JL Audio W7AE Car Subwoofer

Overview
Specs
In the Box
Accessories
Compatible Devices
Overview THE REFERENCE FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE SUB-BASS
Uniquely capable of delivering extreme output, exceptional dynamics and compelling sound quality – all at the same time – the W7AE subwoofers represent the definitive reference for high-performance automotive sub-bass. Intensive audio research has optimized the speakers’ design to faithfully reproduce deep, rich bass detail with superior linearity and accuracy. As a result, eight U.S. patents have been issued for motor, suspension and assembly technologies used in the W7 platform.
EFFICIENT, POWERFUL BASS PERFORMANCE WITH TIGHT, CLEAR SONICS
4 SIZES, RANGING FROM 8-INCH TO 13.5-INCH DIAMETERS
A DMA-OPTIMIZED MOTOR SYSTEM ASSURES PRECISE, LINEAR CONE MOVEMENT
CAST-ALLOY WOOFER DESIGN FEATURES ELEVATED FRAME COOLING TECHNOLOGY
WOOFERS ARE OPTIMIZED FOR USE IN SEALED OR PORTED ENCLOSURES
1-YEAR WARRANTY
WHAT YOU’LL LOVEENGINEERED FOR SUPERIOR BASS PERFORMANCEOffering exclusive advantages in motor structure, linearity and suspension technology, the W7AE series subwoofers are purpose-built to deliver deep, rich, evenly balanced output while tracking complex bass material with uncanny accuracy and power.
DYNAMIC MOTOR ANALYSIS (DMA) OPTIMIZED DESIGNDMA delivers linear motor force over a wide range of speaker excursion and power levels. The result is tight, clean, articulate bass performance with ultralow distortion and stellar sound quality.
DESIGN ACCENTSThe special anniversary edition of the W7 subwoofers features a black satin cast-alloy frame, silver-finished anodized trim ring and special JL Audio badging.
RIGID CAST-ALLOY STRUCTUREBenefiting from years of JL Audio woofer design experience, the W7AE models feature solid cast-alloy frames that allow your subwoofer to handle serious power without the structural flexing that can distort sound quality.
POWERFULLY ADAPTABLEThe W7AE subwoofer line offers choices for a wide range of vehicles and amplifiers. The smaller 8-inch model has a continuous power-handling capability of 500 watts RMS, while the largest 13.5-inch driver can handle up to 1500 watts RMS of continuous power.
HIDDEN MOUNTING FLANGEThere isn’t a traditional mounting flange to mount a W7AE driver. Instead, the mounting flange is hidden under the driver’s surround. By placing the subwoofer’s surround farther outside than a traditional subwoofer, the speaker makes full use of the entire footprint. The mounting hardware is also concealed for a clean aesthetic once installed.
AUDIO TECHNOLOGIESELEVATED FRAME COOLINGThe patented JL Audio elevated frame cooling design creates a pathway for high-velocity air to flow directly across the top plate of the speaker voice coil – cooling it for better power handling and improved reliability.
W-CONE TECHNOLOGYUsing two lightweight mineral-filled polypropylene skins bonded in a unique W-cone design, the W7AE series subwoofer combines extreme durability and moisture-resistance with extra rigidity for powerful, low-distortion bass performance.
ENGINEERED
LEAD-WIRE SYSTEMCarefully engineered lead-wire design and attachments ensure controlled, quiet lead-wire behavior under the most extreme excursion demands.
FCAM TECHNOLOGYThis “floating cone attach method” of bonding the surround/cone assembly to the voice coil former/spider structure ensures proper surround geometry in the assembled speaker for better excursion control and dynamic voice coil alignment.
OVERROLL SURROUND TECHNOLOGYBy utilizing space that is otherwise wasted in conventional speakers, this groundbreaking innovation controls the W7 subwoofer’s massive excursion without sacrificing precious cone area.
