In this review, we will be comparing Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer and A120P, two Powered Subwoofer speakers from Aperion and JBL. Being Powered subwoofers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them. Let's have a brief look at the main features of Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer and JBL Stage A120P first before getting into our more detailed comparison.
The sections below take each area in turn: driver and amplifier, frequency response, physical size and connectivity.
Drivers
The efficiency of a subwoofer is directly proportional to the total radiating are squared hence the woofer quantity and diameter.Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer and JBL Stage A120P have a totally different setup: the Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer features 2 x 15-inch drivers whereas the A120P features 1 x 12-inch drivers.
Frequency Response
Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer has a frequency range of 15-180 Hz whereas A120P has a frequency range of 32-150 Hz. With a minimum frequency of 15Hz, the Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the A120P's min frequency of 32Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Subwoofer class in our database.
Low Frequency
Subwoofer Speakers
Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer
High Frequency
Subwoofer Speakers
Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer
Cabinet Type
The Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer has a Bass Reflex type cabinet. Bass Reflex type subwoofers (aka Ported, Vented or Reflex Port) have enclosures that uses a port, hole or vent cut into the cabinet. Ported designs are generally more efficient than the Sealed designs. On the other hand the JBL Stage A120P have Bass reflex type enclosure.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer's and JBL Stage A120P's external dimensions. Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer has external dimensions of 1099.8 x 530.9 x 500.4mm (43.3 x 20.9 x 19.7inch) whereas JBL Stage A120P has external dimensions of 415.0 x 393.0 x 475.0mm (16-5/16 x 15-7/16 x 18-11/16inch).
Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 137.9mm wider, 684.8mm taller and 25.4mm deeper than JBL Stage A120P.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer needs about 42% more floor or shelf area. Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is 25mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is 685mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is approximately 2656.6cm2 / 411.8inch2 and base area of the JBL Stage A120P is approximately 1866.8cm2 / 289.4inch2. The Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer requires 42% more surface area than the A120P which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a subwoofer may become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often to find the optimal positioning, also known as 'Subwoofer Crawling'. The Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer weighs 83.91kg / 184.6lbs and the JBL Stage A120P weighs 18.68kg / 41.1lbs. This makes the Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer 349% heavier than the A120P.
Here is a comparison of how Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer and A120P's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Subwoofer class.
Weight
All Subwoofer Speakers
Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer
 Woofer Size |
15 inches
vs
12 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
| Low Frequency Response |
15 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
180 Hz
vs
150 Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
415mm
vs
1099mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1866cm2
vs
2656cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
300USD
vs
4999USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
Size, drawn to scale
Both subwoofers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same floor and pushed back to the same wall, so the bigger one visibly takes more of the room.
Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer needs about 42% more floor area. Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer stands 25mm further into the room. Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is 685mm taller.
| General |
Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer |
JBL Stage A120P |
| Brand |
Aperion |
JBL |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Subwoofer |
Powered Subwoofer |
| Max Amplifier Output |
1300 watts |
250 watts |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
15-180 Hz |
32-150 Hz |
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
1300-watt RMS |
250-watt RMS |
| Watts Peak (Max) |
n/a |
500-watt RMS |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
15" |
12" |
| Woofer Composition |
|
Polycellulose |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
40-160 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1099.8mm (43.3") |
415.0mm (16.3") |
| Width |
530.9mm (20.9") |
393.0mm (15.5") |
| Depth |
500.4mm (19.7") |
475.0mm (18.7") |
| Weight |
83.91kg (184.6lbs) |
18.68kg (41.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass reflex |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
1 Year |
| Labor Warranty |
|
1 Year |
Two quite different sizes of subwoofer. Room volume decides this more than anything else on the page: a big driver in a small room is wasted, and a small one in a large room is worked to death.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass depth | A | Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer goes deeper - 15Hz against 32Hz. Under 20Hz is felt more than heard - the bottom of a pipe organ and the bottom of a film mix. |
| Amplifier power | A | Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer has the bigger amplifier - 1300W against 250W RMS, about 7.2dB more on tap. In a large room that is headroom before the DSP starts limiting. |
| Driver area | A | Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer moves more air: 2 x 15" against 12" is 3.13x the cone area, not the 1.77x the diameters suggest. More area means the same output with less excursion, and less distortion with it. |
| Enclosure | evenly matched | Both are ported designs, so they roll off in much the same way. |
| Cabinet size | depends | JBL Stage A120P is about 73% smaller by volume. In a subwoofer that is a real trade rather than a preference: box volume is how you get output low down without a bigger amplifier. |
| Price | B | JBL Stage A120P costs less - $300 against $4,999, about 94% less. |
A Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer B JBL Stage A120P
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both subwoofers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Aperion Bravus III B215 Dual 15" Cinema Powered Subwoofer measures better, JBL Stage A120P costs about 94% less. In a normal room, placement will make a bigger difference than the gap between these two. Two small subwoofers beat one big one in most rooms - a pair evens out the room modes in a way no single box can, whatever its specs. At $300 each, two JBL Stage A120P cost about $600 against $4,999 for one of the other, which is worth a thought. If placement is the constraint - a corner, behind a sofa, under a desk - JBL Stage A120P is the one that will actually go there, and a well-placed small subwoofer beats a badly-placed big one every time.
One thing outweighs everything above: where the subwoofer stands. Room modes can add or remove 10dB or more at a given seat, which is far larger than any difference on this page. Before spending more, try the sub in two or three positions - the crawl test, where you put it in the listening seat and crawl the room to find where the bass sounds best, costs nothing and usually beats an upgrade.