JL Audio Gotham v2

[GotAudio]

I am a big fan of their car audio equipment and recently learned of this sub.

does anybody know where I can audition it in Southern California or (anywhere in CA) or if anybody has one here, perhaps I can listen? In exchange , I will let you audition my car audio setup with JL audio custom sub setup or lunch...

I recently got interested in home audio again so interested to see what’s out there..

 

[lovinthehd]

Outside of covid issues there must be something in that huge of a metro area. I wouldn't particularly chase JL just because they did well in the automobile market, tho. We have some very good sub specialists aside from JL (JL seems to specialize more in prettier/smaller sealed boxes than ultimate performance for the home market, and their pricing tends to be on the high side). If you're in socal see if Hsu Research can demo something for you.....some of the best values in subs are what they do....

 

[Pogre]

Yup. Give Dr Hsu a call and see if you can set up an audition. Much better performance per dollar, and if you're in the area you don't even have to pay shipping!

Some of the other usuals are SVS, PSA and Rythmik too. All top notch makers of subwoofers.

 

[GotAudio]

I will have to visit Hsu Research. I like how their website has the sub section as “true subwoofers”.

 

[Trebdp83]

Go ahead and window shop. Just type in your zip code.

JL Audio Authorized Dealer / Distributor Locator

www.jlaudio.com

 

[shadyJ]

I will have to visit Hsu Research. I like how their website has the sub section as “true subwoofers”.

Hsu has always marketed their subs as "true subwoofers." The reason is when they started out in the early 90's, the only other sub manufacturers were making their subs tuned at relatively high frequencies, from 30Hz or higher. Hsu was one of the first to manufacture subwoofers that could hit an honest 20Hz without heavy compression. Nowadays there are a lot of subs that can do that, but I don't know of any others that did back in the 90's.

 

[GotAudio]

Go ahead and window shop. Just type in your zip code.

JL Audio Authorized Dealer / Distributor Locator

www.jlaudio.com

I would like to audition the best from JL and the best from Hsu. I’m really curious if the Gotham v2 is worth the price.

 

[shadyJ]

I would like to audition the best from JL and the best from Hsu. I’m really curious if the Gotham v2 is worth the price.

A lot of what you pay for in a JL Audio sub isn't raw performance but other things like build quality, features, post-purchase support. JL Audio's home audio subs are more like luxury products than their car audio systems. They have to be since USA manufacturing necessitates a greater return on each unit, much greater than an under-$1k product could possibly give. But the absolute margins for a JL Audio sub is way more than a Hsu, and it needs to be given the way these subs are manufactured. The Gotham is an extremely nice sub, but be aware you are paying a lot more for luxury amenities than you are actual performance. To put it another way, $16k, the MSRP of a Gotham, will get you one very nice sub from JL Audio, but $16k worth of Hsu subs would get you pretty unimaginable performance that would be many times more powerful and high performing than that of a Gotham. It's tempting to use a car analogy here, where a Hsu is a corvette and the JL Audio is a Bugatti, but that doesn't quite hold since subwoofer performance increase at a logarithmic rate the more you add, whereas the performance of a car doesn't improve just from buying more of them.

 

[lovinthehd]

A lot of what you pay for in a JL Audio sub isn't raw performance but other things like build quality, features, post-purchase support. JL Audio's home audio subs are more like luxury products than their car audio systems. They have to be since USA manufacturing necessitates a greater return on each unit, much greater than an under-$1k product could possibly give. But the absolute margins for a JL Audio sub is way more than a Hsu, and it needs to be given the way these subs are manufactured. The Gotham is an extremely nice sub, but be aware you are paying a lot more for luxury amenities than you are actual performance. To put it another way, $16k, the MSRP of a Gotham, will get you one very nice sub from JL Audio, but $16k worth of Hsu subs would get you pretty unimaginable performance that would be many times more powerful and high performing than that of a Gotham. It's tempting to use a car analogy here, where a Hsu is a corvette and the JL Audio is a Bugatti, but that doesn't quite hold since subwoofer performance increase at a logarithmic rate the more you add, whereas the performance of a car doesn't improve just from buying more of them.

