Skar audio vs jl audio marine

Has anyone used this gear? I'm going to do an audio upgrade on my 242 LSE and have seen positive reviews on this equipment.

Depends what you want to achieve.

You get what you pay for with Skar, which is not high quality and I would consider them a downgrade from what you have now (a 1000w 4/ch amp for $199 is not possible without cutting corners and they rate all their amps at 2ohms for bigger and more impressive numbers). I would rate them in the lower-mid range for quality and would not rate them better than the Polks (unless damaged). JL and WetSounds being the top end at a higher cost, are worth it for their level of performance, and their are some bargains to be had.

If you're just looking for more volume and performance, perhaps consider adding or upgrading the amp for the speakers you already have? I recently added a JL Audio MX 500/4 to boost the power to the stock Polk speakers in my 212s and now they pump nicely (had to run new speaker wires as Yamaha wires the stern and cockpit in series - yuck). The JL 280/4 would have easily sufficed for these speakers and their power range, but for the slight cost difference on sale the 500/4 adds much more power in the event I upgrade to more powerful speakers down the road. If cost is an issue, consider the MX 280/4 from JL and you won't be disappointed. Just add the cost of some speaker wire and connectors, and for a reasonable price you have a system that can pump pretty good.

Also the Marine 4ch amp is a A/b amp should sound good but is less efficient and believe they run a fan on the back to try and run cooler. It helps but just another thing to go wrong.

I’m super happy with my JL amp/sub and Polk speakers in my boat but recently replaced my factory alpine subwoofer in my Ram with a $40 Skar 8” sub from amazon. It’s a little more crisp and slightly more boom but not much.

I’m considering a single JL Audio W6 or W7 sub for an extended cab pickup. Looking for decent SQ but also SPL when I desire it. I currently run two 6.5” Massive Audios in another pickup, and actually surprised at how good they sound, and how hard they hit. Never heard of MA until my installer recommended them. So I’m wondering if I were to choose a single 8” or 10”, for decent SQ and SPL, how do subs such as Massive Audio, DC, Skar, etc compare to a JL?

I’m considering a single JL Audio W6 or W7 sub for an extended cab pickup. Looking for decent SQ but also SPL when I desire it. I currently run two 6.5” Massive Audios in another pickup, and actually surprised at how good they sound, and how hard they hit. Never heard of MA until my installer recommended them. So I’m wondering if I were to choose a single 8” or 10”, for decent SQ and SPL, how do subs such as Massive Audio, DC, Skar, etc compare to a JL?

I’ve never heard those other subs, but JL is pretty much the best you can get (for all around sq spl) with their w6 and w7’s. You get what you pay for with these brands mentioned here.

However, adire and stereo integrity both give you more than what you pay for - you can get about as good as JL’s w6’s for half the cost.

I’m considering a single JL Audio W6 or W7 sub for an extended cab pickup. Looking for decent SQ but also SPL when I desire it. I currently run two 6.5” Massive Audios in another pickup, and actually surprised at how good they sound, and how hard they hit. Never heard of MA until my installer recommended them. So I’m wondering if I were to choose a single 8” or 10”, for decent SQ and SPL, how do subs such as Massive Audio, DC, Skar, etc compare to a JL?

If you're looking to save money and get a great all-around sub, look no further than Stereo Integrity SQL's. They'll match JL Audio and out perform those other brands.

If you're looking to save money and get a great all-around sub, look no further than Stereo Integrity SQL's. They'll match JL Audio and out perform those other brands.

I agree - and I would HIGHLY recommend trying to find the room for some more cone area. Just one single 12” will be same cone area as 3 and a half 6.5” subs.

stereo integrity, Dayton Ref HE, Adire Brahma… they will get down and have low distortion still… can’t comment directly on your massive subs but I can say massive has a history of being hit or miss… some products great (they make the toro mini amps) and some products being trash…

Jl audio gets you efficiency and very good transient response that the others simply do not have.
A w7 12 will get louder than any other subwoofer I have modeled. They do get left behind in terms of power input. But you really don't need more than a 1000 watts with a 12 inch w7. An hd 750 could be sufficient in a ported box.
The others you mentioned...
They will get loud. And sound OK. If your on a budget and like the way the hippo sounds. I'm assuming that's the model you have. And also don't mind using more power a 12 inch hippo in a big ported box will get damn loud. Much louder than what you have.
I mean when it comes to subwoofers...the just need to move air somewhat quietly. So unless you really want jl the other options the guys mentioned above like the sql for instance are great subs too.
Jl audio used to actually be ahead of the curve. But these days it gets hard to justify the money.

I’ve owned the 12w6v2’s. I had two of them in a ported box. They sounded great (probably the best sounding I have owned) and with all music. A very versatile subs. I ran them with a Slash 1000/1v2. They just were not loud enough for me so I ended up selling them. I decided on buying two DSS Ethos 12”. Each sub ran off of their own Slash 1200/1v3. I was very satisfied with them and they were my favorite subs of all time. To bad they aren’t made anymore. Supposedly they were manufactured by Fi Audio for DSS.

What about the Audiofrog GB12?

What about the Audiofrog GB12?

Right, excellent efficiency and I have yet to bottom mine out from over excursion.. My old sub I would occasionally bottom it out.. but the frog is pretty good. Its definitely more of an SQ sub than SPL, but it seems to be pretty tough for a "SQ" sub

I love my Fi Neo4.7s (2x15s in a ported box). They are only on 3k for the pair right now (less than half their rated) and they still get down. Like really get down. They also sound a lot better than I expected them to, considering they are SPL oriented. Jazz, electronic... it all sounds awesome. Great value IMO. And of course everything is on sale today.

Oh I also have a pair of DC Audio Level 4 12s (also ported). I quite like them as well. More group delay though, and less output than the Fi. Which makes sense considering the difference in cone area.

I have been thinking I should sell the DCs since they are not getting used now.

I've got them in 4 cubes each, tuned to low 30s and they sound fast to me throughout the entire bandwidth. But a lot of that is based on the enclosure, so milage may vary. You can model group delay in winisd to compare enclosures and drivers.

Black - HST 15
Red - 13W7AE
Green - SQL 12
Purple - 12W6V3D4

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Awesome info. A bit above my head, but very interesting. Thanks!