K2 s9800

[Brian DK]

I have a pair of k2 s9800.
And i wonder if any of you know what kind of equipment they use at Jbl when they built and test there speakers??

Brian dk

[korgroenewoud]

Hallo,

I don' t know what you mean?
Can you explain that question clearer?
Kor

[Brian DK]

What i mean is, that Jbl must have an idea of which kind of Amps, and perhaps CD-players there are the best suitable for there top of the line speakers.
The reason i ask, is because I,m looking to opgrade the rest of my stereo, and there is MANY fine Amps/CD's. And if I have a kind of referance, a starting point,
maybe it can guide me, and make the search shorter..

Brian dk

[Maron Horonzakz]

I dont think that matters. Weather SS or tube. It will work with almost all flavers of equipment. This is not a musicle instrument but a reproducer of music.

[Robh3606]

Hello Brian

Nice speakers!! So why do you feel the need to upgrade?? Are you unhappy with some aspect of your systems performance??

Rob:)

[korgroenewoud]

These speaker reproduce what they get. I heard them on Mcintosh MC 2000 Tube amp. Sounded very good. It depends on your taste what you find what a good sounding amp is. I Use the S3100 MK II on Mcintosh. I love that sound. I heard them on Burmester (a german top of the line amp), but that amp was not my choice. It just depends on your taste.

[Brian DK]

No, not at all. But the rest of my system is abaut 10 yers old. So I am more curious for what they can do with a system that is all up to date.
Right now I run the k2's with 2 Aragon 4004m2 amps witch is 11 year old, and a 12year old upgradet harman kardon HD7725.
It sounds Wounderful. But i keep thinking how it wouldt sound with something like a Mark Levinson 432 and 390s?? Or maybe Electrocompaniet nemo.??

[Titanium Dome]

I've heard the K2 S9800 a couple of times in JBL Synthesis set ups, and in those cases they were powered by JBL's own electronics. The very nice SPD-40 processor (Lexicon, really), the excellent SDEC-2500A EQ, and ten of the S800 amps provided the source to speaker chain.

The S800 is a 2X200W stereo amp or an 800W mono amp. I'd look at getting two S800 amps and running them in mono to each K2, or perhaps doing the bi- thing with the amps running in stereo mode.

These THX amps are often overlooked, but IMO are worth serious consideration.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Finding the best amp for your speakers is like wine tasting.

The 9800 in a review was termed ruthlessly revealing.

If what your got sounds wonderful then l'd stcik with it.

Ian

[10 Watt Street]

Here is another review of the K2 S9800:

http://www.ultraaudio.com/equipment/jbl_k2_s9800.htm

[Bernard Wolf]

Finding the best amp for your speakers is like wine tasting.

Ditto on that. I went through owning/trying at least 10 different amps on my S/3100, SSPP,SSSE, Tubed vintage PP, SE tubed, Hybrid(pathos classic one) feedback, no feedback, untill I found the flavor that I liked most by quite a margin, a Jadis defy DA 30 which is a PP 30 watt 6550 based tube integrated amp.

Thing is, the 3100 is so revealing of source that they all sounded significantly different. One of the amps, a Sugden a21 which is a SS/PP 20 watt class A amp that was used in a hi-fi world review of the S2600 and voted as being 'hard to better' sounded kind of 'flat' to me, at least compared to the Jadis.

So, try as many amps as you can would be the way to go... just be prepared to spend a couple of years to get to your goal!

Bernard

[Mr. Widget]

So, try as many amps as you can would be the way to go... just be prepared to spend a couple of years to get to your goal!


A couple of years!!! Who is still listening to the same speakers in a couple of years???:rotfl:

Widget

[Don McRitchie]

Back to the original question, the gear in JBL's listening rooms used for development contained all Harman equipment during my visits. The amplification I saw was all Mark Levinson, although I don't remember the model numbers.

[Bernard Wolf]

Well, you know, when you get the real deal thats were the economics of it comes in... I've had these 3100's for about 7 years now and I honestly cannot imaging changing them in this lifetime - I'm 56 now and just had a triple by-pass - so that might not be worth much, but true nontheless. I paid $4200.00 CAD when I bought them but spread over the amount of time and hours of use they will be a bargain in the end.

Besides which I am tired of dragging in new equipment all the time... stopped that when I got the Jadis about 4 yrs ago.. another long termer.

Now, if I had another couple of rooms to play with.... MMmmm:D

Bernard

[Zilch]

Interestingly, the reviewer insists on characterizing K2 S9800 as a two-way.

That'd apply to Project May as well, presumably.... :p

[Titanium Dome]

I've read in a couple of places that G.T. says the ideal speaker would be a two-way. Giskard, can you verify this?

I've heard a few times that the K2 S9800 is a two-way plus.

(Is that general enough? "I've read" and I've heard" :D )

[Mr. Widget]

I've heard a few times that the K2 S9800 is a two-way plus.


Semantics.

I listen to a two-way plus, plus. Some call it a four way. :D

Widget

[Zilch]

K2 S9800 is a three-way. We'll not tolerate semantic pretenders to the virtues of two-waydom.

