JL Audio E-Sub e112 and e110 Subwoofers Preview

These are the words you need to hear to click on the link below and order your new JL Audio sub - new e112 12" JL Audio E-sub for $1900,  and e110 10" for $1500. If you want to bump up from matte to gloss black, that'll run you an extra $200.

For the three or four of you still reading and not off ordering or figuring out how long you can go without eating so you can buy one of the new JL Audio subs, here's the scoop: The amp sits in the back in it's own sealed enclosure. The driver has just enough room in the box for it and not a lot else. There are a couple of things that they had to do simply because the driver is so powerful. The had to put a back mount and metal plate to keep it from shaking itself out of the box. The entire front baffle is an aluminum plate that is connected to the driver and mounted to a piece of MDF. With the front and the back of the driver attached to the front and back walls, the driver essentially becomes the bracing. We can't wait to see how this thing performs.

The controls for the subs are placed under a magnetic cover on the top, rear of the subs where they can both be easily accessed and covered. Until your kids figure out the cover is removable and magnetic and you'll be lucky if all they do is put it on the refrigerator. The subs are barely larger than the drivers so are as compact as they could possibly be. Their sealed design requires huge amplification and JL Audio has provided it with highly efficient switching amps. The e10 sports a 1200 watt amp and the e112 has a 1500 watt amp. The e110 is 14.13" by 13.5" by 16.4" while the e112 is 16.13" by 15.5" by 18.2". They may be small, but the e110 and e112 are solidly built weighing in 53 and 73 pounds respectively. We can't wait to get one of these subs to Josh Ricci for a full review.

Specified Performance

Time for the million dollar question: how much performance potential did JL strip from the e112 relative to the roughly comparable, but costlier f112? The answer appears to be “not much”. Frequency response is nearly identical, rated at 22Hz-118Hz +/- 1.5dB, with identical effective piston area (radiating surface) and amplifier power (1500W RMS, short term). The e112 does get by with a bit less total displacement (3.9L vs 4.6L), suggesting a one way travel of ~35.8mm vs ~43.3mm, which further translates into a difference of ~1.5dB of output capability. While there are of course other factors which will impact the final results, it appears that the e112 can hold its own with the $1,100 more expensive f112 (assuming both are in gloss black), which is an impressive feat.

For for more information, please visit www.jlaudio.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.