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JL Audio 12W3v3-4

W3v3 Series 12" 4-ohm subwoofer

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Item# 13612W3V34 offer details

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JL Audio

Our take on the JL Audio 12W3v3-4

Remarkably realistic bass

JL Audio designed their W3v3 subwoofers to deliver powerful, accurate bass with a medium-power amplifier. Their extensive motor assembly research resulted in a design that ensures smooth, precise cone movement at any power level. Exclusive cooling features shunt heat away from the sub's internal motor structure for long term durability and reduced distortion. The W3v3 sub works well in a sealed or ported enclosure.

JL Audio W3v3 exploded view

Well-rounded performance

JL Audio W3v3 interior

The 12W3v3-4 subwoofer boasts a 12" mineral-filled polypropylene cone with a distinctive metallic JL Audio medallion. A patented design eases the stress felt by the rubber surround during cone movement, for increased reliability and consistent bass output. The removable, customizable trim ring accepts optional JL Audio grilles, and can be painted to enhance your installation.

Highlights:

  • 12" 4-ohm subwoofer
  • mineral-filled polypropylene cone with nitrile-butylene rubber surround
  • power range: 100-500 watts RMS
  • peak power handling: 1,000 watts
  • frequency response: 22-200 Hz
  • sensitivity: 87.15 dB
  • top-mount depth: 6-5/8"
  • sealed box volume: 1.125 cubic feet
  • ported box volume: 1.75 cubic feet
  • warranty: 1 year
  • Our 60-day money-back guarantee

Priced per speaker
 

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and Specs

Features and Specs
Size
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12 -inch
Impedance
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4 ohms
Cone Material
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Mineral-filled poly
Surround Material
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Rubber
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet)
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1.125
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet)
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1.75
Port diameter (inches)
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N/A
Port length (inches)
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N/A
Free-Air
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No
Dual Voice Coil
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No
Sensitivity
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87.15 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response
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22 - 200 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts)
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100-500
Peak Power Handling (Watts)
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1000
Top Mount Depth (inches)
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6 5/8
Bottom Mount Depth (inches)
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N/A
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches)
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10 7/8
Vas (liters)
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80.54
Fs (Hz)
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26.72
Qts
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0.444
Xmax (millimeters)
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13
Parts Warranty
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1 Year
Labor Warranty
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1 Year

Product Research

Product Research
What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

  • 12" Subwoofer
  • Black plastic trim ring
  • Owner's Manual

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Features
Enclosure Compatibility

Features

Dynamic Motor Analysis (DMA): DMA is JL Audio's proprietary method aimed at improving dynamic motor behavior. As a result of DMA optimization, W3v3 motors remain linear in motor force over a very long range of excursion, and also maintain a highly stable fixed magnetic field in the gap over a wide power range. The result is vastly reduced distortion, faithfully reproduced transients, and tight, clean, articulate bass.

Floating Cone Attachment Method (FCAM): JL Audio's patented FCAM technology is an innovative method of bonding the surround/cone assembly to the voice coil/spider assembly. This assembly technique ensures proper surround geometry in the assembled speaker for better excursion control and dynamic voice coil alignment.

Vented Reinforcement Collar (VRC): The Vented Reinforcement Collar is a composite structure that addresses two issues related to reliability. By reinforcing the critical junction between the cone, voice coil and spider, the VRC greatly reduces failures due to glue breakdown or material weaknesses. It does this by greatly increasing adhesive contact area and providing stress relief to the spider material at excursion extremes. the VRC also feature slots that facilitate air flow directly onto the voice coil windings to reduce thermal compression effects and enhances reliability.

Spider/Lead Wire Assembly: The W3v3 features a unique spider, coil and terminal subassembly which is assembled prior to installation in the speaker frame for optimum alignment and glue-joint integrity. The spider is insert-molded into a composite carrier tray which also incorporates the terminal assembly and lead wire strain relief features for enhanced reliability and optimal alignment of parts. The flying lead wires are carefully controlled and strain-relieved without resorting to woven-in lead wires, which can degrade spider performance.

Elevated Frame Cooling: The elevated frame design of the W3v3 delivers high-velocity air flow through slots directly above the top plate to the voice coil of the speaker. This not only enhances power handling, but also sound quality by minimizing dynamic parameter shifts and power compression.

Surround Stress Relief: By creating a radiused feature on the edge of the cone, stress is relieved from the surround material at maximum forward excursion, resulting in longer life and more consistent surround behavior.

