Anything better than JTR RS2 for the price?

[Landmonster]

Hi all.

I haven't posted in a while, I'm looking to get a subwoofer hopefully soon. I have a 5 speaker Polk LSiM setup, my room is 16x15, and I'm wanting to add 1 beastly sub to it. Eventually I'd like to get 2+, but I don't know that I should buy 2 JTR subs at the moment. I could get 2 or 3 mediocre subs now, but I'd rather focus on the end-game.

I've been eyeing the JTR series, trying to decide what makes the most sense. I don't need extraordinary output.

Shaking stuff off my walls isn't my goal. I do want the lowest possible distortion and hard-hitting deep bass though.

Is the RS2 one of the best subs for the price, around $3,500?
Or are there other brands that would actually meet or exceed the JTR quality/output for the price?

My thought was to get just 1 sub now, and add a 2nd one later.

What chief advantage does the Capitavator series have over the RS1/RS2 line? (aside from being ported) From what I gather... they take up more space, cost more, and have slightly more output at the expense of more distortion. I could be wrong, but I imagine the RS2 output would be plenty for my needs.

 

[shadyJ]

Firstly, the RS subs from JTR are a part of the Captivator series. The Captivator subs are not just the ported subs, it is JTR's line of all of their subs except their horn-loaded Orbit Shifter. Second, ported subs do not have more distortion, they have less distortion than sealed subs, all other things being equal.

As for competition, Deep Sea Sound makes subwoofers in the same class as JTR. Funk Audio makes subs that have similar caliber performance but in luxury cabinets and so are more expensive. I am not sure of the current status of Seaton Sound.

Also, if you say you don't need extraordinary output, why are you looking at an RS2? It's a great sub, granted, but why not just get an RS1 if you don't need massive output?

 

[Landmonster]

That's a good question.

It's hard to define "massive output".

A) I had planned on getting 2 "small'" subs, like the RS1 or Cap 2400, and place them next to my entertainment center inside the Polk 707 towers. My setup would look much like the homepage of the JTR site.

After realizing that my space doesn't' really have the width for 2 subs upfront, I thought I might as well maximize the spot for 1 sub. Ergo: I figure that an RS2 would provide noticeably more output that a single RS1. Maybe not?


B) Also, the RS2 seems to represent a better financial value.

Here's my math logic (correct it if you see flaws): If a Single RS1 is about $2600, so 2 of them would cost $5200. An RS2 is essentially 2 of the same drivers in 1 cabinet for $3700. It comes with a larger 4000-watt amplifier. Granted, it is not as powerful as 2x 2400 watt amplifiers would be, but it saves much less floor space and about $1500. As I said, I'm not really looking to blow my doors off.

C) I was always under the impression that the sealed subs were "cleaner" somehow than ported. The trade off was: you chose sealed for more clarity and less output, or ported for more output with slightly more distortions. I could be wrong.

Even the JTR rep said that the RS series said so. From an email - "The RS2 would have more output than a 2400 and also be a little cleaner in sound with less distortion"

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

" My room is 16x15" - is it fully sealed, as in, enclosed by walls/doors? If not could you reasonably approximate the total amount of volume of air which will try to pressurize?
If it is sealed, then you're vastly overkilling on sub and a ULS-15 MK2 DualDrive would give gobbles of clean bass at a much cheaper price and compact size

 

[shadyJ]

That's a good question.

It's hard to define "massive output".

A) I had planned on getting 2 "small'" subs, like the RS1 or Cap 2400, and place them next to my entertainment center inside the Polk 707 towers. My setup would look much like the homepage of the JTR site.

After realizing that my space doesn't' really have the width for 2 subs upfront, I thought I might as well maximize the spot for 1 sub. Ergo: I figure that an RS2 would provide noticeably more output that a single RS1. Maybe not?


B) Also, the RS2 seems to represent a better financial value.

Here's my math logic (correct it if you see flaws): If a Single RS1 is about $2600, so 2 of them would cost $5200. An RS2 is essentially 2 of the same drivers in 1 cabinet for $3700. It comes with a larger 4000-watt amplifier. Granted, it is not as powerful as 2x 2400 watt amplifiers would be, but it saves much less floor space and about $1500. As I said, I'm not really looking to blow my doors off.

C) I was always under the impression that the sealed subs were "cleaner" somehow than ported. The trade off was: you chose sealed for more clarity and less output, or ported for more output with slightly more distortions. I could be wrong.

