JL Audio Fathom

[C.A.P]

Well having listened to it for the first time tonight at a private audio store in Indiana. I can attest. THIS THING HAS PUNCH ! It was hooked up to a simple 702 B&W, X-over at 50 hz with the master volume at 0 and 0 phase, with enough gain to pressurize the room. Its fast and tight . It may be the best sub I have heard. Never have I heard that much tight punch and pressure from a over sized 12 inch driver. I would love this in my system to try. However at $$4000 its not cheap but world class sound isn't either. The sub has all the fancy EQ and mic. for room optimization. It even has a sweep mode that tests for you. The Black Lacquer is not my cup of tea but it seems well built. Overall this sub is in a class of its own.

How about 20HZ to 86 with no loss of DB and -3 at 18hz This thing is for real !

http://home.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?prod_id=371

 

[twich54]

Chris, I agree Jl makes a very nice sub indeed !

I got to listen to a pair !! of 'Gothams' @ Overture not to long ago, oh my, Bass a plenty !!

 

[Audiophiliac]

You can get them in a flat black finish if you like to pet your subs and dont want the fingerprints

I agree. Best subs I have heard. We have the Gotham in our "WOW" room at work. Its nuts.

 

[zaphod]

... We have the Gotham in our "WOW" room at work. Its nuts.

okay, where do you work, and are they hiring

 

[Reverb2009]

The JL Fathom sub's are truly 1st class subs, but they do come with a 1st class price tag. You won't find another sub on the market that offers the same kind of performance in such a small package, but thats a lot of the price tag. Big performance in a small package is not easy to do, and with the fit and finish JL puts out justifies the price tag.

But if you can't afford the JL a great alternative it the SVS PB13Ultra. It is larger then the JL, but is a ported design that uses less power to deliver performance that is arguably better then the JL F-113.

If you can't afford a JL Audio Fathom, seriously check out the SVS PB13 Ultra.

 

[Diamonds]

I can also attest to the quality of these subwoofers. I have two JL Audio F113 in my audio room and all I can say is wow! They are the best subs I have ever heard. My son uses one in his system and it is still great. They may be the number product on the market in my opinion that is under 10k. If you buy one you will not believe the improvement they will bring to your system. Guys I have owned a Decent sub and it isn't even close in performance.

 

[C.A.P]

Well not having owned either but heard both the JL Seemed to be much better in all areas. Not that the DecentI would not please me !

 

[VanDaRo]

I have no doubt that this is an excellent sub. My question is what specifically makes it so much better ?? My Depth sub is crossed over at 30Hz, and it (after countless hours of tweaking and measuring) blends seamlessly with the mains. For the sake of argument, we'll say that it responds in the 18Hz-45Hz region. How would the JL sub, if set to operate in the same range, distinguish itself from my current one ??

BTW, I hate bass bloat, so I find that pure output power is not a good selling point with high quality subs... Boom, boom, boom sounds like sh*t, sh*t, sh*t to me.

Inquiring minds want to know....

~VDR

 

[Reverb2009]

I can also attest to the quality of these subwoofers. I have two JL Audio F113 in my audio room and all I can say is wow! They are the best subs I have ever heard. My son uses one in his system and it is still great. They may be the number product on the market in my opinion that is under 10k. If you buy one you will not believe the improvement they will bring to your system. Guys I have owned a Decent sub and it isn't even close in performance.

I'll bet money one Elemental Designs A7-900 at $2200 will beat both your F113's.

Only problem is you will need about 5 or 6 of your buddy's to move this 435 Lbs monster into your listening room.










http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=606

 

[JMAUSGP]

You should definitely check out the SVS PB13 Ultra, it is not small but it is more musical than any sub I have heard. When I play tones during the equalization process of all my subs and I have 2 Sunfire True Subwoofers and the SVS, that the SVS is the only one that actually makes a musical sound, where as the Sunfires simply make a thumping noise where the SCS makes a musical tone. When it comes to bass though the SVS goes down to 10htz and it will bring things down off your walls and shake your foundation. Check out the SVS on the Internet and you will find it is rated one of the best if not the best sounding sub at any price.

 

[C.A.P]

DB means nothing with out quality! HT is WAY different then 2 channel !

 

[Reverb2009]

DB means nothing with out quality!

I agree.




If you have a little free time and have never checked out this site before, it has a lot of good info. The subwoofer comparison summery by Craig is a comparison of lots of different woofers available on the market. He has devised his Owen scale for comparing and ranking each sub. You see the JL F113 #5 on the list, the SVS PB13 Ultra ( IMO a poor mans F113) #3 on the list.


http://tweakcityaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11





3a. SVS PB13-Ultra

Listening results: This subwoofer delivers incredible performance from a moderate sized box. It is almost on par with the larger Conquest and eD subs in terms of delivering palpable bass, and it is as articulate as the standard bearer Fathom 113. A great choice when one is looking for a combination of reasonable WAF and performance.

Measured results ... 20 Hz: 108 dB ... 20-63 Hz average: 113.5 dB




5a. JL Audio Fathom 113

Listening results: The built in ARO system makes calibration into one's system a snap. The Fathom allows the well heeled audiophile to get an unmatched combination of powerful bass and extension with bass quality that matches the finest monitor speakers, all in a package that will fit in a room of high quality furniture. The panel of listeners was shocked that something so compact could deliver such visceral bass. This is the first subwoofer that delivers on the promise of small size with true subwoofer performance.

Measured results ... 20 Hz: 102 dB ... 20-63 Hz average: 112.5 dB

 

[Statman]

DB means nothing with out quality! HT is WAY different then 2 channel !

C.A.P.

These subs excel in 2 channel also! I've had two different REL subs in my system. The Storm and Stentor III series.The JL Fathom are one of the very few subwoofers I'd recommend for 2 channel purists. The Fathom's are very musical. No bloat and definitely no boom! They are extremely fast and articulate. The pair that I'm using integrate just fine with my Wilson WP7's. The A.R.O. makes a difference in setting them up in your system.

Vern

 

[C.A.P]

Boy I bet them Wilson's sound good with the twin Fathoms !