2225 to 2235 refoam xmax question

[Artcore87]

I have a pair of 2225's in a large box(cant remember cubic feet) tuned to 40hz and love the sound they have. They are used as HT mains

Glad to hear it. The woofers arrive today so preliminary listening will begin shortly.

[Artcore87]

Glad to hear it. The woofers arrive today so preliminary listening will begin shortly.

Ok so I've been listening to the new woofers for a while, in a couple different diy treated listening environments and I must say I'm quite impressed. While I'd love to have the 2235's for those times I really want to blast it and want loads of bass, the 2225's are definitely adequate and don't require subs at all. EQ'd, at my listening levels (moderately loud), I'm getting flat output to about 30hz, and the usable output extends at least to 25hz, if not 20hz... as evidenced by some dub step and psytrance I have. This is corner loaded with some sound absorption behind the speakers and in the other corners, and a carpeted floor in a room about 15x17, with a large opening in 2 of the walls (could have better pressure loading at ultra-low freqs. if it wasn't for this room design).

The vocal range handled primarily by the woofers (<1000hz) sounds gorgeous and extremely detailed compared to previous woofers. Before voices sounded very disproportionately detailed... the upper range covered by the mids was very detailed while the lower part was muddy and nonlinear. Now it sounds like one coherent voice.

Particularly in electronic music the increase in bass detail and linearity compared to the RTR's is huge. The detail in bass now approaches that of the horns and ribbons above it... differently shaped LF/ULF synth effects actually sound detailed and unique rather than boomy and muddy or mostly sounding like sine-waves. Sub-sonics (15-25hz) are actually sensed, and as long as I keep them within xmax no amount of signal layering found in most music can seem to smear the detail of these woofers. Drum and bass hits don't lessen the detail in a present voice as they did with the RTR's. In this respect, I may in fact be more pleased than if I had the 2235's. The punch and articulation of these woofers is exceptional even down into the 20's. My slightly too small cabinets are working very well I suspect due to the large amount of internal damping material (all walls except front baffle). I still have to increase the port size to 6" and based on listening/intuition I believe this will have a positive effect of even more linear bass and slightly lower flat extension. Since the larger port should reduce cabinet pressures, theoretically the unwanted sound they put off should be reduced, as well as a reduction in ULF energy absorption.

I haven't made any changes to the crossover and the speakers sound much more integrated and flat than they did before with the RTR's (perhaps indicative of them not being designed around those woofers). Albeit with some EQ (only mild at the woofer/mid x-over point) the whole system blends seamlessly. EQ is mainly used to boost ULF and UHF (the JVC ribbon tweeters aren't as sensitive as the AKAI compression driver/horn combo... yes I looked at the models!) No L-pad will be needed.

[Artcore87]

I just purchased this amplifier, as I had shorted out my Sure tripath tk2050 (tc2000 + 2x tp2050) chipset amp, which is a great amp and an unbelievable value (just replace input caps and output coils and you get an extremely hi-fi amp), it was good for about 40 super clean (.01% thd) watts, but thd went up quickly from there hitting 10% by 60 or 65 watts. This one will be good for about 50w (@ .01%), 60w (@ .02%), 130w (@ .1%). This will correct a specific weakness over the Sure amp with material that has a high dynamic range, with peak transients that would push the Sure into very high THD (>10%) levels for brief moments, which would definitely be audible. This obviously is only a problem @ rather high average output levels. My avg. (or what I want possible) listening level ranges from 95 to 100 db, with 115db peaks. So, with 98db efficient woofers and probably (guess) 104-108db efficient horns, and less efficient super tweeters above that... so maybe an average efficiency of 98-100db/w/m when EQ'd, including crossover components.

So, about 40w (@.1% thd) would get me 110-112db peaks at listening position, while 130w (@.1%) will get me 115-118. A worthwhile upgrade IMO.

The Sure is a great amp if 35-40w is enough for you. If I ever run bi or tri-amped i'll probably use 1 or 2 of the Sure amps for the midrange/tweeter, since it would have plenty of power for that use. I could then use the connex amp on the woofers and have 110w just for them ! This amp is gonna make me want the 2235's I know it.

[Russellc]

That would depend where you have friends....

Spend the dollars and get the original parts or get the job done by a JBL service tech. Well worth it in the long run.

Allan.

I would contact them quickly, before they are moved to china and JBL quits making them. Then you better know someone with a time machine.
Its a little over 400 a pair and worth every penny. Do it while you still can! Time is growing short.

Russellc

[Russellc]

Glad to hear it. The woofers arrive today so preliminary listening will begin shortly.

Yes, 30 hz is too low for these drivers. In 5 cu ft (4505/4647 box) tuned to 40 hz, they slam like crazy, with insane rimshots. Just not as low as 2235H, but lower than my A7's ever dreamed of.

russellc

[Russellc]

From a resale standpoint, a 2225 reconed as a 2235 is still worth about $150, while a 2225 with an aftermarket cone is worth the value of an empty frame, or about $50. This may makeup most of the premium charged for the JBL kit.

How do you figure? the recone for the driver will be over 200.00. I'll take all you have of the 2225H at 50 bucks, as well as your reconed 2225h to 2235H for 150.00. How big a truck should I bring?

Russellc