RADIAL CROSS-DRILLED POLE-PIECEThrough machined holes on the outer wall of the pole-piece, this innovative venting system enhances thermal dissipation and power handling by directing air flow onto the voice coil former, working in conjunction with the Elevated Frame Cooling technology to effectively remove heat from the voice coil.
Specs GeneralWarranty1 yearSizes8″/10″/12″/13.5″Weight8″: 17 lbs (7.8 kg)
10″: 30 lbs (13.6 kg)
12″: 45 lbs (20.4 kg)
13.5″: 52 lbs (23.6 kg)Continuous power handling (RMS)8″: 500 W
10″: 750 W
12″: 1000 W
13.5″: 1500 WSensitivity (SPL @ 1 W/1 m)8″: 82.7 dB
10″: 84.3 dB
12″: 86.2 dB
13.5″: 86.3 dBNominal impedancesee AdditionalRecommended amplifier power (RMS)8″: 200-500 W
10″: 300-750 W
12″: 400-1000 W
13.5″: 500-1500 WCone materialMineral-filled polypropyleneNetworking & ConnectionsSpeaker connectionsPush-button terminalMounting DimensionsFrame outer diameter8″: 8.5″ (216 mm)
10″: 10.5″ (267 mm)
12″: 12.5″ (318 mm)
13.5″: 14″ (356 mm)Mounting depth clearance8″: 6.83″ (173 mm)
10″: 8.0″ (203 mm)
12″: 9.5″ (241 mm)
13.5″: 10.5″ (267 mm)Mounting hole8″: 6.94″ (176 mm)
10″: 8.74″ (222 mm)
12″: 10.5″ (267 mm)
13.5″: 11.9″ (302 mm)Bolt hole circle8″: 7.39″ (188 mm)
10″: 9.34″ (237 mm)
12″: 11.27″ (286 mm)
13.5″: 12.7″ (323 mm)Motor outer diameter8″: 5.79″ (147 mm)
10″: 6.55″ (166 mm)
12″: 7.5″ (191 mm)
13.5″: 8.38″ (213 mm)Driver displacement8″: 0.06 cu ft (1.7 L)
10″: 0.09 cu ft (2.5 L)
12″: 0.14 cu ft (4.0 L)
13.5″: 0.21 cu ft (5.9 L)ParametersFree Air Resonance (FS)8″: 35.2 Hz
10″: 30.6 Hz
12″: 27.2 Hz
13.5″: 23.5 HzElectrical “Q” (Qes)8″: 0.654
10″: 0.578
12″: 0.514
13.5″: 0.476Mechanical “Q” (Qms)8″: 9.5
10″: 7.647
12″: 7.807
13.5″: 7.517Total “Q” (Qts)8″: 0.612
10″: 0.537
12″: 0.482
13.5″: 0.448Equivalent Compliance (Vas)8″: 0.61 cu ft (17.4 L)
10″: 1.28 cu ft (36.1 L)
12″: 2.33 cu ft (66.0 L)
13.5″: 3.68 cu ft (104.3 L)One-way linear excursion (Xmax; specs are derived via one-way voice coil overhang method with no correction factors applied)8″: 0.75″ (19 mm)
10″: 0.9″ (23 mm)
12″: 1.15 in (29 mm)
13.5″: 1.25 in (32 mm)Reference Efficiency (NO)8″: 0.11%
10″: 0.17%
12″: 0.25%
13.5″: 0.27%Effective piston area (SD)8″: 38 in² (0.0245 m²)
10″: 59.8 in² (0.0386 m²)
12″: 84 in² (0.0542 m²)
13.5″: 107.35 in² (0.0693 m²)DC resistance (RE)8″: 2.78 Ω
10″: 2.75 Ω
12″: 2.47 Ω
13.5″: 2.41 ΩSealed Enclosure SpecificationsWall thickness0.75″ (19 mm)Front baffle thickness8″: 0.75″ (19 mm)
10″/12″/13.5″: 1.0″ (25 mm)Volume (net int.)8″: 0.875 cu ft (24.8 L)
10″: 1.25 cu ft (35.4 L)
12″: 1.375 cu ft (38.94 L)
13.5″: 1.875 cu ft (53.1 L)External width (W)8″: 12.875″ (327 mm)
10″: 14.5″ (368 mm)
12″: 15″ (381 mm)
