Suitable 12" or 15" drivers for HT use - similar to the SUB1500 or the 8400P woofer

I am not having much luck digging up anything on my own, much less something I can actually still buy from Harman.

I have some PT800 satellites and am looking to make a pair of DIY subs to substitute for the PS1400's. They may be used as conventional subs but I would like the appearance to line up just in case I want to use a docked arrangement as was originally intended.

I need more HT-ish performance than the LE14H-3 / PS1400 can provide, not to mention the cost issues and burden of trying to find them.

I believe a pair of L8400P's would be almost perfect for my wants but the cost is high - I'm not particularly fond of JBL's plate amplifiers and think I have a very good chance of getting better results out of the same ~$1,200-$1800 cost of two new L8400P's.

I tried contacting Harman about the 12" L8400P woofer but it is not available. I believe I would be happy with that and the looks would work out well, but it is not available so there you go.

There are some GREAT pictures of SUB1500 DIY boxes built for the exact same purpose as me... but that driver is also long past available.

So, I'm now looking for suggestions. Any ideas? Limited to ~3 cu ft boxes.

I might be persuaded to sell a pair of W1500H's. They aren't cheap though.

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Originally Posted by Slare

I need more HT-ish performance than the LE14H-3 / PS1400 can provide, not to mention the cost issues and burden of trying to find them.

So, I'm now looking for suggestions. Any ideas? Limited to ~3 cu ft boxes.

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The Sub1500 is by far the best choice. It will dig down very deep yet it sounds quite musical... it isn't just a bass pump like a Velodyne or Sunfire. Sub1500s do show up here and on eBay from time to time. If you can't find any Sub1500s at a price you are willing to pay you should seriously consider the W1500H. It is the newer updated Sub1500. It is still made, but JBL really doesn't encourage driver sales these days. I don't know what they'd cost, but I imagine they would be well over $500 each.

I do have a few extra Sub1500s, but would only sell them at a price that would make it worth loosing them... say $800 pair. If you offer to buy Sub1500s at a price somewhat above the bargain basement $250 each that Parts Express blew them out at, you might find other Sub1500s would show up... I expect there are others here who might be willing to part with a pair.


Widget

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Originally Posted by Mr. Widget

The Sub1500 is by far the best choice. It will dig down very deep yet it sounds quite musical... it isn't just a bass pump like a Velodyne or Sunfire. Sub1500s do show up here and on eBay from time to time.


Widget

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I'll second that, I wish I had bought more than two. The SUB1500 was designed by Revel and used in the revel SUB15, to give you an idea how good they are.
Definitely worth keeping an eye open for them.

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Originally Posted by jblsound

The SUB1500 was designed by Revel

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By JBL for Revel.

It's actually a bit more complicated now, all the engineers are in the Harman talent pool so they design for both. Only Greg and his counterpart at Revel remain brand specific for the time being.

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Originally Posted by 4313B

By JBL for Revel.

It's actually a bit more complicated now, all the engineers are in the Harman talent pool so they design for both. Only Greg and his counterpart at Revel remain brand specific for the time being.

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Well, if they had to keep someone brand-specific, they kept the right guy.

Oh yeah, getting back on topic, you asked about 12" drivers. The Al driver in the HTPS400 can be utilized in a pretty small, sealed enclosure with stunning results. The price is also stunning.

The part number and price:

336063-001 Woofer 12" $708.82

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Originally Posted by Mr. Widget

The Sub1500 is by far the best choice.

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How do the 1500 Array subs compare to these? Weren't the 1400 Array subs once suggested by JBL as a substitute for the PS1400?

I did a little more digging and realized this topic has sort of been beaten to death though from different angles. I apologize for that.

Back on topic:

Holy crap $700? I'm willing to suffer a premium for matching aesthetics (L8400P) or brand loyalty (1500's or the like) but a $700 driver is a bit much. Might as well buy complete 8400's for that or just cut and go to a svs or hsu.

I think it is just plain silly you can't order a 8400P driver. I mean they still make them, the looks would be perfect, and I figured they would probably be reasonably priced.

I guess I need to find the fella out there that has a couple 8400's with bad amps he wants to get rid of. Or someone with 1500's that can use the PS1400 I have... suppose it's a good thing I'm not in a hurry.

Oh, and I hate to bring this up, but I could see settling for P1222's (a car driver). Like a budget mkii with 95% of the performance at half the price and without the ridiculous weight. Not to mention the obvious fact I can just you know... buy them. Why is actually being able to find an buy JBL stuff such a problem!

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Originally Posted by 4313B

I might be persuaded to sell a pair of W1500H's. They aren't cheap though.

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Hey 4313B,

I sent you a PM a few weeks back regarding the W1500H - please let me know if you received it. Please shoot me an PM and let you know your asking price.

Thanks,
Dhar

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Originally Posted by Slare

I did a little more digging and realized this topic has sort of been beaten to death though from different angles. I apologize for that.

Back on topic:

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Why should you be different from everyone else? :D

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Originally Posted by Slare

Holy crap $700? I'm willing to suffer a premium for matching aesthetics (L8400P) or brand loyalty (1500's or the like) but a $700 driver is a bit much. Might as well buy complete 8400's for that or just cut and go to a svs or hsu.

I think it is just plain silly you can't order a 8400P driver. I mean they still make them, the looks would be perfect, and I figured they would probably be reasonably priced.

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Considering you can be patient, why not just cherry pick a couple of L8400P units off ebay? I got a refurb for $300+ that I use with a pair of PT800s in a stereo set. It works well, though two might be better. Mark (mikeronesia) uses a pair with the PT800s I sold him, and I think he's very happy.

Hmm... I checked ebay but due to their now crappy auction history life I couldn't find anything near that low. I do remember watching them some time ago and it seemed like Harman would dump them on there in bunches. A pair under 7 bills would be purty attractive... Mike's setup looks real nice imho.

It's hard to tell from photos, are the PT800 and L8400 trim rings actually the same color? Seems like it might be more silver...