Since the release of their premier W7 series subwoofers a few years back, JL Audio has been in redesign mode with their entire subwoofer lineup. Working with the advanced technologies debuted in that series, there certainly has been a trickle-down effect evident in the company's other lines; even the economical, revamped W1v2 series scored some of its highlights. What better way to stay on top of the game, especially when it comes to value-priced subs?
For over 10 years now JL Audio has been taking the guesswork out of how to properly enclose their subs with their PowerWedge series subwoofer systems. That's the company's reasonably priced enclosure line that uses drivers from the W1v2 series of subwoofers. In fact, our test subject, the CP110G-W1v2, calls on a single 10" version as the basis for this system.
The JL Audio CP110G-W1v2 system uses a relatively small, slot-ported enclosure that is built in JL Audio's Miramar, FL, factory. The enclosure is made entirely of MDF, including the port, and uses a V-groove construction for strength and precise alignment of all the wood parts. This construction method seats each piece exactly in routed channels in the exterior pieces (and the reason for the inset face and side panels). Also built into the assembly, a flare at the slot-port exit was implemented "to minimize turbulence and improve linearity at higher power levels." All said and done, the enclosure measures in with a depth, width and height of 14" x 18.5" x 14", respectively, and weighs a paltry 36 pounds.
Finishing the enclosure, all visible surfaces are covered in a salt-and-pepper colored automotive-grade carpet. The single 10" sub sits well protected from golf clubs (and even the small stuff hiding in your trunk) behind a steel-mesh grille that integrates into the face of the sub. It's a humble-looking, well-thought out piece for sure.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of things missing, like a manual and mounting brackets. I think both of these are essential in terms of setup and security. However, there is a warranty card stating the product is covered for two years.
Installation
Before I started the audition process, I gave the CP110G-W1v2 system 30+ hours of break-in using various sine wave test tones and a good amount of bass-heavy musical tracks.
The JL Audio enclosure was easily wired to my amplifier through a single, plastic terminal cup using 5-way binding posts capable of accepting 8-gauge wires. I loaded the sub in the rear of my '99 4Runner and situated it to the right rear corner of the cargo area, firing forward. The CP110G-W1v2 is only available in 4-ohms, so I used my existing Class D amp that consequentially makes over 500 watts at this impedance, well exceeding the conservative 150-watt RMS rating of this system.
Listening
I kicked off my listening with a little jazz from the likes of Norman Brown and Diana Krall. I noticed immediately some issues in the bass response, so I set out to make some changes. I adjusted the gain on the amp and crossover frequency, and switched between 12 to 24dB slopes. I even flopped the phase of the enclosure and repositioned it, but my problem still persisted. The bass simply did not want to blend smoothly with the midbass up front. In fact, there was a lull in the response between the drivers, so I actually had to lower (for the first time) the crossover on the midbass to help compensate for this, but the range on those drivers was not enough to completely make up for the discrepancy .... So, back to listening.
With Norman Brown in the player, specific notes jumped out at me while others lacked definition, such as the tone of the kick drum. This was also true with the standup bass in Diana Krall's Love Scenes album, whose resonant character overlaps both the midbass and subwoofer ranges. The lower notes were much more robust and even localized the sub at the rear of the SUV at times.
Playback of overlapping bass lines was passable on "Gone Away" from Ziggy Marley. Articulation of the various drums in "Keep My Faith" was uninspiring, but not unforgivable. I found the same to be true with Lars Ulrich's (of Metallica) quick-paced drum work where the sub really struggled with the upper bass lines.
Finishing up, I played some bass heavy, electronic-derived tracks by BYOB off of the Boston Bass Collection 2 CD. The first thing that came to mind was "JL only rates this at 150 watts?" The output was awesome - the low bass was vibrant, and I know I pushed the driver well past the 150-watt mark - and it's still intact. I found the same to be true when playing Usher, but some of the overlapping transitions were missing detail. The efficiency of this inexpensive enclosure is the real 'find' in the end.
Conclusion
JL Audio always seems to do a good job at most everything they do. The CP110G-W1v2 subwoofer system is well priced, exceptionally well constructed and reasonably stealthy in its appearance. I wasn't blown away with its performance - it lacked essential upper bass output while it proved to have difficulty in articulating certain bass lines. However, someone did their homework in the efficiency department, as output was rather stunning for a sub system rated at only 150 watts. At $249.95, the CP110G-W1v2 is a steal no matter what.
JL Audio CP110G-W1v2
MSRP: $249.95
Sound Quality
Boom And Output
Ease Of Installation
Overall Value