JBL Grand touring series User manual

GRAND TOURING SERIES
GENUINE JBL
Automotive
Subwoofers
P-800, P-1000, P-1200, P-1500 Owner’s Manual
™
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JBL Power Series
Features
The JBL Power Series consists
of serious subwoofers that are
unlike any others in their class.
They will deliver unparalleled
performance in a wide variety
of enclosures, giving creative
installers unprecedented exi-
bility in system design.
The JBL Power Series incorpo-
rates:
• Injection-mo ded Titanium
composite cones for optimum
combination of stiffness and low
mass
• Buty rubber surround for
lower harmonic distortion and
precise voice-coil travel
• Dua -stacked magnets and
X-Linear™ motor assemb y
for controlled, long-throw
cone excursion
02 A Few Words
About Enc osures
The enclosure or box that you
choose for your Power Series
woofer will define the sound that
will ultimately come out of it.
The size of the box and tuning
frequency of port tubes in vented
enclosures dictate the low-
frequency performance and
output capability of your system.
The exibility designed into the
Power Series subwoofers lets
them make tons of bass in small
sealed, vented and bandpass
enclosures. They will also work
well in infinite baf e applications
where there is no space or budget
to build a box. Be aware that infi-
nite baf e or ”free air“ mounting
will reduce the power handling
Thank you for choosing this
JBL Power Series subwoofer. The
Power Series of automotive sub-
woofers is designed to be used in
modern car audio systems to
produce extended, powerful bass in
a limited amount of space. Power
Series subwoofers are designed to
suit a broad range of applications
and can be used in a wide variety
of enclosure types. In order to
maximize the performance poten-
tial of these subwoofers, it is rec-
ommended that installation be left
to a qualified professional. If you
feel you have the ability to prop-
erly build an enclosure and install
the subwoofer yourself, the infor-
mation in this manual will help you
get it right.
Keep your sales receipt with this
manual in a safe place so both are
available for future reference.
• Deepbeat™ anti-resonance
chassis coating on the basket to
prevent audible ringing
• Thermosink™ motor assemb y
coating to dissipate heat and
increase power handling
• Unique 5-ohm nomina imped-
ance for extreme exibility in
installations with multiple sub-
woofers
The JBL Power Series woofers
are designed to maximize the
sonic potential of any system.
When installed in a proper enclo-
sure they offer smooth frequency
response, excellent transient
response, high-output efficiency,
and high-power handling capa-bil-
ity. The result is powerful,
dynamic and accurate sound
reproduction that could only
come from JBL.
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03
Enc osure Ca cu ation and
Bui ding
Recommended box designs
are available from your JBL
Dealer, or at www.jbl.com on the
Internet. You may choose cabinet
dimensions to fit your car, but the
internal volume must not be
changed, since changes in inter-
nal volume will change the tuning
frequency of the enclosure.
Please contact your authorized
JBL dealer if you cannot do
the necessary calculations your-
self. The JBL Speakershop™
dedicated enclosure-design soft-
ware program may also be helpful
for experienced car-audio
enthusiasts.
Your Car And
The BASS Made In It
Depending on the size of the vehi-
cle, bass frequencies below 50Hz
or 80Hz are actually boosted by
nearly 12dB per octave as the
frequency decreases. If you
wanted to purchase that kind of
power, you would need an ampli-
fier that was eight times more
powerful than the one you have.
You can either reduce bass level
to compensate for this, or simply
sit back and enjoy the “free”
bass.
Sealed enclosures exert the most
control over the motion of a sub-
woofer because the air acts like a
spring against the motion of the
woofer cone. Larger boxes allow
for more excursion, thus more
sound output for the amount of
power used. When placed in a
sealed box larger than the rated
compliance (Vas) of the sub-
woofer, it will react as if it were
in an infinite baf e installation.
Vented and bandpass enclosures
have the lowest amount of excur-
sion for the amount of sound out-
put. This is a result of port tuning
reinforcing the sound output.
Vented boxes will not provide
adequate woofer control when
driven below the port tuning
range, meaning proper design is
important. A fourth-order band-
pass box will have the lowest
and the low-frequency response
of a subwoofer. Finally, although
information is available for
Bandpass enclosures from your
JBL Dealer, any variations from
the recommended dimensions
should be made using dedicated
enclosure-design software such as
JBL Speakershop™.
If this type of software is not
available, assistance is available
through JBL‘s Web site at
www.jbl.com or from your autho-
rized JBL dealer.
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04 3. All joints should be glued and
screwed; do not use nails.
