Made 114 watts at 2 ohms. Made a single smaller sub sound decent. Had and sold at least 5 of them. No complaints.
👌😬👍
3:47 ok I really like how you showcased this right here
👌😬👍
Slipstream series are ok.. But not for hard hitters... Its just ok for descent hearing.. I have 150 RMS thing.. 3:28
Very first sub I had was a pioneer 10 in a 4th order bandpass box from Best Buy. The box was octagonal with plexiglass over the top of the sub. Was definitely the coolest that Best Buy had at the time.
I heard one of those back in the day, it sounded really good at the stereo shop that was selling them. I think quality has went down over the years in the car audio market (on things like these loaded powered “sub” boxes)
@@Hammerback0 it was very impressive for the time.
I would luv to see what the Cerwin Vega all in one does.
I have one in my little Camry commuter car and it sounds pretty damn good in my opinion. It's plenty for the price in my opinion
Bro do the Rockford Fosgate powered subwoofers. Expect a lot of views with these type of subs.
Thanks for the suggestion
I’m disappointed with the power terminals on that as well as everything else. The Rockford PS-12 is not a lot more than this one, but the power gets weird into a plug that makes it easy to remove if you need the extra space. If you need to remove it for any reason you must remove the fuse otherwise you’ve got live wires hanging out back there
I have this installed in a 2019 VW Tiguan & have been disappointed with it since day one! For the size of the box I felt that it didn't have the low frequencies that I listen too & wasn't loud enough even when turned up! I'm using the stock deck with the converter & that doesn't help but I have a JL Audio 12 all in one in another car & it out performs the JBL hands down! Gonna swap it out a.s.a.p!
That's probably the slickest box opening I've seen in a while 😆👍👍 Thank you for the videos D!
🤣👍
As I said about the Rockville. Companies have been trying for three decades to beat the value of the SAS Bazooka Amplified Tubes.
Even when they used Class A/B amps they were hard to beat with Class D you don't even need direct battery power up to 100w.
People are turned off by the design. Flat under seat subs don't work either, they are loud but don't get down.
The physics don't lie unless you use the correct size port, radiator or a ton of amp power for tiny sealed enclosures, you can't beat a Bazooka Tube and that is why they still rate well on Amazon and Crutchfield with many repeat users coming back after trying other options.
Dave I will send you a few tubes to test.
Can anyone tell me if the rocksford fosgate p300-12 is better than this?
I've got one of the older Versions of this JBL box with the protection bars and the non-red logo and without a built-in amp, just passive box. Also the previous owner changed the JBL sub with a Sony Xplod ""1300 Watt"" (380W RMS) Subwoofer, which does actually look nicer to my eyes than the original woofer.
By now I only have used it in the workplace office rather than in a car, but it does make a lot of stuff in the room go buzzing!
Can't really measure the output, but my guess is that my box in that environment seems to be maxing at 55-ish Hz, at least thats when it sound the most boomy and rattly.
Its quite a not-small room, high ceilings (old building with thick walls, Germany).
The amp was just the cheapest i could get (new), Class AB Crunch GPX500.2 bridged, minimum 4 Ohm (which this woofer has) and 250W RMS at 14.4 Volts.
I use it with a "rejected" 18Ah UPS battery at the moment. 12.7V on idle, 10.5 Volts on full boom, really dirty setup, but it is just for the lolz.
Funnily, if you play 61Hz Sine Wave, the box starts moving backwards :D (not secured in the office) Maybe thats also around its peak?
The whole setup cost me like 110€ incl. shipping and tax.
Woofer + Box was 35€ used + 16€ shipping, rest is amp and cables.
Must try it inside the company car, its a Nissan Primastar transporter, not-small hollow box with windows all-around.
i am cirious of what you would think of the Kicker pt250, had it in my car for a while and now my parents have it and it was a good speaker for the $250 that it cost.
Thanks for the suggestion
@@wal Of course, your channel is really good and clear with its results, can't wait to see what next all-in-one systems you review.
You could check the resistance of the speaker, meeter on ohms would tell you the load the amp sees.
I'd like to see a rockford version of these kind of subs
Thanks for the suggestion
What kind of glue do they use on circuit boards?
It's nice seeing you pulling out those nice toys you used to measure the woofer and box. Makes me jelly. Great job, as always.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Big D, please compare it to the *Rockford Fosgate Punch P300-12* please!
Glad to see you still have the blaupunkt 1804bt! I love that amp I use it for a Bluetooth speaker at work powering two infinity reference 6x9s and a skar ix-10 on the bridge mode.
Wow you don’t miss a thing!
I would have guessed that Rockville would have appeared at the top for Amazon since they have been doing powered subwoofers for a while and seem to be the most popular. Though Rockville does have many different ones available, so maybe this confuses people and hence why they wouldn't be Amazon's top recommended.
yeah! i heard they got decent amps, but the rest??? i got freinds not to happy with them.
@@jeffmccrady9456 Their subs are pretty good too, they always sell out of their shallow subs real quick. Rockville might be some of the best(along with Power Acoustik and NVX) when it comes to value and quality for the money. If you listen to people who have tried all kinds of brands like HiFiVega and HiFi Vector, they tend to rank Rockville subs highly.
Many people hate on Rockville without having even tried them just because EXO made a video where he ran them at their inflated max numbers during a long period of time until they blew. But it is unfair to single them out because overrating and printing max power ratings all over the product to mislead people is something pretty much all budget brands have been doing as well as several middle of the road, more well known brands like Kenwood and Pioneer. Heck, in the mid 2010's even Alpine and JL were briefly doing it too.