Customizable Trim Ring: The woofer comes with a removable ring made of black ABS plastic which can be painted to match the installation theme and create a personalized look. You can purchase optional grille mesh inserts which are specifically designed to fit into the inner diameter of the trim ring.

Enclosure Compatibility

Recommended Sealed Box Volume: The sealed box size recommended by JL Audio is 1.125 cu/ft. A diagram is provided in the owner's manual for a sealed box with external dimensions of 23" W x 14" H x 9.25" D, assuming 3/4" thick material. (If you are using 5/8" thick materials, you should subtract 1/4" from each dimension.)

Recommended Ported Box Volume: The ported box size recommended by JL Audio is 1.75 cu/ft. A diagram is provided in the owner's manual for a sealed box with external dimensions of 29" W x 14" H x 12.625" D, assuming 3/4" thick material. (If you are using 5/8" thick materials, you should subtract 1/4" from each dimension.) A slot port is recommended with the following dimensions:

  • Slot Width=1.375"
  • Slot Height=12.5"
  • Slot Length=26.125" (a right angled port with a 13.5" extension)
 

Product Reviews

Review Summary

Average Customer Review:

15 people say:
(13)
(1)
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1-10 of 15 items >> Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness
 
5 out of 5

Very Tight and Articulate!

Written By 2fast4thelaw, Denver Co on Monday, June 29, 2009
 
I have one of these subs in a 1.5 cu ft sealed enclosure powered by a JL
Audio 1/250 slash amp in my 2005 Nissan 350Z. This is the best sounding
subwoofer I have ever heard. I wasnt sure 250 watts was going to
be enough but I was dead wrong. It hits so hard and so tight it put a huge
smile on my face. My friends told me that a 12" sub would sound loose
anjd heavy but they ate those words when they heard it. I will never use
anything smaller than a 12 again! I previously had a Type-R 10 in it on the
same amp and it sounded great but it just wasnt enough. This sub was a
huge upgrade and the difference flat blew me away. It was three times as
loud and hit 3 times harder. It gave a whole new meaning to SQ. I have
never heard a big subwoofer hit so fast and tight! It definitly likes a lot of
air space but its very efficient!
4 out of 4 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Speachless

Written By Robert, Florida on Thursday, June 03, 2010
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

 
I bought these to replace a pair of RF HE2 12's and all I can say is WOW!! I put them in the custom sealed box i built for my tundra and they aren't even broken in yet and they are amazing. The are so efficiant that I could turn my gains down and the amp is drawing less power so my Infinity mids and highs sound better. I turned the gains up on my crossover up for the mids and highs and it is so much louder and more crisp. The best thing is they still keep up with the infinitys. I'm running them at around 500 rms each and the infinity's @ 100watts rms each with a 5 farad cap and it is awsome. I've always been true to rockford Fosgate but not any more. These make any system sound perfect. The lows sound great and quick beats are sooo tight.They sound great with any music.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Good Sound Nice subwoofer

Written By dirkdiggler, Saint Augustine, FL on Monday, June 21, 2010
 
These subwoofers are great I would highly recommend this subwoofer and JL audio in general they stand by their products and just overall are a good buy. Of course your going to pay a little more but the sound Im getting from one of these powered by a 500 watt JL audio amp is incredible.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

excellent sound quality

Written By encryptor, indiana on Sunday, March 29, 2009
 
i have this as well as several other subs. These are not the loudest out there and many experts say that as well, but these are some of the most accurate subs on the market and they are very durable and long lasting. They are also under rated which JL publically admitted. these can handle 1000 watts easily. This sub has a very, very slight "flutter" noise to it compared to its cheaper cousin the W1v2. its not too noticable and cant find a cause.

their not the prettiest subs to look at but are very well engineered. Like any sub, the real secret is in your install setup and the box its in, not the sub itself. dont just put this in any q logic box either, they are too universal and accomodate mediocrocity from all subs rather than tailor made for each one. but buy/build a proper box as recommended by JL be it sealed or ported since thats the size the sub specs will require for best sound. stuff very loosely with poly fill to smooth out the bass and less distortion.

