JBL CS1215 Subwoofer [Honest Review] for Car and Home Audio


Thread Starter #1

bhvm

Honoured Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
5,289
Likes
4,818
Location
Some Village
Hello Friends,
Today we will be reviewing a Simple, Budget Subwoofer that goes by the name of JBL CS1215 or CS1215B. I was looking for a Pocket friendly, Sealed Woofer for my car and home use. I found this JBL woofer for quite a bargain at around INR 4k. The Woofer came with Factory designed Sealed box which is quite good. I hunted the Net about for a week but could't find any decent reviews for this product, so here I am posting my own review to help others decide.




The Spec-
Type 12 inch (300 mm) Subwoofer
Series CS
Peak power 1100 W
RMS power 275 W
Sensitivity 90 dB
Frequency response 35Hz-200Hz
Impedance 4 ohm
Voice Coil Diameter 50 mm
Mounting Depth 153 mm

The Build-
The Subwoofer Comes with a Sealed Box. I always prefer sealed boxes as they deliver tighter, More accurate Box. The Box design is Sturdy and is Covered in Black Carpet. There are 2 Steel bars to protect the subwoofer cone. The Look is very classy although I sometimes feel worried that Bags/Luggage Placed in Car could damage the Woofer cone. A full Grille would be welcome here.

The woofer box is deeper than I would like and hence eats up the last row seats which could be a problem for some of you.

Connection-
The Screw type Quick disconnect Connections are Located at the Back of woofer. Being a Single voice coil, Connections are as simple at it gets.

Woofer Quality-
Being a budget woofer, I won't be very critical about the Quality. The Woofer cone is made of Fiber. The surround Is made of Rubber. The Excursion capablity is Medium. This is not a woofer that could blow your ears off. Rather, its a simple product to augment the low end of your system. Its the perefct woofer to causual listeners who love deep, accurate Bass. SPL and volume lovers should look elsewhere.

However, In comparision to my SONY GTX 150LE 15 inch sealed monster sub, the difference is quality is noticeable. The Sony 15 inch has better quality, High roll surround, Stiffer cone, and overall Better build quality than this one. Obiviously It costs over double this JB CS1215 woofer. However, for the price, The build quality leaves nothing to fret about.

Woofer Performance-
The Performance is satisfactory. I have connected it to my JBL GTX 646 4 channel amp. The AMP is wired in Bridged Mode and Pushes in the likes of 200W RMS to the Sub. The Volume is good enough for my needs and the Thump is decent. The woofer has adequate output in Low end spectrum like 35~50Hz.

I Have also tested the JBL CS1215 on my home Amp and performance is still very good. My home amp is rated just at 24W RMS and the higher sensitivity and Lighter cone of the woofer helps gain decent bass at Low RMS. I would highly suggest people go for this woofer for their home audio compared to puny 5 inch and 6.5 inch woofers you usually get with Home Theater systems or 5.1 Systems. At the Same RMS and volume, this SUB is Insanely better in Sound quality and volume.

I love the TONE of woofer which has low,growling and deep bass rather than the DOOF DOOF shallow bass that some people like. If you want DOOF DOOF or Boomy bass, please look for a ported woofer.

Price-
The Woofer was brought for INR 4k from Bombay.

Links-
JBL - CS1215B - 12 inch Subwoofer Box Enclosure (1100 W) - Buy Online @ Snapdeal.com

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...oo-detailed-review-decals-audio-led-mods.html
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
50
Likes
7
Location
Bareilly
Wonderful review buddy, I was looking for the review all around the net but couldn't get it and finally gave up but suddenly I bumped on to this thread on our very own TAI.

Very helpful.

I want to ask is the CS1215 & GTX 646(this amp I have read great reviews) combination best for the safari storme, if any other options I can consider as well if they fall in this range.
Also, is there anywhere cheaper than what snapdeal is offering, both are costing close to 11K at snapdeal.

Thanks
 
Thread Starter #5

bhvm

Honoured Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
5,289
Likes
4,818
Location
Some Village
Wonderful review buddy, I was looking for the review all around the net but couldn't get it and finally gave up but suddenly I bumped on to this thread on our very own TAI.

Very helpful.

I want to ask is the CS1215 & GTX 646(this amp I have read great reviews) combination best for the safari storme, if any other options I can consider as well if they fall in this range.
Also, is there anywhere cheaper than what snapdeal is offering, both are costing close to 11K at snapdeal.

