The Subwoofer I've ALWAYS WANTED! JL Audio 13W7AE Overview

The W7 is from 2001. I have a feeling they are not at the top of the subwoofer game anymore, especially at their asking price.

I heard the 13w7 like 20 years ago. At a shop hooked up to slash 1000. And the most impressive part was what not one person has mentioned. Did you even hear it right is my thinking. And is there a sub today that can do what I'm talking about. It has to do with the way the surround on the cone creates a surround sound enveloping bass. In 20 years no one has copied it yet.

i recall seeing a W7 on a showroom floor decades ago.. it looked so futuristic, that it STILL looks modern, after all these years. that sub takes way too much space than i'm willing to give up.. but if i had a minivan or something, that would be the dream sub to install.

Yeah, some people want to have the loudest system and some people love listening to music loud. That being said I loved my 13.5W7 and my JL Audio 1000/1 slash series amp. Built the ported box to JL spec and set input sensitivity to 32hz and I tested at a bass comp and it hit 147.1. It was the loudest 1 sub 1000watt setup at the competition .

Couple months ago I got myself a 10" JL in a box specifically made for it. It blows my last sub clean out the water. I had a 1st gen Kicker L7 12' that was super heavy to deal with. The new JL is half the weight and nearly half the size with the box. I'm running it on an Alpine M500 monoblock that I got at a second hand shop for $35 7 years ago. It hits so much harder and much cleaner sound than the Kicker using the same amp. It's in the back seat of my truck so I needed something smaller and lighter to deal with for when I need to pull it out to use the back seat. I thought I downgraded at first until I started using it.

What aimp did you use

Go sealed!

Sealed box is all I do. I'm just not impressed with the ported box. I love deep Bass and the response.

I've always been absolutely obsessed with sound and music.

I wasn't driving around setting off car alarms and annoying people, it was a really expensive well balanced system that took me 5 years to complete.

I had a JL W7 12" in my car from 2001 to 2010.... Then, I sold my car.

But I moved into music production and mastering, so I purchased 2 x JL Audio Fathom12s for my studio.

My god.. that low end in a studio with sound proofing and corner absorption.. its like sitting inside a giant bowl of warm cream. The air becomes thick with perfect low end reproduction. Punch, clarity, beauty.. instruments have detail. Its not a cheap bass wobble, its an extension of the music.

This is 20+ years old and took YEARS of research and development to make.

There's been nothing like it before or since and has to be heard once in your life.

There were so many arguments in the audio world when it was released.. oh "this is better, this is more powerful, this is cheaper and better value".. etc etc.

Sure, there are wonderful subwoofers in the world.

But, this is truly something special. And forever will hold a place in my heart.

Yes, its ABSOLUTELY over the top in all regards, absurd throw and excursion. But that also means, incredible control at low and mid volumes. Where other subs would br topping out at that level, this sub doesnt even come close to breaking a sweat.

I had many different subs before I bought this one in my car. Diamond Audio, Kicker, Focal, Soundstream, RF..

As a mastering engineer and music producer, I am very sensitive to frequency response and I really listen to music mixes..

The musicality of this sub is what sold me.

Some subs seem "tuned" to HIT on certain frequencies, so R&B, Rap or whatever sounds really boomy.

Not this one. First and foremost it is reproducing MUSIC. It just happens to be able to make your rear view mirror distort so much that its impossible to see anything.

As soon as I heard it, I heard notes being played I didnt even know existed in the songs I was playing. I had to play them over and over again because I thought I was imagining it.

Heres a test song for you -

Basement Jaxx - Romeo.

If your sub can prosuce all the notes of thst bassline, then youve got something special on your hands.. 😅

NNNOOOO It's always worth more un-opened...lololol Sorry, had to. That is what my kids would have said watching me open a box like that.

If anyone can answer a question I have, it would be appreciated.

Since anything past 1,000w is in the danger zone according to JL but is still within warranty, will the subwoofer be ok at say1200? Will giving it the full 1500w blow it, but I'll still be under warranty?

W6's are way better overall.. but for competition, JL is not for you. For sound quality JL is great.

Mark is the jl audio XD600-1V2 a good Amp for the 10"W7? Will it hit hard with that amp .?

If you flip them out it will damage the foam. It may be fine now but they will fail prematurely later down the road. I know this because that happened to mine. The foam broke apart 3 years after buying them.

This is my dream sub too!!!!!

