4502 woofer suggestions

I'm about to get some empty 4502WX cabs, and can't decide which woofer to use in them. I already have some 2405 slots, 2441 2inchs, with 2311 horns and 2308 lenses, so no problem with the HF. Also got some 2305 potato mashers so could potentially use them with an adapter. But I am undecided about the woofer. The guy who has them also has some LE15B, but from reading around they don't seem like the ideal choice. Ideal seems to be LE15A, but they cannot be found easily or cheaply here in the UK.

I have lots of 2225 baskets, so I'm thinking that perhaps I should get some 2235 kits and recone 2 baskets as 2235. But that is also not cheap, genuine kits are expensive here in the UK. Also call me fickle but it would be nice to have these cabs as all alnico :) The LE15B would be a cheaper option for me, does anyone have any thoughts? Bearing in mind I've never actually heard these woofers before. I had always dreamed of owning some of the big JBL monitors, but the price they command made me think it could only be a dream. Finding these empty cabs for cheap has been great, but now I'm stuck about the woofer!

Also, they don't have any crossovers. The guy selling them does have the crossovers for sale but the price he wants for them is stupid, he's better off selling in the asian market. I had planned on building a nice crossover but that can also get quite expensive, so for now does anyone have any cheap alternatives? I do have a Urei 525 and some spare BGW power amps so for the time being it can be an active set up, but eventually they are getting installed in PA system, so is there a good passive crossover design for these components that wont break the bank?

Also can anyone recommend a good amp? I think I could spare a BGW 250, but I am also tempted by something valve! I don't have any valve amps nor have I heard any, but these cabs will be a nice home hifi set up, not a loud disco system so perhaps a valve amp would be a nice touch eventually.

Hi Budney;

I am building a pair of these right now for my daughter. Something inside me want’s to keep it al AlNiCo as well.

I am going to first populate mine with 2235, 2420’s on both long and short horns with 2405’s.

I am going to compare 2216’s and 2216-1’s if they drop right in without modification to the baffles. I will likely end up with 2234 kits in 2205 baskets.

I am going to try the passive crossovers but will likely end up with an active DSP unit

I hope to get the enclosures re-painted today and get going on the testing listening part next weekend. Then I have to make grilles. :( At least I have one to pattern from.

I will keep you up on how I go.

Barry.

Hi Budney,

The original woofer used in the 4320 (4502 cab) was the 2215. Looking at JBL's Transducer Replacement List, Nov. 2012 (last one I seen), the Acoustic Equivalent given for that, as last resort, with no baffle mod, but with visual change, is the 2234H. Same thing given for the 2216. The 2234H/2235H were listed as current models, which may not be the case anymore...

RE "...perhaps I should get some 2235 kits and recone 2 baskets as 2235. But that is also not cheap, genuine kits are expensive here in the UK."

Depending on what you're trying to achieve on the low-end, you either pay or go for less. It doesn't look like you have a whole lot of feasible options. Budget being an issue, you may have to settle for aftermarket recones. Or maybe even trying to find a lower cost driver that more or less "matches" the above ones. Then you would need to examine specs and T/S parameters of the JBLs to possibly get somewhat close to their data...

BTW on the 2012 list I didn't see the Le 15A/B. However, on the older 1988 edition, the LE 15A/B/H has an Acoustic Equivalent given, as last resort, with no baffle modification: again the 2234H. Some food for thought... Regards,

Richard

I just got the cabs, I had no idea how large they were! They're pretty rough around the edges but should clean up nicely. The grills are completely ruined though, I will have to try and make some new ones. Or I could just forget about the grills, and paint the baffles the lovely JBL blue, I'm a sucker for blue things. Also I got 2 silver slot tweeters, they're so pretty!

The seller changed his mind and I managed to get all the crossovers for a good price, but they don't look in great condition. I haven't tested them yet but was planning on running some pink noise through then check the outputs on a spectrum analyser. What would be the best way to restore these crossovers? New caps? They're full of some kind of waxy resin, is there an easy way to remove this?

Thanks for the info Richard, very interesting. However, I have managed to find a pair of LE15A, so soon I will have the full set! I can't wait to have these legendary speakers back to full glory :D


some pics

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Hello,
I can tell you that Huntley Audio (Huntleyaudio.com) could create grilles for your speakers. He just recently applied JBL dark blue fabric on my L3000's, and they turned out absolutely perfect. His email is on the website.

Fun project. I think I would locate the slots above the horn .
Any chance of some better pics of your woodwork , there are quite a few bods on the forum that may be able to help.
Your x/o's look a bit iffy. If you have a woodburning stove that will run at a simmer
just put the metal boxes on top foe a while and the potting wax will melt and you just pour it out. Messy though , ask me how I know.

Here's a pic for inspiration

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