- Manufacturer & Model
- JTR Speakers Captivator 118HT Subwoofer
- MSRP
- $1799
- Highlights
-
30″ H x 20″ W x 22.5″ D, 129-pounds, bass reflex design, 18″ driver powered by a 1200 watts amplifier, full digital sound processor for a smooth response, massive output capabilities.
- Summary
-
An amazing dual-purpose subwoofer, the Captivator 118HT can handle both movie and music duties with class. Its onboard LF Adjustment features allow for easy and effective room integration. The 118 HT is a fantastic performer out of the box and only improves with age. The sub's output is highlighted by low distortion and high dynamic range, laced with spectacular high fidelity characteristics that put it in a class of its own.
Introduction
JTR Speakers is a recognized force in the high-end audio world, both in consumer and pro sound applications. Owner, Jeff Permanian, engineers and then builds powerhouse products that pull out the stops in their respective categories. Nothing JTR does is halfway. The company motto is "No Holds Barred Audio Design Philosophy," and they have a reputation for laying back the hair with massive dynamics while simultaneously making the arm hairs stand on end with musical excitement. The Captivator 118 HT is the latest example of this genre-busting performance, and happens to be JTR's least expensive subwoofer.
The 118 HT uses a nondescript, utilitarian cabinet. Weighing in at 129 lbs. and standing at 30 in. high, its size and appearance exudes brawn, purpose built like a pickup truck for work duty. The matte black lacquer paint lends itself well to the home theater environment and custom finishes are available upon request. A DSP massaged SpeakerPower ICE amplifier, JTR-proprietary Eminence-sourced driver and detachable power cord rounds out the package.
Features
18″ subwoofer drivers with 19 mm xmax (each way) and 60mm Xmech (peak to peak)
Ultra low moving mass (mms 253 grams)
High strength motor design (165.8 bl^2/re)
Custom treated/damped cone
Motor with 240oz magnets and 1/2″ thick steel
Bass Reflex Design tuned to 17hz
Heavily braced cabinet
Huge slot port for minimal turbulence and compression
Completely front firing for versatile installation
Magnetically attached grill
Built in 700 watt RMS, DSP optimized, class D amplifier
Amplifier features XLR and RCA connectors, 12v trigger, auto turn on, adjustable delay, low end, and low pass filter
Amplifier warranty increased to 3 years
- Emotiva XMC-1
- Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 2
- Emotiva XPA-3 Gen 2
- Dayton SA1000
- Sony BDP S590 & Pioneer DV-610AV
- Vapor Audio Sundog - L/R mains
- Chane A2rx-c - Center
- Chane A2rx-c - Surrounds
- Chase Home Theater VS-18.1 x 2
- Vizio E550VL
- h/k TC35C/Ortofon Super OM10/Pro-Ject Phono Box S
Installation
The 118 HT found its temporary home along my left wall, just in front of my left main speaker. I ran a single RCA cable to the SpeakerPower ICE amp's LFE jack, letting my pre/pro handle crossover/distance/level and room correction settings, with only minor tweaking needed from the amp controls. Delay was used via amp's variable phase control to compensate for the sub's forward positioning relative to the front mains. The LF Adjust knob allows one to digitally massage the sub's ported alignment of 24 dB/octave roll off into a more gentle 12 dB/octave slope, coupling with the room like a sealed subwoofer does. This flexibility is helpful for rooms that do not have a lot of natural gain and was key to integration as my space is a bit of a bass black hole. The level control was adjusted to match the mains, Room EQ Wizard measurements were used to ensure proper integration was achieved, then I was off to the races!
Listening
Sade The Essential Sade via TIDAL - "Hang On To Your Love," the rolling bass line that carries the song is delineated precisely, each string pluck and note up and down the scale is distinct from the other. A good song to start my auditioning, the 118 HT put me into the mood to hear more.
Gorillaz Demon Days via TIDAL - Following the segue from the first track, "Intro," the second track "Last Living Souls" has an infectious bass groove that counters the keyboard melody, together they carry the song along. The intense lows immediately set off the dish cabinet in my kitchen and a couple of house walls as well. I have lived here for over 9 years and have gone through the house dampening down extraneous noises over the years, thinking I have done a good job of it. I might have a bit more to do as this song reveals.
The title track, "Demon Days" is likely the best capture on this album. The seemingly "invisible" attribute of the JTR, which I will speak about more, underpins this song, actually enhancing the mids and highs (strings are a standout) as a good subwoofer will do. I do not hear a subwoofer, I hear music.
Hitting the sub HARD with Bassotronics via TIDAL, I cranked the volume on torture test, "Sub Bass Excursion". I feared for my mains but never found the limit to this sub. I also had concern for a nearby house plant as it started flapping its branches with the deep stuff found on "Bass I Love You"!
Deadmau5 while(1<2) via Tidal - The first song, "Avaritia," kept my attention riveted, the 118 HT motivating the EDM beat right along. This song often gives me goosebumps and that sensation was present and accounted for. The third song, "Ice Age (deadmau5 remix)," is something else, quite a treat. Enveloping 360 degree bass came from all around in the MLP and for many listening positions outside of that, making me bounce around the room checking the sound in other seats, all of which received a big dose of delicious bass. The 118 HT pressurized my medium-sized room with ease.
