If you love bass...

Introduction

If you're looking for a nice subwoofer to complete or supplement your current home theater setup, the JBL Northridge E Series is a great choice in the $300-500 range.

This review covers the E150P, which is the smaller version of the E250P. The former has a 10" woofer with a 150W RMS digital amplifier, while the latter has a 12" woofer with a 250W RMS digital amplifier. Cosmetically there is virtually no difference between the two models, aside from a slightly larger cabinet on the 12" version. The MSRP on the E150P is $399 and on the E250P it is $499.

Design

I am using this subwoofer in an apartment so I wanted a front-firing design rather than a down-firing design like Klipsch uses. Don't be discouraged by a front-firing sub, because it will still shake the walls and throw powerful low frequency sound.

In the Box

JBL provides an instruction manual along with the subwoofer, and that's it. No RCA cable or speaker wire included, so you will have to purchase a subwoofer cable from a retailer. I personally use the Monster Cable MonsterBass 400 subwoofer interconnect, but the choice is up to you. Any shielded copper-core cable will give great results.

Connections

JBL provides three means for connecting this subwoofer. If you have a digital receiver with LFE output, you can connect a line-level RCA cable from the receiver output to either the Left or Right RCA input on the back of the sub. If you have an analog receiver with line-level output you can also connect via this method, as the sub has a toggle switch between LFE and Normal modes. In LFE mode the low-pass crossover is disabled, since your receiver should already by taking care of that. In normal mode you can adjust the crossover from 50hz to 150hz, depending on the capabilities of your surround speakers. The third method for connecting this sub is through speaker-level 5-way binding posts, although JBL discourages this connection because there is more chance for user error, and the signal quality may be inferior to a line-level connection.

Amplifier

As stated earlier, the amplifier for the E150P is rated at 150W RMS or 250W peak power output. The 250W rating should be disregarded when comparing subwoofers, because the FTC-certified RMS rating is in reality how "powerful" the amplifier really is. RMS power can be sustained indefinitely, unlike peak power which can only be delivered in bursts. Beware certain manufacturers that proudly display the "peak output" power in product advertisements and hide the actual RMS wattage in small print.

The frequency response for the E150P unit is 27hz - 200hz, and the E250 has a range of 25hz - 200hz. These figures are rated for +/- 3dB, which is the industry standard. The audio tracks of many movies extend all the way down to 20hz and sometimes below, so this subwoofer cannot reproduce the very lowest of bass. However, the majority of bass in the LFE track peaks around 35-40hz which this sub can easily handle. The frequencies at 20hz and below can really only be felt rather than heard anyway, and with this sub you can still "feel" quite a bit!

Impressions

The day after I bought this subwoofer I subjected it to a variety of listening tests, including both music SACDs and video DVDs. To state it briefly, the subwoofer met and exceeded all of my expectations. The 10" woofer may seem small in comparison with some 15" or 18" subs, but with proper engineering a smaller sub can still have great output.

For SACDs I tested Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' (track "Time" has some great bass), Elton John's 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', and 3 Doors Down's 'Away From the Sun'.

For DVDs I tested quite a few, including Star Wars Episode I (podracing scene), Star Wars Episode II (asteroid charges), Gladiator (initial war scene), Godzilla (helicopter chase scene), Pearl Harbor (Japanese attack), Fight Club (title credits/demolition), The Lion King (stampede), U-571 (depth charges), etc. The Star Wars podracing sequence is probably the best DVD demonstration for any subwoofer, and I was delighted with the results from the E150P.

[Addendum]

After some more subjective listening I have decided that the JBL subwoofer tends to be a little boomy in the 40-50hz range of frequencies, something typical of subs in this price range. However, I do have the E150P corner-loaded so that may very well be increasing the 'boominess' factor. It is clear that JBL intended the E150P as a surround sound sub primarily and music secondarily, but for my purposes that is just fine; I watch movies much more often than I listen to music. If you're looking for really tight bass like orchestral and jazz music requires, this sub may not be very fulfilling.

Conclusion

Even at the full retail price of $399, the JBL Northridge E150P is an excellent buy. This subwoofer achieves quality that some 12" models cannot match, and the power should be sufficient for all but the largest of rooms.

Disclaimer

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