# JBL Power 12" review, single cab truck.



## rob b. (Apr 12, 2011)

Last weekend I finally blew one of my beloved IDQ12's after feeding it around 600rms for about a year and a half, daily driver. I found i set of P1222's for $150 on craigslist, so i figure i may as well try em out at that price. after minimal research I find they'r a paper cone driver with high sensitivity, should work well in my boxes if i go back to sealed, I figure they may be somehwere in between a sq and spl sub. 

Initial thoughts - I bought them loaded in a box, once removed I was surprised at what I see... These are a much, much bigger motor structure then I thought. The sheet says they have a 6.5" mounting depth, but now I'm thinking these wont even fit in my boxes. I measure them out and they'r closer to 15" to the outside, the surrounds end at about 12.5" which is bigger then the idq's outside total diameter. I'm getting the feeling they wont fit, and if they do, they must sound like crap lol. 

comparison.
















installed.








I had to chip out a ~1/2" recess for the magnets, but they fit. 



I initially wired em 3 coils series, last one paralleled for 1.5 ohm. My amp is wheezing at this much impedance, in typical car audio fashion. Series one woofer and paralleled the other - .8 ohm. now its kickin like it should. 

Pros
-About the meanest woofer you could mount in a truck box, at 6.75" deep, since allot of the frame sits outside the box. 
-more efficient then anything in its class, not 97db as claimed, but surely better then 90. 
-low frequency response is outstanding, 50-35hz is nearly flat with my cabin gain, still audible down to 20hz and clean. better lows then the idq in the same box. 
-build quality is top notch for the price.
- tight response for such a high output woofer, much cleaner then a type r for example, which i would consider comparable for output. 
- they don't need tons of power, as I would have expected from the looks of them. 

cons
-they protrude way more then they should, clearly this woofer is a cheater. it fits in the hole for a 12, but cone area is more like a 13. 
-overall diameter is larger then it should be, cumbersome and unnecessary. its 1/2" away from a 15 OD. 
-high frequency response, although clear and uncolored, is extremely weak. these things just check out after 80hz completely. Not good for my set up. wouldn't be an issue in a car. 
-a little loose and boomy in a 1.15ft sealed enclosure, but then I'm comparing to a much better sounding sub. 



Overall impression, I liked the IDQ's better for the variety of music i listen to.

If rap or anything electronic is playing, i like the JBL's better. They are MUCH louder on the same box, and amp. For all types of rock, they sound only ok. A kick drum sounds realistic, as do lower bass chords, but they leave allot to be desired within the higher frequency band that allot of bass guitar is heard. I liked my idq's crossed at 120hz, with proper phase adjustment it blended well with my forward stage. The jbls just don't sound as convincing with allot of bass that falls in the crossover region. For the country I listen to, the JBL's play the sounds of an upright bass deeper and cleaner then the idqs in my opinion. The JBLs are clean, but the frequency response is just not flat enough to sound convincing overall. again though, I'm comparing to a true SQ sub so maybe i expect too much from such a hefty woofer.

hope my opinion helps the next guy looking at these subs.


----------



## rob b. (Apr 12, 2011)

On a side note, don't put these things in single cab and not expect to lose a click on your seat. At 6'2" that last click crossed the line, I had to space my seats up 2" to compensate.


----------



## JoeHemi57 (Mar 28, 2006)

They are beast's especially for the price, i am about to get the 10 direct from harmon for $110 shipped. I was going to get the MS but the low xmax of them just won't work for my music tastes. I prefer the previous generation though with 1600w on the cone.


----------



## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

hey thanks for the review. those things look like train wheels! 
glad you didn't like them- now i don't feel so bad they wouldn't fit in my application- plus they did not model very well with my enclosure.


----------



## rob b. (Apr 12, 2011)

Yea I'm thinkin I'll just keep em in the truck until i find a deal on something better and just throw these in some 2ft block boxes sealed and add em to the home audo collection. throw them under the mains and pass em at like 80hz passive, series all in a row for 8ohm.

I must say though, the output is outstanding for how much power I'm sending them and being in small sealed boxes. You would think I must have 1800 watts and big vented enclosures if you didn't know any better. You couldnt get any louder for the space available in this truck.


----------



## Fricasseekid (Apr 19, 2011)

These are dual 2 ohm? Im a bit confused at how you wired them. It sound like you wired so that one sub has a higher impedance than the other? How do you know the power is distributed equally between the two woofers?


----------



## Woosey (Feb 2, 2011)

Fricasseekid said:


> These are dual 2 ohm? Im a bit confused at how you wired them. It sound like you wired so that one sub has a higher impedance than the other? How do you know the power is distributed equally between the two woofers?


+1  i re read the post and thought the same..


----------



## rexroadj (Oct 31, 2008)

Sounds like your cons are all a lack of educating yourself on what you were getting. All those facts are on paper and exposed for anyone to see. Your inability to get some higher freq has everything to do with your chosen use and box (actually they are known to perform wonderfully up rather high). Your correct about choosing poorly for your situation. Not the best fit for a single cab behind the seat setup. Properly built (size etc...) in a center console however would do wonders!


----------



## Sine Swept (Sep 3, 2010)

Rebuild for one


----------

