how much watts(clean) can a jlw3 handle

[<jl subwoofers>]

I was wondering how many watts can a jlw3 actually handle without distortion or blowing it? I have heard people hook up RF 1000.2 to two of them and they can handle it. Is this true

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[zane 10+ year member]

A lot of this depends on install. I.E.--> A sealed enclosure will undoubtably have greater power handling than a ported one.

Install plays such an important role with JL Audio, that they do not provide a peak power rating. It can vary from each application. I have found that the W3's are Quite comfortable on average with about 600watts rms to them. Allthough- I have also ran a set off of a Rockford bd1000.1 myself and they handled the power fine. Now to really add fuel to this- a set of W0's also took the full force of the same amp with no trouble....

take it easy,

-zane

 

[<maddmatt02>]

Originally posted by zane:A lot of this depends on install. I.E.--> A sealed enclosure will undoubtably have greater power handling than a ported one.

-zane

Im not disagreeing with you, but why do sealed boxesm let the sub handle more power? the subs moves further in a sealed box than ported so i dont think its for excursion limits.

 

[zane 10+ year member]

Originally posted by :

Im not disagreeing with you, but why do sealed boxesm let the sub handle more power? the subs moves further in a sealed box than ported so i dont think its for excursion limits.

Thats the other way arround, the sub will move farther in a ported enclosure because it does nothave the resistance of air holding it back. This is also why a sealed enclosure can take more power. It requires more power due to the resistance on the woofer cone from the air inside the enclosure. In a ported enclosure, there is little resistance so not as much power is needed.

Take it easy,

-zane

 

[<huge wanged negro>]

on rockford fosgates website it says ported boxes can handle more power

 

[<maddmatt02>]

Originally posted by zane:

Thats the other way arround, the sub will move farther in a ported enclosure because it does nothave the resistance of air holding it back. This is also why a sealed enclosure can take more power. It requires more power due to the resistance on the woofer cone from the air inside the enclosure. In a ported enclosure, there is little resistance so not as much power is needed.

Take it easy,

-zane

not to pis you of, but go to your car, turn on the system and watch the sub for a second, then cover your port(s) with your hand and watch as the sub moves further. My friends home subs do, his W3 does, his HX2 used to(doesnt have it) my high excursion does. So this is not why, so do you know any other reasons? I though at first a ported would move further cuz its louder but then i rememebred you get sound waves from the back and front of the sb so it is more efficient.

 

[zane 10+ year member]

Originally posted by :

not to pis you of, but go to your car, turn on the system and watch the sub for a second, then cover your port(s) with your hand and watch as the sub moves further. My friends home subs do, his W3 does, his HX2 used to(doesnt have it) my high excursion does. So this is not why, so do you know any other reasons? I though at first a ported would move further cuz its louder but then i rememebred you get sound waves from the back and front of the sb so it is more efficient.

Ok, to clarify this. The Volume of air applying resistance to the speaker cone inside each respective enclosure type will have an impact on excursion for the following reason:

Sealed Enclosure: The air inside the enclosure can not go anywhere. There for it battles the speaker cone's movement and in turn produces a tighter more accurate bass response. It is able to take a little more power because the speaker is also battling the air pressure. It is kind of like One working against the other in a yin-yang environment thus producing overall harmony.

Ported Enclosure: The air inside the enclosure can escape. It is not confined. There for there is little resistance against the speaker cone keeping it from moving thus making it more efficient by way of excursion and output. It will not have the same ammount of accuracy and "tightness" which a sealed enclosure has. However, it will be able to be able to carry a lower frequency response and effectively 3db more output than a sealed enclosure. This however is limited or controlled by means of tuning via port size. With incorrect port diameter, the output suffers, and in some cases the speaker will perform as if it were in no enclosure at all and hyper-extend.

Now, this is in no way saying that one type of enclosure is better than another, it is simply saying that air pressure can have great effects on transient response.

To offer a little more clarification, take a look at the following link:

http://www.jlaudio.com/tutorials/magic/performance.html

Take it easy,

-zane

 

[<maddmatt02>]

i never tried to say that ported handled more, that was sopmeone else, i was just wanting to know why? becauise it isnt so that the sub has less of a chance to bottom out 9n a sealed because it moves further. if you havent tried coovering your ports to see this, then go do it, im not lying, ive seen it happen with like 6 different subs and they are in properly tuned boxes.

 

[zane 10+ year member]

ok, take a look at the above link to the JL tech info that I referenced with this info. Within that link, it clearly defines that woofers in a ported enclosure will have greater travel (x-max) than woofers in a sealed enclosure.

When you put your hand over the port. the enclosure is still not sealed. You have just altered the tuning and output characteristics which can cause un-desired or un-natural effects on excursion within a ported enclosure. The same link above also discusses this.

Take it easy,

-zane

 

[mykeys 10+ year member]

It's all physics which isn't my specialty..but think about whether you can move things easier with resistance or without..try moving a 500 pound object sitting on the ground then move it with wheels..just makes sense that the port will allow for more excursion with less power.

Mike

 

[LegendZ28 10+ year member]

Originally posted by mykeys:It's all physics which isn't my specialty..but think about whether you can move things easier with resistance or without..try moving a 500 pound object sitting on the ground then move it with wheels..just makes sense that the port will allow for more excursion with less power.

Mike

Your logic is flawwed. Someone could say try blowing up a ballon with and without a hole in it. Sealed the balloon swells larger and larger, with a hole it will only get so big.

However, I do understand the point you are getting at.

 

[zane 10+ year member]

Valid points. However the laws of physics are quite clear on resistance. Objects with less resistance require less force to move them. Objects with more resistance in turn will require more force to move them.

Anyone care to dispute this.....

-zane

 

[<maddmatt02>]

ok, ive even seen an HX@b in a sealed box, thenn it ws omved into a ported (both were RF specs) andn in the portd it moved less, but with only 300 or so watts o it. I think i get it now, with lower power sealed moves farther (IT DOES) but when you gewt up to the 1k watt range or more and are OVER ppowering subs, the sub can only go so far in the sealed because air will only compress andn decompress so much and ported wont limit it, but i have 600 watts to one sub, and it still only moves half as far in a 3 ft^3 ported to 37 as it did in a small sealed.

 

[zane 10+ year member]

Not quite, but gettting there.....

With 300 watts, a ported enclosure would certainly produce more movement in a particular sub than could be achieved by a sealed enclosure. That is why ported enclosures are more efficient. With more power, obviously both enclosures will provide a little more cone movement of the sub, however, as I have pointed out numerous times, and as you also observed, with the increased resistance in the sealed enclosure- the cone still will not move as far as it would in a sealed enclosure.

In Example: No variables other than enclosure and power. A sub in a ported enclosure with 300 watts going to it.

To achieve the same amount of xmax the ported enclosure has with the 300 watts would require approximately 600 watts of power to the same woofer in a sealed enclosure.

(This is a general example- actual power and difference is contingent upon the woofers T/S parameters.)

Once again- refer to my previous post about the physics involved here.

If your woofer is moving more in a sealed enclosure, I would highly suggest you take a look at the wiring of the sub, likely it is out of phase. Also, the enclosure size comes into question- are you sure it is correct for your particular woofer? Are you sure that it is completely sealed.

With it in the ported enclosure- are you sure that port length and diameter are right? This area of a ported enclosure is critical as the port plays a large role in determining output frequency. Too large or small of a port could cause undesired operation and actually be working against the posative output.

Food For thought.....

Take it easy,

-zane

[ 12-11-2001: Message edited by: zane ]