Hi
I have 2235s (ceramic) in 8 cu foot sealed cabinets (the bass is more melodic in a sealed cabinet than a ported one in my estimation, and was recommended to me by Philip Newell, a renowned studio builder and recording expert, my speakers are partly based on advice he gave me (I still need to get his horns but they are pricey)) with 2425 drivers and 2270 horns.
The 2235s were refoamed when I bought them and they took a few hunderd hours at 50W to loosen up a bit
The sound is dynamic, crystal clear and very open and transparent, you can hear soft things even when it is turned up loud, (I say you can hear through it)
It sounds good at all volumes but I like it turned up a bit as it really comes to life then.
It is kind of merciless and makes bad recordings sound very bad, harsh, echoey, or whatever is wrong. It is a typical JBL studio monitor so that is what it is designed to do whereas many other speakers make everything sound very nice but anodyne.
The system is bi-amped, DBX crossover (800hz) Croft Micro A tube amp (28W) for the horns, Bryston 3B (100W) for the bass.
Often I use just 1 watt to the horns, barely flashing on with about 50 to the bass drivers. (LED power meters)
To me it's classic JBL with a ton of midrange, there is lots off bass and drums sound great but I would like a bit more bass, melodic and tuneful of course no booming one note bass for me.
I listen to mostly late 60s and early 70s vinyl, of course some albums have more bass, "Synchronicity" by The Police for example, it's all there but I seek a better balance
I have a Croft tube pre-amp without tone controls and I have tried various equalizers and bass boosters but they all effect the sound in a detrimental way so no more.
I have a set of Alnico 2231s, would it be a good idea to pair up the bass drivers, I would put these in sealed 8 cu ft cabinets of their own or should I get 2245s?
How do I cross them over and at what frequency? It doesn't strike me as a good idea to let both drivers go to 800hz.
It has to be all JBL of course, I used to have Altec 808As but am restoring them as they were corroded and full of metal filings, that's another story and project.
I am thinking of building the JBL system that Drew designed as the ultimate of 2 2245s a 2220 a 2123 a 2247 with a 2352 and a 2404 on top per side all set up with electronic crossovers and multi amplification but that will take a while,
Cheers
Thanks Bloys