250 watts TRUE rms. clean, and tight. can get loud.

Dont leave it on when you dont have too. This is how the hum startes. Can get a little messy and sloppy with some recordings.

I got this sub last summer. Ive read all the reviews for this thing (after i got it) and none of the stuff other people said have happend to me. I went to hook it up and played some tunes. It sounded ok. Then i played with the positioning and wow, night and day difference from its old position. The bass is clear and tight. The power rating says 250 watts rms. It must be like a 400 watt peak because not once has this thing ever clipped on me. At one point i began to wonder just how loud it could go and cranked up my reciever. The reciever clipped before the sub did, and my reciever has the bass completly flat. Its great for movies, and really good for music. This thing can literally pop your eardrums. Then i moved. Hooked it back up, HOPING i could get the same sound. I couldnt. The bass was slightly more boomy and it couldnt get as low anymore. Of course this is all the room and not the sub at all. Never once has it started popping out of knowhere on me. The LEDs have always worked. It also helps to shut it off. Forget about the auto off. The amp still consumes alot of power and after a while it developed a slight hum. You can only here it if your standing next to the sub with the room completley quite though. Bottom line: great for hometheature and very very good for music.

Embora com um grave descontrolado, treme a sala toda, impressionando bem.

Baixa qualidade dos componentes Falta de assistencia tecnica no Brasil Nao é musical, ou seja, só serve para filmes pois nao tem detalhamento de graves.É só Boom boom!! Facilmente superado por qualquer sub B&W, Velodyne, M&K, mesmo com potencias (declaradas) inferiores e woofers menores.

Este produto, assim como os demais JBL nao tem assistencia tecnica adequada no Brasil. Estou com o mesmo parado ha 4 meses por nao encontrar peças de reposicao. Contactei a JuaoSom que nao tem previsao e Pasmem ! A JBL US nao envia peças para fora dos Estados Unidos ! O barato saiu caro !

Similar Products Used:

B&W ASW600 M&K K9

Great value for the money

Minor problem with wire fastener falling off in transit

If I had read this site before buying this unit,I probably would seriously considered a different SW. That being said, I've had the SB12 for about 3 months and overall have been quite pleased. The unit initially did not work. The LED lit up but there was absolutely no sound. The JBL service tech was extremely professional and helpful. He suggested unscrewing the speaker and making sure that the wire clips had not fallen off in transit. Sure enough that was indeed the problem. It took no more than 5 minutes to complete the repair and the SW is now working well and sounds great.

Great sub when it works

Poor quality

I just got this sub for Christmas. Worked great for about a month then died on me. Green light just went out, now no light and no sound. Now I have to deal with the hassles of getting this serviced. I read about the problems but thought JBL took care of them, apparently not. Buyer beware!!!

Great Bass Paid 236 instead of 399

Can't think of one

Despite of all the BAD REVIEWS, I still wanted to get this Sub because of the great deal i got on it. I just don't understand all the bad reviews. I would have to agree with thmswmck1. This receiver pumps out so much sweet bass that I barely have to turn it up. Sounds really good with the Klipsch quintets.

Great foot rest

The way it sounds...

DO NOT waste your time. The PB12 sounds very poor at best. I returned mine one week after I bought it.. My other sub (Definitive Technology Prosub 80) blows the PB12 out of the water. As you know the PB12 is 250 watts, 12" woofer. My Prosub 80 is 250 watts, 8" woofer. The Prosub 80 has so much thump it's sick. I'll put my 8" sub up against any 12" JBL sub. Before you jump to conclusions let me tell you, I’m fully aware of sub calibration and positioning. The PB12 was helpless. No mater what I did it sounded very muddy. No thump at all. The PB12 does even a worse job at playing music. All bass notes sound the same..

Similar Products Used:

RCA 6" 25 watt subwoofer

250 watts makes it a good sounding sub for under $500!

"Auto On" circuit and trouble if not adjusted correctly.

I've read a lot of review both good and bad on this sub. I've been selling the PB-12 along with a line of BIC speakers for over three years and have never seen one unit go bad as of yet. I wanted to recommend a few suggestions for those who might consider buying this product. First: Never use the "Auto Off" mode, always shut the sub off when done using it. I think this is one of the main weaknesses. Second: Leave the sub switch on "Normal" rather than the "LFE" position, this will make sure the only frequencies the sub is producing are those the adjustment knob is set at. The LFE setting allows the amp to run full range and then it depends on your surround processor to adjust the frequencies. Third: Keep the frequency adjustment at 80Hz or lower and the volume only high enough to supplement your main speakers, don't crank the sub volume any higher than necessary to try and shake the room like a $2000 sub, it's just not made to do it. The PB-12 produces plenty of good bass if adjusted correctly. If you follow these steps, I believe the PB-12 will give you good service. Success!

Similar Products Used:

A number of other subs!

Smooth bass when it works.

Plagued with defects and should be put out of its misery. Possible fire hazard.

The original one I bought at Best Buy had to be replaced. It was defective and would "thump" when not being used. The second one just died on me. I am now trying to replace the fuse to see if that is the problem (looks burned out). I wouldn't recommend this prodcut. It is the worst piece of equipment I have bought to date.

Sounds good for music, little loose, great for movie, great dispersion.

It broke, need i say more. Apparently it happens a decent amount too.

The Sub sounded great when it was hooked up to my system. I have Klipsch Reference 3II for all the speakers expect the sub and a Sony 555ES reciever powering it all. It combined great in both a small confined room, where it sounded slightly boomy. But that was easily fixed by moving the sub about 3 feet away from the wall. But it did encounter the infamous morse code problem. According to the tech it will take atleast three weeks to repair.

Similar Products Used:

infinty, B&W, velodyne

Thunderous, jaw-dropping bass! This sub sounds better than most $1000+ subs!!

None!

I received this as a christmas gift and I am TOTALLY pleased with it. I have heard of the other horror stories concerning this unit with bad amps and strange noises but I have had confirmation from JBL that these problems have been addressed and fixed. I listen to a lot of rap and rock music and this thing pounds out all of the bass that you will EVER need and a little bit more. The LFE and normal mode switch is a big plus. It adds a lot to my movies. However, I cannot stress enough that a good high quality sub cable is a very big requirement. (As for any sub) I use a monster cable THX certified cable and it is awesome. Like I said before, this sub is a great addition to my home theater and it fills in what my front speakers left out.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 50 Watt 8" sub, Sony 120 Watt 12" Sub