Hell, even 4430 is a quasi-three-way, in which sense 4435 might be considered a quasi-four-way.

The best system is a one-way, of course.

There ain't any good ones, alas....

[Titanium Dome]

The best system is a one-way, of course.

There ain't any good ones, alas....

I'm pretty sure my ears are one-way receivers, though I haven't verified that scientifically. I've had two pairs of headphones that were acceptable one-way drivers, but they weren't too good for group listening.

When I was in high school my buddy and I bought a Heathkit receiver and built it over a couple of weeks. We also used his neighbor's woodworking shop to construct some speaker cabs, and we installed some "extra" drivers and crossovers that we had. The speakers were impressive with solid oak cabs, but the vibration and sound output caused headaches to the serious listener.

Our solution was to buy a dual headphone jack and plug our headphones in and listen at the same. Therefore, headphones for all! It's the near-perfect one-way system. Who needs those big-a$$ K2s?

[jblnut]

K2 S9800 is a three-way. We'll not tolerate semantic pretenders to the virtues of two-waydom.

Hell, even 4430 is a quasi-three-way, in which sense 4435 might be considered a quasi-four-way.

The best system is a one-way, of course.

There ain't any good ones, alas....

On the contrary - wasn't the Ohm F's Walsh driver a fairly well received "one-way" ?

I head the smaller version (can't remember the letter) and thought it sounded pretty good. They filled the room with well-balanced sound, although not too loudly.

jblnut

[Valentin]

in Japan there where special mark levinson amps manufactor for the k2 s9800

thy had a integrtad crossover four biamping they where the monobolks 436s and allsow 435s

[evans224]

I like the new avatar Zilch. Very impressive!

[Maron Horonzakz]

Zilch.....Are those baby cheeks 2344s ? OOOOOOOHHHHH my.

[Titanium Dome]

Zilch.....Are those baby cheeks 2344s ? OOOOOOOHHHHH my.

I think the model number is 35-24-36, and they come in pairs for your left side and your right side to create a broad sensory experience, both side to side and front to rear.

:bouncy: :bouncy: :bouncy: :bouncy:

[mikebake]

Hell, even 4430 is a quasi-three-way

Quasi? I saw that somewhere, but kinda hard to say even quasi when it just has simply two drivers. Where does the quasi three way come in? Because there are mid and hi pads on the comp. driver? Balderdash.

[Zilch]

According to my handy-dandy $3.99 toolbar Webster's:

quasi- "as if; in a sense or manner; seemingly; in part."

JBL started calling their SR systems having helper woofers similar to 4435, i.e., separately crossed, "Quasi-three-way."

The evidence: http://www.jblpro.com/JRX/JRX125.htm

In HT parlance, they'd be 2.05-way, perhaps.

Whatever. If the helper woofer of 4435 makes them "quasi-" three-way, then the independently adjustable HF boost circuit in the crossover also allows them to behave "as if" they "seemingly" had a separate HF driver in there "in a sense or manner," and thus, "quasi-four-way."

HEY, I can make crap up with the best of 'em! :D

[Bernard Wolf]

I think what the reviewer was alluding to was the 9800 is not far off, design wise, from the original ICONIC 2 way. You know, a 15' driver crossed over to a compression driver at 700hz.... the addition of the supertweeter being a concession to modern thinking vis-a-vis high frequency information in the 15,000 to 50,000 Khz range. In that, he was not far off.... how similar is the 9800 in that respect compared to a 4 -way studio monitor. I think he was just talking up the legacy/heritage inherent in the design of this supposedly modern K2.

An interesting aside - HK were talking about their amps putting out power up to 50,000 khz back in the 60's. They also claimed that even though you could not hear it with your ears you could somehow feel the extra information. They never did explain though, how the speakers of those days were going to deliver this extra information :blink:

Bernard

[Tom Loizeaux]

... and I think you Feel low bass, maybe more then you hear it. A system can be great sounding, with plenty of lows, but add a good "helper sub woofer, and the system just gets better!
I think we need 20 to 20KHz!

Tom

[Mr. Widget]

I think we need 20 to 20KHz!


I think we need 20Hz to 2GHz!!!


Just kidding...

I agree with you Tom about the deep bass adding to the sense of reality. When I got my first decent sub I was surprised to hear the wood groans of a closely mic'd grand piano. It wasn't loud or in your face but having it did reinforce the "reality".

I have been listening to the DEQXed Project Mays and comparing SACD and CDs of the same music. It is interesting that the marketing hype for SACD technology makes a big deal about it going out to 100KHz or whatever.

In my listening tests the SACDs do have better stage depth and imaging and do sound more like analog recordings in every respect, (the good ones) but is it due to the high frequency content? No. I know this because the digital front end that I am using has a filter at 20KHz, so whether listening to SACD or CD the response goes to 20KHz.

I suppose it is easier to sell the SACD concept when you have an easy number to point to. It is much easier to say our response goes out to 100KHz than it is to say... it just sounds better.

Widget