JL Audio Dominion d108/d110
$899-$999/$1099-$1199 depending on finish
The E Series subs used to be the least expensive offering from JL Audio. Both Robert Harley and Jonathan Valin reviewed them and were impressed with their high level of performance and moderate price. Though less costly, the Dominion Series shares much of the design technology and all the philosophy of JL’s more upscale models. What differentiates the Dominions from the slightly more expensive E’s? First the E Series subs have more sophisticated electronics. Second, the Dominion drivers don’t use the dual-spider technique of the E subs, and their baskets are not as deep. These differences aside, the sound is very much the same, which is to say outstanding. SS/RH, 313
GoldenEar ForceField 30
$900
The ForceField 30 brings the build and sonic qualities of GoldenEar’s own elite SuperSub Series into the sub-$1k market. Driven by 1000W digital amp, the forward-firing, 8″ long-throw driver is enhanced by a downward-firing passive radiator. Response drops into the upper twenty-cycle range with conviction with little in the way of overhang artifacts or “slowness.” Dynamic impacts exit as cleanly as they enter—a tribute to the effective controlled tuning of the passive radiator. Beyond the visceral impression of deep bass response, the FF30 also helped to complete the ambient sonic landscape. A serious musical achievement, not to mention a flat-out blast. NG, 335
REL T/7x
$1099
A special round of applause is due this mini-sub for music lovers. The T/7x is even faster and tighter than its forbear, yet remains tonally supple, with well-defined timbres. It’s also remarkably potent for a single, forward-firing 8″ driver augmented by a quick-reacting, downward-firing 10″ passive radiator (and a smooth 200W Class AB amp). The sumptuous high-gloss lacquered enclosure with aluminum accents has inputs for high-level Neutrik Speakon (cable included), plus low-level RCA and LFE. A little classic. NG, 265
GoldenEar SuperSub X
$1750
Almost impossibly small but packing dual active drivers and twin passive radiators plus 1500W of Class D DSP-controlled power, the little X captures the realism of the concert hall, imparting a well-anchored foundation that extends into the low-30Hz range (even touching the upper 20s). Bass is full-bodied and controlled and exhibits the requisite bloom and resonant sustain expected of a subwoofer in the bottom octaves. It will mate superbly with a wide range of compacts and smaller floorstanders and fit into almost any room. Home cinema anyone? You betcha. A subwoofer of estimable shock and slam and musical subtlety that’s also a bargain, to boot. NG, 286
JL Audio e110/e112
$1900–$2100/$2500–$2700 depending on finish
Before he got the hefty, little e110 with 10″ driver (the e112 comes with a 12″ woof), JV was anything but a fan of subwoofers, which always seemed to take more away in midrange transparency, tone color, and resolution than they paid back in bass-range extension, detail, and power. Crossed over at the right frequency—which is easy to do with the instructions that JL Audio provides and the unit’s manifold built-in controls—the e110 is the very first sub he’s heard that doesn’t screw up the sound of the main speaker. Rather it seems to extend that sound into the bottom octaves, producing the highest low-level resolution of bass timbres and textures from any transducer of his experience. JV, 244; RH, 252
GoldenEar SuperSub XXL
$2750
Sandy Gross, the founder of GoldenEar, has crammed an astounding amount of technology into this fairly diminutive subwoofer, including a 1600W switching amplifier that is controlled by a 56-bit DSP device operating at 192kHz. Add two 12″ long-throw active drivers and two infrasonic drivers and you have a recipe for a powerful, bone-crushing sub. No matter the source material—rock, pop, or classical—the XXL will deliver a deep and tuneful foundation that helps create an airier and wider soundstage. There are faster and more powerful subwoofers out there (at three to four times the cost) but the XXL will never produce less than satisfying performance in almost any audio system. JHb, 264
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