jl-audio 500 1

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $420.00 from Discount Auto Sound

Year / Model Reviewed:
2004 JL 500/1

Summary:
I bought this amp to power my JL Audio 10 W7 sub (a masterpiece sub). It was originally being powered by an Orion 2 channel amp, that was bridged down to one channel, pushing (supposedly) 375 watts. When I finally paid off the 500/1 and got it installed, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY. In fact, I was amazed at three things: 1. How under-powered my W7 was all along and I didn't know it 2. How stinking powerful and awesome the 500/1 really is! 3. How unbelievably great this amp and my W7 sound together - a perfect marriage! I am in love with this amp! It is a fabulous product; it belts out gobs and gobs of bass, and WILL hurt your ears if you want it to! More than that though, it sounds terrific. I'm a sound quality freak and not in to the "boom boom" thing I hear every night going by my house - nothing wrong with that, if that's your thing - it's just that I'm too old (35)! I love great sounding systems, and this amp and my W7 is one of the best you'll ever hear. All that talk about JL Audio making superior products is true. So far, there is not one thing that I've owned by JL Audio that has not thoroughly exceeded my expectations. If you love superior sound quality, power, excellent reliabilty and multiple tuning options to find your own personal "right sound," then I highly reccomend you getting this amp. You won't be disappointed.

Strengths:
sound quality power tuning abilities great looks

Weaknesses:
The only one I can think of is the price. $420 isn't pocket change for me, and it took several months to save up, but it was worth it.

Similar Products Used:
Orion Coustic

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $550.00 from Tsunami (Maui, Hawai

Summary:
After much research I bought a JL 500/1 to power my Diamond M6. It performs beyond ALL expectations and was the love of my life... until the duff wiring that the cowboy install shop used went bad. The replacement 1000w DLS CAD they are lending me until the JL is fixed is shocking by comparison. They are about the same price but you really get what you pay for. JL really need to be congratulated on this effort.

Strengths:
1.5 - 4 Ohm @ 500w (Note to install shop: Not 1ohm stable!! You useless bunch of fish!) Smooth... I mean smooth. Nothing at such high volume should sound as deep and clear? Price.. Worth it in my opinion. This is a lovely piece of kit

Weaknesses:
Doesn't have 'DO NOT LET IDIOTS INSTALL THIS PRODUCT' printed in large bold letters on the amp.

Similar Products Used:
DLS 7x10 Reference Speakers, Diamond Hex S600s, Soundstream USA 180, Soundstream Reference 705, Diamond M6 12" Sub, Nakamichi CD400

Price Paid:  $350.00 from buddy, *brand new, s

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 500/1

Summary:
running two w3 d4 12s off of it. I have an Isuzu Rodeo. so i have lots of air to move and no trunk to help.. i've got an ear for bass. Im a huge fan of JL , probably one of the biggest, anyways, this shxt POUNDS for only 2 12s, impressive, cant wait for the ol w7 to be put in :)

Strengths:
like they say ,absolute power, everytime. i agree....

Weaknesses:
sauders blow when shxt is bolted to the back of the box (FxCK FREEMANS CAR STEREO) none after that :)

Price Paid:  $200.00 from friends house (insur

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 500/1

Summary:
ive got the 500/1 running 4 subs. First set is a pair of JL w3's in a sealed box. Then the second set is a pair of Alpine type E's. JESUS is what i say, what for it is , this pounds better than any of the rest. JL JL JL JL, JL for life :)

Strengths:
moves massive amounts of airspace

Weaknesses:
eh, your eardrums

Similar Products Used:
nothing can compare. JL , nothing else to say

Price Paid:  $400.00 from EBay (new)

Year / Model Reviewed:
2003 500/1 Mono Class-D

Summary:
I have been trying to find weaknesses in this thing for a while.. only one I can find is be careful what you hook up to it! I originally was running a pair of MB acoustics 12's (crap from JC whitney) through an Infinity Beta 300 amp. This was a nice setup, fairly loud, until I blew the Beta after years of faithful service. I decided to go with the JL for my next amp. I found one on EBay and hooked it up to the MB's. I ran it for a few days, and I was fairly impressed until the sound went funky. Upon investigation, I discovered I blew the speakers! So much for cheap crap. Now I run two Infinity 120.3se's and honestly, it's louder than even I could want! No unexpected hums, thumps, or cut-outs from the amp. I mounted the amp sideways in a cramped compartment, and it never has a thermal shut down even after hours of full-volume listening. Nice, small footprint for the power, too. The regulated power supply means that it's just as loud whether the car is on or not (e.g. with varying supply voltage). I don't use a capacitor in my setup, and I never see any headlight flicker. Other than that... this thing is an absolute beast, and it's true what they say about JL stuff. It's the best!

Strengths:
500W rating is modest, likely closer to 700 Rated output is for any impedance between 1.5-4 ohms All the filters you could need (variable center/slope lowpass, highpass, infrasonic) and filtered or unfiltered signal pass-through ports Available remote bass boost control (just like the Phoenix Gold Bass Cube) F***ing loud!

Weaknesses:
Characteristic Class-D narrow frewuency response, but not such an issue since it's a bass amp There's just that little something missing in the sound quality as compared to a traditional Class AB -- can't get away from it You'll need a hearing aid later in life.

Similar Products Used:
Infinity Beta Digital 300 (300x2/1000x1) JBC 300x2 Class AB amp Pioneer 100x2 Class AB Phoenix Gold Bass Cube (signal processor) Infinity 120.3se 12" subwoofer MB Acoustics 12" subwoofer