JBL B380 Sub - looking for comments..

[chilledspode]

What the heck!?

Just before I replied to John I did an ebay search and it produced nothing .. weird

Thanks Doug, I am on it!

Mark

[johnaec]

Just before I replied to John I did an ebay search and it produced nothing .. weird

You probably searched on "L8400P" and the listings Doug posted are "L8400 P". Your best bet is to search on "JBL L8400" - that'll get them all.

John

[johnaec]

How do the 12" subs L8400P/ES250P/HTPS400 compare against eachother?

I've only heard the L8400P, but as far as comparisons go, I imagine their quality follows their list prices.

John

[Titanium Dome]

You probably searched on "L8400P" and the listings Doug posted are "L8400 P". Your best bet is to search on "JBL L8400" - that'll get them all.

John

I use "L8400*" and that usually gets them all.

[Titanium Dome]

ES250P (43 lb.) is a rebadge and/or minor redesign of similar "250" ported subwoofer products from JBL. The ES250P has a stronger amp than previous versions like the E250P, though I don't know if they changed the amp or changed the method of rating power. :dont-know It's an okay performer, but other brands will give you better subs for the same money.

The L8400 (58 lb.) is a different beast. It's amp is truly powerful, and the cabinet design is quite different. It's a sealed system, not ported, and the cabinet dimensions and footprint are somewhat smaller. IMO it sounds better in every way, and at refurb market prices ($250-350) it's currently one of the best 12" sub values out there. Price-wise, it competes more than favorably with 10" products from HSU, SVS, and Velodyne.

The HTPS400 (62 lb.) is in a class by itself. It's not the world's best sub, but it might be the world's best 12" sub for $2000 or less. It's also a sealed system, and its dimensions are even smaller than the L8400, yet it's heavier and more powerful. The enclosure is a perfect 14.62" cube.

When JBL says it has one kilowatt (1000W) of digital power, they're not kidding. Unlike the PolyPlas drivers in the ES250P and L8400, this baby has an Aluminum cone, and it can handle all of 1000W and then some. Plus it has the ability to be daisy chained, so you can add two, three, or four HTPS400s to a single source with no signal loss.

[chilledspode]

TD:

Thank you for the run down on the differences between the subs - I am now enlightened.

The HTPS400 would be nice but clearly beyond my means at this point.

I am off to chase L8400's with a refined search string on ebay

Cheers

Mark