# JL's new Microbox review



## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

*JL's new Microsub review*

This is the sub and enclosure Im reviewing

JL Audio CP108LG-W3v3 MicroSub™ slot-ported enclosure with one 8" W3v3 subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

I was looking for a small sub to fit under my seat and grabbed one of these locally as it was small enough to fit.










Prior to going into this, I want to say Im not JL fanboy and I wanted to get the alpine version but it was too big. I love the w6 and w7 but all other drivers from jl is meh to me.

I also was suspect that an 8" would keep up with my listening levels and this enclosure is about .37 cuft and tuned to around 33 hz....Sounds too good to be true considering the dimensions.

18-5/8"W x 11-3/16"H x 5-1/8"D - about the size of the Big Red Sony ES amp

So I tried it under the seat and it sounded odd. I never had a below the seat sub and while it blended effortlessly with the front stage, it was lacking low end. Also my gf hated the vibrations. So I tossed it in the trunk and HOLY CRAP, talk about a transformation. Low end was full and smooth and transiets was still good once the delay was adjusted. Found the cabin gain I was lacking.

This 8" in a tiny enclosure plays down from 100hz- 30 with extreme accuracy and sounds as good as the majority of well received/reviewed & expensive subs I have heard. It has no problem keeping up regarding output in a SUV.

Look how small it is (gotta see it in person to appreciate) 



















The way JL was able to get such a small size and low tuning is by using thinner wood and clever bracing.

This is a great solution for people with a sedan (mount under deck) or trucks obviously. It also comes in a 6.5" sub model and dual 8"

And here's a PAS review

PASMAG | PERFORMANCE AUTO AND SOUND - JL Audio CP108LG-W3v3 Subwoofer

Reading their review and the perfect 5 rating at crutchfield, I just wanted to let you all know of this great yet very small enclosure. If youre just looking for a small, inexpensive all in one solution, this should be way up on the list. 

Im listening to it while I wait to fiberglass for a larger enclosure /woofer thats stealth and I just smile and wonder if its worth it when listening. Sounds so good for what it is. Easily more output than my 10" IDv3 sealed I had in prior to purchase.

Just a heads up


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

Nice, I was looking at the dual one acouple weeks ago.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

I imagine the dual 8" gets really loud and sounds great. 

For some reason I disliked the w3s. Cosmetic probably. This sub is noise free and I hear no port noise. Just smooth and pleasurable to listen to. Like a good poly cone driver (plus the added smoothness of the vented design). Its a nice sound for a sub to have. 

The guy promised me "this sub is a monster, dont worry" 

It surpassed all my expectations for sure. And support your local dealer, youll get just as good of a price as you will online with these subs.

Edit: Just came to mind that the subs these sounded the most like in my multi-sub life were my isobaric vented Oz 300Ls. I knew it was a familiar sound.


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## Driven Audio Tony (Feb 14, 2011)

The CP108 is a little bit of magic, no doubt about that.


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## tophatjimmy (Dec 16, 2005)

Our shop has been very sucessful with the CP108's. They really do sound very good.

The Alpine version is definately not as good. The woofer itself may or may not be superior to the 8W3, but the box sucks hard.


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## jpswanberg (Jan 14, 2009)

Tyroneshoes,
Do you have the 4 channel kenwood bridged to the microsub? JPS


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

I wonder how a pair of the 6.5" models would sound under the front seats of... well... any vehicle 

Kind of a 'front-fill bass' thing...


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

jpswanberg said:


> Tyroneshoes,
> Do you have the 4 channel kenwood bridged to the microsub? JPS


Yep just one x4r powering the ESBs passive and the microsub


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

HondAudio said:


> I wonder how a pair of the 6.5" models would sound under the front seats of... well... any vehicle
> 
> Kind of a 'front-fill bass' thing...


Excellent, the sub up front was great 60-100, put a couple 6.5s under the front seats, bandpass them and let a large cone sub do the big work. Would be a great idea, if you dont mind being vibrated.


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## metanium (Feb 2, 2007)

I have 2 of these that I'm considering selling here on DIYMA. I may actually consider selling the enclosures only and keep the 8W3's. PM if interested.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

The legend of the JL MicroSub continiues. JL has been doing it for awhile dating back to the original one. No suprise that they can still manage to find big clean bass in a small space here today with all of the design tools available. These are great solutions for adding to stock systems, stealth aftermarket systems, trucks, compacts, limited space large family haulers, etc.

Thanks for the review.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

WLDock said:


> The legend of the JL MicroSub continiues. JL has been doing it for awhile dating back to the orogonal one. No suprise that they can still manage to find big clean bass in a small space here today with all of the design tools available. These are great solutions for adding to stock systems, stealth aftermarket systems, trucks, compacts, limited space large family haulers, etc.
> 
> Thanks for the review.


Didn't JL sell one with 3 8w6 drivers back in the 90s? The cross-section was a half-circle and it had a mounting bracket that let it be positioned at any angle? Something like that would have given me a lot of bass for my xB without much work 

*edit* The Microsub 8.3... that was it


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

I just spent the weekend with mine. Got it on my JL 4300 amp. I'm always very impressed. Very sweet sounding sub. My DDLE308 is a little monster, and can do about 80% of the CP108's SQ. The DD can't quite match for depth however the CP drops off fairly quickly in comparison to the DDLE308. For sheer thump and power, the DD wins, and on SQ the DD is very good. I do always say that if I ever had my dream Morel system and found that i was short on money for a Morel sub, that I'd gladly put a CP108 in there. Great little SQ sub with big intentions. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_eMet7WAtc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEu7-Y-C_FQ


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Thanks. The DD enclosure is *much* larger however.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

tyroneshoes said:


> Thanks. The DD enclosure is *much* larger however.


Yes the DD is bigger, but so is the difference between the two. When I go from the DDLE312 (12") to the CP108 I do notice the difference. When i go from the DDLE312 to the DDLE308 I'm always waiting to be disappointed, but the 308 is a little monster. With proper power (i've only got 220 watts going into it) the 308 will kick. However, like the CP108 it never loses its sweet and fast sounding bass, where as I feel at times the 312 does seem to struggle to keep up with fast pieces of music. 

Again in terms of depth under normal listening levels you'll 'hear' that the JL hits just a little lower than the 308, albeit in a semi muted state. In the UK for nearly £100 less, the DDLE308 is one of the great overlooked wonders of the pre-fab enclosures.


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