JL Audio Fathom f212v2 powered subwoofer

 

JL Audio Fathom f212v2 fueled subwoofer and CR-1 hybrid

It was generally so natural. He went wild with regards to its speaker's higher control over the first f113, its beefier 13" woofer, its improved, 18-band Digital Automatic Room Optimization (DARO), and its altogether worked on profound bass reaction in-room. It was natural in light of the fact that exactly the same thing had happened when Kal audited the first Fathom f113 in his May 2007 section. As he would again nine years after the fact, he'd lauded the sub's powerful, little size, underlying single-band Automatic Room Optimization (ARO) programming, and "strikingly strong and clean" profound bass. Those were likewise my responses to the Fathom f113. One thing prompted another: I inspected the Fathom f113 in the September 2007 issue, and the bigger Fathom f212 in the April 2010 issue, both two by two. The two Fathoms intrigued me with their bass augmentation, strong effect, dynamic reach, and capacity to essentially build the profundity and width of the soundstage. Which was the reason, in the wake of perusing Kal's January 2016 section, I called Carl Kennedy, JL's VP of deals. I needed to hear a Fathom f113v2 in my own framework. Kennedy probably been anticipating my call. Be cautious what you wish for: heavier Fathoms Inside a month, JL Audio had sent me two Fathom f212v2s and their new CR-1 detachable hybrid—complete load more than 512 lbs—got with thick metal ties to an enormous wooden bed. No instrument in my home could imprint those lashes, so I got a bunch of 18-measure Wise W2 flying cuts at Home Depot. Their steel cutting edges cut the thick metal ties as though they were margarine. I painstakingly prodded the delivery containers off the bed and onto the carport floor. That was the simple aspect. Attempt as I would, I was unable to move either 256-lb speaker container anyplace: the f212v2s waited as though welded to the floor. A few calls later, two youthful, strong jacks of all trades showed up, schlepped the immense containers higher up, and unloaded them in my listening room. I slipped the four provided Waxman Super Sliders under each sub to secure my wood floors, then, at that point, slid them into the room's front corners—the perfect balances where the two audit tests of the main adaptation of the Fathom f212 had sat.

What's happening

Checking out the Fathom f212s, I was unable to see any contrasts somewhere in the range of v1 and v2 that may legitimize the $1000 expansion in cost, to $7000. The progressions are inside. The v1's single-band ARO equalizer has been supplanted with JLA's 18-band DARO, which covers the reach from 20 to 150Hz. Kal Rubinson depicted DARO performing "cut-just remedy, with programmed yield level realignment post-EQ. Each band is changed freely by the DSP. Likewise, amplifier gain and result levels are changed consequently, without client exertion, which brings about more noteworthy usability and, more significant, more exact and steady outcomes." Sound line-level signs are presently coordinated to circuit sheets inside a cast-aluminum lodging appended to within the f212's back board—they're never steered to the control board straightforwardly. The f212v2's class-D inner speaker is 20% all the more remarkable (3600W present moment) than the v1's, which required JLA designers to thicken the roll encompasses of the woofers to keep up with their linearity and low bending. The Fathom f212v2's fabricate quality doesn't baffle. It's a gigantic, super-strong sub with a glistening, High Gloss finish, outfitted with great Neutrik adjusted connectors. All mechanical controls are of the set-and-neglect type, and feel smooth and strong to the touch. The fit'n'finish are exceptional—this sub should endure forever. CR-1 detachable hybrid Most reseller's exchange subwoofers rely upon the high-pass 80Hz hybrid channel incorporated into A/V processors. Yet, audiophile-quality two-channel preamplifiers do exclude hybrid channels for a similar explanation they don't have tone controls. In this way, for those with music-just frameworks, a detachable hybrid turns into a need for the ideal combination of a subwoofer—it's anything but a discretionary adornment.

The $3000 CR-1 addresses this issue. Its ceaselessly factor high-and low-pass channels (30–150Hz) utilize 1% accuracy JFET-input operation amps, and polypropylene film and foil capacitors to "enhance the sound framework's spatial and ghastly exhibition." The low-and high-pass circuits are worked around two banks of accuracy Linkwitz-Riley channels that can be set for 12 or 24dB/octave by means of a front-board switch. Differential information innovation is utilized to dismiss normal mode murmur and commotion on the unequal data sources, and free buffering of the reasonable and uneven results diminishes the probability of clamor. The back board offers both adjusted (XLR) and uneven (RCA) connectors.

The CR-1's front-board controls are a delight to utilize. Sidestep switches are conspicuously included. As per Brett Hanes, JLA's lead engineer for home items, "you can pay attention to the satellites in full-range (no channels applied and no subs) by hitting the CR-1's Sellers utilize this one-button 'sidestep demo' on the CR-1 as an encouraging apparatus to handily show potential clients what a distinction a subwoofer can make in their sound system." Indeed, having the option to switch rapidly, without withdrawing and reinsert interconnects, helped me by speeding arrangement time between examinations—significant in light of the fact that hear-able memory is so short. Four Output Muting pushbuttons on the right of the CR-1's front board can exclusively stop every one of two primary speakers and every one of two subs (assuming a button's LED gleams red, that speaker isn't playing).

Arrangement

I set up each Fathom f212v2 without its defensive grille, and with its front perplex 2.5' behind the front confuse of the relating Revel Ultima Salon2—a full-range, dynamic, floorstanding speaker. The inward edges of the Salon2s' confuses were 8' separated, their external edges 3' from the sidewalls, and the focuses of their perplexes 7' from my ears when I was situated. The two subs' woofers were 9.5' from my listening seat. Except for the CR-1 hybrid, I utilized similar framework associations I had for my audit of the first Fathom f212 in 2010. I ran adjusted interconnects from my Bryston BP-26 preamplifier's results to the CR-1's bits of feedbacks. One more pair of adjusted interconnects connected the CR-1's low-pass results to each f212v2's left-channel input jack, with every subwoofer's back board change set to Master. More adjusted interconnects connected the CR-1's high-pass results to the contributions of my Mark Levinson No.334 power amp, which was associated with every Ultima Salon2 with Pure Silver R50 biwire twofold strip speaker links.

Estimations

For this survey, I utilized Studio Six's iTestMic—a financially savvy, proficient grade test and estimation amplifier that plugs into my iPhone 6—or more Studio Six's Audio Tools application to run quick Fourier change (FFT) recurrence reaction estimations from 8Hz to 2kHz. I put the iTestMic–iPhone 6 combo on the rear of my listening seat at ear level: 37" over the floor. For a test signal, I utilized a computerized record of uncorrelated pink commotion, played through my Bryston BDP-2 media player. I initially put the CR-1 on full Bypass, to run FFT estimations on the Salon2s full-range, without hybrid channels or subwoofers. This produced a level room-reaction bend: ±3dB, 8Hz–2kHz (fig.1). To run the Fathom f212v2s solo and full-range without hybrid, I stopped the Bryston preamp's reasonable interconnects into the CR-1's Bass Management inputs, and discouraged the Defeat button on each sub's control board to sidestep its inward settings. The subsequent FFT showed an unpredictable room reaction: ±6dB, 18–125Hz, with a top at 45Hz and a greater invalid at 60Hz . Revel Ultima Salon2s, uncorrelated pink clamor before DARO, FFT show, 8Hz–2kHz, no channels, subs off, full-range in-room reaction (80dB vertical reach).

 Revel Ultima Salon2s, uncorrelated pink noise before DARO, FFT display, 8Hz–2kHz, no filters, subs off, full-range in-room response (80dB vertical range).