JBL Hartsfield and low bass ?

[Dr.db]

Hey,

I was wondering how a Hartsfield will respond in the very low frequencies....!?
Let`s say they`re placed proper in the corners and the room is well suited for these horns.

Where about is the -3db roll-off in the low`s ?

Would a JBL 2235h in an about 5 cubic.ft big vented enclosure outperform the Hartsfield in the low-end ?


Thanks a lot,
Olaf

[Mostlydiy]

Would a JBL 2235h in an about 5 cubic.ft big vented enclosure outperform the Hartsfield in the low-end ?

Definitely

Hard to say -3d since its very room dependent but say around 50-60Hz maybe? The big old horn loaded vintage speakers didnt have much of the lower bass since the horns are a bit small to be called bass horns. The bass they do produce though Ive heard is very neet and special.

/Mostly

[Dr.db]

About -3db @ 50-60hz wouldn`t be satisfying with today`s music.... :blink:


I though they`d be big enough to reach at least 40hz with nice response...

[Mostlydiy]

I dont think they made them with "todays music" in mind since they came out in the late 50th. To have decent output at 40Hz in a corner you would need a horn that is close to 2,5m and I dont see that in the Hartsfield, I believe it has a little bit to small mouth size as well.

A well integrated sub would probably increse the overall sound impression quite a bit I believe. You might find some useful info in this (http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?33822-Dad%92s-DIY-Paragons-make-the-move%85/page8&highlight=paragon) thread since the Paragon and Hartsfield both use a front loaded horn for bass.

/Mostly

[audiomagnate]

There was certainly plenty of low bass on records, tapes and FM back then, but hardly any speakers could reproduce it in a home in the 50s. That's why acoustic suspension designs like the AR1 and then the 3 sold so well when they arrived. My Altec 834As (1959) are almost identical in size to the old ARs, but the low bass response is shockingly absent. Acoustic suspension got the job done at the cost of sensitivity. This was long before Thiele-Small, when designers really didn't know how to properly tune a box to a driver in bass reflex designs. The end result is big, ported speakers with no bottom.

Adding a modern quality sub (or better yet, two or three) is the answer. Adding subs to my 834s transformed them from an interesting piece of history into something that does quite well in a modern high end system. If there is a pre AR1 speaker that goes deep but doesn't require corner placement I'd like to know about it.

[Dr.db]

As these Hartsfields are allready very big in there dimensions, it would be impossible for me to add a subwoofer.


I believe I actually have to keep this as a dream only, but for real life it is just "too much" with subs etc....



But thanks for your feedback and info`s...!! :)

[audiomagnate]

The modern sub doesn't have to be huge, and can often be tucked away unobtrusively in a corner. I'm really a fan of the vintage speaker/modern sub approach. Adding deep, clean bass to a vintage speaker really transforms them into something special. Just to be clear, I cannot stand the sound of cheap home theater subs, which make any decent system sound worse.