13.5″: 16″ (407 mm)External height (H)8″: 12.875″ (327 mm)
10″: 14.5″ (368 mm)
12″: 15″ (381 mm)
13.5″: 16″ (407 mm)External depth (D)8″: 14″ (356 mm)
10″: 15.375″ (391 mm)
12″: 16.125″ (410 mm)
13.5″: 18.875″ (479 mm)-3 dB cutoff frequency (F3)8″: 41.3 Hz
10″: 40.5 Hz
12″: 40.4 Hz
13.5″: 37.4 HzSystem resonance (FC)8″: 45.9 Hz
10″: 43.5 Hz
12″: 44.7 Hz
13.5″: 40.5 HzSystem Q at resonance (QTC)8″: 0.798
10″: 0.763
12″: 0.791
13.5″: 0.77Ported Enclosure SpecificationsWall thickness0.75″ (19 mm)Front baffle thickness8″: 0.75″ (19 mm)
10″/12″/13.5″: 1.0″ (25 mm)Volume (net int.)8″: 1 cu ft (28.3 L)
10″: 1.5 cu ft (42.5 L)
12″: 1.75 cu ft (49.6 L)
13.5″: 2.375 cu ft (67.3 L)External width (W)8″: 18.75″ (476 mm)
10″: 21.75″ (552 mm)
12″: 22.75″ (578 mm)
13.5″: 25.875″ (657 mm)External height (H)8″: 12.875″ (327 mm)
10″: 14.5″ (368 mm)
12″: 15″ (381 mm)
13.5″: 16″ (406 mm)External depth (D)8″: 14″ (356 mm)
10″:1 4.625″ (371 mm)
12″: 15.875″ (403 mm)
13.5″: 17.25″ (438 mm)Internal slot port width8″: 1.375″ (35 mm)
10″: 1.5″ (38 mm)
12″: 1.875″ (48 mm)
13.5″: 2.25″ (57 mm)Internal slot port height8″: 11.375″ (289 mm)
10″: 13″ (330 mm)
12″: 13.5″ (343 mm)
13.5″: 14.5″ (368 mm)Internal slot port length8″: 27.875″ (708 mm)
10″: 24.375″ (619 mm)
12″: 24.75″ (629 mm)
13.5″: 26.25″ (667 mm)Port extension length8″: 13.1875″ (335 mm)
10″: 9″ (229 mm)
12″: 7.9375″ (202 mm)
13.5″: 7.875″ (200 mm)Tuning frequency (FB)8″: 36.8 Hz
10″: 35.3 Hz
12″: 36.7 Hz
13.5″: 34.6 Hz-3 dB cutoff frequency (F3)8″: 30.1 Hz
10″: 29.9 Hz
12″: 32.8 Hz
13.5″: 30.3 HzAdditionalAdditional
Nominal impedence: 8″/10″/12″: 3 Ω; 13.5″: Dual 1.5 Ω
The enclosure recommendations listed above are external dimensions which assume the use of 0.75 in (19 mm) thick material. If you are using 0.625 in (16 mm) thick material, subtract 0.25 in (6.5 mm) from each dimension. Do not use any material with a thickness of less than 0.625 in (16 mm) as this may compromise the rigidity of the enclosure.
All enclosure volumes listed above are net internal volumes! Driver displacement, port displacement and brace displacement must be added to obtain the final gross internal volume. All enclosure dimensions above have already taken this into account.
When using multiples in a common enclosure you will need to recalculate the enclosure and port dimensions. For assistance please contact your authorized JL Audio dealer or JL Audio Technical Support.
We recommend the use of this in a bi-amplified system using high-quality satellites and a high-quality amplifier. We do not recommend the use of this with a passive crossover (coil), as this type of device will adversely affect performance.
All specifications are subject to change without notice.