Best 12" or 15" JBL for hi-fi

[xanax]

What would be the best 12" or 15" JBL speaker choices for the low end of a "hi-fi" system meant only for listening to music (no theater duty)? It will be playing a wide variety of music, including hard rock and electronic. I'd consider both vintage and modern options.

[speakerdave]

Best=?

For 15" my opinion is that for very good performance, ready availability, reasonable cost, and working well in a reasonable size cabinet, the choice would be the JBL 2235. No longer available new, frames (2235 or 2225--they are the same ) are easily obtained on the used market and recones are available at JBL reconers.

[xanax]

Thanks for the input. I see a lot of threads on here discussing the 2225, 2235, and 2226 but typically the application is a sub in a home theater. Since these speakers won't be doing home theater duty I wasn't sure how the speakers like 2226 that seem to be targeted to SR and theater use would stand up to drivers that come from what I would call a system dedicated to just listening to music like the 2214H-1 or the LE120H-1. If you wouldn't be able to hear a difference then that is an acceptable answer too, I just wasn't sure of the pros and cons of using the professional series SR and theater speakers in a system that will only be used for listening to music.

[Allanvh5150]

The 2235 is not really a sub woofer although it will do a very comendable job. Like the 128H 12" it will go well down into sub territory. With a 2425/2344 you could build a very nice 2 way system but there are many combinations. By using a 2225 or 2226 if you decide it doesnt have enough bottom end you will have to do a redesign. IMO the 2235 is the best all round 15" driver that JBL used to make. Get some decent 2225 frames and get them reconed as a 2235 and you will be very happy. The 128 is still available from JBL new and it is also a superb driver that has been in production for 30+ years. I run 4 x 128's and 4 x 2235 in my setup which is used for theatre and music. mm mm mm

Allan.

[LE15-Thumper]

LE14H-3 is a Killer woofer that can be used up to 800hz easily.

124A or 2203A or the "H" versions were probably the sickest 12" home woofer ever made, but good luck finding a set or anyone willing to part with them.

The 2235 still probably gives best bang for the buck.

The newer 1400AL and 1500AL are supposed to be quite good as well but I suspect are very expensive.

The 2226 will not give the low extension like the aforementioned drivers, but they do handle gobs of power

[timc]

I'm in the same situation as the thread starter. I have decided to stick to 12".

How does the 1200Fe compare to the 128H-1?


-Tim

[robertbartsch]

12" - 2206h is a good choice.

[4313B]

How does the 1200Fe compare to the 128H-1?

Being a much more powerful driver it doesn't have the bottom end that the 128H-1 has, but what it does have is superlative.

[timc]

Thanks for the confirmation


-Tim

[xanax]

Ok, based on the recommendations from this thread and what parts I'm most likely to find my short list is now:

2235H
128H-1 or LE120H-1
2214H-1

or possibly 2225H

I know a guy who is parting out some L7s so the LE120H-1 would be the easiest to get but how much would I give up using that driver instead of the 15" 2235H? Any opinions?

[Mr. Widget]

Ok, based on the recommendations from this thread and what parts I'm most likely to find my short list is now...

Well... what speaker systems do you like?

If you think the Rogers LS3/5A was the best sounding thing ever I'd suggest one route and if you are more of an Altec A7-500 fan I'd go a different direction. There is no clear best woofer.

That said, the 2235H is about as good a compromise as any. Would you use cone and domes above it or go with compression drivers and horns?


Widget

[xanax]

Well... what speaker systems do you like?

If you think the Rogers LS3/5A was the best sounding thing ever I'd suggest one route and if you are more of an Altec A7-500 fan I'd go a different direction. There is no clear best woofer.

That said, the 2235H is about as good a compromise as any. Would you use cone and domes above it or go with compression drivers and horns?


Widget

Cone and domes, I'm actually considering purchasing the rest of the drivers from the L7s to use for this build. The cabinets for the L7s are badly damaged unfortunately. I've got a pair of 104H-2 midrange sitting around and I'm not sure what is better that or the 704G that comes with the L7s. The 2235s would probably cost me more than I can get the 704Gs, 708Gs, and LE120H-1s for.

[Mr. Widget]

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and end up with a sonic mess, why not just build new cabs for the L7s?


Widget

[xanax]

That is the direction I'm leaning in right now. I think I probably want to have the LE120H-1s face forward instead of side firing though. The crossovers from the L7s are gone already so I need to build those too.

[Mr. Widget]

The crossovers from the L7s are gone already so I need to build those too.

Get the schematics and copy them... are they a charge-coupled design? I know almost nothing about this L series. If they are not charge-coupled you should consider making that change.

I doubt the original network is so sophisticated that rotating the woofer 90° will be a problem... it may even sound better this way.


Widget