Does explosions well

Don''t try listening to classical music

Excellent sub for HT and fine for rock, but a total disaster for classical music. This amp/speaker combination simply cannot articulate complex low fequency musical sounds and instead produces a horrible non-specific and confused rumble

Tight, deep sound. Not boomy like the comparable Cerwin Vega. Not wimpy like Bose, Yamaha, or Canton.

None Yet.

Was scared to get this sub reading all the reviews on amp failure. Have had no trouble. Then again, I follow what the manual says for operation. I am very happy with this sub. I run a Harmon Kardon AVR220, with the JBL NSP1 surround package, and this sub is the final key to the puzzle. Music sounds great on it, and I can really thump the neighborhood. But, the best thing about this sub is the nice tight and clean rumbles you can get when you are using it for home theater. Not boomy, but then again, I took a lot of time positioning it in my listening area for optimal sound. Don''t just drop this anywhere in your room. Experiment with placement and you won''t be disappointed. Indicator lights are nice too.

Low Low Frequency extension below the 25hz spec, 250 watts of clean RMS power, on/off light and signal indicator.

Gets a little boomy during music tracks but, with a little tweaking this problem can be reduced quite a bit but, not eliminated

I have owned this sub for a year and a half now, and find no problems with it. When I was out looking for a sub for $250 to $500 price range I went to a number of local home theater shops and stores. Having been an employee at Best Buy and working in the audio deptment at the time I had the ablity to listen to a variaty of subwoofers. The first subs I looked and listened to were $300 Yamaha SW150 which was a 150 watt RMS dual 8 inch sub, but I felt that an extra 25-50 watts more power would have helped it get moving. The next sub was one made by Cerwin Vega, which had a 200 watt RMS 15 inch driver/amp and a FS of 30hz-120hz. I felt that for 500 bucks this thing ain''t bad (bad grammar intended) but, it was to big for my bedroom, (i was 17 and still living w/ my parents) and after listening to it for a while I found it not able to raise the bar. After that I went to Circuit City and looked at the CT100 which was open floor model on sale for $350 at the time about $100-150 cheaper than an unopened box one was. I admit I was awfully attempted to buy one but, decided to ask the clerk (who was also kind enough) to hold on to it for a day or two. When leaving Circuit City I decided to go to Audio Junction to see what they had. While there I listened to a Definitive ProSub 100 and enjoyed it very much until I heard what they were asking for about $150 higher than the srp! So after much thought I realized that I had never given the JBL PB12 any thought (big mistake), and went to the Best Buy where I worked a took a listen. I was so impressed that after two songs (Metallica and Deep Purple) and five minutes of Saving Private Ryan (DTS), that I had a winner! So far I have put this thing through what seemed to be punishment for most subs for this price, and it came through like a trooper. After buying it I immediatly picked up the Monster Cable THX Sub Interconnect and a few new CDs. My Tastes in music evolved from Metallica to Sting (I love playing "Desert Rose"), and more groups like AK1200, and soundtracks as well. My favorite CDs that this sub just kicks with are The General''s Daughter, Gladiator, Deep Purple, Boston (especially "More Than a Feeling"), and the latest from Tool (Lateralus, try listening to "Scism" and "Parabol"). All in all this sub is rock solid in build and performance and highly recomended.

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Tested many Subs from Definitive Tech, Yamaha, B&W, Klipsh, Cerwin Vega, Polk, Velodyne All on the same material Metallica Black album (CD), Deep Purple Live in Japan (CD), and Saving Private Ryan (

Sturdy, deep, powerfull and great for the price.

I''ve found none in over a year....

I''ve read with some alarm a great many of the recent reviews of this product wherein they describe numerous quality control problems with the PB-12. Maybe I''m jinxing myself here, but I''ve had one of these units for over a year and have not had a problem yet (knock wood). It works quite well with my current system for both movies and music. My system currently consists of: Onkyo 787 AV receiver Ohm Walsh 4''s as mains Ohm Walsh 2''s as surrounds Klipsch KSCC-1 Center Channel JBL PB-12 as sub Denon DVD Yammie cd675 CD player It''s a patch work system but this sub works great. I may upgrade to a Hsu or Adire but for right now it''s marvelous. If you get a good one you can''t beat it for the price....

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Polk something or other.

Good for HT special effects Price

With music as my main criteria I think one needs to spend more $$ for true 20-80hz and musically quick sub

Bottom line: I always seek value in my purchasing decisions and for true sub I should''ve spent more and got a better sub. When compared to mass market subs this one is a good value butwhen I hear friends velodynes and a home made 250 watt sub I do have some regret I didn''t spend more. But if your using a $250 budget (best price I found) it performs better than other mass market subs I heard below the $400 price point...

