JBL BassPro SL2 Under Seat Slim Subwoofer Review

[sigbergaudio]

How do we quantify this? Science says bass at infrasonic levels like this makes us inexplicably happy, not that we need science to tell us this:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1452882826043568130

(note that apparently the video opens with the rolling shutter effect from the camera causing her hair to "dance in slow motion")

In Norway it's normal for kids who graduates High school to celebrate and party for a month, and they often group together to purchase party buses with insane systems.

This is a typical setup (yes, that's inside a bus)

 

[beagleman]

"Cabin Gain" in any normal car will greatly reinforce the 25-45Hz range to the extent it will be close the the peak.

Some car subs intentionally roll off the low end to take advantage of the cabin gain and keep a somewhat "Flat" response.
Not saying ideal, but in real usage, far better than the spin shows.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

"Cabin Gain" in any normal car will greatly reinforce the 25-45Hz range to the extent it will be close the the peak.

Some car subs intentionally roll off the low end to take advantage of the cabin gain and keep a somewhat "Flat" response.
Not saying ideal, but in real usage, far better than the spin shows.

Yes.

Here is some information about cabin gain for other readers.

Spoiler: Transfer function without cabin gain

Spoiler: Transfer function with cabin gain

Spoiler: Different vehicles transfer functions

Source

Spoiler: Another car - Near field vs. in-car

Source

 

[beagleman]

Thank you for those refreshingly different reviews.

Kind of 1990s Bose Acoustimass and small PC subwoofer one note bass tuning if not used with EQ/DSP, Pioneer (who was at some time the largest loudspeaker driver manufacturer in the world) used to and still has also some low budget compact subwoofers to place under your seat, wonder how they measure.

https://pioneer-car.eu/products/audio-products/subwoofer

I have one of those Bose factory sound systems in my one Nissan, and its the spare tire looking Subwoofer.

In the house, we tried it to get an idea of what it can do and it was a very boomy one note mess.
In the car (assuming the bose dash unit has no special built in bass EQ) it is fairly okay, but not great. Far better deep bass.

Consequently have also tried my one velodyne 12" sub in the car running from home system for laughs and OMG talk about Deep bass!!
In the house it is relatively neutral and sounds great.

 

[amirm]

"Cabin Gain" in any normal car will greatly reinforce the 25-45Hz range to the extent it will be close the the peak.

FYI our van is 24 feet long so very different than a car.

 

[Robbo99999]

Was gonna start of by saying that this is a pretty niche product, but of course it is because it's just being used in cars and by the people that bother to put in their own systems so niche on niche! Also, having said that I would think such people in the market for such a thing would therefore be very discerning about what they buy, and this product doesn't seem to perform - hella lot of bass roll off and no hint of flat frequency response anywhere and pretty poor distortion results, I can't see it being used with much success and because it's a niche of a niche product then you'd think the buyers would be pretty well informed and would steer clear of this pretty poorly performing product - well unless there are hardly any reliable measurements of automotive audio parts (there's probably not many to be honest)! Judging by a few youtube vids I remember seeing I think there's quite a big section of this market where it's all about the bass, crazy subwoofers, so this product doesn't fall into that category (so that's one less niche of a niche of a niche market that's gone)!

 

[amirm]

Here is the depressing part. Vevor, the company that sells popular products for much lower price, has almost identical looking unit for just $89 on Amazon!

Either they have done a great job of cloning it, or it all comes from the same outfit. An email and phone call and you too can have such a subwoofer to your specs!

 

[elberoth]

There seems to be only few manufacturers of those under seat subs manufacturers (all in China) that sell tem under myriad of brands.

Here is another example:

Helix:

SSL:

DLS:

Phenix Gold:

Blam:

 

[Dave-Oh]

I'm very interested to hear about the testing of the kicker version. I have one. I hate it. It is nothing but one note base. At some point I turned it over and pressed on the cone with my fingers and it took what felt like several pounds of pressure to even move the cone. Said to myself, "whatever is coming out of this thing, it isn't music."

 

[elberoth]

Playing them narrowband with DSP equalisation and steep high pass filter, can really make one sound decent. Just don't expect them to play very low or loud (which is why a small cabin volume is a key).

