For years all the big 18" and 15" JBLs had only 4" voice coils, while the Altec 15s had 3", and most other makes had everything in between. EV had some 2.5" and 3" VC woofers (12 and 15, and 18 too?). JBL even put 4" VCs into 12" woofers (like the Fender MI woofers, and some studio monitors) when other makes were using 2" VCs in their 12" woofers. JBL even made an 8 incher with a 3" VC! My understanding is that it was mainly for power handling.
So, I notice that recently (well, within the past 15 years or so..) JBL started making 15" pro woofers with 3" VCs (2035), and going through all the woofers on PartsExpress I see 12, 15, and 18 inch woofers with 2,3,4 inch voice coils.
So, the question is, for in-home use, what's better? I won't be putting 1000W into my speakers all day long so I don't need pro-level power handling. But I would like to achieve a reliable 100dB with low distortion. Is a 4" VC design compromised in some way compared to a 3" VC woofers to get that power handling? Is it possible there are attributes to a smaller VC that are lost in the race to make woofers that can withstand 1000+ watts input? I can think of a lower MMS, and that leads to less magnet (so less weight), but is the sound better because of the 4" coil formers, or is that not an issue?
just thinking out loud here, with questions. google search turns up not much on this, except the improved power handling.
this comes about as I research what it would take to build a 3-way with a 15" or 18" woofer (JBL 2235, 2245, or alternative), a 10" to 12" mid and then CD horn top end - an augmented econo-wave if you like. Yes, I can go with all vintage 30+ year old (and potentailly expensive) JBL parts, but there are also plenty of vintage EV (and Yamaha, Peavy, York, etc) speakers out there too (and the 3" VC JBL woofers too!) for less $$, and then many many new woofers at PE, US-Speakers etc. that cost about the same (or less). :scratch2: one thing I noticed - the cost seems to be related to power handling, but reading spec sheets doesn't say anything about how it will sound.
So, I notice that recently (well, within the past 15 years or so..) JBL started making 15" pro woofers with 3" VCs (2035), and going through all the woofers on PartsExpress I see 12, 15, and 18 inch woofers with 2,3,4 inch voice coils.
So, the question is, for in-home use, what's better? I won't be putting 1000W into my speakers all day long so I don't need pro-level power handling. But I would like to achieve a reliable 100dB with low distortion. Is a 4" VC design compromised in some way compared to a 3" VC woofers to get that power handling? Is it possible there are attributes to a smaller VC that are lost in the race to make woofers that can withstand 1000+ watts input? I can think of a lower MMS, and that leads to less magnet (so less weight), but is the sound better because of the 4" coil formers, or is that not an issue?
just thinking out loud here, with questions. google search turns up not much on this, except the improved power handling.
this comes about as I research what it would take to build a 3-way with a 15" or 18" woofer (JBL 2235, 2245, or alternative), a 10" to 12" mid and then CD horn top end - an augmented econo-wave if you like. Yes, I can go with all vintage 30+ year old (and potentailly expensive) JBL parts, but there are also plenty of vintage EV (and Yamaha, Peavy, York, etc) speakers out there too (and the 3" VC JBL woofers too!) for less $$, and then many many new woofers at PE, US-Speakers etc. that cost about the same (or less). :scratch2: one thing I noticed - the cost seems to be related to power handling, but reading spec sheets doesn't say anything about how it will sound.
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