I was the third cast member for the SET / JBL 2226j combo demo. I visited the day after Till, bringing my Moth s45 SET, a host of output tubes, cables (Silverline Audio) and power cord (Shunyata Sidewinder). We listened to the National-Union ST 45s' first and with this being my first exposure to the JBLs was quite impressed. While different from the presentation with my Silverline Sonatinas (93db / 3-way dynamic) there was also similarities that caught me off guard. Images were not as well defined with the JBL but they were larger, carrying greater weight. There was more of a full-bodied tone with the JBLs but the Sonatinas weren't embarassed either. Tonally, it wasn't a dramatic difference. Of course, there were many variables, outside of just the different speakers, in the two systems. I will say that Ron's room is a good bit smaller than mine and we were in a nearfield arrangement. IMS there is more space, which you'd think wouldn't benefit the leanish Silverlines. We then listened to the RCA 2a3's, the Cunningham cx345 Globe's and then to his Dynaco st-70. We liked the more dynamic and propulsive St 45's best. We also listened to the Altec 811 horn / JBL. I liked the detail with the Altec horn. Bottomline: The demo proved successful and promising, given my associations. While I still preferred my speakers over the sound we observed from the JBL / Altec combo, I'd give the horns a thumbs up! I think Ron was very surprized by the degree the SET impressed, the "rightness" of the 45s, and how the JBL woofer worked with my amp. As he said before the audition, "Altecs drivers work with tube amps and JBL's with SS". In this one demonstration the JBL's mated with my SET amp very nicely - slammin' bass with "in the room presense". YMMV.
MikE
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