Lots of good questions nineballg.
The JL Audio W7 series (car audio) woofers are the same woofers used in the Fathom series home audio subs. Are they great you ask? In a nutshell - HELL YES. These woofers are massive and very well built and the price of the woofer alone reflects it.
Will they compare to the Fathom series? The woofers are the same but the Fathom is a combination of woofer, electronics with room correction built in, an electronic crossover, an amp, and a box built to work in conjunction with all of the above.
If you want to build a home sub with one of those drivers, you can, but it will be different from the Fathom unit. It may be similar but basically you can not practically build a Fathom. You can build something to get similar results but the beauty of the Fathom is the built in room equalization and the convenience and look of the home unit. The amount of power you need depends on how loud you want them to play. If you have the JBL amp already, try it before you buy anything else.
Instead of building a box, (unless you have way to much time on your hands) get one from ebay or elsewhere that is built to JL specifications specifically for that woofer. They are relatively cheap and can be bought as ported or sealed. If you want to build your own, go to JL's website and under the mobile audio section, download the owners manual for the woofer and they tell you exactly what size box to build. You do not need a passive radiator. I would stick with what JL recommends in their manual.
The JL Audio W7 series (car audio) woofers are the same woofers used in the Fathom series home audio subs. Are they great you ask? In a nutshell - HELL YES. These woofers are massive and very well built and the price of the woofer alone reflects it.
Will they compare to the Fathom series? The woofers are the same but the Fathom is a combination of woofer, electronics with room correction built in, an electronic crossover, an amp, and a box built to work in conjunction with all of the above.
If you want to build a home sub with one of those drivers, you can, but it will be different from the Fathom unit. It may be similar but basically you can not practically build a Fathom. You can build something to get similar results but the beauty of the Fathom is the built in room equalization and the convenience and look of the home unit. The amount of power you need depends on how loud you want them to play. If you have the JBL amp already, try it before you buy anything else.
Instead of building a box, (unless you have way to much time on your hands) get one from ebay or elsewhere that is built to JL specifications specifically for that woofer. They are relatively cheap and can be bought as ported or sealed. If you want to build your own, go to JL's website and under the mobile audio section, download the owners manual for the woofer and they tell you exactly what size box to build. You do not need a passive radiator. I would stick with what JL recommends in their manual.