JBL 2397 Curves

[Doc Mark]

Yeah sure, whatever...

OK, so I wasn't paying attention. I would be interested in measuring one of those in comparison to the 2397.

If anyone could send me one with lens, (I bet I could borrow a lens locally) and the 2311 is a stubby little fellow so shipping wouldn't be much, I would be happy to run some curves of it. I could even do it with different baffle sizes to see the baffle effect.

Widget

Hi, Widget,

I was perusing some old threads, and came upon this one, in which you had run some performance graphs on the 2397 + 2441 combination. Towards threads end, you were planning on comparing that combo to the 2311 + 2308 + 2441 performance. Did you ever complete that, Sir, and if so, where could I find the end results of your testing? This is in line with a question I asked earlier today, do whatever you gleaned from your testing and comparison, would be of great interest to me. Thanks, very much, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[Earl K]

Doc,
- Here ya go, courtesy of 4313B ( some of us just know where to look ).
- ( It's the grey trace ) .
- The graphs are from this thread about the 475Be driver .




cheers><

[Doc Mark]

Evening, Earl,

Many thanks, and also to 4313B! It seems to me, that I've heard others say the 2397 sounds much smoother than some other horns, is that right? I'm not going to do anything, right now, but may do so somewhere down the line. Nice to have my ducks in a row, when and if I decide to jump into another pair of horns and adaptors. Thanks, again, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

P.S. There is one pair of 2397's, with adaptors, on FleaBay, right now. But, they don't look that nice to me. If I obtained a pair, I'd like them to be in outstanding condition.

[Mr. Widget]

I've heard others say the 2397 sounds much smoother than some other horns, is that right?

I think so, but be aware that their wide dispersion requires careful placement and benefits proper room treatment.


Widget

[Mr. Widget]

Hi, Widget,

I was perusing some old threads, and came upon this one, in which you had run some performance graphs on the 2397 + 2441 combination. Towards threads end, you were planning on comparing that combo to the 2311 + 2308 + 2441 performance. Did you ever complete that...

I never did measure the 2441s on other horns... I ended up selling the drivers.

I would take those early plots of mine with a grain of salt... these were some of my very first measurements and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were not entirely repeatable.


Widget

[Doc Mark]

Good Morning, Mr. Widget,

Many thanks for your further thoughts on this matter. Much appreciated. I will take a "wait and see" attitude on this, for now. As I wrote, the pair on FleaBay are not calling to me, as I do think they might have serious problems. I've asked the seller a very pointed question as to their condition, which had already been asked before and remained unanswered. Instead of responding as requested, the seller seemed offended by my asking this question again, and gave what seems like his stock answer to such things: Buy it now, or shut up and go away.... or, at least that's how his reply came across to me. I'd rather do business with someone who cheerfully and carefully answers any asked questions. "Time to buy, snooze, lose" doesn't get it, in my book!!

Thanks, again, Widget. Your comments have told me what I needed to know, and I appreciate your experience with this horn. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[Doc Mark]

Greetings, Friends,

Does anyone have a good recipe for crow??!! After thinking about this for a bit, and after the seller lowered his BIN price, I decided to go ahead and jump on the JBL Smith horns, plus their proper adaptors, that he was offering! SOOOO, tonight, I shall cook up a nice dish of boiled crow, and shall make myself eat every last bite, for being so sure that I would not be happy with the horns that I have just bought!!

Thanks to Mr. Widget, Jerry_Rigged, and others, who jumped in to answer my questions about these horns. In truth, I had been saving some coin for a new pistol, but what the heck, eh??!! I'll let you know how the Smiths are, when they arrive here. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc (still learning not to be so sure of his likes and dislikes.....!)

[Doc Mark]

Howdy, Friends,

Well, my "new" JBL 2397 Smith horns, with their proper adaptors, arrived today, safe and sound. Overall, I'm fairly satisfied. However, I must admit that the seller DID misrepresent the condition of these horns. In the photos he posted, it appeared to me as if one of the horns had been dropped on its front lips, and I asked him about that. He got huffy, and replied, in a fairly indignant tone, that the thing I thought I saw was nothing more than a paint problem, and that there were no depressions on the front lips. Truth be told, he lied, pure and simple! One look is all it took to verify that what I thought had happened, had happened, indeed! One horn does have a concussion mark on both horn hips. No, it's not really bad, but you can easily see that tiny fractures radiate backwards from the initial point of impact. Also, both horns have had extra screws added, as they seemed to have had a small problem in stability, probably caused by the fall they endured. One horn also needs some filling, sanding, and painting where those fractures are. Would I buy them again, for the price I paid, had the seller been more honest with me? Very probably not. But, now that I actually have the horns in hand, I see that, with a little work on my part, they will be look very nice, should function as new, and will be very satisfactory. I'm just disappointed that the seller deliberately lied to me about an honest question asked about his offering. I'm not sure if I can give him a positive feedback, or not. Though I can "make do" with his offering, and I am, overall, happy about how they will eventually turn out, I do not believe his dishonesty deserves a positive feedback. Am I wrong about that, Friends, being happy with the horns, themselves? I'd love to hear what you all think, if you would be so kind as to share your thoughts on all this.

