JL Audio 12W3v3-2 User manual

12W3v3-2 /12W3v3-4 /12W3v3-8
S ubw oofers
o w n e r ’ s m a n u a l
Co ng ratulatio ns o n y o ur p urch ase o f a JL A udio subwo o fe r c o mp o ne nt. Y o ur JL A udio subwo o fer is a
p recisio n lo udsp eak er wh ich h as be e n eng ineered to p ro duce th e h ig h est q uality sub-bass p e r fo r manc e
in y o ur v eh ic le . A uth o riz e d JL A udio dealers h av e e x te nsiv e tec h nic al info r matio n fo r many different
ap p licatio ns o f y o ur new sp e ak e r. T h ey also h av e th e k no wledg e, sk ills and to o ls to build a h ig h -q uality
enclo sur e th at will max imiz e th e p e r fo r manc e o f y o ur sp e ak e r. We h ig h ly r e c o mme nd th at y o u h av e y o ur
enclo sur e built by an auth o riz ed JL A udio dealer.
Inside y o u will find sp e c ific atio ns and two r e c o mme nde d e nc lo sures fo r y o ur sp e ak e r ; o ne is a sealed
enclo sur e , th e o th e r is a p o r te d desig n. Bo th ty p es o f enclo sur e s will g iv e y o u e x c e lle nt so und q uality and
lo w-fr e q ue nc y e x te nsio n. T h e sealed e nc lo sur e is a be tte r ch o ice if sp ace is e x tr e me ly tig h t, but th e p o rte d
enclo sur e will p r o duc e 3dB mo r e o utp ut at th e same p o wer if y o u h av e th e ex tra sp ac e to wo rk with .

2 JL A U D IO 12W3v3-2/12W3v3-4/12W3v3-8
S UBWOOF ER 1 2 W3 v 3 -2 1 2 W3 v 3 -4 1 2 W3 v 3 -8
Free Air Resonance (Fs): 27.97 Hz 26.72 Hz 28.28 Hz
Electrical“Q” (Qes): 0.534 0.472 0.553
Mechanical“Q” (Qms): 7.678 7.572 6.936
TotalSpeaker “Q” (Qts): 0.500 0.444 0.512
Equivalent Compliance (Vas): 2.806 ft³
79.47 litres
2.844 ft³
80.54 litres
2.729 ft³
77.29 litres
One-way,Linear Excursion (Xmax)*: 0.510 in.
13.0 mm
0.510 in.
13.0 mm
0.510 in.
13.0 mm
Efficiency (1W/1m)**: 87.15 dB SPL 87.15 dB SPL 87.02 dB SPL
Effective Piston Area (Sd): 80.600 ft²
0.0520 m²
80.600 ft²
0.0520 m²
80.600 ft²
0.0520 m²
DC Resistance (Re): 1.658 ohm 3.563 ohm 7.310 ohm
NominalImpedance: 2 ohm 4 ohm 8 ohm
Power Handling (continuous): 500W 500W 500W
* Xma x s p e c ific a tio n s a r e d e r iv e d v ia o n e -wa y v o ic e c o il o v e r h a n g me t h o d wit h
n o c o r r e c t io n fa c t o r s a p p lie d .
* * Effic ie n c y ( 1 W/1 m) is n o t a n a c c u r a t e in d ic a t o r o f a s u b wo o fe r ’s o u t p u t c a p a b ility a n d s h o u ld
n o t b e u s e d a s a c o mp a r is o n t o o t h e r s u b wo o fe r s t o d e t e r min e wh ic h o n e is “ lo u d e r ” !
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1 2 W3 v 3 S UBWOOF ER PHYS ICAL
S PECIF ICATIONS
NominalDiameter: 12.0 in.
305 mm
OverallDiameter (A): 12.5 in.
318 mm
Mounting Hole Diameter (B): 11.0625 in.
281 mm
Bolt Hole Circle (C): 11.7 in.
297 mm
Magnet Diameter (D): 5.5 in.
140 mm
Mounting Depth (E): 6.65 in.
169 mm
Net Weight: 14.50 lbs.
6.58 kg
Driver Displacement: 0.071 ft³
2.01 litres
JL A U D IO 12W3v3-2 /12W3v3-4 /12W3v3-8
U.S.PATENTS:#5,734,734 #6,501,844 #6,219,431 #D480,709 Other U.S.& Foreign patents pending.

“ EL ” ( Po r t Ex t e n s io n L e n g t h )
1 2 W3 v 3 -2 : 13.5 in.(343 mm)
1 2 W3 v 3 -4 : 13.5 in.(343 mm)
1 2 W3 v 3 -8 : 13.5 in.(343 mm)
JL A U D IO 12W3v3-2/12W3v3-4/12W3v3-8 3
S UBWOOF ER RECOMMENDED S EAL ED ENCL OS URES
Vo lu me
(net int.)
