JL Audio W0

JL Audio W0 subwoofers are timeless and the gold standard when it comes to value-priced, entry-level subwoofers. These JL Audio W0 series subwoofers provide plenty of clean, hard-hitting sub-bass to fill out the bottom end of your music. The JL Audio W0 series is the go-to for many car audio enthusiasts when they are looking for affordable performance. For the money, you will not find a woofer capable of its output and power handling.

Rockford Fosgate P1

Engineers at Rockford Fosgate designed the P1 subwoofers to dish out the kind of powerful low end you crave in your ride. Its responsive paper cone is reinforced with the same Kevlar® fibers used in bulletproof vests so you get the best of both worlds — warm bass that's exceptionally hard-hitting. Rockford Fosgate uses a new technique to attach the oversized rubber surround to the cone that increases the available cone area up to 25%, so this sub can push more air for even bigger bass. The P1 series sub features an extended pole piece and bumped backplate that leaves more room for a heavy excursion, so it'll hit deeper lows without "bottoming out." This sub works equally well in a sealed or ported enclosure, so you can choose the kind of bass you want for your system.

Sizes

The JL Audio W0 series subwoofer comes in three sizes, a 10", 12", and a large 15" model. For the sizing on the P1 series subs, Rockford Fosgate has also gone with a 10", 12" and 15" sub. The subwoofers in both lineups have you covered at each comparable size, so allow us to move on so we're able to compare some of the additional categories between the two lineups.

Voice Coils

All of the JL Audio W0 series features a single-coil 4-ohm construction model. The P1 subs feature a single-coil construction and have both a 2-ohm and 4-ohm configuration at each size in the lineup. If you're looking for a bit more versatility with your difference in ohms, you'll want to start by looking at the P1 subs.

Power Handling

The JL Audio 10" and 12" models in the JL Audio W0 series have RMS power handling at 300 watts while the 15" model features handling at 500 watts. In the P1 series subs, Rockford Fosgate has used power handling at 250 watts RMS across their entire line of sizing. JL Audio has packed a bit more power handling into the W0 lineup at comparative sizing compared to the Rockford P1 lineup, so if you're looking for better power handling, be sure to start your comparison with the JL Audio models.

Mounting Depth

When comparing the mounting depths between the two lineups here at comparable sizing, the mounting depth of the W0 line is slightly shallower, but not by a factor large enough to be considered as a reason to choose one lineup over the other. We'd recommend you'd use the other categories to help base your decision on here between the two lineups of subwoofers.

Recommended Enclosure Size

For the recommended enclosure sizes, the JL Audio recommendation for its sealed enclosure falls directly in between the acceptable recommendation for the Rockford Fosgate sealed enclosure at comparable sizing. Additionally, the recommendations for the ported enclosure volumes between the two lineups at comparable sizing are essentially the same as well. You'll want to make sure you're checking out the actual recommended sizing when working with the enclosure for the installation. Either lineup's recommended sizing is essentially the same here.

Recommended Amplifiers

The recommended amplifier for your subwoofers will vary greatly depending on the size and quantity of subwoofers you select for your installation. The following lists are comparisons between amplifiers for subwoofers in the same dimensions between the different models and brands. The list begins with a factory recommendation for amps that provide enough power handling for the subwoofer(s), and then move on to our professional recommendations that may vary slightly from the factory recommendations. These Classic Car Stereo recommendations may be an amp with a higher price point that will service the subs better, or an amp that provides RMS power handling over the recommended amount which will allow you to not have to maximize the output on your amp to provide full power to your subs.

Sub: (Qty 1) JL Audio W0 10" | Factory Amp Recommendation(s): JD500/1 | Classic Car Stereo Recommendation: JD500/1

Sub: (Qty 1) Rockford Fosgate P1 10" | Factory Amp Recommendation(s): Single 2 Ohm R2-250x1 or P300x1 | Classic Car Stereo Recommendation: P300x1

Sub: (Qty 2) JL Audio W0 10" | Factory Amp Recommendation(s): JD500/1 or RD500/1 | Classic Car Stereo Recommendation: JD or RD 1000/1 (if you have the budget, the RD is recommended, but the JD will work fine)

Sub: (Qty 2) Rockford Fosgate P1 10" | Factory Amp Recommendation(s): Single 4 Ohm R2-500x1 or R2-750x1. OR Single 2 Ohm R2-500x1 | Classic Car Stereo Recommendation: R2-500x1

Sub: (Qty 1) JL Audio W0 12" | Factory Amp Recommendation(s): JD500/1 | Classic Car Stereo Recommendation: JD500/1

Sub: (Qty 1) Rockford Fosgate P1 12" | Factory Amp Recommendation(s): Single 2 Ohm R2-250x1 or P300x1 | Classic Car Stereo Recommendation: P300x1

Sub: (Qty 2) JL Audio W0 12" | Factory Amp Recommendation(s): JD500/1 or RD500/1 | Classic Car Stereo Recommendation: JD or RD 1000/1 (if you have the budget, the RD is recommended, but the JD will work fine)

Sub: (Qty 2) Rockford Fosgate P1 12" | Factory Amp Recommendation(s): Single 4 Ohm R2-500x1 or R2-750x1. OR Single 2 Ohm R2-500x1 | Classic Car Stereo Recommendation: R2-500x1

Price Points

When comparing the price points between the two lineups, although very comparable at similar sized models, a slight edge in affordability goes to the Rockford Fosgate P1 lineup, with the JL Audio W0 subs following just after. With only a small increase in price for the better RMS power handling, we'd recommend considering the JL Audio W0 lineup as a worthy upgrade for your installation plans.

In Conclusion

With JL Audio's W0 series being their introductory lineup of subwoofers, the Rockford Fosgate P1 series features many similar features at a similar price point. The JL Audio W0 series does feature better RMS power handling at comparable sizing between the separate lineups and should be one of the biggest deciding factors here. Both the W0 and P1 lineups feature 10", 12" and 15" diameter subwoofers. Since the price point is very similar, we'd have to give our edge to the better power handling of the JL Audio W0 subwoofers in this comparison.