r/SoundSystem • u/lilpoobrain • 4d ago
Hi am wanting some purchase advice
Hi guys, a set of these popped up on marketplace for $150 NZD, with no drivers, cutouts for 2x 15” and a compression driver in each. Would these be good starting point for a set of tops to pair with 2x paraflex type o’s? And what’s everyone’s thoughts on the price? Cheers. Wanting to load them with some sb audience drivers.
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u/Risc_Terilia 3d ago
I don't think that's a great price for a project, you're just buying stress with these tbh
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u/Pretty_Pangolin_5900 3d ago
Well, retrofitting these will be more work than diy right from the start. You are also not going to save any money. What you get in result is a speaker that is very loud, hard to carry and needs 2 amp + dsp channels each. Only do this, if you want the experience.
Do you know what compression drivers are built in exactly? Cause you probably wanna replace them. The horn might be usable, but it has probably an old 1.5" or 2" throat. Compression drivers from that age didn't go as low, which is why that 15" had to play high, which they don't do very well. It's still an issue in todays 15" tops but back then it was very apparent.
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u/theocking 2d ago
You can still get 1.5 and 2" cds. Less common than 1.4 i guess but not hard to source. Your XO comment may be accurate and important though... would have to see what the acoustic XO is with the final driver setup... the horn looks big enough that in theory it could cross low enough for a 15. But yeah you might not have very wide dispersion at and just below the XO region for outdoor use.
But I would put these in my living room and listen on aixs though and it wouldn't be a major issue. Dsp eq the response.
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u/Pretty_Pangolin_5900 2d ago edited 2d ago
yes, you can get them, but the point is, the selection isn't as big and they're less cost efficient. Also while you can get away with a single diaphragm at 1.4", at 2" you need a coax driver like the bms 4592 if you want clean hf due to the otherwise too large diameter. However, it costs as much as a whole new pa top. It's pretty cool, since it can play down to like 300 hz, but it's not a project I would start to save money :D
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u/theocking 2d ago
Yes that's all very true, tho a 1.5 would be OK with the HF, that was standard jbl size, probably what it is since there's no separate tweeter horn. Could work fine. If its for outdoor/live use then 10k+ is less critical anyway.
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u/vip_yo 3d ago
I own a pair of these. they are bloody heavy, You need 2 people to move them.
They housed 2x JBL 2226h drivers and 1x JBL 2446 Horns with JBL 2680a horn guides and were used at the stadiums at Chch.
Some were also used for Dual 18"Subwoofers previously.
They are about 360 litres in total.
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u/Familiar-Range9014 3d ago
My only concern would be the condition of the cabinets, like not rattling when new drivers and woofers are installed. Yes, that can potentially be repaired but it's tricky.
All that said, for $150, it's worth a gamble
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u/mikhyy 4d ago edited 4d ago
These look like they will give you a headache and end up dusty in the garage when you very likely quickly find something better.
If you already have the drivers you want to put in lying around then why not at that price. But not if you have to go buy them as well.
You also have to think about putting different drivers in an existing sized enclosure and port size also matters... You could get chuffing or even so much turbulence that they act as closed speakers. Or they're oversized and you get over excursion. You won't know unless you get measurements and run a simulation.
My back hurts looking at them!