What's a component sub and why would I want one?

A component sub is simply a speaker that's designed to reproduce bass once it's installed in a compatible enclosure. Think about the impact of a movie soundtrack in a big theater or even in your own home HDTV setup. A component sub can add the same kind of power to the music in your car. And a car sub is not all about the boom that you hear on a street corner (although that's cool too) - you can pair a component sub with your choice of enclosure to get bass just the way you like it, from tight and punchy to fat and loose. And once you experience music in your car with a well-tuned subwoofer, you'll never go back.

Our take on the JVC Arsenal CS-AW8520

by Dominic Devito

JVC designed their top-of-the-line Arsenal CS-AW8520 15" subwoofer for all you die-hard bass fanatics out there. This bass workhorse features just about every technological innovation JVC could cram into one sub, plus high-quality construction with advanced materials. Take the Kevlar® laminated hemp fiber cone, for instance — it's tough and rigid, but also extremely lightweight, so you'll hear nothing but true bass response. The Santoprene™ surround maintains linearity during long excursion for impressive accuracy.

Beat the heat
The sub's mammoth chassis features Thermal Transfer Technology for rapid heat dissipation — venting in the die-cast aluminum basket and the bottom plate keeps the sub's interior cool under fire. The double-stacked 308-ounce magnet features a heat-resistant resin cover for additional shielding. The removable trim ring covers up the sub's mounting holes for a sweet-looking installation.

Instant impedance switching
The CS-AW8520 features dual 2-ohm voice coils, and JVC's unique Rapid Fire Impedance Selector Terminal allows you to switch instantly between 1-ohm or 4-ohm total impedance to get the best performance out of your amplifier. JVC even incorporates fuses at the terminals to provide an additional layer of damage protection. You can feed this bass behemoth up to 1,500 watts RMS for the kind of low end you'll be thrilled to roll with.

Note: If you are wiring this DVC sub for lower impedance, make sure that your amp is compatible. Most 2-channel car amplifiers are stable down to 2 ohms in standard mode, or 4 ohms in bridged operation. Most mono amps are stable down to 2 ohms.

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Highlights:

15" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils
dual-layer, Kevlar-laminated hemp/fiber cone
Santoprene surround
die-cast aluminum basket
ABS gasket trim ring
fuse-protected selector terminal allows reconfiguration to 4-ohm or 1-ohm impedance
power range: 1,000-1,500 watts RMS (750 watts RMS per coil)
peak power handling: 4,500 watts
frequency response: 28-500 Hz
sensitivity: 88.23 dB
top-mount depth: 9-11/16"
sealed box volume: 2.205 cubic feet
ported box volume: 3.255 cubic feet
warranty: 2 years
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Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs


Size Loading...	15 -inch
Impedance Loading...	2 ohms
Cone Material Loading...	Kevlar Hemp-Fiber
Surround Material Loading...	Santoprene
Ideal Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	2.205
Ideal Ported Box Volume (cubic feet) Loading...	3.255
Port diameter (inches) Loading...	N/A
Port length (inches) Loading...	N/A
Free-Air Loading...	No
Dual Voice Coil Loading...	Yes
Sensitivity Loading...	88.23 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response Loading...	28 - 500 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) Loading...	1000-1500
Peak Power Handling (Watts) Loading...	4500
Top Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	9 11/16
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) Loading...	10
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) Loading...	13 13/16
Vas (liters) Loading...	89.16
Fs (Hz) Loading...	27.7
Qts Loading...	0.423
Xmax (millimeters) Loading...	24.7
Parts Warranty Loading...	2 Years
Labor Warranty Loading...	2 Years

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

15" DVC 2-ohm woofer
Trim ring
Two 10-amp ATC fuses (installed)
Jumper plug (installed)
10 Mounting screws
Hex key
Instructions (Eng/Spa/Fre)
USA Warranty Sheet
Canada Warranty Sheet
Product Registration Card/Questionnaire

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Features
Enclosure Compatibility

Features

Overview: The JVC Arsenal CS-AW8520 is a 15" dual voice coil 2-ohm subwoofer which supports up to 1,500 watts RMS power handling and 4,500 watts Peak power handling with a frequency response of 28 to 500 Hz.

Kevlar Laminated HEMP-Fiber Cone: The JVC Arsenal CS-AW8520 features Kevlar Laminated HEMP-Fiber Cone with dual-layer cone construction for deep, accurate, hard-hitting, high volume bass.

Santoprene Surround: The JVC CS-AW8520 features a Santoprene Surround for added durability and controlled response.

Dual 2-ohm Voice Coils: This woofer features dual 2-ohm voice coils that offer flexibility in wiring. When the voice coils are wired in parallel with each other, the woofer presents a 1-ohm mono load. When the voice coils are wired in series with each other, the woofer presents an 4-ohm mono load. In addition, each coil may be connected to a different amplifier channel and each channel will see a 2-ohm load.

Rapid Fire Impedance Selector Speaker Terminal: The 15" JVC woofer is equipped with two pair of copper plated, set-screw speaker terminals which will accommodate up to 12 AWG speaker wire. The speaker terminals feature woven tinsel leads wired through the voice coil of the woofer. The woofer's speaker terminals are adjacent to one another and features a jumper connector which allows you to easily wire the subwoofer for a 2-ohm, 1-ohm, or 4-ohm load. The speaker terminals also feature two 15A ATC fuses to protect the woofer from overload.

Aluminum Voice Coil Former: The JVC Arsenal 15" woofer features an aluminum voice coil former with a dual diametric progressive spider.

Heat Resistant 308.94 oz Dual-Stacked Strontium Magnet: The JVC Arsenal CS-AW8520 features a 308.94 oz Dual-Stacked Strontium Magnet.

T3 Chassis (Thermal Transfer Technology: The JVC Arsenal CS-AW8520 incorporates the following features to keep the woofer working cool.

Vented Aluminum Cast Basket: The JVC Arsenal 15" woofer features a strong die-cast aluminum basket with multiple vent slots for added rigidity and ventilation.
Aero Vent Bottom Plate: The woofer features a vented bottom plate which uses heat transfer silicon to help prevent heat build up within the speaker structure.

Trim Ring: The CS-AW8520 features a removable decorative trim-ring to help conceal the woofer's mounting holes and provide a professional looking installation.

Enclosure Compatibility

Recommended Sealed Box Volume: JVC recommends mounting this woofer in a sealed enclosure made out of 3/4" MDF with an internal volume of 2.205 cu/ft.

Recommended Ported Box Volume: JVC recommends a ported enclosure made out of 3/4" MDF with an internal volume of 3.255 cu/ft using a one 9" wide x 3.0" tall x 21.0" long slot port.