Wow! The JBL PB12 Subwoofer has a Punch!
Written: Nov 18 '02 (Updated Feb 08 '03)
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Pros: It produces an excellent low sound with a punch!
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: This is an excellent Subwoofer for a Home Theater System with 250 watts of power!
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| surferdude7's Full Review: JBL PB12 Subwoofer Speaker |
One of the most import pieces in any Home Theater System is to have a product that will help excite the movie that you are watching on your Home Theater System. The JBL 12" Powerbass Subwoofer PB12 is the piece of equipment needed to make your movies come alive. The power and the earth shattering sounds that this subwoofer produces makes you feel like you are in the movie.
The Subwoofer
The subwoofer is heavy weighing about 40 pounds and black in color. The PB12 measures 15 ½ inches in height, 15 inches wide and 16 inches deep. It is almost like a big black square cube with sort legs on it.
JBL uses a 12-inch driver built under the bottom of the Subwoofer firing downward to the floor. The 12-inch driver is a paper cone woofer made out of Pure Cellulose Fiber with a ring of rubber on the outside for more durability.
The subwoofer is rated at 250-watt RMS amplifier with a frequency response of 25-150 Hz and continuously variable crossover of 50-150 Hz. Bottom line, this baby puts out a low sound that will shake your floor.
The front of the subwoofer has two small lights that are green when it is getting a signal from an audio source and if you turn off the audio source in about 10 minutes the lights turn red and shuts down the subwoofer to save energy. Turn on an audio source and the lights turn green again and the subwoofer comes alive! There is also an on and off switch if you wish to turn it off manually.
The Sound
The sound is nothing but breathtaking!
I placed the subwoofer behind our couch and the effects are great! First of all the subwoofer produces such a low frequency sound that the couch, floor and wall will actually vibrate a little making it feel more realistic. The clarity of it is great with no distortion at all.
This subwoofer replaces my 5 year old JBL powered subwoofer with 150 watts of power that was getting a little distorted at times. My mistake with the first one was to run the same monster cable that I ran with the speakers, I learned the hard way, now the old one has a distorted sound in it at higher volumes. The subwoofer needs a special subwoofer cable that prevents the high pitch sounds the satellite speakers have from entering the subwoofer.
The Connections
Oh my the connections and there are several, but if you use a receiver that is digital 5.1 or better all you need is one connection. With a digital 5.1 receiver you just run one connection from the receiver subwoofer out to the subwoofer line level in. There is a small switch marked LFE (Low Frequency Effects) or Normal, with a 5.1 system you want it on the LFE.
The other connections are for connecting different speaker options if you are not using a digital 5.1 receiver. The instructions with the subwoofer has drawings and details on other setups. Personally I cannot see anyone buying a high priced subwoofer and then not using a nice digital receiver to go with it.
The Controls
In addition to the LFE switch you have a Phase control switch that can be switched at 0 degree or 180 degree of phase. The Phase control has no right or wrong adjustment, all you have to do is try and see which one you like the best. I couldn’t tell any difference either way!
There is a Crossover Knob for adjusting the frequency between 50Hz to 150Hz. If your speakers use a little bass in them a good setting is between 50Hz to 100 Hz and if you have satellite speakers with mainly a treble sound then 120Hz to 150Hz is recommended.
The Level Control Knob is used for adjustment of the volume output of the subwoofer. I have mine about ½ way for the new movies and I will crank it up a little more for the older movies that don’t seem to have as much sound. Be sure that you can easily reach the Level Control so you can make changes if needed.
Placement
JBL recommends placement against a wall for best performance and even better in a corner. Now they do recommend placing the subwoofer along the same wall as the front speakers but I disagree with them on that.
Placing the subwoofer against the wall by my TV actually shook the screen and that wasn’t suitable for me. Our room is 24 feet in length and 18 feet in width so I placed the subwoofer behind my couch about 21 feet away from the front speakers. Now I know my placement works well because if I turn off the subwoofer all I hear is the satellite speakers in the front in a high treble sound. Turning the subwoofer on again behind me makes the front speaker instantly sound like the bass is coming from them even though the subwoofer is behind me. Bottom Line is place it out of sight almost anywhere and see if you are happy with the performance.
My Final Thoughts
The subwoofer is an important part of a Home Theater System as well as the speakers, receiver and the TV. JBL has proven for me to be an excellent manufacture of speakers and subwoofers so I didn’t hesitate to buy another one from them. The store had it listed for $399 but I talked them down to $299 since I was buying a 73-inch Mitsubishi TV at the same time.
JBL has been around for a long time and has proven to produce top quality speakers and subwoofers that are generally a lot lower in price then the competitors.
I highly recommend the JBL 12" Powerbass Subwoofer PB12!
Thank You for reading my review!
Here are some of my other reviews!
Thank You for Reading Them!
Sunfire 11" Powered Subwoofer True Mark II
The Harman Kardon AVR 325 Receiver
The Mitsubishi DD-6030 DVD Player
The Samsung SIR-T151 HDTV Terrestrial Receiver
CHANNEL MASTER REMOTE CONTROL ROTATOR
Mitsubishi 73 inch HD-Upgradeable Television
Blaupunkt TravelPilot RNS149
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299
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surferdude7
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