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JL Audio 8W7AE-3

Anniversary Edition W7 Series 8" 3-ohm subwoofer

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Item# 13692117 offer details

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JL Audio

Our take on the JL Audio 8W7AE-3

Celebrating 10 years of unrivaled bass performance

AE logo

Ten years ago, JL Audio redefined low-frequency reproduction with their masterful, designed-from-scratch W7 subs. Now, the Anniversary Edition W7 Series 8W7AE-3 8" subwoofer features the latest refinements to this groundbreaking design, highlighted by a satin-black frame, silvery anodized trim ring, and special anniversary logo.

Group shot

Innovative design for impressive performance

Six patented technologies help this W7 sub deliver unmatched performance:

    W-Cone
  • W-Cone™: a dish-shaped outer cone is supported by a second W-shaped inner cone attached to the sub's voice coil structure. This design creates a super-rigid, lightweight cone that responds rapidly for accurate bass without unwanted coloration.

  • OverRoll surround
  • OverRoll™: an innovative mounting method lets the surround wrap around the outside of the mounting flange. This method allows for more useable cone area than conventional surrounds, so this sub moves more air for deeper lows.

  • Floating Cone Attach Method
  • Floating Cone Attach Method (FCAM™): precision engineering aligns the voice coil, and woofer cone for incredibly linear woofer movement, which means you'll hear exceptionally accurate bass.

  • Spider attachment
  • Plateau-reinforced spider attachment: a collar on the voice coil eases stress on the spider for extended excursion and improved reliability.

  • Elevated frame cooling and pole piece
  • Elevated frame cooling and cross-drilled pole-piece: cone movement pumps air through vents in the frame and machined holes in the pole piece. Your voice coils stay cooler, even when you're pushing your system.


JL Audio craftsman

JL Audio's W7 subs are hand-assembled and tested in Mirimar, Florida

Profound bass for the music-lover

Each W7 sub is built to meticulous standards at JL Audio's factory in Miramar, Florida. JL Audio put 30+ years of sonic expertise into their legendary W7 subwoofers, so you can expect smooth, powerful bass that enhances your favorite music.

Highlights:

  • 8" 3-ohm subwoofer
  • polypropylene W-Cone with polyester foam surround
  • solid cast-alloy basket
  • no grille included: optional grille rods available
  • power range: 125-500 watts RMS
  • peak power handling: 1000 watts
  • frequency response: 23-250 Hz
  • sensitivity: 82.7 dB
  • top-mount depth: 6-7/8"
  • sealed box volume: 0.875 cubic feet
  • ported box volume: 1.0 cubic feet
  • warranty: 1 year
  • Our 60-day money-back guarantee
 

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

Features and Specs

Features and Specs
Size
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8 -inch
Impedance
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3 ohms
Cone Material
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Polypropylene
Surround Material
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Polyester foam
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet)
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0.875
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet)
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1
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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82.7 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response
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23 - 250 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts)
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125-500
Peak Power Handling (Watts)
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1000
Top Mount Depth (inches)
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6 7/8
Bottom Mount Depth (inches)
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N/A
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches)
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6 15/16
Vas (liters)
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17.4
Fs (Hz)
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35.2
Qts
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0.612
Xmax (millimeters)
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19
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

  • 8" Single voice coil subwoofer (attached to an MDF baffle board with 12 Phillips-head screws)
  • Owner's manual
  • On-line product registration information

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

W-Cone: The JL Audio W7AE subwoofers utilize a patented W-Cone design; the unit-body cone assembly maximizes cone stiffness with minimal mass. The shape also provides torsional rigidity, critical to maintaining voice coil alignment at the suspension limits. Two lightweight mineral-filled polypropylene skins are bonded together at the perimeter and the center of the assembly. The lower skin's cross-section is shaped like a W and the upper skin is the part of the cone visible from the top.

OverRoll Surround: OverRoll Surround technology allows JL Audio to make use of the entire footprint of the speaker, placing the surround further to the outside than in a conventional woofer. This means the oversized surround can support greater x-max without sacrificing cone area. An added benefit is that the mounting holes are sealed by the surround, resulting in an improved box seal.

Ultra-Long Voice Coil: The W7AE subwoofers feature an ultra-long voice coil to enhance linear excursion, power handling and control. The large surface area of the coil offers excellent heat dissipation, while the winding height provides the necessary motivational force to achieve the excursion of the W7AE design.

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.

Dynamic Motor Analysis (DMA): DMA is JL Audio's proprietary analysis method aimed at improving dynamic motor behavior. As a result of DMA optimization, W7AE motors remain linear in motor force over a long range of excursion, and also maintain a stable fixed magnetic field in the gap over a wide power range. This leads to reduced distortion, faithfully reproduced transients, and tight, clean, articulate bass.

Forced Air Cooled: The elevated frame design of the W7AE delivers cool air through slots directly above the top-plate to the voice coil. This not only enhances power handling, but also sound quality by minimizing dynamic parameter shifts and power compression.

