JBL Fun

[Tom Brennan]

Kwing and I got a bunch JBL stuff in Milwaukee yesterday and I brought home a pair of 2446 2" compression drivers and 2380 90x40 CD horns. I matched them to my JBL D-140s in JBL C35 cabinets last and measured and EQed them today, using the parametric EQ of my Acoustas AC-650 DSP amp. The amp also supplied the 500hz 48db per active FIR active crossover. The 2446 was the first driver to use JBL's improved "coherent wave" phasing plug for improved highs and the results are evident. The drivers use 4" embossed titanium diaphragms and weigh 31 pounds.

Sound is excellent.

 

[Nyjblbob]

Love the D-140's!
Saving my 140R's for a worthy project!
Tom; Curious as to why you cross them over to the horns So Low.
IMHO that is the strength of the 140's is they are smooth past 1K.

 

[Tom Brennan]

Love the D-140's!
Saving my 140R's for a worthy project!
Tom; Curious as to why you cross them over to the horns So Low.
IMHO that is the strength of the 140's is they are smooth past 1K.

I think that crossing over lower often sounds better; the sound is more, oh, sharp, but not in a bad way. More clarity and better attack. Maybe I'm crazy but the bass sounds better with these than with the 2425s.

 

[Nyjblbob]

No doubt your DSP with its steep Slope and EQ can adjust any thing.
All good. I haven't used DSP yet. Just analogue xovers

 

[Nyjblbob]

If I can add a huge part of the Beauty of D140's is their Alnico sweetness.
If you listen to Frank, Elvis, Johnny, they sing down between 250 and just over 800 hz.
maybe up to 1K. Why not let those D140's do what they were made for.
With that beautiful tone and no X-over to mess the vocals up.
I might even try mine in my 4435's instead of one pair for the full range woofers 2234's.
Sure I know they use 1" horns. You have the 2"ers.
Just spitballing Tom. If I was there in Chi-Town I'de be a member the
Chicago Horn Society
Bobhorn

 

[Tom Brennan]

If I can add a huge part of the Beauty of D140's is their Alnico sweetness.
If you listen to Frank, Elvis, Johnny, they sing down between 250 and just over 800 hz.
maybe up to 1K. Why not let those D140's do what they were made for.
With that beautiful tone and no X-over to mess the vocals up.
I might even try mine in my 4435's instead of one pair for the full range woofers 2234's.
Sure I know they use 1" horns. You have the 2"ers.
Just spitballing Tom. If I was there in Chi-Town I'de be a member the
Chicago Horn Society
Bobhorn

One of the nice things about the Acoustas is I can easily change crossover points and types, put them in a preset and then listen back and forth, all this control on my phone or ipad. I'll try setting the crossover at higher frequencies and see how it goes.

 

[GordonW]

I kind of miss my 2447s, which were the 1.5" throat version of the same horn driver.

They were just about magical sounding, mated with 2226s. I had them mounted on PT Waveguides (which is something JBL says is impossible, but with adaptation, it worked fine. My crossover was higher (the 2226 seems to be happier going higher than the 140 or 2225, 2234 or 2235), but man, it was smooth, quick and had immense impact.

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[grey]

One of the nice things about the Acoustas is I can easily change crossover points and types, put them in a preset and then listen back and forth, all this control on my phone or ipad. I'll try setting the crossover at higher frequencies and see how it goes.

This is part of the fun with DSP. I have plenty of caution after doing most types of programming. I will usually test the output on a cheap, full range speaker before powering up with a diaphragm connected. Some of the DSP has a sine wave generator on the input which is useful for this test.

SpeakerX appears to have the coated diaphragms in stock if you guys want something else to play with.

 

[toddalin]

I kind of miss my 2447s, which were the 1.5" throat version of the same horn driver.

They were just about magical sounding, mated with 2226s. I had them mounted on PT Waveguides (which is something JBL says is impossible, but with adaptation, it worked fine. My crossover was higher (the 2226 seems to be happier going higher than the 140 or 2225, 2234 or 2235), but man, it was smooth, quick and had immense impact.

Regards,
Gordon.

Cheap too!

