Posted by Wayne Parham [ 70.128.109.0 ] on December 16, 2008 at 12:34:43:

In Reply to: Re: jbl 2205 vs eminence omega 15 posted by Joep Ritterbex on December 16, 2008 at 04:58:16:

I like the Omega 15 but it is not as clean sounding as the 2205 at midrange frequencies. The 2205 has a shorting ring for reduced distortion, and you can really hear the difference, especially when used as a midwoofer. Its successors, the 2225 and 2226, have additional incremental improvements, mostly improved heat control.

The things that are most important in a high-efficiency midwoofer like this all revolve around midrange quality, so cone construction (flex damping) and motor construction (immunity to flux modulation) are what set apart the good/better/best quality points. The JBL 22xx series has long set the standard, in my opinion, for large format midwoofers.

If intended use is purely below 100Hz, there is probably little to be gained by using the more expensive JBL drivers. But if the driver will be used up to even just 300Hz, I'd prefer the JBL. That's why they're available as an upgrade option in the seven π loudspeaker, because the woofer and midrange are allowed to overlap in the lower midrange band, to mitigate floor bounce and high-frequency room modes just under the Schroeder frequency. The quality difference is even greater when the woofer is used up to the frequency where DI begins to collapse, such as the case in the directivity-matched two-way speakers like the four π loudspeaker.

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