Repair JL Audio F112 or buy new Rhythmic, SVS, or ??

I'll add Hsu to my list. Thanks!

I did a bunch of research for a friend on a new sub.  JL Audio makes really good subs (even though it appears that electronics may not be spec'd great).  I think the main reason to switch away from JLAudio is if you want to get a vented sub.  There's a difference in sonic signature between sealed and vented.  Sealed subs are extremely clean sounding, but for some personal tastes, they are too clean and can come across almost artificial (hearing bass tones that sound almost like an artificial sine wave instead of a natural resonating instrument).  Sealed subs also require more power and an EQ adjustment to boost lower frequencies because the sealed box/driver is not able to do the lower frequencies without help.

Vented subs are more power efficient for the lower frequencies.  They also have a meatier sound to the bass tones.  You may or may not like/want this type of sound (I would prefer vented/ported subs myself).  There's also industry controversy that state vented/ported subs create more distortion (which could be true and is a characteristic of the meatier sound).

SVS vented subs have a particular sonic signature that is popular among the more "consumer electronics" BestBuy type of home theater crowd.  It's hard to explain, but it's a type of boomy or a type of resonance that kind of takes over the whole sound.  Some people like it, but I personally don't.

Another thing to watch out for is port resonance on certain subs.  The Hsu subs with those triangle ports create a lot of "chuffing" port wind resonance.  Some other subs, such as Klipch, also have this.

The Rythmik subs are probably about the best audiophile type vented subs I have found.  That's what I would recommend if you wanted to go vented.

An example of what this port chuffing sounds like is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLVlAm_ZpeA


Here's the same demo sound with a Rythmik sub.  It's using a Rythmik LV12R, which is a rear ported sub, so the audio may not be picking up any chuffing that the sub may be producing, but the video shows what this should sound like without the port chuffing resonance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4mc4CxPiak

thanks.

The Hsu subs come with port foam to seal them, and I've never heard any chuffing at all. 

Chuffing happens when air velocity is too high, which is reduced with bigger ports.  The ports on the HSU 15" subs are gigantic.

Having said this, in a modest living room, sealing them often results in smoother low end (16-32 Hz) response.

Thanks again, guys, for the comments. A lot to mull over.