TEST OF JBL 2445JPL Compression Drivers with horns

[♔Chello]

TEST OF JBL 2445JPL Compression Drivers with horns

I got them from my son Arius, and they cost about $900 (plus shipping) on the used market.

The horns mounted on these drivers are not original, and are much larger than these - 47cm x 29cm x 33cm (W x H x D).
They also weigh considerably: 13.8kg without horns (16kg with horns).


I placed them on top of my existing horns, so now each speaker weighs about 90kg, and towers well in the landscape with its 55cm x 155cm x 80cm (W x H x D).

I have not measured them yet, but studied available measurements, which showed that they can play very loud (118dB).

The resistance is unusual - 12 to 16 Ohm.

The frequency range is 500Hz - 20kHz +/- 3dB.
I made a simple crossover filter that cuts at 550Hz with 6dB per octave with a Sidereal capacitor of 18µF (400V).

The unusually high resistance should theoretically make them less effective together with my 8 Ohm horns.


But how do they sound ?

WOW!
Details I had never heard before appeared crystal clear (too clear?) - all instruments got more detail, and especially the double bass and brushes were reproduced as well as I have heard on the best equipment ever.

But 2 things happened that I didn't like:
The bass disappeared !

And human voices became a little shrill; but extremely clear and dynamic.
At moderate volume the voices were unproblematic, but when the volume was increased, the tendency also increased.

It is absolutely wild that these drivers are as detailed far up in the frequency range just like my Fountek NeoPro 5i..!

I got the sound image a little less shrill by pushing the JBLs back a little, and will probably achieve some improvement when I connect the Philips horns, which are disconnected for the occasion.
I am in the process of rebuilding these so that they can be placed inside the main horns, and I will also make new dipoles for these, which is very difficult.

I fixed the bass by adjusting the subwoofer:
Before I installed the JBLs I could barely adjust the volume before it became too loud.

That says a bit about how effective the JBLs are, when I can now adjust it up to 12 o'clock for the bass to be just as powerful, but now the sub range is also much more powerful than before.

This test will be followed up with another one when I have finished making the Philips horns, and I will also make dipoles for the JBLs as an experiment, largely because they have been given quite a harsh treatment and have many ugly marks that will be hidden by the dipoles.

PS:
I've never heard a drum crash so explosively rendered before, and the Pa5X also sounds much more dynamic than before..!