That car analogy invites subwoofer "speed"

 

[Pogre]

A lot of what you pay for in a JL Audio sub isn't raw performance but other things like build quality, features, post-purchase support. JL Audio's home audio subs are more like luxury products than their car audio systems. They have to be since USA manufacturing necessitates a greater return on each unit, much greater than an under-$1k product could possibly give. But the absolute margins for a JL Audio sub is way more than a Hsu, and it needs to be given the way these subs are manufactured. The Gotham is an extremely nice sub, but be aware you are paying a lot more for luxury amenities than you are actual performance. To put it another way, $16k, the MSRP of a Gotham, will get you one very nice sub from JL Audio, but $16k worth of Hsu subs would get you pretty unimaginable performance that would be many times more powerful and high performing than that of a Gotham. It's tempting to use a car analogy here, where a Hsu is a corvette and the JL Audio is a Bugatti, but that doesn't quite hold since subwoofer performance increase at a logarithmic rate the more you add, whereas the performance of a car doesn't improve just from buying more of them.

Yup. For the price of one Gotham you could buy sixteen VTF-15H MK2s! that'd be 3 subs per room in my house with one left over!

I can't even imagine what 16 subs in one system can do. That'd be insane!

 

[kini]

Yup. For the price of one Gotham you could buy sixteen VTF-15H MK2s! that'd be 3 subs per room in my house with one left over!

I can't even imagine what 16 subs in one system can do. That'd be insane!

Or 4 JTR Cap 4000s and use them to demo the house.

 

[Pogre]

Or 4 JTR Cap 4000s and use them to demo the house.

I spent quite a bit of time on their site yesterday and got reacquainted with their products. Those Cap4000s are ridiculous. I don't even think you exaggerate when you say 4 could demo a house!

 

[shadyJ]

Yup. For the price of one Gotham you could buy sixteen VTF-15H MK2s! that'd be 3 subs per room in my house with one left over!

I can't even imagine what 16 subs in one system can do. That'd be insane!

If my math is right, 16 VTF-15h mk2 subs would have a 24dB advantage over a single one. That would only really scale properly in an anechoic setting but still, it would be a pretty crazy system. 131dB at 20Hz anechoically in a burst test. Four Captivator 4000s should give you 131dB in the same testing since it has about a 12dB advantage at 20Hz individually.

 

[GotAudio]

I’m at a Barnes and Noble reading the Absolute Sound magazine and they have the 2021 high end Audio buyers guide.

I was looking at sub section and couldn’t help but notice JL audio’s presence but not one
mention of Hsu research. Even the Gotham v2 is in there.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Taking audio equipment purchase advice from The Absolute Sound is as smart as taking legal advice from Rudy Guiliani. Okay, maybe The Absolute Sound is a little better, but not much.

 

[Pogre]

The Absolute Sound... lol.

Those guys are part of the woo-woo audiophool crowd who like to push snake oil and claim that expensive cables and interconects "open soundstages, widen dynamic ranges and offer superior tonality" over far less expensive, good ol' plain ofc cable of the appropriate gauge. Them going ga-ga over something just highlights how overpriced it is!

2017 Editors' Choice: Interconnects and Speaker Cables Part 1 - The Absolute Sound

2017 Editors' Choice: Interconnects and Speaker Cables Part 1 -

www.theabsolutesound.com

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

It's tempting to use a car analogy here, where a Hsu is a corvette and the JL Audio is a Bugatti, but that doesn't quite hold since subwoofer performance increase at a logarithmic rate the more you add, whereas the performance of a car doesn't improve just from buying more of them.

To slightly improve car analogy and to be fair to corvettes - some of them are collectible (read- expensive) and some very pretty
I'd say HSU subs are Ariel Atom - not much to look at, but crazy fast (especially for its price) where's Gotham is more like Rolls Royce - both are "cars" get to about the same top speed, but clearly completely opposite in many other ways.

 

[GotAudio]

This thread just reminded me to schedule an appointment for an audition at Hsu headquarters. Unfortunately, their website still states that they are closed for walkin auditions.I’m assuming this might change pretty soon as orange county will move to a less restrictive Covid tier soon.

To imagine, they’ve been closed for a year now for auditions , kind of like some other businesses that I was interested in.

 

[Pogre]

The Air Jordan's of the subwoofer world. Jordans do the same job as any other well made sneaker, but go for crazy prices. You're really only paying for the Nike swoosh and a name.

 

[Pogre]

This thread just reminded me to schedule an appointment for an audition at Hsu headquarters. Unfortunately, their website still states that they are closed for walkin auditions.I’m assuming this might change pretty soon as orange county will move to a less restrictive Covid tier soon.

To imagine, they’ve been closed for a year now for auditions , kind of like some other businesses that I was interested in.

Jealous. I wish I lived in Cali. I coulda saved shipping for my speakers and subs. I think I read in another post recently that Dr Hsu is taking appointments, with all the distancing and mask wearing I'm sure. I'll bet you could set something up if you give him a call.