”Deck“ or ”Zip“ screws are rec-
ommended since they have
coarse threads for better grip
and don‘t require pre-drilling
holes. Once the box has been test-
ed, it should be sealed with caulk
around all interior joints.
4. Apply a 1" thick sheet of poly-
fill (available at fabric and craft
stores) to all inside walls except
the wall where the subwoofer is
mounted. If this is not done,
increase the recommended box
volume by 10 percent.
5. Use PVC or ABS pipe (card-
board tubing is acceptable if the
walls are over 1/16" thick). Keep
in mind the openings at either
end of the port must be at least
one port diameter away from any
obstructions inside or outside of
the box. Minimum recommended
port size is as follows:
8" Subwoofer – 2"
10" Subwoofer – 3"
12" Subwoofer – 3"
15" Subwoofer – 4"
Tools you will need:
• Straight-edge
• Saw (circular or table)
• Screwdriver (powered or
screwdriver bits in a variable-
speed drill are best)
• Sabre saw or keyhole saw
(to cut hole for woofer)
• Measuring tape
• Soldering iron and solder
• Wire cutters/strippers
• Utility knife (to cut carpet)
• Pencil
Materials:
• 3/4" or thicker MDF
• Caulk
• PVC or ABS pipe
• Deck screws
• Carpet
• Carpet Adhesive
(aerosol-type works well)
• Speaker wire (12 or 16 gauge
for woofers)
Take your time and mark the
wood carefully before making
any cuts. The old adage ”mea-
sure twice and cut once“ definitely
applies here. Use the straight-
edge to make sure your lines are
straight, and clamp it to the wood
to use it for guiding the saw if
you are using a circular saw.
This will get you the straightest
edges, the best fit and the best
sound.
overall cone excursion at the
expense of limited bandwidth.
1. Dimensions: Whenever possi-
ble, try not to make a box that
has dimensions that are equal to,
or multiples of, each other. For
example, a 10" x 10" x 20" box
would be susceptible to standing
waves that may cancel some fre-
quencies and add to cabinet reso-
nance. A better alternative would
be 18" x 11" x 10".
2. It is recommended that 3/4"
(19mm) MDF be used to build the
enclosure. Particle board is
acceptable, but it is more difficult
to work with. Enclosures for 12"
and larger subwoofers, or small
subwoofers, driven by high power
amplifiers should be constructed
out of 1" (25mm) material.
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05
Possib e Peri s Pertaining
To Power Hand ing
The power-handling capability of
any woofer is related to both its
ability to dissipate heat, and the
maximum excursion limits of its
cone. Power handling for sub-
woofers is directly related to the
type of enclosure that is chosen.
The JBL Power Series sub-
woofers are designed to meet
their power ratings in properly
designed, sealed, vented, and
bandpass boxes. Please be aware
of the following:
• Voice-coil overheating and
burning is typically caused by
overdriving an amplifier into
”clipping“. This damages more
speakers than any other cause.
Damage occurs because the
amplifier is too small rather than
too large. Bass that sounds bro-
ken up and distorted at higher
volumes usually indicates that
the amplifier is being asked to
deliver power beyond its
capabilities.
• Sharp ”popping“ sounds coming
from a woofer indicate that the
voice coil is ”bottoming out“ or
hitting the back of the motor
structure. This can seriously
damage a woofer. Either your
sealed box is too big or leaking
air, the port tuning frequency of
a vented box is too high or your
amp may be overpowering the
woofer. Fix the box, retune the
box or turn the gain down on the
amplifier respectively.
• Infinite Baf e or ”free air“
mounting applications allow for
greater cone excursion than sub-
woofers mounted in an enclosure.
In order to compensate, the
power rating of the subwoofer
should be reduced to half its
rated power. If the woofer
”pops,” turn down the amplifier
gain.
5 Ohms And System
Optimization
In order to increase exibility,
the Power Series subwoofers are
designed with a 5-ohm nominal
impedance. This provides an
extra margin of safety for simple
installations, and allows those in
competition or those who are
always pushing the ”edge“ to use
more woofers per amplifier chan-
nel safely and efficiently, without
shutting the amplifier down or
exceeding the amplifier‘s SOA
(Safe Operating Area), which
could cause serious damage. In
systems using multiple woofers
per channel, please make sure
your amplifier can drive low-
impedance loads safely and
effectively.