I am finding a lot of (cheap) home audio speakers and amps are rated at 3 ohm loads. I would say that is how they are getting the 150W "stable" on this gadget.
Review the powered Rockford subs.
Very thorough review of this product! Top notch as always.
The tunning frequency of the box is the lowest point of impedance between the two impedance peaks. At this case the tunning frequency is near 38 and not 65 as you said.
You are correct!! I’m editing out that part here shortly.
Please keep doing powered woofer reviews. Always interested in seeing how decent the woofer and amp is
Man I got a early 2000s JBL home theater 10 from goodwill…and this thing BANGS in my bedroom, plate amp says 180w!! Plays down to 33hz strong I calculated the box to be tuned at 39hz
Awesome 👏
5 years ago I bought a Cyber Monday bundle for my old school Bug $350. Kicker 350 watt RMS class D, Polk 10” in a smaller sealed box than this JBL, wiring kit, JVC deck and 4 6.5” speakers from Sonic Electronix. It was hands down one of the most cost effective decent quality systems I ever bought. These kind of matched bundles are a way better deal
👌😬👍
Rockville makes the best all in one systems that I've ever had.
Which one?
I think it's a great product it's a great supplemental entry level I heard one in a Chevy crossover but not for those who know what good base is but excellent for the price
Correct me if i'm wrong but, that 150W RMS, 450Wmax is for the speaker and not the amp. That's why there's no ohm load listed.
No the power spec is for the amp not the speaker
Great video. Can you do a video on the previous active subwoofer with the cover you showed? I have it in my car and I'm very curious what it really does watt wise. It might be the same amp as the one in this video. If so let me know
I’ve been messing with car audio since 1983. I would say I was one of the first that was booming around town in an 81 Honda Civic hatchback with an alpine deck with a Lear Jet power booster eq. with a couple 12” Cerwin Vegas. (Loved that little car) I worked in a pro audio company for. Couple years and that is where I really amped my game up by installing pro speakers in my cars by 84-85. You would feel me coming down the road before I got there. Lol!
JBL is not the same any more like most companies. It’s all about the shareholders and making money for them first. while delivering substandard😂 garbage that just makes the mark if that coming from over seas.
The entire industry has left a real bad taste in my mouth. Nothing is the same and will be.
A lot of these components cannot be modified or repaired since companies are geared to sell you a new piece instead of trying to repairing it because that is the throw away society we now live in.
I feel bad for the younger generation that will never get to experience the fun that I had growing up.
👌😬👍
Almost all pre-built bass boxes for cars have far too high tuning in the frequency response, so they play poorly with a one-note bass. This applies to both passive and active subwoofers. Another thing is that the boxes are often too small in terms of internal volume. So these so-called all-in-one pre-built bass boxes are better suited for those who just want a slightly more complementary sound than what is already in the car. Of course, it is also possible to modify this to see if it is possible to make it play better.
It’s true most people looking at these just want a little extra bump
Next test subject:
Bazooka MBTA10250D - Marine 10 inch 250 watt Class D Amplified Tube
Thanks for the suggestion
I've never understood the point of these powered subwoofers, how does it really make things easier? The hardest part of installing an amp and sub is running the wires which you still have to do with one of these?
I think you should test out the Rockford p300-12
So I kinda want to say this is one of those examples that "measure horrible but sound good".
I've owned this exact subwoofer before, albeit the previous silver and black model with the grill/protection bars.
Even though it's only measuring 120ish watts, this thing put out a stupid amount of bass. I had it in the trunk of a Dodge dart, tapped into the factory speaker outputs, and this thing really put out a ton of bass. If you had the gain anywhere above 25% it would drown out all the other speakers in the car and the whole cabin would just feel like it was submerged in bass.
My biggest complaint was that at times, I found it difficult to perfectly blend it with the other speakers, but I believe the high tuning frequency (as well as a bit of 'operator error') was contributing to that.
Thanks for the input
I have almost every model of the Cadence self powered subs here. Hatchback, Slimline, tube, Bandpass , etc. I swear the same build house is building all of these for every company. Some of them look like the same form factor as this JBL. I ended up giving away 6 of them for free so far to my subscribers. If you would like to test any of the models as a A/B comparison against the JBL let me know and I cans send you one to test.
Thanks for the offer. Cadence has reached out and will send me one. I’ll check into that
I have been asking for you to do this exact video as I have the previous model of the JBL GT 12 PRO and have always wondered how it would stack up on your list. I have been rocking it for over 5 years and it makes it into every car I swap to but I have always thought that if the amp blows or the subwoofer goes out I would keep the enclosure and just upgrade the either amp or the sub. You have given me options to build bigger. Thanks, Big D.
Did you see that Kicker is bringing back the A Series?!!!! So cool. Wish it had the gold kangaroo logo but it’s still the gold print.
The older model of this comes with a metal bass Knob with a green light and the controls on the back of the amp the knobs are actually better quality and the overall build seems more quality with the older model 🤔
That Ford is purty! 🤗
Thanks brother!
New management and new cost savings and this is the products you get. JbL used to be on top as well as Kenwood, pioneer. Seems kicker passed them up and left em in the dust
How did compare to the Walmart one you did a few years ago. I believe it was under 100 bucks. Might have been a Boss. 300 watt
Do the fosgate all in one review
Thanks for the suggestion