There have already been so many positive things said about the JTR Growlers on PSW so please forgive any redundancy in this post. But for anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to hear and/or use with these subs, I want to share my recent experiences with you. My take is from a slightly different angle…..I purchased twelve of these great little cabs.
I started out by purchasing four Growlers from Jeff (great guy, easy to work with, and very knowledgeable), and was so impressed that I ended up purchasing twelve in all.
My reason for acquiring so many was to have the extra head room if needed for a large outdoor event that took place this past Memorial Day with 5000+ in attendance. As it turned out, I believe that we could have gotten by with just eight (four a side). The Growlers are very efficient and capable of high power handling.
We setup the Growlers in L-R clusters, mouths coupled, with eight Martin H3s on top. The system slammed! It required very little EQ and in fact, we ran the low end flat to the cut-off freq….around 35Hz. The output from the Growlers was incredible!
The lineup for the event included everything from jazz, to rap, to a high octane (but great!) rock band which included former members of Oingo Boingo. The Growlers pounded out the low end with extension and output that rivaled or beat any of the best dual 18”s we’ve used in the past and with much better sound quality! At about 500 ft back from the stage, the low end pounding was still very pronounced.
Other than some stage and power problems, the event went very well. Lots of compliments on the sound system from both the audience and performers alike (lots of references to how “fat” and “full” the system sounded) and we were offered the contract for next year’s event.
The Growlers are amazing subs especially when you consider their size, and keep in mind they’re loaded with a single twelve! They produce what I can only describe as a very in-your-face wavefront that for lack of a better term, “growls”. The sound is full, with the kind of impact that you would expect from front loaded subs. I can't get over how much I appreciate the immense sound from such a small package! Not being the youngest guy in the sound business, size and weight have become very important considerations when contemplating purchases and upgrades.
Of course, we’ve used the Growlers on a smaller scale, one or two a side for indoor corporate gigs. The bands are usually bass heavy, seven to nine pieces, for crowds ranging from 300 to 500. We’ve had no problem filling the rooms with plenty of punchy low end that keeps the dancers on the dance floor.
Needless to say, as a satisfied customer I'm very impressed with the JTR Growlers. If you have an opportunity to hear them, I urge you to go check them out. It'd be worth your time, money, and maybe your back! Can't tell you how many times we've seen smiles appear on the faces of drummers and bassists during sound check owing to the fat sound that the Growlers deliver!
Jeff’s other cabinets are due out soon and I hope to check them out as well….. a pair of his tops to start with and possibly expand from there.
I want to second Mike Christy’s “big thank you” to the folks who organized the NY shootout! It was through the shootout that I first became aware of the Growlers. The shootout was very well done and the information, discussions, and observations that followed have been invaluable to all of us who couldn’t attend.
Note to folks on the west coast: if you are attending the upcoming National Guitar Workshop in L.A., the Growlers will be used by McClendon Audio Inc. for all the live performances.
Best regards,
Roy