AV NIRVANA JTR Cap 118HT Giveaway sub in my home

[Jack1949]

As you may (or may not) know, last month I was lucky enough to win the JTR Captivator 118HT Subwoofer Giveaway Contest. I thought I’d show some pictures of it in my home and tell you my impressions of the subwoofer.

First let me apologize for the delay in getting this posted. It was a couple of weeks before I received the sub, and unfortunately it was just before my wife and I were going on a week long road trip. I did get a couple of hours listening time before we left, but it was using the settings of the SB13 that the 118HT is replacing – I couldn’t wait to hear it, so I didn’t want to waste time running YPAO. Even with the wrong settings, it still sounded good.

Needless to say I couldn’t wait to get back from our trip to get it setup properly. We returned home this past weekend and had some chores around the house that I needed to attend to. Finally yesterday I had some time to setup the sub.

My home theater is in my walkout basement. It’s not a dedicated HT room, rather it is more of a rec room with the HT on the north side, a pool table on the south side, sliding glass doors on the west side leading to the backyard, an exercise area on the southeast side and a small enclosed furnace room that protrudes into the room on the east side. The floor is a concrete slab covered with carpeting and pad. Overall it’s over 4500 cubic feet.

My HT Components:
· L/R: Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers with RAAL tweeter
· CC: Ascend Acoustics Horizon with RAAL tweeter
· Rears: Polk Audio RT2000p
· Front Height: Polk Audio RT3000p Satellites (Bass units not used)
· Sub: JTR Captivator 118HT (replaced SVS SB13 Ultra)
· AVR: Yamaha RX-A3040
· Blu-ray: Oppo BDP-103D
· TV: Samsung UN60H6350

A little about me. Although it’s my “home theater”, I mostly use it for music, probably 99% of the time, with a little bit of movies every so often. – WOW! As I’m writing this I’m also listening to music and John Mellencamp’s Crumblin’ Down just came on. Man the kick drum sounds awesome on this sub! Ok, back to my tale. -- Although I’m a music lover, I don’t consider myself an audiophile, so I can only give you my subjective opinion on how things sound to me. I retired in 2014 and have been upgrading my audio system a little at a time since then. I purchased the SB13 Ultra in 2015 and have been fiddling with it ever since. It sounds very good, but I think it’s just too small for the area and I can’t achieve the bass level that I desire. I had considered added a second SB13, but also considered replacing it with an 18 inch ported sub and the 118HT was one of those I was considering. And lucky me, I won it!

So enough of that stuff, how does the 118HT sound?

HOLY MOLY!!! It’s exactly what I hoped it would be. Room filling sound providing a low foundation for the music. It doesn’t call attention to itself but it makes drums and bass guitars come alive. The sub is located behind my main listening position and you’d never know it. The room is enveloped in bass, making it sound as if the bass was coming from the front of the room. The bass does not overpower the music, but when called for it rattles the room. For example, last night I was playing Pink Floyd’s Pulse DVD at spirited levels and during One Of These Days percussionist Gary Wallis slams a kick drum, causing me to jump out of my seat.

While I love to listen to music, my wife could care less about it. For her it’s just background noise. Even she said WOW when she came down and listened. For her to say “WOW that sounds really good” is enough of an endorsement for me.

I don’t have any movies handy to demo, however I do have the 2016 DTS Demo Disc that has both music and movie demos on it. So I watched the movie demos to test the sub’s HT capabilities. Some of the clips included on the disc are Hitman: Agent 47, Jurassic World, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Last Witch Hunter. The 118HT didn’t disappoint, room shaking energy in the bass heavy scenes.

So am I happy with my new sub? I’m ecstatic!!! Musically it’s everything I was hoping for. Home theater wise, maybe I need to start watching more movies with this thing, it’s addicting.

Ooops, The Who’s Happy Jack just started playing. How appropriate! Gotta stop typing and start listening!

Later,

Jack

Hopefully the following pictures display as intended.

The package has arrived.

Unwrapping it.

Fully unwrapped.

The 118 HT is a wee bit larger than my SVS SB13 Ultra

 

[tripplej]

Nice pics and congrats again! Wow, what a size difference.

 

[Jack1949]

Thanks! Yep it's quite a step up in size and sound. Glad I have plenty of room for it.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Really a nice setup all around... I have been wanting to hear those Sierra Towers with the RAAL tweeter for years and just never have been able to run across them anywhere.

Glad you are liking the sub and that it's performing musically very well for you.

 

[chrapladm]

Looks like a great setup. I still also need to finally have an audition with the Raal's in a setup. On my wish list of parts I hope to own.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Great write up, Jack! Awesome that it's sounding great and blowing away expectations!

 

[Tonto]

Great score, I figured you'd love it! And it's too late...once the addiction starts...welcome aboard all over again!

 

[Jack1949]

Really a nice setup all around... I have been wanting to hear those Sierra Towers with the RAAL tweeter for years and just never have been able to run across them anywhere.

Glad you are liking the sub and that it's performing musically very well for you.

Looks like a great setup. I still also need to finally have an audition with the Raal's in a setup. On my wish list of parts I hope to own.

The RAAL tweeters are great for music. When I first got Sierra towers and center, first thing I played were some of my favorite old rock CDs and I wasn't that impressed, sounded good by it wasn't what I was expecting. Then I played a hi-res version of "Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, "La primavera" (Spring): I. Allegro" by Anne Akiko Meyers that I had downloaded from HDtracks. That hooked me on the RAAL tweeters. Stringed instruments, cymbals, female voices all sound so crisp clear and clean, with no fatigue from long listening sessions. Long term I plan to replace my Polk RT2000p surrounds with another pair of Sierra towers w/RAAL. Unfortunately at the moment I also have house projects that take priority over audio plans. That's why winning the sub was serendipity for me. I wanted to replace the SB13 but knew it would be awhile before funds were available.

Anyways, I hope you both get to experience the RAAL tweeters, I think you'll really enjoy them.

Jack

 

[Todd Anderson]

@Jack1949 ... Love the fact that your wife gives it a stamp of approval. That's always a barometer in my home, too. It's a rarity that anyone notices or comments on the tech that rolls through here. But when they do, it means something!

 

[tesseract]

Glad you are happy with the JTR's performance, Jack! Sounds like your experience mirrors mine and that you have set this puppy up correctly. The sub just does what is needed without any fanfare, unless what is needed is a sonic earthquake, then the Captivator 118 HT brings it right to you.

Yes, the RAAL ribbons are a "must listen" tweeter, and for me, a "must own".

 

[Tonto]

RAAL ribbons are nice. You can get away with less expensive tweeters though. It's all in the crossover design.

 

[tesseract]

RAAL ribbons are nice. You can get away with less expensive tweeters though. It's all in the crossover design.

There is a lot to be said for drivers that exhibit excellent off-axis response, like RAALs and JTR compression-loaded proprietary waveguides. It actually makes the crossover much simpler.

If you have not heard JTR or RAAL, I'd highly recommend an audition. I have heard my share of HF transducers and these two companies stand out head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[GFOviedo]

That is a monster. Congrats!