The SUB80P is a new subwoofer from JBL, affordable and of relatively modest dimensions.
Importer Reference Sounds is enthusiastic about the new JBL SUB80P, as supported by their announcement: ‘As the inventor of ARCOSS Sound Field Management and author of piles of White Papers on subwoofers and their room interaction, you can trust JBL’s designers getting their hands on a subwoofer. With the more than 160 kilo weighing SCL-1 as the flagship of the JBL Synthesis bass foundation, the models follow a faithful JBL philosophy: Two in-house developed drivers in a massive cabinet construction. Big Boys subs for the ultimate cinema experience. Now, of course, that awe-inspiring low is not possible or necessary in every situation. Yet a rich bass reproduction forms the basis of a warm and full sound. Even in an audio set with a much more compact shape and price range. That’s why JBL now introduces a subwoofer that draws from a much more modest bass oompf, but it still manages to impress and is also wirelessly controllable: The JBL SUB80P’.
Bass-fetish
The importer continues: ‘If you know Reference Sounds a little bit then you know that we secretly have a bit of a bass fetish. Deep, full and well-defined bass gives music and movies so much more substance. So much more drama, spatial foundation and emotion. For us, it is the foundation of immersive, believable sound. Each subwoofer juggles electrical and acoustic parameters to achieve this to the best of its ability. For deep bass reproduction, the air displaced by the woofer is the key. Hence, we like that bass speaker a little bigger. But the laws of nature are hard to be fooled so big bass speakers require a big cabinet. However, if we adjust the requirements for the dynamic output a bit to living room and neighbor-friendly situations, we can also achieve fine performances with a small subwoofer. With this in mind, the JBL SUB80P was developed. Perfect as a support for smaller speakers in a not too large room or as an extra kick for built-in speakers’.
JBL SUB80P
‘The SUB80P delivers its rumblings through an 8″ (20cm) bass speaker positioned at the bottom of the high-gloss black cabinet. Integrated feet raise the sub to the desired height from the floor so that it pairs perfectly with its surroundings acoustically. To keep it as compact as possible, the sub is closed. This makes it easy to place it in any location. The 200Watt amplifier is located at the rear and has, in addition to a volume setting, switches for BassBoost (on/off), Phase (0/180gr) and Input Mode (Normal/LFE)’, according to Reference Sounds
Wireless
In addition to the physical RCA (cinch) inputs that allow the SUB80P to be wired to the output of a (pre)amplifier, the little SUB80P offers another interesting asset: wireless connection. ‘Couple the transmitter with a few short cables to the output of the (pre)amplifier, choose the desired transmission frequency, select the same frequency on the sub itself, et voila! The SUB80P will now pick up the signal wirelessly and then only needs a plug from the wall outlet to growl kindly at you. So a great JBL sub to provide your movies and music with a good bit of bass without having to immediately roll the china cabinet out the door,” Reference Sounds reports. The JBL SUB80P comes complete with wireless transmitter and is available from stock with a suggested retail price of €649.