Name: JL Audio 12W3v3-4
Brand: JL Audio
SKU: 13612W3V34
Price: 379.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (69 reviews)

by Crutchfield's Dominic DeVito

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.

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Remarkably realistic bass

Well-rounded performance

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.

Subwoofer Wiring Diagrams

To see sample wiring diagrams for all common subwoofer/amplifier combinations, check out this informative article.

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Product 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
grille not included
warranty: 1 year
MFR # 92154

What's in the box:

JL Audio 12W3v3-4 owner's manual

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

Featured review

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.

Kip from Wolf Lake

See all 69 reviews

Customer Q&A

I have 1 JL audio 12 w3 v3 in a sealed box that I am paring with a Jl jx500 amp. What's the best way to wire it as far as ohms to get the deep bass needed for hip hop rap music?

Thank you for your question, Brandon. Since the subwoofer is 4-ohms, you'll want to wire that up to your amp in parallel, the amp will push 340 watts RMS at 4-ohms to your subwoofer.

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Researched by Crutchfield's Pat M.

Features & specs

Features and Specs
Size	12 -inch
Impedance (Ohms)	4
Cone Material	Mineral-filled poly
Surround Material	Rubber
Port diameter (inches)	N/A
Port length (inches)	N/A
Free-Air	No
Dual Voice Coil	No
Sensitivity	87.15 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response	22 - 200 Hz
Max RMS Power Handling	500
Peak Power Handling (Watts)	---
Top Mount Depth (inches)	6 5/8
Bottom Mount Depth (inches)	N/A
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches)	10 7/8
Frame Width	12.5
Frame Length	12.5
Vas (liters)	80.54
Fs (Hz)	26.72
Qts	0.444
Xmax (millimeters)	13
Parts Warranty	1 Year
Labor Warranty	1 Year
Box Requirements
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet)	1.125
Minimum Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet)	N/A
Maximum Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet)	N/A
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet)	1.75
Minimum Ported Box Volume (cubic feet)	N/A
Maximum Ported Box Volume (cubic feet)	N/A

The JL Audio 12W3v3-4 replaces these items:

Product Research

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)

The JL Audio 12W3v3-4 replaces these items

Boston Acoustics G312-4

12" 4-ohm subwoofer

12 reviews

copolymer woofer cone with foam surround
100-375 watts RMS power range
frequency response: 20-350 Hz

JL Audio 12W3v3-8

W3v3 Series 12" 8-ohm subwoofer

3 reviews

mineral-filled polypropylene cone with nitrile-butylene rubber surround
22-200 Hz frequency response
100-500 watts RMS power range

Boston Acoustics G512-4

12" 4-ohm subwoofer

10 reviews

Copolymer woofer cone with foam surround
RadialVent cooling
100-450 watts RMS power range

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17 questions already asked

Just got the JD 1000/1 amp to go with two JL Audio 12W3v3-4 in a sealed box. What's the best way to wired them to get the most out of them?

mikehunt Feb 07, 2024

1 answer

Greetings Eliezer. Thank you for your question. If you purchased the JL Audio gear from Crutchfield, feel free to contact our Tech Support team. They can walk you through the wiring. Our toll-free Tech Support number is printed on your invoice, and is also available under the "My Orders" tab in the "My Account" section of our website. If you did not purchase them from Crutchfield, here is a quick link to our subwoofer wiring diagrams page. https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/car/subwoofers_wiring.html

hogan Feb 07, 2024 (Staff)

I have 1 JL audio 12 w3 v3 in a sealed box that I am paring with a Jl jx500 amp. What's the best way to wire it as far as ohms to get the deep bass needed for hip hop rap music?

brandon May 05, 2023

3 answers

This subwoofer is a Single voice coil 4ohm. You can only wire it one way

bassnoy Sep 13, 2023

This subwoofer utilizes a Single Voice coil. Unfortunately there is only one way to wire it.

bassnoy Sep 13, 2023

Thank you for your question, Brandon. Since the subwoofer is 4-ohms, you'll want to wire that up to your amp in parallel, the amp will push 340 watts RMS at 4-ohms to your subwoofer.

andrea May 06, 2023 (Staff)

Hi I have 2 JL Audio W3v3-4 and I installed a R1200-1D rockford fosgate am I all are right or should I be afraid it can burned them thanks?

jimmy Oct 10, 2022

1 answer

With those two subs, wired in parallel, you get a 2-ohm load with 1000-watt RMS power handling. That amplifier puts out 800-watts RMS when shown a 2-ohm load. That is perfectly withing the 70-100% RMS match up that we recommend! You should be totally fine!

