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JL Audio Fathom 13" Sub

889K views 7K replies 604 participants last post by  Thebarnman 
#1 ·
Alright so after many long months of waiting we received our demo unit JL Audio Fathom single 13". This is the sub to beat. It will no doubt make Velodyne take their DD series back to the drawing board.


This sub is not only better for home theater-type bass than a DD15, it is fast and responsive like a REL. Our DD12 sounded muddy and weak compared to the Fathom. JL Audio will have lots of success with home audio products if this is a sign of things to come.


Anyone in the Southern California area, can pm me if interested in demo'ing at our shop or in your home. I will try to get some pics up in the next few days.
 
#1,602 ·
ok well maybe itz not bottoming out... but it just doesn't sound normal... i played it at about -7MV or -8MV and watched the sub... then i pushed it up to about -5MV and the noise starts to happen slightly... by slightly i mean it makes the sound as the cone is traveling kinda at the end not throughout the whole cone travel... when i push it to -3MV or 0MV then itz like the sound happens through out the cone travel...


i was watching the JL symbol and it doesn't seem to be hitting max exursion of 4 inchs during this...


i would normally watch the movie around -10MV... i think i have heard this noise in some other movies but never pushed the sub harder in those movies...
 
#1,603 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by frockc /forum/post/0


ok well maybe itz not bottoming out... but it just doesn't sound normal... i played it at about -7MV or -8MV and watched the sub... then i pushed it up to about -5MV and the noise starts to happen slightly... by slightly i mean it makes the sound as the cone is traveling kinda at the end not throughout the whole cone travel... when i push it to -3MV or 0MV then itz like the sound happens through out the cone travel...


i was watching the JL symbol and it doesn't seem to be hitting max exursion of 4 inchs during this...


i would normally watch the movie around -10MV... i think i have heard this noise in some other movies but never pushed the sub harder in those movies...

Can you describe what exactly this noise sounds like? Buzzz, thud, knock??
 
#1,604 ·
the noise is just much higher then the low sounds that are coming from the sub... i'd call it a tapping kinda sound... itz constant when up at those higher volumes... i tried it with finding nemo darla sound and that sound really isn't there.... i don't know if itz just the much lower freq of pulse or what... but itz very easy to hear on pulse...


i can just say it doesn't seem normal and itz not there when the volume is a few dbs lower...
 
#1,605 ·
Are there any curtains, loose paper etc around the sub? During the demo, the sub was pushing so much air that a curtain got sucked in front and there was a rapid whirring sound. It was dark so I thought it bottomed out or something for a second and it happened to be the curtain. It could also be something else taking off in the room.
 
#1,606 ·
You may want to turn off all your other speakers if you have not already done so. Have another person in the room who can also listen for it and try repeating the test. Try to find out if it is indeed coming from the sub. Moving it away from the primary location will help you identify if the sound also has moved with the sub. If this noise is > 100Hz, you will be able to isolate it.
 
#1,607 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by b curry /forum/post/0


Do you mean detachable IEC-type as OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration?

Yes. They are abreviated to OSHA cords for simplicity.
 
#1,609 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmcomp124 /forum/post/0


Thanks for the power cord info John? Do you know what guage it is (12awg, 14awg??). With 2500 watts it could suck some pretty huge power. Wouldn't each f113 require it's own 20A dedicated circuit? Even with 20A it peaks at 120x20 =2400Watts. I have 2 dedicated 20A circuit outlets but they will be 12 ft away from the subs. I would need 2 power cords that are 12 ft long. Good thick well shielded ones can get expensive.

I have a PS-Audio juice bar with a 10AWG 6ft teflon shielded power cord from b-p-t. Using this I can split the single 20A outlet into several (using the juice bar). The juice bar will be close enough for the stock power cords to reach. But this method would give only 20A x 120v = 2400 watts. Wouldn't this limit the performance of the dual f113s during the most intense bass scenes?

Any thoughts would help.

Thanks,

-Jai

Don't know for sure, but it is heavy. Definetely heavier than 18 ga. Feels like 14ga or even 12ga. You are way overconcerned about the power. Wait till you trip a breaker, then worry.
 
#1,611 ·
Went into a high-end store in Appleton Wisconsin this past weekend. Spoke with the manager and he stated he did not have a Fathom in stock but could get one because JL just released that upper-end JL car audio dealers could order them. However returning home to Atlanta today I got a call from my local JL dealer that I buy my car audio from and he also sells and installs home theater lines as well. However he told me that he just got off the phone with his regional JL sales rep that told him he could not order the Fathom for me and told him to have me call another store on the other side of Atlanta to see about purchasing it. I felt kinda bad for my local guy because he had to give me the phone # of a competing store. That's kinda sad if you ask me. In fact it pissed me off so much I immediately called and ordered a Klipsch RT-12d. Granted, I realize that it's not a Fathom f113 but I can do without that extra 5%(if it's even that) of SQ and saved roughly $1500.00. I love JL audio as that is what totally powers my car. (1) JL 10W7 in JL box, JL 500/1 amp, JL 450/4, JL Evolution ZR-650csi components and JL Evolution XR-650cxi rear stage. However, the difficulty and extreme cost in purchasing the home sub has turned me off. I am sure the Fathom's are a force to be reckoned with but this is JL first attempt at the home market and I would think that they would be a little more competively priced and be a little more attainable, especially for their die-hard car audio consumers that will be the first to line up to buy the Fathom's but I am not going to drive 75 miles in some of America's toughest traffic to buy something I could easily drive down to my local store and purchase if it was available.

I am sure it doesn't mean a hill of beans but this was one sale that was lost due to restrictive marketing/sales practices.


JP
 
#1,618 ·
Sounds like the amp has turned into a woodpecker.
 
#1,621 ·
That engine is knocking - definitely NOT normal.
 
#1,623 ·
Yikes... That's loud... Have not heard that from my Fathom...


To be honest with you, I'm surprised that there are not more problems like these... There are always error in manufacturing and there is always the possibility of damage during shipping, especially with these sensitive drivers.


Good luck, and I hope your problem gets resolved.
 
#1,624 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by frockc /forum/post/0


ok itz posted on my myspace....

that sound quality isn't great but that is about what i'm hearing...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...oid=2013075239


here it is as a file figured it out...

Just got back home from work and looked at the video (didn't want to do this at work). I am not a detective but I see something that caught my eye in the video. Look carefully when the video clip reaches close to the middle. Look at the bottom right side of the driver, it almost looks like it has a crack that shows as a white line. It could be just a video compression or reflection artifact as it appeared to move down the circumference as the camera panned down. Can you examine your driver more carefully to see if it has a tear?

Does anyone else see what I see?

-Jai
 
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