JTR Captivator 215PRO Audioholics Testing

[shadyJ]

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Audioholics recently went out for a scenic drive to sunny Wisconsin, and along the way we decided to make a stop at JTR Speakers to test a few of their subwoofers. Anyone with even the vaguest knowledge of JTR Speakers will know that their subwoofers are pretty extreme regarding performance, and one sub that we tested which had absolutely pulverizing performance was the Captivator 215PRO. The JTR Captivator 215PRO is not a home audio subwoofer but is meant for large venue sound reinforcement that you might find in large clubs, auditoriums, or outdoor concerts. The demands of pressurizing such large spaces with low-frequency pressure waves are much greater than that of any domestic listening environment. These subs are exceedingly powerful and are often used in large sets of subwoofers rather than a single sub. Audioholics doesn’t normally deal with pro-audio stuff like the Captivator 215PRO, but the experience of testing this thing was so extraordinary that we had to report on it.

READ: JTR Speakers Captivator 215PRO Performance Overview

 

[ryanosaur]

Mmmmm... excessive bass... *drools

Cool write up Shady!

 

[Danzilla31]

Now that's a sub! Great writeup!

 

[Jeff Permanian]

There's another JTR sub on the latest compilation:

 

[Danzilla31]

There's another JTR sub on the latest compilation:View attachment 36557

Jeff thank you for joining in! Welcome to the thread!

You chatted with me about 2 months ago in acquiring some off your towers I really enjoyed our conversation once a few things settle down you will definetly be hearing from me

My end game goal is to have an all JTR speaker setup in my theater room someday it's going to happen

I saw the review of your towers on audionirvana both of them and youthmans videos on touring your facility and purchasing your subs in his room

I just wanted to tell you it's about time your speakers and subs are being given more exposure I've been a fan boy for a long time of your products it's nice to see your business getting a lot of recognition lately!

 

[mtrycrafts]

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Audioholics recently went out for a scenic drive to sunny Wisconsin, and along the way we decided to make a stop at JTR Speakers to test a few of their subwoofers. .

Really? Just a sunny drive and what do you know, there is JTR, right?

 

[shadyJ]

Really? Just a sunny drive and what do you know, there is JTR, right?

Yeah, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. And as luck would have it, I just happened to have all of my testing gear with me! You never know when you are going to want to test subwoofers, so I take all my cases of sub testing equipment everywhere I go.

 

[ryanosaur]

Yeah, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. And as luck would have it, I just happened to have all of my testing gear with me! You never know when you are going to want to test subwoofers, so I take all my cases of sub testing equipment everywhere I go.

 

[Danzilla31]

Yeah, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. And as luck would have it, I just happened to have all of my testing gear with me! You never know when you are going to want to test subwoofers, so I take all my cases of sub testing equipment everywhere I go.

Careful buddy your starting to sound like me when I get all excited talking about my ports

It's a slippery slope my friend a slippery slope

 

[Danzilla31]

Yeah, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. And as luck would have it, I just happened to have all of my testing gear with me! You never know when you are going to want to test subwoofers, so I take all my cases of sub testing equipment everywhere I go.

You know it's crazy how deep this plays for a pro sub it's got output even after it falls off down to 20hz

I bet you in a room with room gain it could do even better

That is if the room would still be standing

 

[jeffca]

My biggest concern about this behemoth is not that it doesn't go subterranean, but more so that the cabinet doesn't look to be that beefy and well braced.

I do think, though, that 6 or 8 of these things in a PA rig would kick some serious ass. The price is also very good.

 

[shadyJ]

My biggest concern about this behemoth is not that it doesn't go subterranean, but more so that the cabinet doesn't look to be that beefy and well braced.

I do think, though, that 6 or 8 of these things in a PA rig would kick some serious ass. The price is also very good.

The cabinet is made from Baltic Birch which is much stronger and also lighter than MDF or HDF. You don't need as much of it to achieve the same stiffness. It certainly has adequate rigidity.

 

[Ponzio]

I'll take 2 please ... Oh honey, look what I got

 

[bikdav]

This sounds like a great subwoofer for an imitation pipe-organ.

 

[bikdav]

The cabinet is made from Baltic Birch which is much stronger and also lighter than MDF or HDF. You don't need as much of it to achieve the same stiffness. It certainly has adequate rigidity.

I did not know that about Baltic Birch. I’ll have to try building a speaker with it at some point.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Yep, a good number of premium layers, void free, and grain at 90 deg shift on each layer.
But, I would have thought at least 1"

 

[panteragstk]

I did not know that about Baltic Birch. I’ll have to try building a speaker with it at some point.

For what it's worth a lot of pro speakers are made of Baltic birch. One of the selling points we were told to make way back when.

 

[lovinthehd]

I did not know that about Baltic Birch. I’ll have to try building a speaker with it at some point.

Hard to find real baltic birch sometimes, and normally in 5x5' sheets....but less messy than mdf on top of the other reasons mentioned...

 

[ajemeditor]

James- excellent write up and despite your caveats, thsoe of us of a certain age shoudl caution younger enthusiasts that this is quite likely gogin to pose hearing risk to most people. there most certainly IS such a thing as overkill re ones hearing. I encourage teh many hoemtheater enthsuisiasts out there to buy a simple hearing test app for their phones and test it 1-2 Times a year and compare to norms for their age. Its one thing to run your subs a few DBs “hot” INTs another to being into your home a device that can damage your hearing. There is a reason you only see people >65 at rock concerts with hearing aids...