What else besides the JBL 2245???

[GM]

The same? None AFAIK, so it becomes a matter of what trade-offs are acceptable to you. For sheer performance in the LF, the Peerless XLS12 is technically better, but requires four of them to ~match its peak SPL, with 4x the power and a pair of PRs to tune them. Not to mention the cost difference. On the plus side, the JBL is 'dead' by 20Hz whereas the Peerless is capable of destroying your house's structural integrity at ~14Hz so reproducing 64ft pipes at 'live' levels is a option. This is near dual Servodrive Contrabass performance levels, so I can attest to the destruction this combo would be capable of.

Obviously, this will turn the bottom half of your vintage cabs into swiss cheese so this option is best used as a separate cab with an 816 or 817 perched on top.

The Adire Maelstrom looks viable at a glance, with an FR that is 'close enough', but then it too needs PRs to tune it unless you restrict either its extreme LF BW capability or its entire BW with limited power, defeating the main point of this mod IMO. Again, too many holes, much more power required, and higher cost.

I've seen mentioned that Selenium drivers are ~JBL 'clones' of older designs, but don't have time to do any more research.

If these don't pan out and you can't find any 2245s, then the four Peerless in a sealed bipole configuration appears to be the best I can come up with on short notice. Otherwise, one or two sealed Maestroms depending on whether you want a bit more peak SPL performance capability than the JBL, or will accept less extreme LF output.

Of course any of the sealed designs will have a better group delay than the JBL, if you consider this a plus even though it's tuned low enough for it to be swamped by the room modes, and any 'sub' requires considerable bracing to support the drivers and tie the six sides together to keep them from 'breathing'.

Everything else I've simmed requires much more Vb for comparable performance, so as expensive/'rare' as they are, the 2245 is quite the bargain WRT acceptable trade-offs between BW, size, SQ, and power handling!

GM

[scott fitlin]

Why not just find a JBL 2240 basket, and have it reconed as a 2245? The basket is OK to do this with, and you would then have your 2245.

[djnagle]

Hi All, I want to use a pair of 18" woofs in the bottom of my A7 cabs and was going to use the JBL 2245 but I can not find them for a reasonable price if at all. What other drive will perform the same? Thanks for your help.

[scott fitlin]

Igor, www.jamminjersey.com has a pair of JBL-2245,s for $650! I have purchased from these guys and they are OK, if they say its in good condition it usually is, I havent had a problem with their merchandise!

Considering what JBL transducers are retailing for these days, $325 a woofer isnt bad.

Youll have to call them and ask them about the condition of the foam surrounds, they are honest, they will tell you if they are good or not!

[amh]

Igor,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially after you have given me such great tips. Anyway, I was just out-bid on some 2245s. I posted a small bid just on a whim, I had to leave and couldn't follow the auction. The winner took home two very nice 2245s for $187.00 each. Had I seen your post sooner I would have just let you know about them.

Sorry.......

[jnorv]

That sounds more reasonable. I paid $155 ea for a pair last year.

Jim N

[dhook17322]

Another alternative is the Maelstrom in the EBS vented enclosure - usable response down to 10Hz is impressive: http://www.adireaudio.com/Files/Vent...plications.pdf
"In room, the low Q nature of the EBS Alignment shows to blend very well with the typical room curve. Response is extremely
extended, down into the 12 Hz range. Room gain rolls off above 50 Hz, resulting in the loss of high end extension. Overall though
the subwoofer still exhibits a ? 3 dB response from 10 Hz to 60 Hz."

There's also the North Creek Leviathan:
http://www.northcreekmusic.com/Drivers.html

The specifications are equally impressive:
fs = 14.0 Hz
Qts = 0.327, Qes = 0.337 Qms = 11.3
Vas = 579 liters (20.4 cu.ft.), DCR = 5.00 Ohm, Sen = 92.5dB/2.83V/1m,
Bl = 24.8Tm, VC diameter = 100mm, Sd = 0.397 m.

http://www.northcreekmusic.com/Levia...nSealedBox.PDF

[amh]

Last trip to Audiolight turned up another option. Didn't ask the price (I was afraid to) and I'm not familiar with these drivers. Maybe some of the other more knowledgeable board members would know how suitable they would be in this application. Audiolight says they should perform better than the JBL 2245 by quite a bit.

Try... McCauley 6174 18" 15Hz-800Hz.

Recommended Vb = 6 cu ft
Sen = 94dB
Fs = 20
Dcr = 5.6 ohm
Qts = .34
Qes = .38
Qms = 2.9
Vas = 25.9 cu ft
V.C. = 1.1 mH
Sd = 200 in sq

See this driver at http://www.mccauleysound.com/compone...iew.cfm?ID=126

[jack6428]

How do Altec 3182's compare?

Anybody know where these are available?
Jack

[amh]

They seem to be relatively rare. I have seen a pair on Ebay. If I recall even that pair needed re-coning. Maybe Bill at GPA? I never asked him if he could make a pair. He does make some of the low frequency drivers new.