JTR Speakers Captivator S1 Discussion Thread

11103 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by tesseract, Dec 16, 2016

theJman

Discussion Starter · Aug 9, 2015

JTR Speakers Captivator S1

By Jim Wilson (theJman)

Can a subwoofer made by a company known for designing products targeted at people who view a Metallica concert as docile be capable of something other than obnoxious volume? Is it possible to achieve any semblance of refinement from a product whose appearance suggests blunt force trauma? JTR Speakers is famous (infamous?) for creating speakers and subwoofers powerful enough they can be heard from a block away - and no, I'm not kidding - yet in spite of their reputation for outlandishness the person behind it all is an aficionado of music. I've heard several JTR offerings in the past but on each occasion it was at a GTG, gatherings where insane volume commands all bragging rights. I often wondered if this company could do anything else. When I finally got my hands on one of their products I decided to see if it was capable of something other than shouting, and it turns out the answer is an unequivocal yes. The JTR Captivator S1 is a powerhouse subwoofer, but you probably already knew that part. What you may not have realized is it also has an incredible amount of finesse. The S1 proved to be the rare combination that skillfully blends brute force with elegance in equal parts. Think brass knuckles hidden inside a velvet glove and you start to get an idea of what I'm referring to. This is the Mike Tyson of subwoofers, had he gone to Juilliard; small and intimidating, yet a musical savant. The living embodiment of the word "oxymoron".

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buzzard767

· #2 · Aug 9, 2015

Although I can't speak directly for the S1s, I have a pair of S2s as well as seven more JTR speakers in my theater and I lack for nothing - wouldn't change a thing.

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theJman

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 9, 2015

buzzard767 said:
Although I can't speak directly for the S1s, I have a pair of S2s as well as seven more JTR speakers in my theater and I lack for nothing - wouldn't change a thing.

You may be unable to speak directly to the S1's, but for sure you know what I'm talking about in general. Jeff is known for bombast, yet he excels at detail. Quite the contrast, eh?

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buzzard767

· #4 · Aug 9, 2015

theJman said:
You may be unable to speak directly to the S1's, but for sure you know what I'm talking about in general. Jeff is known for bombast, yet he excels at detail. Quite the contrast, eh?

I love to demo the speakers in my theater with the train wreck scene from Super Eight. My guests are bug eyed and speechless when it concludes.

We recently had an Eagles concert at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Watching the "Reunion Concert" Blu-Ray with a 10' wide screen, Sony 4K PJ, and the JTRs leaves one wondering why he'd ever again put up with the crowds.....

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nash23

· #5 · Aug 11, 2015 (Edited)

Great review.

I have JTR speakers but not the sub.

May get 1 soon after reading that review.

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theJman

Discussion Starter · #6 · Aug 11, 2015

nash23 said:
Great review.

I have JTR speakers but not the sub.

May get 1 soon after reading that review.

If you like the speakers I suspect you'll really like their subs.

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theJman

Discussion Starter · #7 · Sep 5, 2015

In the interest of full disclosure... when it came time to return the Captivator S1 I simply couldn't do it, so I bought the review unit. I found it fit my needs so well that I didn't want to part with it. The number of times I felt compelled to purchase something I had for eval can be counted on one hand, with a few fingers left over. This turned out to be one of the rare instances where that voice in the back of my head said "hold on to this one", so I did.

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nash23

· #8 · Sep 5, 2015

Good choice. Next step.... review JTR Speakers.

One more finger will get used up.:T

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Defcon

· #9 · Sep 11, 2015

This makes me wonder how this compares to the Seaton Submersive? AFAIK those are the 2 powerhouses in the sub world. I think JTR wins, and I shudder to imagine what an Orbit Shifter would do ?!

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Picture_Shooter

· #10 · Mar 24, 2016

theJman said:
In the interest of full disclosure... when it came time to return the Captivator S1 I simply couldn't do it, so I bought the review unit. I found it fit my needs so well that I didn't want to part with it. The number of times I felt compelled to purchase something I had for eval can be counted on one hand, with a few fingers left over. This turned out to be one of the rare instances where that voice in the back of my head said "hold on to this one", so I did.

Hey Jim - Great to hear you actually bought a sub that you did a review on. My question to you is, do you still own this S1?

Last hows in holding up?

I came across a video off Youtube on test tone patterns and the guy was using dual S1's. I am very tempted at this price and since my JL Audio purchase I became a true fan of sealed subwoofer "again" after testing what a nice high quality sealed subs supposed to sound. Not that ported is not nice, but I just can say sounds different and the different that I like 'better

.

Cheers.

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theJman

Discussion Starter · #11 · Mar 24, 2016

Picture_Shooter said:
Hey Jim - Great to hear you actually bought a sub that you did a review on. My question to you is, do you still own this S1?

Last hows in holding up?

I came across a video off Youtube on test tone patterns and the guy was using dual S1's. I am very tempted at this price and since my JL Audio purchase I became a true fan of sealed subwoofer "again" after testing what a nice high quality sealed subs supposed to sound. Not that ported is not nice, but I just can say sounds different and the different that I like 'better .

Cheers.

I do indeed still own it, but it hasn't gotten much use of late. For the most part I go from one review to the next, with few gaps in between. That means my own personal sub can sit for months unused. I'm starting to write up my notes on the unit I'm currently evaluating though, and after that there's nothing in the queue (several irons in the fire, but no product on its way just yet). There's a very good chance I'll be able to hook it up again shortly and give it a bit of exercise.

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theJman

Discussion Starter · #12 · May 18, 2016

Picture_Shooter said:
Hey Jim - Great to hear you actually bought a sub that you did a review on. My question to you is, do you still own this S1?

Last hows in holding up?

I came across a video off Youtube on test tone patterns and the guy was using dual S1's. I am very tempted at this price and since my JL Audio purchase I became a true fan of sealed subwoofer "again" after testing what a nice high quality sealed subs supposed to sound. Not that ported is not nice, but I just can say sounds different and the different that I like 'better .

Cheers.

Just a quick update... I had a rare gap between reviews so I hooked up my S1 a few weeks ago. It still makes me smile as much as it did last year. AAMOF, I'm listening to my kind of music as I type this - meaning loud, high energy and obnoxious - and it's just as good now as it was then. From what I understand, JTR has made an update since I bought this one so the new version may be even better.