Even the JTR rep said that the RS series said so. From an email - "The RS2 would have more output than a 2400 and also be a little cleaner in sound with less distortion"

The RS2 does have more headroom than the RS1 but if you aren't blasting these subs, you would never take advantage of that extra headroom. You are driving around in suburban neighborhood streets with a Lamborghini, and in those limitations, you won't be going any faster than a Toyota Camry.

The RS2 would have less distortion in regions outside of port contributed output on account of its dual drivers. That is pretty much regions below 12 Hz and maybe above 40 Hz. But both would be so low in distortion that it would be inaudible regardless. With subs like these, you won't be getting any distortion.

Qualitatively, the thing that matters most in bass is a flat response. One sub can not do that for you. You can get a monster like an RS2, and that will get loud, but it can't sound as good as a system that yields a flat response. The only real way to flatten out the response is a multiple sub system where placement shores up room nulls with equalization to trim the peaks. However, if you do not have the freedom of placement for subs to optimize the response, I suppose you might as well get a single bruiser like an RS2.

 

[mazersteven]

How does the JTR RS2 compare to the PSA TV36 IPAL

TV36 Ipal

TV36 Ipal is a powered low-tuned vented subwoofer with 1920W of continuous, DSP controlled ICEpower® and two B&C 18" Ipal drivers.

www.powersoundaudio.com

 

[shadyJ]

How does the JTR RS2 compare to the PSA TV36 IPAL

TV36 Ipal

TV36 Ipal is a powered low-tuned vented subwoofer with 1920W of continuous, DSP controlled ICEpower® and two B&C 18" Ipal drivers.

www.powersoundaudio.com

The RS2 is a sealed sub, the TV36 is a ported sub. That is an apple to oranges comparison. PSA doesn't really have anything comparable to the RS2.

 

[Landmonster]

The RS2 is a sealed sub, the TV36 is a ported sub. That is an apple to oranges comparison. PSA doesn't really have anything comparable to the RS2.

Are any subs from PS audio on par with JTR models?

 

[kini]

Are any subs from PS audio on par with JTR models?

They have a dual opposed 18 the sealed 3612 and he is working on a dual opposed sealed 21 the 4212 both use B&C drivers. He also has a single 18 the S1812 and is working on a single 21 the S2112 using B&C drivers. The single 21 is a custom driver with dual voice coils.

The best thing to do would be to try them out in your home and return the one you like least.

 

[Landmonster]

I meant are they on par quality-wise. I don't want to pay for shipping and returning heavy things if it can be avoided.

 

[shadyJ]

Are any subs from PS audio on par with JTR models?

Not really. PSA uses pro-audio type drivers, which have very high mid-bass sensitivity but lower sensitivity in deep bass and lower excursion that inhibits deep bass performance. JTR's drivers are aimed at getting very good deep bass performance without sacrificing linearity which is a tough trick to pull off, but they have done that. For the purposes of home audio, JTR is very much a step above.

 

[Landmonster]

Not really. PSA uses pro-audio type drivers, which have very high mid-bass sensitivity but lower sensitivity in deep bass and lower excursion that inhibits deep bass performance. JTR's drivers are aimed at getting very good deep bass performance without sacrificing linearity which is a tough trick to pull off, but they have done that. For the purposes of home audio, JTR is very much a step above.

Thanks.

Everyone says JTR is awesome. The primary purpose of this thread is to find out if anything is equal or better for the price. I don't think there really is much out there.

One concern I wonder about with these is the appearance of the finish quality. It is hard to tell from videos how JTRs actually look to the naked eye in the room.

Since these are essentially handmade, I'm assuming they are hand sprayed? If a person looks at these in the room under normal lighting, does the black matte paint look even, or like a spray-can type job? (streaky, uneven reflections, etc)

Or is it a high-quality paint job that looks essentially the same all over?

As far as accessories:

1) What would be a good subwoofer cable to use for someone like me who doesn't have XLR connections? Is Bluejeans decent for something like this?

2) What would be something good to sit this one if you are setting it horizontally on its side? I'm assuming you can lose performance if you lay one of these directly on a hardwood floor or carpet floor?

 

[lovinthehd]

I've always heard nice things about JTR's finishes, altho mostly basic matte black, but they do some custom work. https://www.jtrspeakers.com/gallery

Don't overthink the cable, something from Monoprice or Mediabridge will work just fine, as would something from BlueJeans.

You could use a variety of things to put under the sub if using other than it's own feet (or perhaps simply have them place feet where you want). Something like a yoga mat or towel should work well enough to protect the finish but I wouldn't worry about performance unless the floor/box interface created odd noises if you didn't put something underneath.

 

[shadyJ]

Thanks.

Everyone says JTR is awesome. The primary purpose of this thread is to find out if anything is equal or better for the price. I don't think there really is much out there.

