The JBL Studio SUB 550P is a reasonably compact subwoofer featuring a 10" polyplas woofer driven by a 300W RMS (500W peak) amplifier in a sealed enclosure. Normally priced at $600, but currently available on JBL's website for $480, the SUB 550P has a claimed frequency response of 27Hz-150Hz. As always, there's no shortage of competition, so inquiring minds want to know: how does JBL's little sealed sub stack up? Read on to see my initial impressions.
Executive Overview
Ahh, another day, another black box to look at. In the case of the SUB 550P, it's at least a rather small and easily hidden black box (17.5" W x ~15" H x ~15" D), and some effort was made in the styling department so that it won't look out of place next to JBL's rather distinctive Studio 5 series. Like so many other little black boxes, the SUB 550P isn't likely to win JBL any awards from Elle Decor, but it shouldn't have any major problems blending in to your average home theater either.
Aesthetics aside, the question everyone wants to know is how much performance could JBL squeeze out of such a small enclosure? Being a sealed subwoofer, the main determinate of output capability is the driver, in this case a 10" model which at least has the appearance of being capable of the long throws necessary to deliver respectable deep bass performance. One other item on the spec sheet that caught my eye was the weight of the subwoofer; at 50 pounds, the SUB 550P is nearly twice the weight of the similarly priced SVS SB1000. While not a perfect indicator of quality, that extra weight suggests a robust driver that can back up its relatively aggressive look.
Presuming JBL didn't just line the cabinet with lead to boost the weight, they could have a nice little performer here. A 10" driver backed by a 300W amplifier isn't going to fill a huge room with deep bass, but it should be enough for most tastes in a smaller space, particularly with a bit of boundary gain (i.e. corner loading) to boost output and room gain to lift up the low end a notch or two. Speaking of the low end, JBL claims extension down to 27Hz with the SUB 550P, though a keen eye might note that no tolerance is given. However, with a little digging (I happened to glance at the EU product page), I can confirm that 27Hz is the rated -3dB point. Consequently, while the JBL does appear to give up a little extension relative to the aforementioned SVS SB1000, assuming JBL isn't pulling any tricks (i.e. trying to estimate in room extension), the performance of the SUB 550P overall could be very competitive with SVS' entry level sealed sub.
Summary
Overall JBL appears to have a fairly capable little subwoofer with their SUB 550P. The looks aren't anything to brag about, but shouldn't have any problems blending into a room. More importantly, the performance potential here looks to be competitive with a similarly priced and sized offering from SVS. At the sale price of $480 direct from JBL, the SUB 550P could be worth a serious look for folks who want solid low end in a smaller space.
So what do you guys think? Anybody own one?
Should Josh put this on his list of subs to torture test?
Quick Specs
Enclosure Type: Sealed (forward-firing)
Finish: Black
Frequency Response: 27Hz-150Hz
Amplifier Power (Peak): 500W
Amplifier Power (RMS): 300W
Low-Frequency Transducer: 10" (250mm) PolyPlas cone, cast basket