If going sealed, use vinyl rubber weather seal around the lip of the sub to guarantee air tight fit. All edges inside box must be sealed. A proper air tight sub when pressed will be very firm and retract instantly. If it sinks or retracts slowly, then you have an air leak somewhere. I coat inside of my boxes with truck bed liner and use weather sealing you can get from any hardware store. Many people in general buy cheap wires, an over-rated amp and a q logic box and think its good cause they dont know better.
8 out of 9 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Great Subs for price

Written By Nick, Baltimore, MD on Saturday, October 27, 2007
 
I have 2 12W3V3 subs in a sealed box pushed by Kenwood KAC-8103D sounds great. Very accurate, deep, clean bass. I got them hooked up in a 93' T-bird, you can hear me comin blocks away. I don't even have the bass boost on that high. For the price, these are great. I lookin to upgrade to 12w6 soon. I love JL Audio!
25 out of 26 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

great sub

Written By Jeff, East Hampton CT on Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

 
I installed this JL w3v3 in my 2001 z24 and it sounds great. I only have a small amp and only one 12 sub, and it hits very hard for only one. Great buy
5 out of 5 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Mad.. Then Happy

Written By James, Illinois on Saturday, July 12, 2008
 
Well, before this sub i had a 10 in kicker comp vr... i decided to be cheap and instead of buying or building a box that is meant for a 12in i just cut the hole bigger in the box that housed the 10in.. I was a little ticked at first because the w3 wouldnt hit the lows the same way the kicker comp vr did..

However. yesterday I got a new box for the w3.. a q-logic bandpass box.. much happier with this sub now. turned the center frequency
down to 23 on the jl 500/1v2 amp and it pounds hard.. cant even see clearly out of the rearview mirror while driving.

If you do get this sub i would suggest getting a bandpass box.. ive heard it in a ported and a sealed and the bandpass by far sounds much better
3 out of 8 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

POW

Written By Kip, Wolf Lake on Thursday, December 02, 2010
 
I just Bought My Second One,

These Subs are the absolute best 12 in their price range, Check That......Subs that cost twice as much will be hard pressed to keep up with these super tight monsters.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Best IN the West!

Written By Franktank, Austin TX on Monday, April 25, 2011
 
I just bought these subs and let me tell you glad I did! great sound and really pound. I switched from the rockford fosgate p3's. If your looking for quality sound....well you found it! JL all the way!
4 out of 5 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

jl wv3v3-4

Written By WAHS, Pittsburgh, Pa on Friday, March 16, 2012
 
These subs slam! I bought two of these in a ported box running at 675 watts rms at being powered by an infinity reference series amplifier.
Pros:
These sound great with any music at the proper tuning my rear window flexes Cant turn them up all the way they are to loud for me! They provide the extra punch to rock songs and rap it makes my trunk bounce
Was this review helpful?    Yes | No
"Coolness Factor"
Build Quality
Ease of Use
Sound Quality
Value
 
1-10 of 15 items >>

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Learn more about Component Subwoofers

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Ken Nail
7/13/2008
based on 260 ratings (18 comments)
 

Subwoofers are speakers dedicated solely to reproducing low frequencies. No matter what kind of music you like, or at what volume you listen to it at, they can be a crucial part of your overall...

 
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Video: How to Choose a Subwoofer

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9/14/2010
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The first step to choosing a subwoofer actually begins with the enclosure and how you want the sub to perform. In this video we'll tell you about the different types of subwoofer enclosures...

 
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Dual voice coil subwoofers are a popular choice among car audio enthusiasts who want more flexibility in wiring their sound systems.

 
Subwoofer Enclosures

Subwoofer Enclosures

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3/12/2012
based on 319 ratings (58 comments)
 

The type of bass you get from your component subwoofer doesn't depend on the woofer alone. You'll need a strong, tightly constructed enclosure for optimum subwoofer performance.

 
Tuning Your Subs

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12/9/2011
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Having a subwoofer in your car is a good thing, but if the subwoofer isn't properly tuned, it won't sound as good as it should. This article describes how to adjust your amplifier so that your...

 

Accessories

Things you'll need

Sealed & Ported Boxes
Choose a sealed or ported box to house your subwoofer.
Sound Ordnance™ Bass Bunker
Sealed single 12" subwoofer enclosure (Model BB12-125S)
$59.99
In Stock
 
 
Sound Ordnance™ Bass Bunker
Sealed single 12" subwoofer enclosure (Model BB12-95S)
$59.99
In Stock
 
 
Sound Ordnance™ Bass Bunker
Ported single 12" subwoofer enclosure (Model BB12-150V)
$59.99
In Stock
 
 
Sound Ordnance™ Bass Bunker
Ported single 12" subwoofer enclosure (Model BB12-200V)
$59.99
In Stock
 
