JTR Speakers Captivator RS1 Subwoofer Review

[lovinthehd]

I'd only use the crowns at first no sense spending money just yet if I already have something to get the job done but I agree with you totally down the road I would eventually replace them with the better speakercraft amp

Speakercraft is another company . It's the eq needed that would be the difference with the sealed sub....(which your XLS doesn't have....maybe you could approximate with something like a minidsp unit).

 

[Danzilla31]

It's the transform for a sealed sub I'd think Jeff doesn't want to release. The ported sub would be tuned, to a certain degree.

I'd replace every sub I have if I could afford right now to with the rs2's like you I don't like mixing sealed vs ported those rs 2's would be end game subs for sure

I'd only ask him since they are a sealed sub if he could build me some with the amp not in the enclosure like you said the shelf version with his eq baked in.

It can't hurt to ask right?

 

[everettT]

Then there's the mixing of sealed/ported subs....

With regard to his? I'm not sure how much eq is applied to his ported and I'd doubt it's as complex to achieve the low end. This is all speculation and I'm basing it off of the known designs.

 

[everettT]

I'd only use the crowns at first no sense spending money just yet if I already have something to get the job done but I agree with you totally down the road I would eventually replace them with the better speakercraft amp

You would need DSP to achieve the low end results. The Crowns wouldn't suffice with the sealed subs.

 

[lovinthehd]

With regard to his? I'm not sure how much eq is applied to his ported and I'd doubt it's as complex to achieve the low end. This is all speculation and I'm basing it off of the known designs.

Just a possibility of different response profiles....especially with the XLS amp vs programmed SpeakerPower amp....

 

[everettT]

I'd replace every sub I have if I could afford right now to with the rs2's like you I don't like mixing sealed vs ported those rs 2's would be end game subs for sure

I'd only ask him since they are a sealed sub if he could build me some with the amp not in the enclosure like you said the shelf version with his eq baked in.

It can't hurt to ask right?

I don't think he would have an issue since he can achieve the same with speakerpower outboard amp.

 

[everettT]

Just a possibility of different response profiles....especially with the XLS amp vs programmed SpeakerPower amp....

Agreed

 

[everettT]

I'll sum up some of my posts with this:
Call Jeff as he is great to work with.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'll sum up some of my posts with this:
Call Jeff as he is great to work with.

LOL I was just thinking all this extraneous conversation could well take a thread of its own....

 

[jeffca]

For a non-servo, active sub, this thing seems to be a killer. Given that JL Audio makes a $3,500 10" sub(?), this thing is a bargain for $1K less.

The thing that I don't get with people buying a single sub this large is that it will throw a lot of bass in the room, but it won't be very even. The in-room modal behavior from one sub is usually pretty terrible.

Four or six 12" subs spread out around the room (4 up front and two in the back) will be better. Yes, there are more boxes, but:

• You can spread the electrical load over several outlets
• The in-room bass response will be much be much more even in all the listening positions
• While the RS1 is not gigantic, it's fairly large and it weighs about 110lbs. A well made 12" sub can be about 2/3 the size and weight (or less).
• The other advantage of a half dozen 12" subs is that will give you less distortion and cabinet noise if they are done well.
• No sub driver on the planet is rated at more than 1.6kW, AES spec. And, since that is a pro driver, meant for a ported cabinet, it most likely has a resonance of around 35-40Hz so it's really just a big woofer. A high Xmax driver like this one, most likely, has an AES power spec around 800 watts. Beefy, for sure, but why have such an excess of power with the amp. Also, I imagine, the driver is about ready to bottom out with that much power at or below 30Hz.
• The plate amp should be in its own enclosure.

If you have a huge room, a way to move these boxes around and the budget to buy two or, better, four of them, this is actually a very cost-effective sub solution. In average rooms, though, this is not ideal. It would be overkill.

I have 4 Rythmik L12 servo subs. In my room, it's as much as I can stand. Which brings up another thought: when are you guys going to put a Rythmik servo sub through its paces?

 

[shadyJ]

For a non-servo, active sub, this thing seems to be a killer. Given that JL Audio makes a $3,500 10" sub(?), this thing is a bargain for $1K less.

The thing that I don't get with people buying a single sub this large is that it will throw a lot of bass in the room, but it won't be very even. The in-room modal behavior from one sub is usually pretty terrible.

Four or six 12" subs spread out around the room (4 up front and two in the back) will be better. Yes, there are more boxes, but:

• You can spread the electrical load over several outlets
• The in-room bass response will be much be much more even in all the listening positions
• While the RS1 is not gigantic, it's fairly large and it weighs about 110lbs. A well made 12" sub can be about 2/3 the size and weight (or less).
• The other advantage of a half dozen 12" subs is that will give you less distortion and cabinet noise if they are done well.
• No sub driver on the planet is rated at more than 1.6kW, AES spec. And, since that is a pro driver, meant for a ported cabinet, it most likely has a resonance of around 35-40Hz so it's really just a big woofer. A high Xmax driver like this one, most likely, has an AES power spec around 800 watts. Beefy, for sure, but why have such an excess of power with the amp. Also, I imagine, the driver is about ready to bottom out with that much power at or below 30Hz.
• The plate amp should be in its own enclosure.

