Jbl Psw-d115 (1 Viewer)

[Samuel Des]

Hello -
I am seeking advice on the above sub, the JBL PSW-D115. No one on this forum has posted experience with this sub (search showed one post, which was not directly regarding this sub). Audioreview.com shows a wide range of opinions, few of which seem to be meaningful.
1. Is there frequency response data on this sub?
2. Does anyone actually own one?
The unit I am considering is remanufactured, so I'm not anticipating any problems with reliability. But I have no experience with reconditioned products, so I don't know how reasonable an assumption that is.
3. Are reconditioned products a good buy?
Thanks,
Sam.
BTW - What do they mean by digital amp? And why should that make a difference?

 

[Samuel Des]

In case anyone else is intereted, these subwoofers are available at a substantial discount from the manufacaturer. But since they are mail order only, I wondered if anyone at all has experience with these. I'd really like to hear, before going through a home audition process by mail.

 

[Frank Carter]

Sorry I don't have experience with the 15" but I heard the 12" a few years ago and it sounded pretty good.

What's the link and at what price are they selling? Are they selling any other JBL products?

Frank

 

[Samuel Des]

Yes, more are available. They are available at www.harmanaudio.com

 

[CoreyH]

Samuel,

Though I've never heard the psw-d115, I owned the 12" version for about a year.

First off, I thought that it actually sounded really good. It got very loud down to about 28hz. After that, it dropped off pretty quickly. It was a little boomy, but not excessively so. Especially for the price.

As far as the amp is concerned, all I can say is that I had a lot of trouble with it. I bought mine at best buy, and had to return it 3 times, because of amp failures. I'm pretty sure part of the problem was best buy's shotty repair job, but I definitely had problems with the amp, right from the beginning. Concernng the "digital amp", from what I understand, it's not much more than a marketing ploy. But, I could be wrong in this respect.

One thing I do know for sure, is that Harman's customer service is fantastic, so if you have any problems, they'll definitely take care of you. After my 3rd return to best buy, i got so fed up with them, that I decided to email Harman customer service. They were incredibly helpful, and immeadiately aggreed not only to replace my d112 with a new one, but they actuall upgraded me to a brand new Infinity Il-120s, which was retailing for about $600 more than I paid for my JBL.

Hope this info helps you make your decision.

 

[Samuel Des]

Thanks Corey -- It looks like they already sold out. The prices were just too good to pass up. $200 shipped for a MSRP ~$800.

 

[Ken Custodio]

I had the PSW-D110 the 10" version before upgrading to a SVS 20-39PCi and it was a great little sub. Sounded very good for movies but wasn't that accurate for music. For the price they are great, but it doesn't compare to my new SVS
One thing I noticed is if you feel comfortable open it up and you will notice that the poly fill isn't spread around very well inside the box. Get some extra poly fill from you local audio store and add some more and spread it around so you can't see any of the cabinet and it will sound even better.
Ken

 

[Steven_MB]

RE the JBL PSW D115 speaker, mine just failed, after 4 years of light use. I have heard of other similar failures of this unit.

Since I am an electronics engineer, I decided to have a look at the

sub-woofer electronics to see what I could find.

My unit was purchased in 1999, and is serial number 03990.

The output power amplifier board is marked:

AMI 1998; 20/99 REALLY FANCY REV 3.2

The two major transformers are marked: 99/12 and 99/14, so I deduce that my

unit was manufactured in the first half of 1999.

Now for the interesting parts:

- Even though I purchased my unit new, in a factory sealed box, there are

tack-ons of resistors and small capacitors on the underside of the output

power amplifier PC board. This indicates either a re-manufacture, or a

patch for a design problem.

- Even though the unit is sold as a 350W speaker, the output transistors and

other components look hard pressed to provide this kind of power. The entire

power amp board weighs only around a pound, including the heat sink, and a

pair of 2200 uf capacitors. My guess is that the 350 W rating, if it is

true, may be only an instantaneous peak of a few cycles, when the capacitors

are aiding.

All in all, if a knowledgeable buyer were to have looked at this before

purchase, they would have declined to buy the speaker.

Since the unit is no longer made, and expensive to repair, JBL offerrd to send me a 12 SW for about $190. I declined, since I no longer trust them. I will buy a new SW amp module from a reputable electronics Co, and install it myself. Hope this helps all.

Steve