U2 "Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For" - I have listened to many old familiar pop songs I used to dislike, and found myself liking some of them better, having now having heard them on a high fidelity system. While I am not a huge U2 fan, I respect their work and enjoy some of it, especially the early efforts when I was in '80's high school, but the 118 HT shows that this song is not that well recorded as far as bass instruments are concerned. The bass guitar climbs up and down the scale but is rendered almost as a one note blur. There is hardly any bass drum impact to speak of. The highs are a bit above average, the SS&I is well above average, so this was a bit puzzling. This is no fault of the subwoofer at all and I credit the 118 HT for revealing the true nature of this recording as delivered through TIDAL. This lack of recorded bass articulation was not the case when "With Or Without You" (Remastered 2007) started to play. The bass guitar and every note played made itself known, especially around the 3:35 min. mark. Articulation is a strong point of this subwoofer, which shined a bright light on the foundation of this track.
Movies/Concert/TV
TV viewing has shown this subwoofer to be completely unobtrusive, calling attention to itself only when needed, adding surprising heft to casual network viewing, enhancing even the mundane audio experience of the Netflix documentaries that comprise most of my tele-time. Auto turn-on happens easy enough, but needs a bit more juice with casual Prime time TV viewing. When dialog dominated the scene, the lack of LF material sometimes caused the subwoofer to go into stand-by mode, causing me to miss that first bit of impact when it hit as the subwoofer kicked back on out of Standby mode. I spoke to Jeff about this and it is due to hitting the Energy Star ratings (a minor quibble) and the inherent high efficiency of the 18" driver (a major boon).
Hanna via Blu-ray - For those that have not seen this movie, Hanna lives a very isolated life in a forest, away from civilization and any experience with it. Shock and awe are induced when Hanna encounters her first airplane, the initial rumble of the plane's introduction as it apperars suddenly overhead grabbed my attention, too. A bit later into the movie, the escape scene audio track will have you tapping your toe, bobbing your head or whatever it is you do when the music hits you. The soundtrack is epic, with music that's clean and dynamic and a perfect match to the intelligent plot. The fight scene, after Hanna is captured and placed into a holding cell, really sealed the deal. The impact of the hits and kicks was sealed-like, the vented 118 HT response digging down low, the sustain long. The enclosure's low tuning alignment combined with the LF Adjustment control really come into play here. This movie is a subwoofer workout and the Captivator made one of my favorite movies fun.
Interstellar via Blu-ray - In Scene 17, when Cooper detaches into the singularity, my room began to shake and pulse. Sometimes I boost the subwoofer level a half decibel or more, so I dove for the pre/pro remote to check it. Nope, completely flat! This type of audible immersion and the subwoofer's iron-fisted grip on my room drew me into the moment, putting me right into the craft with Cooper. Or rather, my room became the craft!
Metallica Through The Never via Blu-ray - The other movies have serious bass content from time to time, but this concert film is a bassfest acid test, and will give any subwoofer system an extended workout. Lesser subwoofers can struggle with the onslaught, but the Captivator 118 HT just laughed it off, even when I decided to get crazy and boost the subwoofer level on my pre/pro by 3, 6 and even an insane 10 dB, just for fun! There is nothing wrong with a bit or a lot of bass boost fun, on occasion, if the sub is up to it. The Captivator 118 HT certainly was.
The undergound garage scene places our skateboarder rooting around in his van when James drives by in his '36 Ford custom, shooting bass-imbued flames. I ran that scene with the aforementioned flat, medium and high subwoofer levels, as I did with Robert's bass guitar warm up as our intrepid hero passes in the hall. I initially wanted to catch a few bass scenes for review impressions, but my neighbor heard my house shaking and stopped by, so I let the entire show play on. Impressed with what he called the best bass he had ever heard, the 118 HT literally hammered that home with the rooftop sledgehammer swings at show's end. My neighbor looked away from the screen (at me) and his jaw was on the floor. As Metallica fans, we enjoyed the epic sound quality of this show (in spite of the cheesy plot line) and the 118 HT was a huge player in making this a memorable event!
Measurements utilizing Room EQ Wizard and miniDSP UMIK-1
The bottom traces are left/right (red and green) full range at the listening position with Dirac Live room correction. Top trace (turquoise), the microphone is nearfield, the Captivator 118 HT pulled into the middle of the room with Dirac turned off. Response is almost ruler flat from 17 Hz to the 70 Hz crossover, with the same 17 Hz extension as the listening position.
Conclusion
The Cap may be labeled as a home theater subwoofer, but don't let that label fool you as it's quite the musical sub as well. A defining feature, one that sets it apart from most subwoofers, is the LF Adjustment. Dialing in the DSP curve to fit my particular room gain, or lack of it, was an important and extremely helpful tool for integrating the 118 HT successfully in my space. Break in took a while, although the 118 HT sounded fantastic right out of the gate. Its size is quite compact for a vent-tuned 18" sub and it did not take long for me to get used to its physical presence in my media/living room.
How does it sound? The Captivator 118 HT has no real sound, it just is. Low distortion high dynamic range bass is there when needed, but its physical location is completely invisible to the ear, whether it is just adding the foundation to regular program material or taking the lead role in a music or movie extravaganza with bass seeming to come from all around. It goes about its business of making your main speakers appear bigger and badder than they are by themselves. This is a sound that will perk the ears of the most jaded bass aficionado. The JTR Captivator 118 HT is a high fidelity statement piece in its class and a worthy addition to any serious media system. Delicate, yet forceful, a true iron fist in a velvet glove.
Captivator 118 HT Specifications:
- Frequency: +/- 3db 19-190hz (in room response below 17hz)
- Amplifier: 700 watts RMS (ICE Power 700ASC module)
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 30″ x 20″ x 22.5″ (HxWxD)
- Weight: 129 lbs
- Construction: 18mm, 13ply, void free, Baltic Birch (several times stronger and more expensive than MDF)
- Exterior Finish: Matte Black Paint (custom finishes available)
- Connectors: RCA and XLR
- Warranty: 5 year Manufacturer defect
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