Le14h

Hello,

who owns the LE14H-1 or LE14H-3 woofers and can describe their sound character?

They look like a smaller variant of the 2235H woofers.
Do they deliver the classical punchy bass for what JBL is famous for? Or are these rather soft sounding like a typical hifi-woofer like scan speak etc... ?
My plan is to use these below 350hz....


Best regards,
Olaf

I lived with the LE14H-3 in the 1400 Arrays for quite a few years. They are actually fairly different than the 2235H. I believe the motor is the same, but relative to it's cone area the LE14H-3 has a heavier cone that is seriously loaded down with aquaplas.

Subjectively I prefer the sound of the LE14H-3. It is not capable of quite the same maximum output level as the 2235H and while it seems to have deeper bass, in real terms it is not capable of greater deep bass than the 2235H. For a typical home system where crazy SPLs are not required, it is an excellent general purpose woofer.

If you need greater output, I'd go with a dual 2234H system like that used in the 4435, or I would consider the 2216ND, the 1500AL or one of it's variants if possible.


Widget

Hi widget,

I´m not interested in maximum spl, it´s obvious that the smaller 14" cone won´t deliever the same spl as a 15" cone.

What is it you prefer of the LE14H-3 concerning the sound?
I´ve heard they sound rather soft in the midrange, but I´m only interested in frequencies below 350hz. Compared with 1500fe´s, 2216nd´s and so on, do they deliever the same transient response and liveliness?

My comments are purely subjective. After experimenting with 2235Hs in numerous systems and listening to them in the 4430 monitor, I discovered that I am not a fan of the 2235H. While it seems to do what it is supposed to do and do it with low distortion, it has failed to win me over.

That said, I haven't listened to them since the early to mid 2000s when I was playing around with them. I am basing my comments on this older experience. The LE14H-3 on the other hand is simply a very satisfying sounding driver. It is not as dynamic and punchy as some of JBL's best woofers, but if I could only have a single pair of moderately sized speakers, using the LE14H-3 would be on my short list.


Widget

I'm with Widget on the 2235H. I had it in a pair of 4430a and in a B380. Neither satisfied me enough to keep them around when it was time to cull the herd. In the 4430, it seemed to be trying to cover too much, so the bass seemed thin. In the B380 it lacked authority even though it was only responsible for around 100Hz and lower. Even a bridged 300W/ch Hafler Pro amp (so 600W) and B63A couldn't get a smile on my face, so it had to go.

I felt the LE14H-3 in the Performance Series PS1400 was a more authoritative low frequency driver despite being in a somewhat undersized cabinet. I still have a quartet of LE14s in service.

This is all unscientific, subjective, personal preference commentary. I keep what I like best.

:D

I have both 2235's and Le-14H-3 in service. I prefer the Le-14's I have in my Array clones and Performance Series PS1400 subs. They sound more linear, have better clarity IMHO. The 2235's are in 4344 clones and B380 subs. Sound fine in the 4344, used only to 300Hz and in my case I have no issue at all with them for LF output. My 2235's are used as music only subs. They didn't work for me as LFE HT subs. Clang Clang!

Rob:)

I'm with the group on this one. The LE14H-3 (or most any of its variants) has always sounded better to me. Cleaner. I've never been a fan of the 2235. The 2235 always felt like such a kludge with its mass ring and it never sounded all that great to me. As a reconer, I can say I've had to recone FAR more 2235s than LE14s. The only thing that seems to take down the LE14 on the earlier variants was foam rot but on the LE14H-3, it is rubber on the surrounds so they don't have that issue. I'd take the minor bottom-end hit for the rubber over the foam any day.

I believe you can see the frequency response plots here on the LHF (as well as see the T-S parameters) and see how it evolved. Given a choice between the LE14H-3 and the 2235, when starting from scratch...I'll take the LE14H-3 every time. The only concern (slight) is that the recone kit for the 2235H remains from JBL but it does not for the LH14H-3, if you experience catastrophic failure. I suspect this is to the higher demand for the 2235H cone kit as people are notorious for converting other drivers with that motor into the 2235.

All of you prefer the LE14H-3 over the 2235H´s...
There might be more punchy and dynamic JBL woofers on the market. But would you desribe the LE14H-3 in general as a punchy and dynamic woofer? Or rather a very clean but soft sounding woofer?


@sguttag:
Being a reconer you might be able to answer these questions:

- People reported the 2235H´s voicecoils will slap the poleplate when driven very hard.
Will the LE14´s voicecoils hit the poleplate like the 2235H´s too? Or is the LE14 of a different design giving it more mechanical safety?

- Could I recone a LE14H-3 basket with a LE14H-1 cone-kit?
Do they share the same voicecoil ?