Is the JBL PS1400 subwoofer any good?

[kenratboy]

Lets say I could get one for VERY cheap (under $750), should I? Otherwise, it might be an SVS sub. It will be mostly for music, and not as much for movies. My room is 13' X 13'6 X 9', so not very big. I worry that the bass responce (rated at 28 Hz. -6 dB.) might suck, but maybe these numbers are realistic, and in room responce might be much lower.

Any input is appreciated!!!

[Mr. Widget]

For under $750 you could get a Sub 1500, enclosure and plate amp from Parts Express. This combo would stomp an SVS or PS 1400 both for music and for movies.

[kenratboy]

But building the box is the hard part.

[Mr. Widget]

PE sells sub box kits that you assemble. I am sure that you could bang one out pretty quickly. They have cheap ones that are raw MDF and nicer ones that are more finished looking. Check out their site.

It would be a shame for you to miss out on these Sub 1500s. I haven't checked recently, but I would guess they are getting near the end of their supply.

Widget

[kenratboy]

Well, a 3 cu. ft. box, ported, gives like a 30 Hz. tuning frequency. A sealed one gives me like 60 Hz. I cannot build one myself (cost of tools, and no skill), it seems like it would be more trouble than its worth.

Also, even if I built a box (the quality probably would be shameful), making it look somewhat decent would be hard.

Lets also not forget the cost of the amp.

[Don C]

You just want one sub? Last time I was at the web page for Jeff's sound values, they had a Citation 7.4 subwoofer available for a lot less than 750. A demo. It's a passive sub with a 14 inch JBL woofer, very similar to the one in the PS1400. The deal that you are talking about on the PS 1400 sounds like it is better than any that I have seen. Do they have the full range panels available too? Are they reliable sellers or eBay flakes? I have seen some deals on eBay, but I wouldn't send that much money unless I could get them local. I would be worried about fraud. I think that Don has written some nice things about that Performance series system.

[kenratboy]

Let me be blunt - don't worry about if they are real or not. They are.

All I want to know is are they good? I could get the full system, but it would be over $2,000 for the subs and panels.

I was just looking at the subwoofer.

[Mr. Widget]

Originally posted by kenratboy

All I want to know is are they good?

Sure! It is just that the Sub 1500 is more musical and more powerful.


Is it worth $750??? Maybe, but not to me.

Widget

[4313B]

Originally posted by kenratboy
All I want to know is are they good?Yes, they are excellent. The entire Performance Series is excellent.

Originally posted by kenratboy
I worry that the bass responce (rated at 28 Hz. -6 dB.) might suck, but maybe these numbers are realistic, and in room responce might be much lower.Then get a pair of 1500 SUB's from Parts Express and stick them in your 4648. Block off the ports to run sealed. If that doesn't give you what you want then vent the 4648 and tune it to something like 22 Hz. You'll have to run each driver with it's own amp unless you can find an amp that is stable into a 1.9 ohm load. I can't imagine you being happy with a single PS1400.

[mikebake]

Giskard, you have measured as low as 1.9 ohm onthe sub1500's, eh? Where does that occur at?

[kenratboy]

Well, 2 of those drivers are $500, a good amp is probably another $500, and an ART351 or Rane is $200, 300.

I really wish I could, but a bit pricey.

I know it would be good, though! ;)

[4313B]

Originally posted by mikebake
Giskard, you have measured as low as 1.9 ohm onthe sub1500's, eh? Where does that occur at? 3.98 ohms at 80 Hz so 1.99 ohms for two in parallel.

[mikebake]

Gotcha! + - 4 ohm load per driver shouldn't pose problems for most amps, I'd think. Maybe one of the PE jobbies still fits the bill................

[John Y.]

Originally posted by Giskard
Then get a pair of 1500 SUB's from Parts Express and stick them in your 4648. Block off the ports to run sealed. If that doesn't give you what you want then vent the 4648 and tune it to something like 22 Hz.

Giskard,

Can a 1500 SUB be mounted along with a 2226 in the same 4648 enclosure with 22 Hz tuning? What is the downside to two very different drivers sharing the same enclosure - Mud? I assume each driver would be driven by separate amps and filtered so that the 2226 would roll off below, say, 60 Hz and the 1500 SUB rolled off above 60 Hz. I suppose the 2226 would behave sort of like a passive driver below it's cutoff and might exceed it's permissible excursion?

The whole thing makes me wish I had bought one more 4648 at around $200 from the tent sale just to use the enclosure. Of course, we didn't know about the 1500 SUB at the time. Hindsight!!

John Y.

[4313B]

I personally try to avoid placing similar drivers in common volumes and never put dissimilar drivers in common volumes. I think it would be fun to watch a 1500 SUB blow the cone of a 2226 out onto the floor though. Just as long as it wasn't mine :p

[John Y.]

Originally posted by Giskard
I personally try to avoid placing similar drivers in common volumes and never put dissimilar drivers in common volumes. I think it would be fun to watch a 1500 SUB blow the cone of a 2226 out onto the floor though. Just as long as it wasn't mine :p

Giskard,

:flamer: Boy, is my face red! You could see I was alluding to the possibility that the 2226 might overextend its excursion limit, but I never thought it might be this bad. :confused:

:( Bad idea!! I promise to return to the idea of placing a single 1500 SUB into my old C37 cabinet. I have the details worked out: 2x4's on top, bottom and side panels (lengthwise) for rigidity; 1 1/2 front and 1 1/4 rear panels; two 2x4's front / back panel braces.

I figure the final actual volume to be right at 5 cu ft with all bracing subtracted, but no driver accounted for. Fiberglas should even that out so that I will be right at an effective 5 cu ft.

Thanks for your kind (but necessarily blunt) assistance in keeping me on the right path.

John Y. :)