Radial Cross-Drilled Pole Piece: This venting system enhances heat dissipation and power handling by directing air flow onto the voice coil former, working in conjunction with the Forced Air Cooling technology.

Progressive-Roll Spider: The large, progressive-roll spider provides precise control and motor/voice coil alignment without limiting excursion prematurely.

Plateau-Reinforced Spider Attachment: A derivative of JL Audio's VRC technology, this suspension attachment relieves stress from the spider material at high excursions for enhanced reliability.

Co-Extruded Double Lead Wires: The extruded casing and carefully engineered attachments ensure controlled lead-wire behavior under the most extreme excursion demands. Two conductors are used per connection for ample current carrying capability.

Enclosure Compatibility

Sealed Box: The recommended sealed box volume is 0.875 cubic feet; a diagram is provided in the owner's manual for a sealed box with external dimensions of 14.0" W x 11.875" H x 14.0" D, assuming 3/4" thick box material (If you are using 5/8" thick materials, you should subtract 1/4" from each dimension).

Ported Box: The recommended ported box volume is 1.0 cubic feet; a diagram is provided in the owner's manual for a slot ported box with external dimensions of 27.0" W x 10.0" H x 12.0" D, assuming 3/4" thick box 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: 1.5"
  • Slot Height: 8.5"
  • Slot Length: 26" (a right angled port with a 13.25" extension)
 

Product Reviews

Review Summary

Average Customer Review:

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1-2 of 2 items Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness
 
5 out of 5

Almost TOO much

Written By geoffsdad, Albuquerque, NM on Saturday, August 20, 2011
 
I have this sub in a JL Audio Stealthbox in my 2010 Toyota Tundra Doublecab. The amount of bass it creates is AMAZING. I have it pushed by a JL 600 watt class D mono amp and it's not only loud but tuneful as well. None of that one-note booming bass the low-downers roll up with. This goes loud but accurately as well. My best car stereo purchase EVER. I'm thinking of another one for my Scion xB even though there is room for a much bigger sub.
6 out of 6 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Great Sub For Tight Spaces

Written By The Root, Southern, CA on Thursday, April 12, 2012
 
I purchased this subwoofer for an install in my 82 Benz 300d. Some things that I wanted was to maintain as much trunk space as possible, and be able to get to the spare tire if need be. Also wanted to ensure that I had great bass, with minimal space. JL Audio has a reputation for building their products, and this little gem is no exception. I put in a sealed box built to JL Audio specs and mounted it under the 1st Aid Kit opening. Powered it with a JL Audio 500/1 amplifier, set the gain per JL specs and really was blown away by the amount of clean tight bass this subwoofer puts out. Granted it isn't the roll down the street, shaking windows kind of bass, but it is clean, tight and accurate. Just what I was looking for. For more detailed specs on the install check out my posting on [URL="http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w123-e-ce-d-cd-td/1646757-1982-300d-custom-stereo-installation.html"]BenzWorld.org[/URL] .
Pros:
Accurate, Clean and Tight. Relatively small sealed box takes up minimal footprint in your trunk.
Cons:
Somewhat Expensive, but you get what you pay for.
Was this review helpful?    Yes | No
"Coolness Factor"
Build Quality
Ease of Use
Sound Quality
Value
 
1-2 of 2 items

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Accessories

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
 
 
Show more items
Dynamat
Reduce ambient road noise and your vehicle's "rattles," for better sound inside your car.
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
 
 
Dynamat 19100
License Frame Kit
$14.99
In Stock
 
 
Dynamat SuperLite Tri-Pak
Triple package — 3 sheets, 12 square feet (Model #10612)
$69.99
In Stock
 
 
Dynamat Xtreme Wedge Pack
1 sheet, 4 square feet
$39.99
In Stock
 
 
Show more items
Grilles
Add a grille and keep your sub safe.
JL Audio SGR-8W7
Grille rods for 8" W7 subwoofers

Also available in:
Scratch & Dent: $8.99
$17.99
Low Stock
 
 
Box Hardware
These can be useful if you are building a custom box.
Rubber Feet
$5.99
In Stock
 
 
Corner Protectors
$9.99
In Stock
 
 
Springback Handle
$9.99
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 binding post connectors (for do-it-yourself box builders)
$9.99
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 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
 
 
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 8W7AE-3, please visit the Crutchfield website product page (/ISEO-rccbcspd/p_13692117/JL-Audio-8W7AE-3.html ).

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JL Audio 8W7AE-3
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Anniversary Edition W7 Series 8" 3-ohm subwoofer
$499.99
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Speaker Wire

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

Dynamat

Dynamat Xtreme Trunk Kit
5 sheets, 20 square feet
$169.99
In Stock
 
 

Grilles

JL Audio SGR-8W7
Grille rods for 8" W7 subwoofers

Also available in:
Scratch & Dent: $8.99
$17.99
Low Stock
 
 

Box Hardware

Rubber Feet
$5.99
In Stock
 
 

Protect your gear with an extended warranty

Add 3 Year Warranty
Square Trade Warranty
$65.99
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JL Audio 8W7AE-3