JL Audio hifi subwoofer match for my system


My McIntosh MA8950 is connected to a pair of Sonus faber Olympica Nova IIIs in a 3000 cubic foot listening room where I listen mainly to jazz and classical music.  I am considering a pair of JL Audio e112 subwoofers.

Please comment on whether those subwoofers are sufficient for the size of my listening room, and are a good match for my system.

jrdavisphd

I got a newly released HSU VTF-TN1 this summer and it is fantastic.  And I like the more vertical footprint of the cabinet.

@upstateaudiophile I understand your frustration. How long of a warranty do you feel JL Audio should provide?

@m-db at least 5 years. I was so disappointed especially for how much they cost. The Martin Logan’s that were 1500$ each integrate with my Wilson speakers perfectly and have been flawless. Someone on here said “friends don’t let friends buy JL”.

I have a pair of JL Audio d110 subs and am very happy with the sound integrating with my main speakers. No issues. 

You have a fine set of speakers. Unless you are willing to put a two way crossover with digital bass management into your system you stand a good chance of making things worse. Subwoofers add the most kick when they are crossed between 80 and 100 Hz. Adding them below 40 Hz is silly. There is not much music down there! It also does not help your main speakers. Taking the low bass out of them significantly lowers distortion and can increase head room if the speakers are limited by their woofers. The JLs do have reliability issues and they are not up to date designs. The best subs now use opposing drivers in a "balanced force" configuration. Examples are the Martin Logan BF 212 and BF210, the KEF KC 92, and the Magico Titan handily the best commercial sub made costing a mear $32,000 which is why I made my own https://imgur.com/gallery/building-resonance-free-subwoofers-dOTF3cS

In your system a MiniDSP crossover and two KC 92s will do the job, but two BF212s would really kick a--.