Thanks
yes, even I looked high and low about the reviews but couldn't find any. hence I made my own.

gtx 646 is a lovely amp and I'm using the same. I love Every bit if it esp the tuneable crossovers and gain settings.
I brought the amp for 8k and woofer 4k. so you're bang on.

better buy the amp from reputed car decor rather than online. the install is very tricky.
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
50
Likes
7
Location
Bareilly
Thanks for the reply, one thing that concerns me is the authenticity of the product I get online. The deal is on Snapdeal.com. Regarding install I have a close friend who is into this field so no issues there.
 
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
29
Likes
11
Location
Chennai
Hi bhvm.

Can you tell me the connection between the amp & the sub?

Is it 2 channels bridged to the sub or all 4 channels bridged the the sub.. also do you have any components installed?

Thanks..
 
Thread Starter #8

bhvm

Honoured Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
5,289
Likes
4,818
Location
Some Village
Hi bhvm.

Can you tell me the connection between the amp & the sub?

Is it 2 channels bridged to the sub or all 4 channels bridged the the sub.. also do you have any components installed?

Thanks..
the rear channel of.amp is bridged for. large woofer
the front channel each drives 2 smaller, covert woofers.
run a google search for'diy dual woofer setup'

I don't have anything else installed
 
Joined
Jul 15, 2014
Messages
40
Likes
28
Location
CDG
An Informative Review bhvm[clap]

I believe Company Box Enclosures result in clean and uniform output. Getting it for Rs. 4K is steal.

Pardon me if i missed it,
Don't you find bass to be just adequate or low for the big XUV's cabin?
what wiring did you use?
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
50
Likes
7
Location
Bareilly
Didn't get the JBl CS1215b anywhere so bought your other woofer, the Sony 15 incher, sound is just awesome, some real good tight bass. Also, bought the Ground Zero Iridium series 4 channel amp from snapdeal, any way to know whether thats the original one.

Also, another question is my amp heats up a lot after a good 30-60 minutes usage but it cools down after 5-7 mins of stopping the system. Is it normal?
 
Thread Starter #11

bhvm

Honoured Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
5,289
Likes
4,818
Location
Some Village
Didn't get the JBl CS1215b anywhere so bought your other woofer, the Sony 15 incher, sound is just awesome, some real good tight bass. Also, bought the Ground Zero Iridium series 4 channel amp from snapdeal, any way to know whether thats the original one.

Also, another question is my amp heats up a lot after a good 30-60 minutes usage but it cools down after 5-7 mins of stopping the system. Is it normal?
congrats! Sony 15 can have the jbl for breakfast! that's the difference between men and boys.

yes amps are meant to heat slightly during use. but if its heating so much that plastic starts to melt or your floor burns, something is wrong. make sure it's in a well ventilated area and all the heatsink fins are not blocked.
 
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
29
Likes
11
Location
Chennai
Didn't get the JBl CS1215b anywhere so bought your other woofer, the Sony 15 incher, sound is just awesome, some real good tight bass. Also, bought the Ground Zero Iridium series 4 channel amp from snapdeal, any way to know whether thats the original one.

Also, another question is my amp heats up a lot after a good 30-60 minutes usage but it cools down after 5-7 mins of stopping the system. Is it normal?
Hi be2_sharma, Could you please provide the model numbers as well

Thanks
 
Thread Starter #13

bhvm

Honoured Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
5,289
Likes
4,818
Location
Some Village
An Informative Review bhvm[clap]

I believe Company Box Enclosures result in clean and uniform output. Getting it for Rs. 4K is steal.

Pardon me if i missed it,
Don't you find bass to be just adequate or low for the big XUV's cabin?
what wiring did you use?
yes I guess 4k is a special price and the quality of bass for this price is unbeatable. the bass is good enough for small and large cars alike. infact it was good enough to conver my hall at home!!

the wiring are kicker pure copper ones.
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
50
Likes
7
Location
Bareilly
Hi be2_sharma, Could you please provide the model numbers as well

Thanks
GROUND ZERO - 4 CHANNEL AMPLIFIER - IRIDIUM SERIES GZIA 4115HPX - Buy Online @ Snapdeal.com

Sony - XS GTX150LE - 38cm In Car Subwoofer - Buy Online @ Snapdeal.com

@bhvm: Thanks Bro, it really is an awesome amp, although my friends said a JBL would have been better but now that I own the monster I don't regret.

The guy who installed had put the amp under the noodle map in the boot area of my Storme, may be thats the reason for over heating, will see for a different position to allow more air.
 

Top Bottom