JL Audio W6 vs. W7

[scruf1986]

I was wonderin why everybody dogs the W7. I just came from a car toys listening room and compared the two subs and they both sound very good. The only thing that I don't like is that the W7 does not sound enough better than the W6 to warrent spending that much more money. So I was wondering sound wise why everybody is dogging the W7.

[Former_240_s14]

I haven't but have you heard a correctly powerd W3d2??? I love the technology and sound quality of the W3's

[scruf1986]

Yes I have heard the W3. They were all in the room with me. I listened to all of them.

[InstantRice]

your oppening post is the exact reason why people dog the w7's. If they where 250 dollar subs they would be praised as just being great subs. The fact that they are WAY more expensive then that makes them bad subs. The quality of subs is often compared with price of that sub.

[scruf1986]

Ok. Thats excatly what I was thinking. But for the rich people out there I know that they pay for names. Like a friend of mine said he wanted W7's. He had listened to both and the both sounded the same. But he said his buddy had 3 and he had 4. So its like buying a lexus. You are buying an L instead of a toyota.

[nothingwrong]

The w7 and w6 have different technology, and a different sound. I dont think that walls at car audio shops do any subs justice. Usually the subs are in less than optimum enclousres, or very under powered, sometimes both. You should go out and try to hear a W7 ported, with about 1000 watts rms. I did demo the w7 12 at Tweeter, it had about 500 watts rms and it was in a sealed enclousre. Very accurate and fairly loud. Two weeks later I gave a listen to the W7 13, ported, in car. Pretty breath taking. Very loud, and very clear.The new W6s are also very good. They also get pretty loud, but the sound quality doesnt match the W7. The W7 also has potential to play louder than the W6, they handle more power and have more cone area. It just depends on your funds and your cars electrical system. Both subs are expensive, but you wont be dissappointed with either choice. My boy had 3 older W3 12 in his Lincoln with about 1000 watts rms total power going to them and they sounded great too. JL makes great products, at a price. If price is a concern you can find subs with "similar" performance as the W7, for way less. Beyond Audio, Resonant Engineering, Image Dynamics and Adire make great "SQL" subs, most in the 500$ or less range.

[InstantRice]

I first heard 3 w7's in the hi-fi buys(tweeter) demo denali. i think your missing the point no one called them bad subs they are very good subs in fact but they arent good subs for there price. In their price range i could get D.D.'s or Eclipses and be infinitely happier. If the price of those subs went down no one would question how good they are. They shouldnt be as loose sounding as they are also (not taking into account price) they are boomey like audiobahns(exageration)

[nothingwrong]

W7s can be had for way below retail price on the net(around 500$), there not gonna have JLs warranty but most reputable on-line retailers will give a warranty with their products. I agree that they are over priced, but thats technology. For the price of one JL W7 13, you could get two Inhumans, two Resonant Engineering XXX's, or even two DD 3515c 15s. I personally wouldnt use the DD as a SQ driver, even though I have heard them sound good. Still very decent SQ at a very high volume. Very good choice for a street bass sub . In a great install, few can contend with the SQ of the W7. The way a sub "sounds" is usually more due to install/box design than it is the actuall driver.

[k-mart]

SQ is debatable, but for accurate sound reproduction, you'll be hard pressed to find a better driver than the W7 at any price. They are fussy when it comes to the installation, but when put in the proper enclosure they really shine. They have a great ability to stay linear at insane listening levels that can only be matched by a handful of drivers like the Brahma and ED A series. In a proper install, the W7 should eat the W6 alive. Espically when loudness is considered, as it has a tremendous displacement advntage (25-30mm Xmax depending on size VS. 16.5mm). The numbers don't lie.