Ex t e r n a l Dime n s io n s
(Width x Height x Depth)
F 3
(Hz)
F c
(Hz) Qt c
1 2 W3 v 3 -2 1.250 ft³
35.4 litres
23 in.x 14 in.x 10 in.
584 mm x 356 mm x 254 mm 41.8 50.4 0.96
1 2 W3 v 3 -4 1.125 ft³
31.8 litres
23 in.x 14 in.x 9.25 in.
584 mm x 356 mm x 235 mm 43.7 50.2 0.83
1 2 W3 v 3 -8 1.250 ft³
35.4 litres
23 in.x 14 in.x 10 in.
584 mm x 356 mm x 254 mm 41.5 50.5 0.91
Allspecifications are subject to change without notice.
! ! CAUTION ! !
Prolonged exposure to sound pressure levels in excess of100dB can cause permanent hearing loss.This high-performance
speaker can exceed this level.Please exercise restraint in its operation in order to preserve your ability to enjoy its fidelity.
When installing a subwoofer in your vehicle,it is extremely important to secure the enclosure firmly. We recommend
bolting the enclosure through the metal of the floorpan or the frame of the vehicle with large diameter washers for
reinforcement.Ifan enclosure is not firmly attached,it can become a projectile in a collision.This is particularly important
in a hatchback,station wagon,sports utility vehicle,or van.
• The enclosure recommendations listed are external
dimensions which assume the use of 3/4" (19mm)
thick material. If you are using 5/8" (16mm) thick
material, subtract 1/4" (6.5mm) from each dimension.
Do not use any material with a thickness of less than
5/8" (16mm) as this may compromise the rigidity of
the enclosure.
•Allenclosure volumes listed are net internalvolumes!
Box volume displacement, port displacement and
brace displacement must be added to obtain the final
gross internal volume.All enclosure dimensions listed
have already taken this into account.
• When using two subwoofers in a common
enclosure simply double the required volume and,
in the case of a ported enclosure,use two times the
recommended port(s).
• We recommend the use of this speaker in a bi-
amplified system using high-quality satellite speakers
and amplifiers. We do not recommend the use of
thissubwoofer with a passive crossover (coil),asthis
type of device will adversely affect performance.
S UBWOOF ER RECOMMENDED PORTED ENCL OS URES
Vo lu me
(net int.)
En c lo s u r e Ex te r n a l Dime n s io n s
(Width x Height x Depth)
S lo t Po r t S p e c s
SlotArea x SlotLength
Re c . S lo t Po r t In t e r n a l Dime n s io n s
SlotWidth x SlotHeightx SlotLength
Tu n e t o :
(Hz)
F 3
(Hz)
1 2 W3 v 3 -2 1.75 ft³
49.6 litres
29 in.x 14 in.x 12.625 in.
737 mm x 356 mm x 321 mm
17.1875 sq.in.x 26.125 in.
110.9 sq.cm.x 664 mm
1.375 in.x 12.5 in.x 26.125 in.
35 mm x 318 mm x 664 mm 30.0 36.0
1 2 W3 v 3 -4 1.75 ft³
49.6 litres
29 in.x 14 in.x 12.625 in.
737 mm x 356 mm x 321 mm
17.1875 sq.in.x 26.125 in.
110.9 sq.cm.x 664 mm
1.375 in.x 12.5 in.x 26.125 in.
35 mm x 318 mm x 664 mm 30.0 35.0
1 2 W3 v 3 -8 1.75 ft³
49.6 litres
29 in.x 14 in.x 12.625 in.
737 mm x 356 mm x 321 mm
17.1875 sq.in.x 26.125 in.
110.9 sq.cm.x 664 mm
1.375 in.x 12.5 in.x 26.125 in.
35 mm x 318 mm x 664 mm 30.0 35.0

M I N I M U M O PT I M U M M A X I M U M
L EG EN D :
W A RR A N T Y VO I D
2 5 W 7 5 W 1 5 0 W 3 0 0 W 6 0 0 W 1 0 0 0 W
1 2 W 3 v 3
Printed in USA JLA12W3v3_MAN_01_08_011202
JJL AUDIO warrants this speaker to be free of defects in materials and
workmanship for a period ofone (1) year from the original date of purchase.
Damage caused by the following is not covered under warranty: accident, misuse,
abuse, product modification or neglect, failure to follow installation instructions,
unauthorized repair attempts,misrepresentationsby the seller. Thiswarranty doesnot
cover incidental or consequential damages and does not cover the cost of removing
or reinstalling the unit(s). Cosmetic damage due to accident or normal wear and tear
is not covered under warranty.
Th is wa r r a n t y is n o t tr a n s fe r a b le a n d a p p lie s o n ly t o t h e o r ig in a l
p u r c h a s e r o f t h e p r o d u c t fr o m a n a u t h o r iz e d JL AUDIO d e a le r.