Funny story my friend was gifting me this anivesary edition w7 with the jl box too that’s made by them so it should have worked together great I’m sure but it wouldn’t fit in the trunk of my car 😭 it felt like 100lbs with the box. Kind of glad since it looks like it would rip my trunk wing off lol

A lot people bash the JL subwoofers due to their price, pointing out that such and such sounds better or this brand outputs more.. but no-one takes into consideration box size requirements. JL makes some of the best sound subs in some of the smallest enclosures possible.

I met a guy from Craigslist in a Bestbuy parking lot 7 years ago and he sold me a JL 13w7ae and a JL HD1200 amp for $750 all in. No lie. I don’t know if he was mistaken about what it was or what. But he honestly sold me that system for $750. Unbelievable. It is still in my car til this day. In addition I’ve owned the Image Dynamics IDMAX15v4. Between the two, the IDMAX15 (really a 16” sub) is very, very much a noticeably cleaner sounding subwoofer. Every note from top to bottom is cleaner and tighter on the IDMAX, and kick drums are MUCH more snappy… but it’s also less “visceral”. So depending on your taste, you may want one or the other. I wanted both so I could swap them out as desired, but lately my 14 year old son has been crazy about listening to the sheer slam of 13w7ae so that’s what’s in the trunk as of late. Anyhow. Spend the money on these. You’re gonna die one day. The money you’re saving will be worthless to you at that point. You’re welcome lol

Ahead of the curve........Tight!!

The Best Sound Quality Subbass on the planet.

One of the best car audio channels. Love the w7 definitely a dream woofer for anyone

@CarAudioFabrication ...I own a JL-12W7 and I purchased a 'Sonix Stage 3' HO (HIGH OUTPUT) ported enclosure (from eBay), and with my JL-HD1200 AMP the bass is so extreme that it rocks your actual skull💀

Sealed SQ, ported for SPL. Don't get me wrong, the sealed can hit really hard! Is just if u want to hit 150db, needs to be ported. JL FTW.

This video needs an adult content warning! Lol. I avoided watching in fear of getting one for myself. That being said I just scored a 10w7 in a AVP Ported box for $600! :) Anythings possible guys!! Manifest.

Sealed enclosure and I modified a 12" ported custom box by adding an extra baffle birch panel .

Hey I have a question can you compare this subwoofer to the Menphis mojo 1212 the one that has accordion style cone?

Musk had to start a space company to put a tesla roadster into space. But all i had to do to put a geo metro in space was throw a ported 13w7 in the back.

Hi , can u export 1 for me here in my country kenya i wud lyk to experience

I think it comes down to personal preference. Ive had a few ported and sealed setups. But in my old age i prefer sealed by far.

I wanted one of these. At the time i had 2 jl w6 12's. Then i saw the 3ohm and was like wtf. I ended up getting 2 focal 12in kevlars.

How does the jbl arena x compare ?

Good morning 🌅 sir hor you can you ship this subwoofer for me thank you 🙏

Ported❤

You see the new kicker solox L7x?

Still one of my favorite subs after all these years, the only sub I love that compares in my opinion is the first gen RE audio XXX

I had one of these back in the day. Pairs it with a Jl audio 1000/1 and it use to set off car alarms lol

a qtc of .770 @ 1.8 cuft is amazing with a sub that size. it puts .707 right around 2 cu/ft. that's crazy small for that cone and that xmax

I cant lie, the W713.5 has been my dream subwoofer ever since I saw it YEARS ago. Just one in a really good custom box, a good amp, and good wiring/ electronics and that's all you need to bump good and loud.

18 years ago i was shopping for my first subwoofers. There was a jetta back in the shop with a 13w7 THUMPING the whole building. Never heard anything like it since

This wayls one the best single sub I had. 13w7 AE

2500$++( in Canada for sub alone )

Very informative vid!

What’s the difference between w6 or w7 ??? If anyone knows !

paid 600 for my W7 in 2006. Still got it. Moved through 3 cars. I have a 15 inch image dynamics ID Max sub. installing it tomorrow. I'm going to see if the SQ is improved(Everyone knows W7s get loud). if its not better to my ears, back to my w7.

That sub was way beyond its time.

my dream subwoofer

My future set up is 4 13w7, my favorite subs

Basically, this is a ~15 inch sub with a 13 inch cutout...I mean, as far as surface area goes anyway.

My cousin had a pair of w7's that set the bar for Me. I've been the proud owner of a few

Looks like it would be great for home theater sub with a crown xls2502 amp.