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Which woofer should i buy?

Hannes123

Hannes123

Active Member
Howdy!

For my Altec H-808 horn project, I am on the lookout for a nice mid/bass sub cabinet.
I had the JBL 4647/4507 cab with 2225H woofers in mind. I noticed, that these can be
changed to 2235 and i think, that's a cool "option" when i feel i need more sometime in the near
future, but then I see people using these cabs with the JBL K140 or even more obscure woofers that
can't be obtained here in Europe. My question is: are these (Alnico) woofers "better" because they are more
suited for HIFI, or should I go with the 2225H/2235H because they are more modern and more refined? Or is
Is this all a matter of taste and money? I just don't want to buy something because it's easier to obtain or cheaper.
And then be angry with oneself. Any other hints and options are very welcome.

Thank you!
 
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or let´s put it different: whats YOUR overall-best sounding 15" JBL woofer that has a greater sensitivity?
:)
 
Are you going to push this Woofer with All the Beans?
600 Watts, or more, or Lower Powered tubes?
Where are you planing on crossing said woofer over?
Or are you using a Mid-Woofer to go smoothly up to the Altec Horn,
Room size? It all matters.
Alnico or Ceramic? There's one for the Peanut gallery!
 
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Nyjblbob said:
Are you going to push this Woofer with All the Beans?
600 Watts, or more, or Lower Powered tubes?
Where are you planing on crossing said woofer over?
Or are you using a Mid-Woofer to go smoothly up to the Altec Horn,
Room size? It all matters.
Alnico or Ceramic? There's one for the Peanut gallery!
Click to expand...
I will use a Werner Jagusch 800hz Crossover. Tweeter will be 077. I plan to use tubes and solid state. Room is about 50m2 big… no neighbor’s since I live on the countryside now
 
Hannes123 said:
Howdy!

For my Altec H-808 horn project, I am on the lookout for a nice mid/bass sub cabinet.
I had the JBL 4647/4507 cab with 2225H woofers in mind. I noticed, that these can be
changed to 2235 and i think, that's a cool "option" when i feel i need more sometime in the near
future, but then I see people using these cabs with the JBL K140 or even more obscure woofers that
can't be obtained here in Europe. My question is: are these (Alnico) woofers "better" because they are more
suited for HIFI, or should I go with the 2225H/2235H because they are more modern and more refined? Or is
Is this all a matter of taste and money? I just don't want to buy something because it's easier to obtain or cheaper.
And then be angry with oneself. Any other hints and options are very welcome.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
Ported or acoustic suspension? What is the internal volume of the cabs, that the woofers will be sitting in?

Thanks!
 
Mr Boochie said:
Ported or acoustic suspension? What is the internal volume of the cabs, that the woofers will be sitting in?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
i have no idea to be honest! like i mentioned earlier, i kept an eye on the 4647 cabs since these are cheap and avaible from time to time.
The 2216ND-1 seems to be VERY rare. I see 10 sold/expired on Hifishark...My price range is up to 1200€ /1.286,55 $
Mr. Jagush recommends a 416-8 but i am unsure if that´s a good idea. The 416 are very expensive here and i think there must be a difference
between a 60 year old woofer and a more modern one...
 
Hannes123 said:
i have no idea to be honest! like i mentioned earlier, i kept an eye on the 4647 cabs since these are cheap and avaible from time to time.
The 2216ND-1 seems to be VERY rare. I see 10 sold/expired on Hifishark...My price range is up to 1200€ /1.286,55 $
Mr. Jagush recommends a 416-8 but i am unsure if that´s a good idea. The 416 are very expensive here and i think there must be a difference
between a 60 year old woofer and a more modern one...
Click to expand...
Why not use the 15-inch driver that comes with the 4647? 2226. Correct?
 
yes that´s what i would do anyways if i find a pair :) apparantly, the 2225 is better because it can be reconed to 2235...
but i would gladly take both....also i love the idea, that this system is very diy so i can tinker with it if i get bored...
 
