E155 vs. K151 vs. E145

[sunnandmoog]

Have a local lead on a K-151 18" driver that I’m considering for a bass/organ rig. How do these compare with the E-155? Would I expect to hear a much lower and dynamic bass response from the 18” vs. the 15" E145?

For my project at this point I'm leaning towards. one cabinet housing an 18" and the other with a E145/E140, 2118h, and a 2404 horn with a crossover that will allow turning off the 2404 for bass guitar use.
Are there any other 18/15" drivers that could be good for the ultra lows in a small box?
Any opinions and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[BigT]

Are there any other 18/15" drivers that could be good for the ultra lows in a small box?

I wouldn't exactly say the E145 is capable of ultra lows - but that depends on what you consider ultra low. My view is that 20-25 Hz comes under the heading of ultra low.

[sunnandmoog]

Thanks for the response Big T, Yeah, I was thinking the single 145/140 could handle the 40+ Hz and use an 18 or another 15 for the lows below that. Would like to find a nice full range instrument speaker that can reach down to 25HZ. The E155 or k151 is a bit limiting but seems like the only 18" JBL instrument speaker. Even these require fairly big boxes. Has anyone come across anything that might be a better choice for a 25+Hz bass instrument speaker that can go in a 4.5 enclosure?

[57BELAIRE]

I recently read in these pages, "...an E145 can move as much air as an 18...". Perhaps one of our Forum members can provide that thread.

Anyway, it led me to set up an aural A/B comparison between an E145
in a small box and an 18" ( EAW/RCF lc4001-8) in a suitable enclosure.

Hardly scientific and purely subjective I came away with this conclusion...

For electric 5-string bass guitar the E145 reached the lowest
fundamentals of the instrument with a somewhat clearer low/mid
bump that helped project the notes.

The 18 had a little less mid/punch but where the 18 shines is when used
in tandem with a 4x10 cab or as a sub, especially for the kick drum.
Lots of whump!

I can't comment on an E155 but because it's a musical instrument
speaker, it might be perfect for both roles.

[johnaec]

sunnandmoog - as per PM, I ran some sims with BassBox Pro 6 using the E145 in a 4.5 cu. ft. cabinet, and the E155 in a 6 cu. ft. cabinet. Both were selected as bass-reflex design, with optimal porting, which was roughly 36 hz for the 145, and 33 hz for the E155.

First graph shows normalized frequency response. Red = E145 in 4.5, green = E155 in 6.0.

Second graph shows same red and green, but showing the maximum acoustical output. Oddly, according to the graphs, the E145 looks somewhat more capable than the E155 where it counts... (at least in the size cabinets quoted)

John

[sunnandmoog]

Thanks John, This is very helpful information!! After looking at this it makes a very good case for the E145 over the E155.

[johnaec]

And lastly - here's the max-output chart with the unobtanium JBL SUB1500 in blue and the automotive JBL W15GTi in magenta in a 4.5 cu. ft. cabinet. You can see why I like using the SUB1500 driver for live bass. Huge excursion and capable of handling 800 watts continuously. BTW - I think the power line, (bold magenta), for the W15GTi is off. It also should be up where the SUB1500 is. I may rerun the calculations again later...

John

[sunnandmoog]

Wow , That looks sweet! Would love to use a Sub1500 for the Moog bass. I'm going to keep an eye out for one but looks like the boat may have sailed on that idea for the time being.