If you have a huge room, a way to move these boxes around and the budget to buy two or, better, four of them, this is actually a very cost-effective sub solution. In average rooms, though, this is not ideal. It would be overkill.

I have 4 Rythmik L12 servo subs. In my room, it's as much as I can stand. Which brings up another thought: when are you guys going to put a Rythmik servo sub through its paces?

Sure, you can buy a half dozen smaller subs and get a more even response, but many people don't have that kind of placement flexibility. If you only have one or two available spots for a sub, might as well make sure the sub is a good one. As for your other comments, you seem to be partly missing the point of this sub. The driver was made to have massive deep bass output without sacrificing fidelity. I am not even sure that six L12s could match the deep bass performance of a single RS1, in fact, I would bet against it. They would certainly not be as efficient in deep bass. That isn't an apples to apples comparison, because these subs have very different performance targets.

 

[panteragstk]

Sure, you can buy a half dozen smaller subs and get a more even response, but many people don't have that kind of placement flexibility. If you only have one or two available spots for a sub, might as well make sure the sub is a good one. As for your other comments, you seem to be partly missing the point of this sub. The driver was made to have massive deep bass output without sacrificing fidelity. I am not even sure that six L12s could match the deep bass performance of a single RS1, in fact, I would bet against it. They would certainly not be as efficient in deep bass. That isn't an apples to apples comparison, because these subs have very different performance targets.

This.
This is what I don't get with my 4 12" subs. Sure, everything is nice and even (so far without calibration) and it sounds great, but I'm missing that sub 20hz extension.

Sure, I get extension under 20hz, but nothing like this thing can do.

Large drivers with a lot of xmax will always win that battle.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

This.
This is what I don't get with my 4 12" subs. Sure, everything is nice and even (so far without calibration) and it sounds great, but I'm missing that sub 20hz extension.

Sure, I get extension under 20hz, but nothing like this thing can do.

Large drivers with a lot of xmax will always win that battle.

I don't really hear bass below 24Hz it's more of a feeling than a sound. I also notice above 13kHz I don't hear much of anything. Try this test on your speakers,

 

[panteragstk]

I don't really hear bass below 24Hz it's more of a feeling than a sound. I also notice above 13kHz I don't hear much of anything. Try this test on your speakers,

Will do

 

[tparm]

So, I have always valued @shadyJ reviews and comments. After 9 months of design and gaining HOA and county approvals my foundation for my new home is being dug today. 10 months from now I'l have a dedicated space. Ends up the space is on a slab, sealed from the rest of the home, 31x15.5x9 with a bar in the back. I am using an AVR-X4700 in pre-amp mode with an Halo 52+/2 Emotiva A-150s and Polk Audio LSiM707/706c/703 bed speakers and 4 700-LS ceilings for Atmos. I need sub(s). Room will be set up via REW as far as placement goes and I am 60% music, 80% of that is 2-channel. 80% of time its just me in the room, and the rest of time is movies with my GF mixed in with a few guys nights for movies and games. I listen loud but no reference loud unless I'm demo'ing movie chapters or being stupid.

I think this sub could end my internal debate about what to buy. I was considering a pair of Paradigm Defiance X15s or Rythmik FV15HPs. However, I am not convinced on the topic of multiple subs. My MLP is most important to me and with autonomy for placement a sub like the RS1 seems to make sense.

Agree? Disagree? Why?

Thanks.

 

[shadyJ]

So, I have always valued @shadyJ reviews and comments. After 9 months of design and gaining HOA and county approvals my foundation for my new home is being dug today. 10 months from now I'l have a dedicated space. Ends up the space is on a slab, sealed from the rest of the home, 31x15.5x9 with a bar in the back. I am using an AVR-X4700 in pre-amp mode with an Halo 52+/2 Emotiva A-150s and Polk Audio LSiM707/706c/703 bed speakers and 4 700-LS ceilings for Atmos. I need sub(s). Room will be set up via REW as far as placement goes and I am 60% music, 80% of that is 2-channel. 80% of time its just me in the room, and the rest of time is movies with my GF mixed in with a few guys nights for movies and games. I listen loud but no reference loud unless I'm demo'ing movie chapters or being stupid.

I think this sub could end my internal debate about what to buy. I was considering a pair of Paradigm Defiance X15s or Rythmik FV15HPs. However, I am not convinced on the topic of multiple subs. My MLP is most important to me and with autonomy for placement a sub like the RS1 seems to make sense.

Agree? Disagree? Why?

Thanks.

Multiple subs benefit a single listening position as much as multiple listening positions. In fact, I would say even more so. With a single sub, all you can do is trim the peaks in a low frequency response, but you can not address nulls. With multiple subs, you can use placement to shore up nulls.

 

[tparm]

Multiple subs benefit a single listening position as much as multiple listening positions. In fact, I would say even more so. With a single sub, all you can do is trim the peaks in a low frequency response, but you can not address nulls. With multiple subs, you can use placement to shore up nulls.

Thanks @shadyJ

Back to decision on two subs then...... Anything changed in the six months past since I posed this question?

 

[shadyJ]

Thanks @shadyJ

Back to decision on two subs then...... Anything changed in the six months past since I posed this question?

I don't think anything has changed in the last six months. Both great subs.

 

[ryanosaur]

Just get 2 JTRs and be thankful!

 

[tparm]

Just get 2 JTRs and be thankful!

That would be seriously bad ass....