JBL 2226J speaker cabinets - general for sale - by owner - craigslist

I have four large cabinets, each with a pair of JBL 2226J speakers per cabinet. 40" x 25" x 19" deep. If you see this listing they are still available. $ 250ea. Please text only with your phone...

www.craigslist.org

 

[Nyjblbob]

Holly Crap! that's a great deal!
I paid over 400$ with shipping for a nice pair with orig cones n coils.
No Boxes>
I just might try them in my 4435's,
bobhorn

 

[Tom Brennan]

2226s are all over the place, quite a few on Reverb. A great woofer; sturdy build, reliable and robust sound. Kwing and I just picked up 4 in Milwaukee that were in big Decware Imperial horns. We took the woofers, left the enclosures which were too much for us. Gonna try 2226s in 4560s, I dig 4560s. We'll probably try them in Altec 825 VOT cabinets too, Tom Danley was keen on that combo.

 

[malden]

dumb question....is the main advantage of a 2" compression driver the ability to crossover lower than a 1" driver?

are there any other advantages/disadvantages of a 2" over a 1" in a home listening environment?

 

[Gigantic]

dumb question....is the main advantage of a 2" compression driver the ability to crossover lower than a 1" driver?

are there any other advantages/disadvantages of a 2" over a 1" in a home listening environment?

my experience has been that 2" drivers are considerably less shouty than 1" drivers and horns in a home listening environment, especially those with phenoic diaphragms; I've found that 2" drivers that extend below 500Hz are both rare and expensive.

 

[malden]

thanks

I have a pair of Altec A7's with 806 horn drivers (1" diaphragms) mounted to 811B horns and they are smooth as can be

I also have a pair of JBL 2425's (1" original diaphragms) but have not yet listened to them. They have three bolt mounts so I'd need an adapter, if it exists, to mount to the 811B horns with two bolt mounts.

 

[grey]

I also have a pair of JBL 2425's (1" original diaphragms) but have not yet listened to them. They have three bolt mounts so I'd need an adapter, if it exists, to mount to the 811B horns with two bolt mounts.

When I was looking into building a modified JBL 4345 clone, the voices of experience was pushing me towards substituting a 2" driver with 2311 horn. I was not wanting to look back on the build, so the 2425 was sold after that input. I wouldn't think that it would be an issue with a 1.3 kHz crossover, but more than one person gave the nod to the 2".

 

[loudnoises]

thanks

I have a pair of Altec A7's with 806 horn drivers (1" diaphragms) mounted to 811B horns and they are smooth as can be

I also have a pair of JBL 2425's (1" original diaphragms) but have not yet listened to them. They have three bolt mounts so I'd need an adapter, if it exists, to mount to the 811B horns with two bolt mounts.

Unless those 811s are somehow special, I might just drill the holes. You could use an adapter as a template, I know the 1" screw to plate adapter at pe has both patterns. Bolts in the two bolt pattern and drill the other two holes.

I feel like a phenolic 1" would play lower better than an aluminum 2". Just a hunch.

 

[Tom Brennan]

dumb question....is the main advantage of a 2" compression driver the ability to crossover lower than a 1" driver?

are there any other advantages/disadvantages of a 2" over a 1" in a home listening environment?

Generally a 2" will play lower than a 1", the only metal diaphragm 1" driver I know that works well at 500hz is the Altec 802. I think that often the sound is better the lower the compression driver comes in though several people think I should consider crossing the 2446 higher and taking advantage of the ability of the D-130 to play high. Others tell me the horn is too small to use at 500hz which flies against JBL's own specs and recommendations. I tried a 800hz crossover and the sound is pretty much the same either way.

Now the 2446s have a newer type of phase plug that gives significantly more extended highs than earlier 2" JBLs and even more extended than 1" JBLs and I'm hearing better highs than with my 1" JBL and Altec drivers though that's probably because these are lower distortion devices than 1" drivers. These are the first large format compression drivers I've used in about 20 years, back when I had Altec A5s with 288 compression drivers. So I'm still getting a handle on these.

 

[Tom Brennan]

thanks

I have a pair of Altec A7's with 806 horn drivers (1" diaphragms) mounted to 811B horns and they are smooth as can be

I also have a pair of JBL 2425's (1" original diaphragms) but have not yet listened to them. They have three bolt mounts so I'd need an adapter, if it exists, to mount to the 811B horns with two bolt mounts.

Years back I used JBL 2420s on 511s; as LN noted you can use a screw to bolt adaptor to easier lineup the holes for drilling.

 

[toddalin]

Would be very easy to 3D print adapters.

 

[malden]

do the C35's have D140 or D130?

how do the Ramones sound through those beauties?