250watt Amplifier Line level/High Level inputs Crossover/LFE controls Phase Control 23Hz frequency response

short XMAX (Stroke) for a 250watt amp

I reasearched many different subwoofers by many different manufacturers, and ultimately came upon the conclusion that the JBL PB12 Subwoofer is the best value, performance, and quality. This sub has to potential to perform very great, it is very practical and has achieved a very good price:performance ratio. I couldn''t believe just how much bass it could pelt out of the port. Some confusion that I had is that this is a fully ported unit. On the rear of the sub is about a 4" wide hole, from which a hell of a lot of air-displacement is ported through. I am using this unit with my Kenwood VR-509 reciever, and using it for listening to CD''s and DVD''s through my Panasonic RP-91 DVD player. I have used this unit for about a year, and it has not given me any problems. Many people who have posted reviews here complain about the amp and the electronics not working anymore, and the LED''s not functioning as they are suppose to. There is only one reason that would happen, that''s when the unit is left on (amp and all) and the heat buildup inside is too much for the electronics and it simply burns out. As with any electronic component you cannot use it more than x hours. After watching a 2hr movie and heavily using this unit, it gets fairly warm, and I shut it off for a while and let it cool (rest). I have absolutely no problems with a hum, as I have separated my power and sound cables and am using a single-pass power conditioner in my $14.99 RCA surge protector. Coupled with a $40 high quality Belkin Gold Series Subwoofer cable, I have my phase settings set up perfectly. This unit works beatifully, just as expected. This subwoofer is far better than any of Polk''s lineup (under $800), and amazingly you can find it for under $300 ($249 to be exact). This unit has a power on/off switch which I use regularly and always. Plus a 250watt amp, a 100watts higher than the PB10. The one complain I have is that the X-MAX (or stroke) of the driver could be a litter more. The 250watt amp is very accomodating for a long-stroke driver, however the current driver''s stroke is less than 2.5" I tried the Matrix, at the scene where Neo is firing the Minigun (Heavy rotorary maching-gun) into the side of the building, I had the most incredible feeling. Every movie and song I have is so much more *alive*! Recommended I highly recommend this

Sound bass and great sound right out of the box

sound quality goes fast, and amp over heats and burns out

when i first took it out of the box it worked great. It would shake the whole house. Especially when i watched pearl harbor in DTS. But after awhile the sound quality went. the speaker couldn''t hold a tight note, it seemed to flutter. so i turned down the high cross over all the way down. I blame this on the weak magnent and coil. Then after about a month, i thought i fried the amp. so i took the amp out and i noticed that the glue and plastic had melted inside. to keep it from over heating now i have to turn it off completely. if i leave it on it will over heat within 10 mins of playing songs. Over all it is a POS.(i haven''t owned it for three months)

great sound when it''s working

amps are terrible, parts order takes months

i bought the jbl pb12 this past august 2001. i had it shuipped out to my house at school (i''m a college student) and started using it in the beginning of september. it worked really well and sounded real nice for about 2 weeks. then the amp went dead on it. it took jbl about 4 months to send the replacement amp to the place where i''m having it serviced. when they finally got a new amp, it broke a little after they put it in. it has now been over 5 months since i''ve had this sub in my possession. i''m real disappointed about this. i would reccomend the cerwin vega sub instead of this one, my friend has it and it sounds real nice and actually works.

Tight, strong bass without distortion. The price is right. (Even at $499.00)

Design flaw in amplifier.

The PB12 is a tight, strong performer. It complimented my system very well, until last Wednesday (2/13/02). The PB12 was in standby, the rest of my system was off and I heard a low buzz and a pop. I walked into the room to find the led''s on the PB12 out. I switched the unit on and off a few times, nothing. I disconnected the amplifier and found that the fuse had blown. I had another one in my kit, so I replaced it. Same result when energized. I don''t like the looks of this situation after reading some of the other reviews. Is there any hope of resurrecting this great sounding sub? Does anyone know if JBL has fixed the problem?

Clean, Deep, Defined Bass. Pisses off Neighbors

LED''s don''t work right. Reliability, though I''ve had no issues yet.

I''ve had this about 4 months now, paired with JBL studio series (S38) fronts and center, and N24 rears. It is hooked up to my roommates Sony reciever (a real piece) through an Acoustic Research HT series sub cable and y-adapter. This sub puts out some awesome, clean bass. It is used for both movies and music. I am a college student in an apartment, with some major parties, and this impresses everyone who comes over, as well as pisses off our neighbors, which I consider a huge plus. Musically, it is astounding, more than I expected. The level is set about 1/3 of the way up, with the xover at 80hz and it is nearly overkill for our living room, which is about 20x15. A few complaints, first, the LEDs are a joke. One works, one doesn''t; they both work; niether works- it changes daily. And of course, there''s the well documented reliability issue. So far, I''ve had no problems, and hope not to, although it seems apparantly the every one of these has issues. I''ve had very good experience with JBL, I had a problem with one of my mains, and they covered it under warranty, despite my purchasing from an unauthorized etailer. Overall, at 299 with free shipping at J and R, a very good buy. Even if the amp goes and I do have to pay to fix it, i''ll still feel I got a pretty good deal.

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First Home sub.