 

[puffreis]

I haven't read everything yet, but it makes more sense to take the measurement in the car rather than with NFS.
In a very small space, the response can look much better.

I simply cannot and will not believe that JBL is doing something wrong.

 

[Keith_W]

I agree with the first part, but I am not sure how to evaluate room gain / modes in a case where almost the whole frequency range has wavelengths longer than the space. So maybe a flat response is as good a place as any to start?

Exactly what I was thinking. The moment it goes into a car, the bottom end should fill out a bit. How much it fills out depends on the car.

DSP is mandatory in car audio IMO.

 

[Grenadine]

@amirm, Audiocontrol Spike series looks promising. Much bigger but that 8" version looks like it will fit in your space. I also built, and am selling this if you're looking for a smaller driver. Coated with duratex. Box is 19.5w x 9" deep, 11" tall, and I think 13" with a feet wired to 1 ohm. Puts out cleeeeean bass from 38-150hz, below 38hz is there, but drops off, hey it's only a 6.5":

 

[AlaskanLumberjack]

I’m actually working on a project to mount buttkicker mini’s to my truck seats. Probably not as relevant for a van setup (ostensibly you want bass other than when you’re sitting), but it’s my approach to being space limited and still wanting that sweet sweet bass.

 

[Chrise36]

https://www.amazon.com/Rockville-RVL69W-Competition-Aluminum-Subwoofer/dp/B019Z3QJGQ one of these under the seat or behind it in a proper box should be ok. Add another one for more output if necessary.

Amazon.com

 

[cavedriver]

as long as we're contemplating the high end of car audio, I present the Cerwin Vega Stroker Pro Classic - 24 mm of Xmax (p-p I assume, but if that's one way it would exceed any other sub I could quickly find), and a $1400 price tag in the 15" size". I really like the idea of putting the second spider in front of the cone- I mean, it is a sub so who cares with the shape is? Would love to see someone design and build a good sub for this thing and then measure it:

Stroker Pro Classic 15″ Single Voice Coil SPL Subwoofer (2Ω) 1200W RMS - SPCL152

The Cerwin Vega STROKER PRO series subwoofers are designed for enthusiasts who demand high power, high performance, and exceptional sound quality from their car audio systems. Experience ultimate low-frequency power with the Cerwin Vega SPCL152 15" Stroker Pro Classic Subwoofer. 1200W RMS...

cerwinvega.com

 

[Old_School_Brad]

as long as we're contemplating the high end of car audio, I present the Cerwin Vega Stroker Pro Classic - 24 mm of Xmax (p-p I assume, but if that's one way it would exceed any other sub I could quickly find), and a $1400 price tag in the 15" size". I really like the idea of putting the second spider in front of the cone- I mean, it is a sub so who cares with the shape is? Would love to see someone design and build a good sub for this thing and then measure it:

Stroker Pro Classic 15″ Single Voice Coil SPL Subwoofer (2Ω) 1200W RMS - SPCL152

The Cerwin Vega STROKER PRO series subwoofers are designed for enthusiasts who demand high power, high performance, and exceptional sound quality from their car audio systems. Experience ultimate low-frequency power with the Cerwin Vega SPCL152 15" Stroker Pro Classic Subwoofer. 1200W RMS...

cerwinvega.com

View attachment 453887

The CV Stroker has been featured in numerous enclosure designs over the years, both by home theater enthusiasts and car audio builders. There are plenty of threads on DIYAudio and DIYMobileAudio discussing various builds that incorporate this adjustable subwoofer. Its mythical status makes is so that almost all things are known about its performance.

 

[cavedriver]

The CV Stroker has been featured in numerous enclosure designs over the years, both by home theater enthusiasts and car audio builders. There are plenty of threads on DIYAudio and DIYMobileAudio discussing various builds that incorporate this adjustable subwoofer. Its mythical status makes is so that almost all things are known about its performance.

that's wonderful. Got any links?

 

[Old_School_Brad]

that's wonderful. Got any links?

No, sorry. I just recall having read a great deal about the strokers over the years on these forums.

 

[Grenadine]

that's wonderful. Got any links?

just google "15" stroker" and see what comes up