thomas Oct 10, 2022 (Staff)

I have 2JL audio w3 4ohm 12" subwoofers in a ported proBox running to a to a kicker KXA 1200.1 amplifier I am confused on where the subsonic filter and lopass filter should be set at For these subs anyone able to help me set these?

cody Aug 31, 2021

1 answer

We have not received any answers from other customers on your question. I would recommend reaching out to an Advisor by phone (1-800-324-9695) or online chat. They should be able to help answer your question.

kenneth Sep 05, 2021 (Staff)

Just acquired one of these to put in my sons 03 mustang... Maybe I'm oldschool but I have always preferred bandpass enclosures in trunks or in truck cabs. I build custom boxes and do installs as a side hustle and I am wondering where to find bandpass enclosure specs for this sub? I have seen a few other entry level subs that were recommended to only use in sealed or ported enclosures but hopefully this isn't one of those

dustin Apr 01, 2021

1 answer

thomas Apr 28, 2021 (Staff)

Which would be louder, two JL 12W3v3 in ported or two JL 12W6v3d4 in sealed enclosure? Same amp pushing them JL RD 1500/1

paul Mar 18, 2021

2 answers

In your case the W3 would be louder, specifically because it's in a ported box. Even know the W6 is rated more power.. understand that because it's in a sealed box, it'll requires more power to actually get it to sound similar to the w3 in a ported box

bassnoy Sep 13, 2023

Paul it depends on your Vehicle! If your gonna be in open space like a jeep grand cherokee where the box will be in the trunk and there is no wall per say , then i'd say the Ported 12' JL Bass wedge! I Ran that w a Kenwood excelon 600w and Boiiii Did it Slam! I mean shaking mirrors in cars next to me! But.. that Bass wedge Comes w a V3 w only 300 w Cap! I Toasted that one i'd say Prolly about 8-10 mo's into the Fun lol. At that point upg'd to the W6 and then was all good even till now , years ltr! On the other hand if you have a Vehicle w a trunk and the enclosure is gonna be sealed off in there then i'd go w the 2/V3's in a Sealed box! Ported Box's move the Air in Said Area so in a trunk you lose that! Last thing i'll say is be Super careful w that Amp your Running , is waay over powered for those subs! JL Subs are Made so good you don't hear when they are in distress when being over powered , they'll sound great and Thumpy till the Explode lol.. I Hope this help's! NEIL

suneil Mar 18, 2021

I currently have a rockford Fosgate p2 wired at 2 ohms getting roughly 3-400 watts RMS, in a sealed box (about 1 cubic foot). My music taste is more metal/rock lately, so I'd like a sub better built for sound quality, as my p2 starts to get muddy with the double bass hits. Would this sub be a better option for me?

lawrence Aug 19, 2020

2 answers

Yes it would be it clean and hits good happy music bro

joshua Sep 03, 2020

I have 2 of these 12s in a sealed box in one of my SUVs and they hit but the 2 Apline Type-R 12s hit twice as hard in my wife's SUV.

cortney Aug 19, 2020

are ported boxes heavier than sealed boxes ?

clarence Apr 09, 2019

2 answers

Kind of depends on which type of port is used. If you use a thin walled plastic port it doesn't even add a pound but if you have a box that is ported with a wooden port than it will be weigh more. Is weight an issue for you because of the install or car performance?

john p Apr 11, 2019

Generally yes because there are more material when constructing a ported box rather a sealed box

john Apr 09, 2019

what size of box are you using?

jeramie Dec 12, 2017

3 answers

I use a ported 2.25 Cu ft. Box and I love it. The bass is very detailed and gets really loud

bassnoy Sep 13, 2023

I use a custom MDF ported box I built myself to spec at 1.75 Cubic feet.

devin Dec 12, 2017

Sound ordnance 12BB-200V ported box

ricardo Dec 12, 2017

What cu ft are you using ported box?

jeramie Dec 12, 2017

1 answer

The ported box size recommended by JL Audio for the 12W3v3-4 is 1.75 cu/ft. For more details or to discuss further, please feel free to contact an Advisor directly by phone (888.955.6000) or online chat. Thanks!

david Dec 18, 2017 (Staff)

Would the jl w3 v3 4ohm sub be paired well with the kenwood excelon xr600-1 amplifier?

nicholas Oct 15, 2017

1 answer

You have to match ohms, impedance and power from the amp to the sub. A 4 ohm sub needs to be powered by a 4 ohm amp, whether bridged or not. The ohms must match. Then you need enough power from the amp to move that sub. Find out the rms power of the amp, and max power the sub cab handle. The closer the better... it's math.

