JBL E145?

[ddbassGA]

Anyone with experience using JBL E145? Basically an E140 with monster magnet. Other than adding another 10 lbs to your 215 cab...

There's a pair here locally on CL going pretty cheap.

[4Mal]

Higher power, lower efficiency grainier, harsher tone to my ear - I believe these were a step towards a sub woofer or at least higher volume (db) bass speaker. Personally it would be not a fav driver of mine.

Most JBL - bigots (I'm and ex, having been reformed.) consider that the D/K 140 is the sweet spot for a JBL bass speaker. If you can find a D/K130, you can always have it reconed as at a 140 as they share the same frame & magnet assembly. The stiffer cone was the real difference. If you want 'sweet' and vintage, I would pass on the 145's. I would actually pass on the E140 as well though it will work.

As far as vintage goes, my feeling is that the 421 was a much sweeter speaker - yeah, that means more colored but in a nice way. The downside of the 421 was that it was fragile - Really, all these are fragile by todays standards. A D/K 140 - good for maybe 75 watts before it cooks, the 421 - maybe 50.

I just loaded up a Thiel design that I built in the Garage. It was purpose built for an Emi 3015. If I get a chance, I'll hook it up to my Princeton Reverb - last small tube amp I own - and see what that sounds like. The 3015 isn't that far off a D/K140 tonally. Harsher - peakier in the upper mids/lower hi's. My concern in your case would be the efficiency when used with a low watt tube amp. Volume wise, it needs all the help it can get.

[4Mal]

OK - so I was curious ... I just fired up the 3015 and Princeton Reverb - it actually get's pretty dang loud I took it up to 4 and that was as far as I can push during the day without disturbing the wife (she works from home many days).

Bass & Treble each on 6. PBass, Chome flats, and if it wasn't just too much crap to carry, I would go gig my acoustic thing with that... My MB2-500 will still make the cut though as I'm carry-allergic.

If the vintage scenario didn't work out, then assuming that the depth of a 3015 wasn't an issue, it would be a possibility though these days not an inexpensive one ...

[jnewmark]

I think TB'er Nysbob uses one, shoot him a pm.

[username1]

Here is a description of the e145 from JBL


El 45 380 mm (15 in)
The El 45 has the most natural, uncolored
sound that JBL has ever created in a bass
instrumeht loudspeaker. Its low distortion
characteristics and pure tonal quality make
it the ideal choice for keyboards, organs,
bass guitars, or P.A. systems. The El 45
delivers pure bass notes at thunderous levels
with the high efficiency and power
capacity that musicians have come to
expect from JBL loudspeakers."

[ddbassGA]

Holy cow I better get one then! Maybe 2?

I'm thinking ahead to a 2x15 ported cab. The 140s will probably work best but I'd be a fool to pass up "the most natural, uncolored sound that JBL has ever created" with " pure tone quality " being the "ideal choice". Actually, I decided I don't want "thunerous levels" so that rules out the 145 right there.

[username1]

Originally Posted by ddbassGA

Holy cow I better get one then! Maybe 2?

I'm thinking ahead to a 2x15 ported cab. The 140s will probably work best but I'd be a fool to pass up "the most natural, uncolored sound that JBL has ever created" with " pure tone quality " being the "ideal choice". Actually, I decided I don't want "thunerous levels" so that rules out the 145 right there.

I just copied what JBL has on their website to describe this speaker incase you were wondering what this particular speaker was designed for.. Personally i love e140's

[ddbassGA]

Yes I was just messing around with the hype in the JBL PR copy. I shoulda put smileys; I didn't mean to be smarting off to you, username1.

The 145s aren't for me, but if someone wants a pair check ATL CL. I think they'll go cheap.

[D.M.N.]

Originally Posted by 4Mal

As far as vintage goes, my feeling is that the 421 was a much sweeter speaker - yeah, that means more colored but in a nice way. The downside of the 421 was that it was fragile - Really, all these are fragile by todays standards. A D/K 140 - good for maybe 75 watts before it cooks, the 421 - maybe 50.

The D-140s I believe were 70w speakers.
K-140s are 150w, and that's fairly conservative.

I use K-140s, and they're simply awesome.Can't comment on the 145s in any of the series, nor the E-140s.

[johnk_10]

150 for a K140 is VERY conservative. i run a GK 1001RBII (700 watts) at close to full power into 2 K140's frequently. i've never had an issue with them, and they sound great. they're my personal favorite sounding JBL fifteen (or any 15" speaker for that matter). the E series will take even more power, but i find them to be a bit stiffer and more brittle sounding.

the main differences between a 130 and a 140 is that the 140 has a ribbed/stiffer cone. 130's have aluminum voice coils, 140's have copper, and 140's have twice the xmax of a 130.

[nysbob]

I have been playing through 145s since the late '70s. I push them with either a V4B or an all tube SVT. They are plenty efficient enough to kick butt with the 100W amp.

I've never played through a 15" I liked better - they're punchy and really deliver the beef. They're obviously very well made, as they have performed flawlessly for many, many years over thousands of gigs.

[ddbassGA]

Ah! I was hoping you would check in ny.

So what kind of cab are your 145s in?

[nysbob]

Originally Posted by ddbassGA

Ah! I was hoping you would check in ny.

So what kind of cab are your 145s in?

They're vented - I had them built according to JBL's spec for that driver. There's actually a K145 in one and an E145 in the other.



They aren't featherweights - they may well be the heaviest fifteens out there.

[D.M.N.]

Nysbob.....is that.......is that a Marshall Major?

[nysbob]

Originally Posted by D.M.N.

Nysbob.....is that.......is that a Marshall Major?

No - I used to have one of those for the 15"s, but this is a '73 MKII superlead, which I use for the 12"s. Great amp.