The 4530's Single Scoops are outstanding in a Large space.
Not sure if they are much good below 40hz though.
Maybe with corner loading and a good bass EQ
Will get you closer.
Not with Foam edge 2235 types of Cones though
2226's and K-140's will be awesome. I still have my pair of
JBL scoops for when I need some LOUD for a big space,
I don't have anymore.
 
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I prefer the 2226 to the 2225.

Effectively the same bass response- but the mids on the 2226 are smoother than the 2225. Less obnoxious cone-break-up-modes, meaning less midrange peaking at the upper end of its response.

Also, the motor is less distortion on the 2226 (Vented Gap motor is slightly more linear than the earlier SFG). Plus, you can get slightly more output before power compression (better voice coil venting), if you run them loud.

Regards,
Gordon.
 
wow! you guys seem to like the 2226. I ´ve read that the general cenus is that the 2225 is better. I think, i would be happy with the 2226 anyways. These ones can be had for 200$.
GordonW said:
I prefer the 2226 to the 2225.

Effectively the same bass response- but the mids on the 2226 are smoother than the 2225. Less obnoxious cone-break-up-modes, meaning less midrange peaking at the upper end of its response.

Also, the motor is less distortion on the 2226 (Vented Gap motor is slightly more linear than the earlier SFG). Plus, you can get slightly more output before power compression (better voice coil venting), if you run them loud.

Regards,
Gordon.
Click to expand...
 
will go for the 4647! Asked my wife, she is okay with it as long i put some nice veneers on them :whip:
Really, i think, these could be my "last" speakers. So many possibilities.... Horn, tweets, woofers - everything can
be swapped. But for now, i think, the 2226 - 2470 - H808 combination will be sounding super sweet
 
I’ll vote for the 2226 also. I’ve had both the 2225 and 2226. Both are nice woofers, but if I had to choose it would be the 2226.
 
“Penny wise and pound foolish” IMO.

The 2216ND is the earlier version of the 2216ND-1 and is available I believe from Simply Speakers or Speaker Exchange https://reconingspeakers.com/products-page/jbl-2216nd-woofer-for-jbl-m2-5041785/ et al, no slouch as it is the LF driver for the 2-way JBL M2 Master Monitors. The main difference to the ND-1 is a more relaxed suspension to allow the driver more excursion to get a little lower without the massive power the M2 has on-tap, as it goes into the Synthesis 4367 which is a 91dB sensitive passive 2-way, probably a bit easier to integrate into a DIY. The ND-1 is difficult to find / buy as only JBL Synthesis dealers can get them, I know (have asked) that JBL Pro dealers can not buy the ND-1.

I love old speakers, have had a bunch of them and am particularly fond of the 2235H as I’ve had them in multiple speakers including DIY and the L300A, but the advantage of buying new high-performance modern drivers over buying a pair of old speakers, not knowing how well the speaker was reconed or refoamed, not knowing how good the magnets are, or the spiders, or even the pulp cone that has been through 10,000 humidity cycles, the other effects of gravity and age, maybe having to re-cone re-foam which will all be aftermarket parts, ... why not just buy modern high-performance drivers with available new factory parts that are precision-assembled by the OEM on the original jigs and fixtures? You put a lot of money into customizing cabinets and possibly crossovers to get to this point and skimping on drivers won’t make it a better speaker, plus you sometimes put as much into buying serviceable speakers that are half-way to needing repairs or already need repairs, will have almost as much in them as a new set of drivers either now or in a couple of years. Ask how much it will cost to buy a pair of nice vintage speakers, have them re-gaussed and reconed, and are they still a savings? Without this service you will not know if they’ve been abused or dropped, if the suspension is good or stiff, if the coil is placed properly in the gap, if the cone is the correct mass and stiffness, etc.

Over on the Lansing Heritage site there are a couple of successful builds with the 2216ND drivers and I invite you to read up on some of those before making a decision (and have a little patience finding a pair in-stock or just call a JBL Pro dealer). Every one you buy will meet (exceed) spec and probably comes with a warranty.
 
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