One concern I wonder about with these is the appearance of the finish quality. It is hard to tell from videos how JTRs actually look to the naked eye in the room.

Since these are essentially handmade, I'm assuming they are hand sprayed? If a person looks at these in the room under normal lighting, does the black matte paint look even, or like a spray-can type job? (streaky, uneven reflections, etc)

Or is it a high-quality paint job that looks essentially the same all over?

As far as accessories:

1) What would be a good subwoofer cable to use for someone like me who doesn't have XLR connections? Is Bluejeans decent for something like this?

2) What would be something good to sit this one if you are setting it horizontally on its side? I'm assuming you can lose performance if you lay one of these directly on a hardwood floor or carpet floor?

The finish is evenly applied. JTR subs are not beautiful subs and are a lot more about function than form, but they are made by a professional cabinet maker.

A regular RCA cable is just fine to send a signal to a JTR sub.

If you were going to lay one on its side, I would place it on a thick rug or matt so that the finish doesn't get scratched. Placing it directly on a hardwood floor will not diminish performance, but it will scuff both the sub and the floor.

 

[Landmonster]

" My room is 16x15" - is it fully sealed, as in, enclosed by walls/doors? If not could you reasonably approximate the total amount of volume of air which will try to pressurize?
If it is sealed, then you're vastly overkilling on sub and a ULS-15 MK2 DualDrive would give gobbles of clean bass at a much cheaper price and compact size

My room is 16x15, but the left wall is open to the kitchen area.

Do you feel 2 15" subs would really be adequate for that area?

 

[Landmonster]

The finish is evenly applied. JTR subs are not beautiful subs and are a lot more about function than form, but they are made by a professional cabinet maker.

A regular RCA cable is just fine to send a signal to a JTR sub.

If you were going to lay one on its side, I would place it on a thick rug or matt so that the finish doesn't get scratched. Placing it directly on a hardwood floor will not diminish performance, but it will scuff both the sub and the floor.

Thanks.

My original plan... mostly due to space limitations, was looking at 2 Rythmik FV15's, in the piano black finish.

Rythmik Audio • 15" servo subwoofer FV15HP

Why? 2 reasons:

A) These are about the largest sub I can fit on either side of my current entertainment unit. So I'd get 2 subs upfront, instead of 1. (18" wide vs 21" makes a large difference in a cramped space. )
B) Those are the largest subs that Rymthik offers in the Piano black finish. They refuse to make bigger ones with a Piano finish for some reason. Aesthetically, I would prefer a nice finish like that for a living room.

That would look a lot better ( aesthetically anyway), but may not be nearly as good from an audio perspective.

However, I did wonder if stepping up to a single JTR would be a wise long-term move. I could use a single JTR now, and plan on adding more JTRs later in a larger home.

1) How would dual FVH15s compare to a single JTR RS2? The price is relatively the same, all things considered. $1700 x 2, vs $3500 for 1.

2) If I chose to get Rythmiks now, due to space, would it be dumb to mix JTR subs and Rhymik subs in the same theater room, at a later date? The next home I buy will most likely have a dedicated media room. At that time, space won't be such a limiting factor. Would it be wrong/unwise to mix JTR + Rythmik in the same room? Or smarter to have a full JTR setup?

 

[mazersteven]

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

For that kind of money, I would consider going with passive subs + external amps for possibly better reliability and flexibiility.

I don't think you will ever need 2,000-4,000 Watts either, most likely not even 500 Watts, and you're paying a lot of money for this much power with active subs.

For less expensive subs < $1,000, active subs are usually less expensive. But if you're talking about $3K subs, I'm thinking might as well go all separates - separate sub + separate amp.

 

[TankTop5]

The RS2 does have more headroom than the RS1 but if you aren't blasting these subs, you would never take advantage of that extra headroom. You are driving around in suburban neighborhood streets with a Lamborghini, and in those limitations, you won't be going any faster than a Toyota Camry

Have you driven a Lamborghini? As long as there aren’t many potholes you can drive a Lamborghini like a Lamborghini anywhere. 0 to 100 and back to zero in the stretch of a city block. The driver seat of a Gallardo is fine for me but my feet are too big for the petals, the passenger seat sucks.

 

[Landmonster]

See my above post.

2 Rythmik FV15HPs, vs 1 larger JTR sub (most likely a RS2). Whatever I buy now will likely be kept, and added to in the future.

One thing I do wonder about the Rhytmik is the power disadvantage.

Each FV15 only has 600 watts, (1200 for 2), whereas the RS2 has a massive 4,000 watts.

I don't know how the servo affects the wattage that is required for output.