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06
Specifications
Component Systems
Specifications: P-800 P-1000 P-1200 P-1500
Usable frequency range 35Hz – 5kHz 30Hz – 1.5kHz 25Hz – 2kHz 20Hz – 1.2kHz
Recommended power amplifier range 18W – 250W 18W – 300W 18W – 350W 18W – 400W
Continuous power handling 200W 260W 280W 300W
Voice coil diameter 1.5" 2.0" 2.0" 2.0"
Sensitivity (2.83 volt/1 meter) 90dB 90dB 92dB 93dB
Impedance 5 ohms 5 ohms 5 ohms 5 ohms
Thie e/Sma Parameters
Free-air resonance (Fs) 28Hz 30Hz 30Hz 28Hz
Total Damping (Qt) 0.34 0.38 0.45 0.43
Equivalent volume of compliance (Vas) 2.37 cu. ft. 3.01 cu. ft. 5.21 cu. ft. 10.42 cu. ft.
One-way linear excursion (Xmax) 0.16" 0.3" 0.3" 0.3"
One-way excursion limit (Xsvs) 0.6" 1.12" 1.21" 0.91"
Cone area (Sd) 33.2 sq. in. 56 sq. in. 85 sq. in. 140 sq. in.
Dimensions
Overall frame diameter 8.4" (213mm) 10.1" (257mm) 12.0" (305mm) 15.1" (384mm)
Cut-out diameter 7.1" (180mm) 8.8" (224mm) 10.8" (274mm) 13.6" (345mm)
Mounting Depth
Top mount 3.9" (99mm) 5.0" (127mm) 5.7" (145mm) 6.6" (168mm)
Bottom mount 4.5" (114mm) 5.6" (142mm) 6.1" (155mm) 7.2" (183mm)
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07
This is an important document.
Attach your Bi of Sa e to this
page and keep it in a safe p ace.
Your Bi of Sa e is your warranty.
The JBL warranty remains in
effect for one year from the date
of the first consumer purchase
unless installed by an authorized
JBL dealer. Installation by an
authorized JBL dealer will extend
the warranty to a period of two
years.
Who is Protected by this Warranty
The JBL warranty protects the
original owner and all subsequent
owners providing that the JBL
product was purchased from an
authorized dealer in the United
States or purchased by military
personnel from an authorized
military outlet. A copy of the
origina dated Bi of Sa e must be
presented whenever warranty
service is required.
Warranty Terms: 1-Year Transferab e Limited Warranty
What is Covered by this Warranty
Except as specified below, the JBL
warranty covers all defects in
material and workmanship. The
following are not covered: Damage
caused by accident, misuse, abuse,
product modification or neglect;
damage occurring during ship-
ment; damage from failure to
follow instructions contained in
the instruction manual; damage
resulting from the performance of
repairs by someone not authorized
by JBL; damage caused by instal-
lation of parts that do not conform
to JBL specifications; units used for
commercial or business use; any
claims based on misrepresenta-
tions by the seller; products sold on
an “as-is” or final sale basis; or the
cost of installing, removing, or
reinstalling the unit. JBL’s liability
is limited to the repair or replace-
ment, at our option, of any
defective product and shall not
include incidental or consequential
damages. JBL reserves the right
to replace a discontinued model
with a comparable model. Any
replacement units or parts may
be new or rebuilt.
To Obtain Warranty Service
If you require warranty service,
please return the product to your
dealer. If this is not possible and
you live in the United States,
please call 1-800-336-4JBL for
information on how to obtain
service or replacement.
If purchased outside the United
States, contact your local dealer
for repair or replacement.
Do Not Return Products to the JBL
Factory without Authorization.
They wi be Returned Unopened.
You are responsible for transport-
ing your product for repair or
replacement. JBL will pay reason-
able return charges for delivery
to any location in the United States
if the repair or replacement is
covered under the warranty.
Correspondence with JBL should be
addressed to: JBL Customer
Service, 80 Crossways Park West,
Woodbury, NY 11797 or fax us at
516-496-0812. Outside the United
States, please contact your local
distributor.
This warranty gives you specific
legal rights. You may also have
other rights which vary from state
to state. Some states do not allow
the exclusion or limitation of
incidental or consequential
damages or limitations on how long
an implied warranty lasts, so the
above may not apply to you.
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JBL Consumer Products
80 Crossways Park West
Woodbury, NY 11797
8500 Balboa Blvd.
Northridge, CA 91329
800-336-4JBL (4525)
www.jbl.com
Part No. POWSEROM
Made in USA
A Harman International Company
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Declaration of Conformity
We, JBL Europe A/S
Kongevejen 194B
DK-3460 Birkerød
DENMARK
declare in own responsibility, that the products described
in this owner’s manual are in compliance with technical
standards:
EN 50 081-1/1992
EN 50 082-1/3.1995
Steen Michaelsen
JBL Europe A/S
Birkerød. DENMARK. 4/97
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