Product Review
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  • JBL Venue Series SUB12
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JBL Venue Series SUB12 12-Inch 500-Watt subwoofer

Quality home theater subwoofer at a reasonable price.
The Good

The JBL Venue Series subwoofer offers consistent performance fitting of a subwoofer in its class range. Its 500 watts of power will emphasize all the bass you need without any distortion. The attractive black and silver enclosure gives it a clean, modern look.

The Bad

The audio quality would be improved with a different driver design, but in all fairness, this would most likely push the model out of its reasonable price range. While this sub is not really shaped all that different from most subwoofers, it has a more boxy feel to it.

Full StarFull StarFull StarEmpty StarEmpty Star The Verdict

It is difficult to find a quality subwoofer at a price most people can afford. JBL has met this challenge head on with its Venue Series subwoofer. Attractive styling and consistent performance make this subwoofer a good buy for consumers not willing to spend a lot on one piece of audio equipment.

Staff Reviewed (Default Seal for Staff Written Reviews)

JBL Offers a Solid Entry in the Mid Price Field

Attractive styling and consistent performance makes this subwoofer a good buy for those looking for solid sound.

The JBL Venue Series SUB12 is a perfectly respectable contender in the arena of mid priced subwoofers. It is not necessarily the sub you would hook up to a $1000 plus system, but it is an option worth considering if you need to replace your current mid priced sub, or are looking to affordably build your own sound system from the ground up.

I used my standard Matrix DVD test when evaluating this subwoofer. The Matrix (besides being one of my favorite movies) is an excellent testbed for speakers because of the wide range of sounds in every scene. The producers placed a lot of emphasis on sound quality and there are aspects of the movie you just can’t hear on poor quality speakers.

Results were about what I expected from a mid priced subwoofer. The bass was decent but not outstanding. The JBL, along with many other mid priced subwoofers, suffers one fatal design flaw preventing it from being much better-- it has a direct firing driver. Essentially, a direct firing driver aims the sound outwards from the side of the enclosure. More expensive models aim the sound downwards and because subwoofers are not directional in the same manner speakers are, the sound is allowed to reverberate more and gain depth. The sound produced is still quite good, though it lacks the rich full bodied nature you would expect from a more expensive subwoofer.

As to the look of the sub, well, I liked the black and silver because it has a modern feel to it, but the boxy look turned me off somewhat. I can still comfortably say that this is an attractive piece, just not a sexy, hot looking one.

At the end of the day, it is hard to be disappointed in a subwoofer that performs well in its own price class and costs less than the premium interconnects you would use to hook up a more expensive subwoofer.

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