jonathan Oct 17, 2017

2 JL audio 12 W3 V3 4 ohm subs in a sealed box with 2.1 ft.³ of airspace per side this is more air space then called for in the specs for the speaker will more airspace in a sealed box sound better or worse ?

brian Aug 12, 2017

3 answers

It should sound better. With my experience more space is better. Less is definitely bad.

shaun Aug 12, 2017

Sealed boxes create deeper sound and are not punchy like ported boxes. I have a sealed box for my single 12w3v3. This sub pounds, it pounds really hard. I think you'll be fine with a little more air space. Just adjust the impedance and gain to maximize the subs potential. I actually have to lower my gain because the sub is hitting so hard, my head hurts I had an older version of this sub, the new one blows it away. The keys are to get the ohms, impedance and gain perfectly aligned with your amp.

jonathan Aug 12, 2017

Usually the required space for a subwoofer will yield the best sound or at least the design that the manufacturer is willing to warrant. Depending on the type of music you listen to, a ported box will give you more volume and vibration inside the car for hip hop, pop and even jazz. If you listen to instrumental, some types of rock, live sounds then a sealed box will give you more accurate, true bass.

ricardo Aug 12, 2017

Sealed box volume? I have one in sealed box built to specs and it isn't performing all that well at 300watts rms. Just got polyfill hoping that'll help. What size sealed box are people using?

calvin Apr 15, 2017

4 answers

I have a JL Audio factory built box that is the exact manufacture specifications and it shakes the earth. I have 2 subs being powered by a Rockford fosgate T-1000 and they hit hard enough to have pulverized my car. I've had only one sub going before and that sounds loud and clean but definitely not earth shattering like two. So my advice to to is if your box is built to specs then you either don't have a good enough amp or your taste in bass requires 2 subs. 300 watts seems like a lot but if it's not a high end brand that may be only peak watts not RMS. 12W3s are crazy power hungry and can easily handle 500 watts each if not more.

kyle Apr 18, 2017

I have 2 of these in a sealed box with a volume of .95 cubic feet per sub. (The enclosures are separated within the box) they are being powered with 600w to each sub and sound fine.

william Apr 18, 2017

I have a 1.3 cube box per sub and a 1000 watt amp going to 2 12 w3 and it pounds hard,check your gain on your amp you might go to a bigger amp or a smaller amp keep them subs under 1.75 cubes and you should be ok at 300 watts.

tom Apr 18, 2017

I prefer ported boxes for my 12" and 10" subwoofers because they sound louder. Sealed boxes are good for more precise bass, depending on the type of music of choice. My My 12" ported box is 1.6 cu ft. Hope this helps.

ricardo Apr 17, 2017

What's a good JL amp that matches perfect eith this sub?

exaktoh Mar 18, 2017

2 answers

JLAudio 600/1v3 slash series

bassnoy Sep 13, 2023

Thanks for your question. For information on selecting the best amp for your subs I would recommend reaching out to an Advisor by phone (1-800-324-9695) or online chat. They will be able to help determine the differences between the amp models and help you make the best choice for your system.

kristina Mar 19, 2017 (Staff)

Wiring 2 12w3v3-4 to a monoblock amp?

joe Sep 14, 2016

2 answers

Jl audio 12w3v3-4 is a single voice coil Sub you can't run them parallel. Unfortunately there's on one way to connect it

bassnoy Sep 13, 2023

if your amp is 2 ohm stable then wire the subs in parrell by connecting + to + then to the + on amp then the same - to - then - on amp there are some great diagams under subwoofer on crutchfields site. http://images.crutchfieldonline.com/ca/learningcenter/car/subwoofer_wiring/2SVC_4-ohm_mono.jpg

jack Sep 14, 2016

Should I get vented or sealed box for this? It's going in a trunk of a MINI Cooper. Thanks.

craig Jul 10, 2014

1 answer

I forwarded your question to an Advisor and they responded with the following: The JL Audio 12W3v3-4 can work in either a ported or sealed box. The type of box you use is based on what you're looking for in terms of sound quality. A ported box is going to give you deeper, louder bass while a sealed box provides more of a tight, accurate bass response. In general ported boxes do need to be larger, so if you're limited in terms of space you may want to go with a sealed box! If you would like to discuss further you can contact an Advisor directly by phone (1-800-324-9695) or online chat.

kristina Jul 11, 2014 (Staff)

What correct amplifier needed for these type of speakers?

diamond Jul 01, 2014

2 answers

Class D mono block amplifiers

bassnoy Sep 13, 2023

kristina Jul 01, 2014 (Staff)

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