Hello - I have a question about extending the upper range of some 2461 drivers. I have a pair that are mounted to 2345 horns in custom HF cabs. I replaced the diaphrams with factory 2425's almost 25 years ago when I purchased them (2nd hand). They have been in service as the high frequency drivers (crossed at 2.5K) for a PA system that I used for over 2 decades as a small to mid sized club system.
I never checked the specs on the 2461 until about a week ago and was surprised to find that they were only rated to about 12K with the original phenolics. Since then I've read a bit of anecdotal info about extending the range with newer diaphrams like the 2425 (which is what I did - without realizing what I was doing), but nothing concrete on what HF can be achieved with the alnico magnets in the 2461 compared to using a 2425 or 2426 driver. I would expect that the diaphram would make most of the difference in HF response, but dont know for sure. Does anyone know?
Also I havent been able to find any info on what is the natural roll off for the 2345 horns. Does anyone have experience with this? I've never had a problem with the HF output and my RTA says they are fine up to 20K - but that is with pink noise, which doesnt tell me if the output is colored or distorted. According to JBL, the 2345 horns were mostly used as high mids for vocal reproduction. The highs sound OK to me - but for all these years I've been blaming all the sound coloration that I hear on my mid packs and its certainly possible that the high packs are contributing as well.
These days I still take the PA on the road now and then, and occasionally run it hard - but mostly it stays in my basement as a practice PA, in-house PA for parties, and oversized stereo system. So I'm looking to improve the accuracy, without sacrificing too much SPL.
The weak link in the system sound fidelity has always been my mid packs - horn loaded PAS 10's - which are good for filling up a big room, but sound kinda honky up close - so I'm getting ready to build some new mid-high cabinets with two front loaded 10's on each side. I was planning to put the 2461's with the 2345's on top and get everything in a single mid-high cabinet, however I dont want to put a lot of effort into making my mids sound nice up front, only to find that the highs are not really cutting it. I'd like to keep the 2461/2345's if possible - partly out of of nostalgia and partly because I already have them in hand - however, if I can find something better for reasonable money, I'm open to that as well.
Bottom line - can anyone tell me if the 2461/2345 combination can be made to adequately cover the full HF range (or reasonably close to it) in a smallish system with the right choice of diaphram, or would I be better off trying to sell these and replace them with something like a used 2425 or 2426 driver which seem to have been made more for this application? Would there be an HF advantage to swapping the 2345 to a 2370 horn? Also, does the HF response of the 2425 diaphram degrade over time (ie after 25 years, would there be any benefit to getting new diaphrams to improve HF response - even if the existing ones seem to be working fine)?
thank in advance for any advice - Kevin