BeOfService Messages: 4 Registered: October 2011 Location: Atlanta
Esquire
Allow me to encourage the purchase of 2226 woofers on the used market (as somebody suggested above). There is of course some risk, as with purchasing baskets with a plan to recone. However, the upside opportunity is huge. Through careful shopping on CL here in my major metro area I was able to get a pair for under $100 each.
Right now it looks like good used 2226 drivers cost about $150 each on ebay with some going for $200. I think the price has gone up due to the shortage, as I'm pretty sure they went for around $125 this past summer. Compared with the retail price of about $500 each that is still very attractive.
I also think the recone option is very attractive. Baskets are cheap on the used market - $20. With new (unavailable) units retailing for $500, you can afford the best recone you can find and still save hundreds of dollars.
One more comment: I believe the 2225 was the precursor to the 2226, but the specs are not quite the same. Because of those somewhat subtle differences I would not assume you could swap them directly into one of Wayne's designs and get the same results as the 2226. Maybe they are close enough, but I'd want to explore that further.