In either case, the JBL 2226 is a better driver having a shorting ring in the motor to reduce distortion. The midbass and lower midrange is clearer as a result. The Eminence woofers sound nice, to me they're better sounding than any other traditional ferrite woofers. But I can really hear the difference in the JBL's with their shorting rings. The harmonics generated from bass and midbass fall squarely in the midrange and that's the most noticeable range for them to be.