 
Sound Ordnance™ Bass Bunker
Sealed dual 12" subwoofer enclosure (Model BB122-100S)
$79.99
In Stock
 
 
Sound Ordnance™ Bass Bunker
Sealed dual 12" subwoofer enclosure (Model BB122-125S)
$79.99
In Stock
 
 
Sound Ordnance™ Bass Bunker
Ported dual 12" subwoofer enclosure (Model BB122-175V)
$79.99
In Stock
 
 
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Accessories we recommend

Speaker Wire
It's critical to have good wire, and none is included with the sub.
StreetWires 12-gauge Ultra Cable™ Speaker Wire
Blue/copper jacket — priced per foot
$1.00
In Stock
 
 
StreetWires 14-gauge Ultra Cable™ Speaker Wire
Blue/copper jacket — priced per foot
$0.75
In Stock
 
 
StreetWires 14-gauge Super Cable™ Speaker Wire
Translucent blue jacket — priced per foot (Clear)
$0.99
In Stock
 
 
StreetWires 16-gauge Super Cable™ Speaker Wire
Blue jacket — priced per foot
$0.40
In Stock
 
 
Stinger PRO Series 16-gauge Speaker Wire
Black jacket — priced per foot
$0.30
In Stock
 
 
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Dynamat
Reduce ambient road noise and your vehicle's "rattles," for better sound inside your car.
Dynamat 19100
License Frame Kit
$14.99
In Stock
 
 
Dynamat Xtreme Wedge Pack
1 sheet, 4 square feet
$39.99
In Stock
 
 
Dynamat SuperLite Tri-Pak
Triple package — 3 sheets, 12 square feet (Model #10612)
$69.99
In Stock
 
 
Dynamat Xtreme Trunk Kit
5 sheets, 20 square feet
$169.99
In Stock
 
 
Dynamat Dynaliner
One 54" x 32" sheet (1/8" thick)
$69.99
In Stock
 
 
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Grilles
Add a grille and keep your sub safe.
JL Audio SGR-12W3v3/W1v2
Grille for 12" W3v3 and W1v2 subwoofers
$19.99
In Stock
 
 
Box Hardware
These can be useful if you are building a custom box.
Springback Handle
$9.99
In Stock
 
 
Corner Protectors
$9.99
In Stock
 
 
Rubber Feet
$5.99
In Stock
 
 
Speaker Wire Terminals
If you're building your own sub box, add speaker wire terminals for easy speaker wire connections.
Metra Speaker Terminal
Round terminal cup with spring clip connectors (for do-it-yourself box builders)
$3.99
In Stock
 
 
Metra Speaker Terminal
Square terminal cup with spring clip connectors (for do-it-yourself box builders)
$3.99
In Stock
 
 
Metra Speaker Terminal
Square terminal cup with binding post connectors (for do-it-yourself box builders)
$9.99
In Stock
 
 
Metra Speaker Terminal
Round terminal cup with binding post connectors (for do-it-yourself box builders)
$9.99
In Stock
 
 
Show more items

Extras

Test Discs
Autosound 2000 discs are designed to test specific performance parameters of your vehicle's audio system.
Autosound 2000 CD Set
$69.95
In Stock
 
 
 
Add selected to cart
 

For a more in-depth review and enhanced detailed information on the JL Audio 12W3v3-4, please visit the Crutchfield website product page (/ISEO-rccbcspd/p_13612W3V34/JL-Audio-12W3v3-4.html ).

Recommended Accessories See more accessories

Your featured item

JL Audio 12W3v3-4
JL Audio 12W3v3-4
W3v3 Series 12" 4-ohm subwoofer
$279.99
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Sealed & Ported Boxes

Sound Ordnance™ Bass Bunker
Sealed single 12" subwoofer enclosure (Model BB12-125S)
$59.99
In Stock
 
 

Speaker Wire

StreetWires 12-gauge Ultra Cable™ Speaker Wire
Blue/copper jacket — priced per foot
$1.00
In Stock
 
 

Dynamat

Dynamat 19100
License Frame Kit
$14.99
In Stock
 
 

Grilles

JL Audio SGR-12W3v3/W1v2
Grille for 12" W3v3 and W1v2 subwoofers
$19.99
In Stock
 
 

Protect your gear with an extended warranty

Add 3 Year Warranty
Square Trade Warranty
$38.99
In Stock
 
 
 
Add selected to cart
 
JL Audio 12W3v3-4