I'll also take and post photos soon, so you can see the damage for yourselves. One note, all JBL logo stickers are in place, and in fairly nice shape, so that's a good thing! Thanks, very much, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[cooky1257]

Hey Doc, I hope you like them-I really enjoy mine for sure.
They are only mdf and are easily damaged though they are an easy restore if its just surface dings-I used car body filler on mine and mdf is like caster sugar to sand, it's an easy job. The battleship grey was a problem to me so I masked off the decals and sprayed them stove black. Enjoy.
Cooky

[Doc Mark]

Hey, Cooky,

Many thanks! I'm looking forward to hearing these guys, and think I may well like them quite a bit. I've got the 2397's, a pair of 2380A's, and a pair of 2311's (with 2308 lenses), all to try with my 2445J drivers. So, lots of fun stuff in store. I do think that the 2397's just might be the best of the lot, in many ways, however. Time and listening will tell the tale, eh?! How has the wide dispersion of this horn been in your listening room, Cooky? Any troubles? What's the soundstage like? Large sweet spot, or no? How do they sound working with the 2405/077's? Are your woofers a pair of 2235H's in each cabinet? Where do you have them all crossed over to one another? Thanks for any thoughts and impressions you may have about listening to these neat Smith horns. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[cooky1257]

Hi Doc, well they don't image like a point source that's for sure;-) They have a huge sweet spot in my room-of modest UK proportions 5.5mx4.5mx2m well toed in 15-20 deg to help avoid any close first reflections. They sound excellent wherever you sit, either side of the listening sofa-it's all good. In a reflective sparsely furnished room they splash all over the place and hardly image at all-so 'well furnished' is a good place to start.
The sound is on the large side, instruments within the mix are BIG. I'm using the 2441@800hz with the 2405 coming in at 11.5k(XTA active xover). I tried the 2441 out to 14khz recently, the system as a 2 way, and think I may prefer it-the imaging is certainly more focused.
Yep they are reconed 2231's to 2235's. My summer project is some cnc'd h9800's via my University workshops with 2435hpl's all mated to the dual 2235's again actively eq'd via the XTA.
Cooky

[Mr. Widget]

Hi Doc, well they don't image like a point source that's for sure;-)

The sound is on the large side, instruments within the mix are BIG.

I would add the sound is also slightly forward... like most JBL systems.

My summer project is some cnc'd h9800's via my University workshops with 2435hpl's all mated to the dual 2235's again actively eq'd via the XTA.

I'll be interested in what you think of the comparison. I made a similar journey a few years back. Personally, I preferred the 2397 sound. The really big sound stage and natural sound quality.


Widget

[cooky1257]

Hi Widget,
On the h9800/2345 front I'm looking forward to finding out.
Could you shed any more light your own conclusions?(I must've read every 435/horn related thread on here) but I'd be interested in a quick recap if you have the time.
Cooky

[Mr. Widget]

I must've read every 435/horn related thread on here, but I'd be interested in a quick recap if you have the time.

I can't give you a recap, but suffice it to say that I believe my view on the subject is likely in the minority. That said, I am not sure how many people who praise (or condemn) the H9800/435Be combo or the K2-S9800 have actually had them in their own homes and really gave them a long listen.

As for my subjective view, the H9800 with 435Be on it compared to the 2397/2441 is a lot like the difference between playing an analog record and playing the CD of the same music. In that analogy, some people prefer one over the other, but more specifically the H9800 combo is more center focused with a significantly shallower sense of stage depth than the 2397 combo.

For some people these attributes of CDs are insignificant for others, they are a big deal. For me they are important enough that while I much prefer the compact H9800 from a design standpoint, I really couldn't use it in my system.


Widget

[4313B]

And yet you seem to like the H4338 with the cheaper 435AL in the 1400 Array?

BTW, I suspect most people would prefer even the 4-inch 2452H-SL to the 3-inch 435AL, 435BE or 2435HPL.