JVC Arsenal CS-AW8240 - Listening

Rap
Jibbs "King Kong"
This track is just straight bananas when it comes to producing bass lines. Ridiculous output is produced throughthis song, emphasizing extreme low-end frequencies that we all love so much - but sometimes our subwoofers don't. The Arsenal sub, however, seems to love this type of material. The crazy part isn't that the subwoofer produced incredible output, but that it was extremely accurate when doing it. The subwoofer was free of distortion with no overhang. The CS-AW8240 was so good that I turned up the volume to try to find its limit, but it soon became apparent that I'd lose hearing before the subwoofer had any kind of acoustic mishap. To some extent I enjoy bass as much as most of us, but generally I'm not a fan of the crazy bass-lines like what this track dishes out. But, the reason for my distaste of these bass-heavy tracks is because the majority of the time the subwoofers aren't up to snuff, producing unappealing, distorted and sloppy bass. That isn't the case with this subwoofer. It was almost like the subwoofer took the bass line and carved out every note. Impressive!
Score: 9/10

Jeannie Bryson "Fever"
Warm vocals from the daughter of the legendary Dizzy Gillespie combined with the harmonic undertones of a stand-up bass make this an enchanted track. The swelling bass lines can wreak havoc on the overall acoustic presence of this track by causing subwoofers to sound boomy and unnatural. Although I was aware of this, I thought I'd first give this track a run with the woofer gain set at a normal listening level before making any adjustments. As presumed, the woofer overpowered the musical presentation. I slightly reduced the output of the subwoofer with a quick adjustment using the bass knob from my reference amplifier, bringing a more balanced and uniform harmony to the system. As the stand-up bass scaled up and down, it was apparent how acoustically flat this subwoofer is out of the box. There were no frequency excitations that made the bass sound tonally unbalanced or unnatural. When the stand-up bass dipped extremely low, the Arsenal stood strong with radiating rumbles that resonated throughout the car. Although not perfect, the CS-AW8240 was one of the best subwoofer performances that I've experienced on this track.
Score: 8/10

R&B
Kem "You Might Win"
This is one of my favorite tracks because of its musicality and rhythm. The melody of the bass guitar is smooth and elegant in the background, while the kick drum strokes with a rhythmic beat under Kem's vocals. The CS-AW8240 had my head nodding to the beat with a pleasing smile. The kick drums remained toward the front of the vehicle, never drawing to the rear. The bass guitar was smooth throughout, rolling up and down the scales while complementing the overall harmony. The subwoofer gave the bass guitar just enough bite without bringing it to the center of attention.Everything blended together so well that it seemed as though the subwoofer disappeared from the system. This is adesirable effect that is difficult to achieve. Difficult doesn't seem to be in this subwoofer's vocabulary.
Score: 8.5/10

Orchestral
John Williams "Planet Krypton"
Since the subwoofer performed remarkably well on the majority of the music selections, I decided to throw it a curve ball. This track is known for producing in the 18Hz range. Physically, the human ear is only deemed to be able to hear down to 20Hz and anything below this is inaudible. This means that 18Hz can only be felt rather than heard.I wasn't too sure what to expect from the subwoofer during this track. I've been let down many times by subwoofers incapable of really reaching down to 18Hz with authority. To my surprise, even at low volumes the CS-AW8240 began pressurizing the Honda. It was almost as if the subwoofer were giving me a little sample and challenging me to give it more. As I hit the rewind button and elevated the volume, 18Hz came storming through the cabin to my delight. The subwoofer seemed unfazed. Immediately following this section of the track multiple instruments come together in a sort of big bang finale. Generally this finale sounds distorted and muddy, but this wasn't the case here. The CS-AW8240 was forceful but remained balanced and controlled. This was the first time I've listened to the finale of this song and didn't cringe!
Score: 9/10

Instrumental
Jim Keltner "Improv"
The impact and strength that percussion instruments are known for can only be reproduced with the assistance of a subwoofer. Percussion instruments played on a system lacking a subwoofer are not percussion instruments, they'rejust instruments. On the other hand, as quick as a subwoofer can bring excitement and life to percussion instruments, a subpar subwoofer can equally ruin them. The CS-AW8240, without a doubt, falls into the high-performance subwoofer category on this track. This percussion track is a good test of dynamics and impact, and the CS-AW8240 effortlessly showed that it was up to snuff. The speed of the subwoofer was similar to an 8" driver but with the impact of a 12". The drums' beats traveled from left to right across the dashboard of the Honda, remaining focused and compact. The drums were never boomy or overbearing and seemed to originate from the front of the car.
Score: 9/10

Conclusion
It's obvious that a tremendous amount of design and engineering were invested into the CS-AW8240, which makes for an impressive product. At $419.95 it isn't a cheap ticket to "Boom Town," but for those of us who want an unparalleled combination of output and sound quality, get onboard this ship!