Wa r r a n t y is v o id e d if t h e fa c t o r y -a p p lie d p r o d u c t s e r ia l n u mb e r is
r e mo v e d o r d e fa c e d .
Should service be necessary under this warranty for any reason due to
manufacturing defect or malfunction,JL AUDIO will,at its discretion,repair or replace
the defective product with new or remanufactured product at no charge.
Any applicable implied warranties are limited in duration to the period of the
express warranty as provided herein beginning with the date of the original purchase
at retail, and no warranties, whether express or implied, shall apply to this product
thereafter.Some statesdo notallow limitationson implied warranties,therefore these
exclusions may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you
may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
If y o u n e e d s e r v ic e o n y o u r JL AUDIO p r o d u c t :
All warranty returns should be sent to JL AUDIO freight prepaid through an
authorized JL AUDIO dealer and must be accompanied by proof of purchase (a
copy of the original sales receipt.) Direct returns from consumersor non-authorized
dealers will be refused unless specifically authorized by JL AUDIO with a valid
return authorization number. Warranty expiration on products returned without
proof of purchase will be determined from the manufacturing date code. Coverage
may be invalidated as this date is previous to purchase date. Return only defective
components.Non-defective itemsreceived will be returned freight-collect. Customer
isresponsible for shipping charges and insurance in sending the product to JL AUDIO.
Freight damage on returns is not covered under warranty. Always include proof of
purchase (sales receipt).
RECOMMENDED CONTINUOUS (RMS ) POWER RANGE F OR ONE S UBWOOF ER DRIVER:
JL Au d io o ffe r s a n e x t e n s iv e lin e o f h ig h -p e r fo r ma n c e s u b wo o fe r d r iv e r s t o fit a wid e v a r ie ty o f e n c lo s u r e a n d p o we r a p p lic a tio n s .Wh e n d e s ig n in g s y st e ms wit h o u r d r iv e r s , it is v e r y imp o r t a n t t o
a c h ie v e a g o o d p o we r ma tc h b e twe e n th e s u b wo o fe r a mp lifie r a n d t h e s u b wo o fe r d r iv e r 's c a p a b ilit ie s. Th e p o we r le v e ls lis t e d in t h e a b o v e c h a r t r e p r e s e n t c o n tin u o u s ( RMS ) a mp lifie r p o we r p e r
wo o fe r a n d a s s u me t h a t t h e u s e r will r e g u la r ly ma k e fu ll u s e o f t h a t p o we r w i t h o u t d r a st i cal l y o ver d r i v i n g t h e am p l i f ier ( s) . Ma k e s u r e y o u fa c t o r s y s t e m imp e d a n c e a n d t h e t o t a l n u mb e r
o f s u b wo o fe r s in t o y o u r c a lc u la t io n s . Ad h e r in g t o t h e s e p o we r r e c o mme n d a tio n s will r e s u lt in s y s t e ms t h a t a r e b o t h r e lia b le a n d e n jo y a b le .
F o r S e r v ic e In fo r ma tio n in t h e U.S .A. p le a s e c a ll:
JL Audio customer service:[phone] during normalbusiness hours (Eastern Time)
JL Au d io , In c
10369 North Commerce Parkway, Miramar, FL 33025
In t e r n a t io n a l Wa r r a n t ie s :
Products purchased outside the United States of America are covered only by that country’s distributor and not by JL Audio, Inc.
JL AUDIO L IMITED WARRANTY (US A)
Automotive Subwoofer Components
MEDIUM GRAY ( MINIMUM):
From a reliability standpoint,this zone represents
a very comfortable operating power range for
each driver.This levelof power will not stress the
woofer but will not extract all of its performance
potential,either.
Use of less than the minimum power level will
not damage the woofer, but may result in
unsatisfactory performance.
L IGHT GRAY (OPTIMUM) :
This zone represents the best compromise
between long-term reliability, high-output and
low-distortion performance. This power level is
lower than the woofer’s continuous power rating
(as published in its specifications),but you willstill
be taking advantage ofthe woofer’s,low-distortion
performance range without undue risk offailure.
DARK GRAY ( MAXIMUM):
Slightly more SPL will be gained by pushing the
power into this zone,but typically not more than
2dB,compared to the light gray zone.The subwoofer
driver is designed to operate safely up to this power
range,but not beyond.Operate with caution.
BL ACK ( WARRANTY VOID) :
We do not recommend operating woofers at
this levelofpower.In this zone,there is a very high
probability that the driver willfaildue to excessive
heat and/or mechanicalstress.
S u b wo o fe r d r iv e r s o p e r a te d a t t h e se le v e ls o f
p o we r a re NOT c o v e r e d u n d e r wa rr a n ty .