Originally Posted by
mikebake
JBL at the time designated boxes which performed well up to 75-80 feet as short throw, but not only is that a pretty good distance inside, these boxes perform decently outdoors.
I would speculate that their demise in the product lineup was due to the evolution of more powerful amps, the ability to get comparable output in BR boxes, with the subsequent weight and size reductions, and the bad rap rear-loaded boxes developed for various phase/response problems based on direct vs. rear wave interaction, etc. Back loaded horns are often dissed by some. There is only one design I have heard of that somehow seemed to escape the problems of the back horn, and IIRC it was an old Jensen design.
Anyway, I like front horn loaded bass, but the size is unwieldy.......
Having said all that, I still like the old scoops and they don't bother me, but I haven't tried listening to them in a high-fidelity kinda way.