Which 2-inch Driver....!?

[Dr.db]

Hey,


I know there are nice 2"Drivers out there from JBL.
But I've never heard any of them yet..... sad but true....

Where are the differences between the modell's 375, 2441, 2482, etc....??
(did I miss out any good drivers!?)

If anyone could help me out I'd be soo glad!!



Thank you guys a lot,
Olaf

[jerry_rig]

Hey Olaf,

All the drivers you mention share a common mechanical structure. The 375 is the grandaddy and was a consumer model. It has an alnico magnet and a 4" aluminum diaphragm. The 2440 is the pro version of the 375. Each works great from around 500Hz on up to 10KHz or so. The 2441 was an update that included a special surround for the diaphragm. This extends the highs up a bit beyond 10Hz. The 2482 is the same as the 2440, but uses a phenolic diaphragm. This increases power handling but sacrifices high frequency response (but adds to the bottom). A newer model, the 2445 uses ferrite as a magnet material and uses a titanium diaphragm. Some prefer this over the older models. And then there are even newer models. In every case, the horn plays an important role in the sound of the driver.

If I were you, I would spend some time checking out this site:

http://www2.jblpro.com/products/vintage/index.html

Good luck!

Jerry

[Dr.db]

Hi Jerry,


thanks a lot for this nice overview!! :)


The mentioned Alnico-Driver's don't seem to differ a lot, right?
As I'm using JBL 2405 for the hight's would it make any difference at all which driever I'd choose?
Or is it rather a question of which driver I will find first!?



Have a nice week,
Olaf

[Mr. Widget]

The 375/2440 and the 376/2441 are identical drivers... actually if you had a pair of each they might vary slightly as they have had minor changes over the years, but essentially the primary difference is the diaphragm surround was changed to create the 2441 diaphragm. Using this diaphragm would be my choice. The 2482 and other phenolic versions are modified to prevent diaphragm swaps. They are meant to only use the phenolic diaphragms. The phenolic drivers have a different sound quality. Some people do prefer them, but then some people prefer all sorts of strange things. ;) The phenolics will do much better at the lower end of the range, but due to the increased mass, they are not quite a good overall, in my opinion, as the aluminum diaphragms.

The newer ferrite designs may sound very similar to these classics if you use an aluminum diaphragm. The titanium diaphragms are not quite a stiff and do not have quite the detail resolution or smoothness of the aluminum. JBL went to Ti due to it's increased durability when driven hard. For typical home use, aluminum is fine.

All of these comments are based on using newly rebuilt drivers or NOS drivers... by using used drivers, you may find all sorts of issues that may make a particular driver sound not quite right.


Widget

[JBK]

Hi Olaf!!
I've heard few compressions JBL 2', but only two with IWATA horns...
The 2441, and the 2450...
I find the 2450 better...
Dynamic, off course, but not agressive, and no box sound...
I don't want to write bad things about other compressions, but with JBL, it's another world... You can forget Beyma and co!!!!:bs:
Before, I owned MAGNEPAN 3.6 (I sell them, if someone is interested), the best thing with them, was the medium... Voices were so sweet (like LP)!!!
With 2450 and IWATA horns, voices are still sweet!!! It's incredible!!!
I think that my amp and préamp are helpfull (mac C220, and MC7300)!!!
I realy love my new system, it makes singer, guitars, drums become true!!
I feel the musical emotion, the only goal I have!!!

I've put a 4648A for the bass, and a fostex T925A for the high...
If you're about to buy 2' compression, do it!!!
You won't regret!!
Your amp must be gentle, and you will have to spend time to build the passive crossover... (If you don't want to use active XO and tri-amp!!!)
I've never heard better than 3 way loudspeaker, with 2' compression for the mid...
I love music, I love JBL...
Kind regards....

[Mr. Widget]

I've heard few compressions JBL 2', but only two with IWATA horns...
The 2441, and the 2450...
I find the 2450 better...
Dynamic, off course, but not aggressive, and no box sound...That may be an accurate assesment, however with vintage drivers, especially pro audio drivers, there is the possibility that they are not operating exactly up to spec. I only mention this because the factory rebuilt 2441s I have had sounded quite smooth and open, while many secondhand drivers I have had of all types have sounded significantly harsher.


Widget