Kev the ironworker Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 hi everyone ! I have another question for you.... there's a "mint condition" pair of JBL K2 9800's on craigslist for 5 grand and I'm thinking of replacing my rf-7ii's with these...(I'm only at this point "thinking about it"...I'm happy with my rf-7's but for some reason I keep wanting better (and I'm not sure if really the jbl's are) they are 7 hours away so before I take the hike I'm hoping someone here can tell me if the trip would be worth it... the jbl's sold for $30,000 around 2003, I've tried looking them up on the net but most reviews seem to be from dealer ads (I know that they wouldn't be a common speaker at that price so the lack of reviews seems appropriate...I think)...lol...anyway, they also are horn speakers, (horn mid and horn tweet) are almost 200 lbs each and....pretty (as far as I see on the ad) can anyone convince me NOT TO BUY THEM please ! ... I know that a higher cost doesn't always mean better...but, I am very interested ! my room is 19'x19', 8' ceiling (with an 8' opening to my dining room that's 12'x15'.... is it big enough for these speakers ? any suggestions would be appreciated immensely ! thanx for the help...have a great day ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 I'm sure they sound outstanding, they were/are near top of the line. The deal actually sounds too good to be true. You may have to make the 7 hour drive just to check them out. If they are as advertised -- it's a no brainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 pack heat & a friend who packs heat...$5K in greenback$ could leave you seriously killed 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev the ironworker Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 thanx to both replies so far ! dean...are you the "famous" crossover guy ? if you are...then I'm on my way right now ! and Sancho... thanx for that advice ! (it took me a few seconds to understand what you were telling me)...i'll make sure to let the seller know that he will be paid only with a bank cheque AFTER I see them, test them and have them in my car !...lol...I'm in Canada ... we don't have guns here ! (but the bad guys do...lol...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 (edited) Link for place to buy guns from, even in Canada... http://www.marstar.ca/ good thing you aren't dealing in ca$h... Edited March 22, 2014 by Sancho Panza 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 More like "infamous". I hear things that don't exist and replace perfectly good parts with perfectly good parts and then talk people into hearing what I'm not hearing. I also charge for this fine service. : ) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 JBL makes very nice speakers, if the deal is real do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev the ironworker Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 looks like dean was right (and tiger too).... too good to be true... I've replied to the ad a few times but have yet to receive an answer...too bad ! why would a person put a fake ad on craigs ? to what advantage ? (it's a new ad...4 days old and I replied right away).... if they plan on "robbing" a potential buyer (as Sancho warned me) or even if it's a "fake" pair of speakers it would make sense for them to get back to me and grab the cash ! ...other than that, they only have replies from unknown sources (messages go through craig's messaging system and the email accounts are hidden from them)...how would they profit from doing this ? DARN ! I almost already had plans for them ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Could be SOLD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Saved you 5K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev the ironworker Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 I guess they could be sold...then they should take the ad off ! (their email is filling up with just my messages !).... and, I imagine I could double my $$$ just buying them and reselling... it's also fun watching the girlfriend's face whenever I buy more stuff...I almost could start a 2nd hand stereo store... I do like my rf-7ii's though...I guess I'm just greedy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Morbius Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 I believe I heard these speakers ( at a hifi shop in upstate NY )about 8 or 9 years ago against a pair of Cornwalls. The Cornwalls seemed more open with slightly more depth. The JBL was and is a very good speaker but I felt, along with many that the CW was the way to go. If you didn't have the space for the CW and money was no object then you would go for the JBL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev the ironworker Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 that just goes to show...more expensive doesn't really mean better.... I think the jbl's are either sold or that the ad was a fake. I would buy them at that price no matter... there's always the resale value (I'm sure I could flip them)... and... I don't know anyone that owns 30 grand speakers (it really is stupid even if you're mega rich) ... really, how much better could they be ? esp. for me ! I'm probably 1/2 deaf from gunning up bolts ... lol... I'm probably more interested in "bragging rights"... even though even I think that having such speakers are just such a waste of money (buying new)... but for 5 grand.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 You probably have some high frequency hearing loss just from age alone, and notch outs from your job, - but believe it or not, you would still be able to hear the improvement. There are some significant differences between a loudspeaker like this and your standard stuff - even a new pair of Klipschorns aren't going to carry this level of refinement. The Klipsch Palladium P-39 is like that, just so smooth - even the half deaf notice it. : ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjd Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 (edited) You probably have some high frequency hearing loss just from age alone, and notch outs from your job, - but believe it or not, you would still be able to hear the improvement. There are some significant differences between a loudspeaker like this and your standard stuff - even a new pair of Klipschorns aren't going to carry this level of refinement. The Klipsch Palladium P-39 is like that, just so smooth - even the half deaf notice it. : ) I agree with Dean regarding the high end JBL speakers, as a lot of true engineering goes into these types of loudspeakers (and I really do need to hear the Klipsch Palladium P-39's one day). With all due respect, if the advertisement was real and the price was actually $5,000, I’m sure someone over at the Lansing Heritage forum snagged them up without a need to post for all in the public to see and ask questions about them. I very rarely see any examples of the JBL 1400 project array sell for $5,000, let alone a pair of K2-S9800’s. In addition, JBL has had scores of various consumer models of speakers (some with similar appearance) and I suspect that some other JBL speaker may have been compared to the Cornwall rather than a pair of K2-S9800. I believe that the K2-S9800 was another Greg Timbers’ achievement (note that this is the same Greg Timbers of DeanG’s battery bias fame and Greg Timbers is also an expert at system design and a transducer engineer responsible for the development of the classic JBL 2245 subwoofer.). The K2-S9800 was part of the JBL “Project loudspeakers” that includes such recognizable classic JBL speakers such as the H a r t s fi e l d, the Paragon, and the Everest series. According to JBL, when a “Project loudspeaker” is introduced, it represents the absolute peak of every technological, material and engineering innovation available at that time, combined into a single system. The K2-S9800 appears to be no different as it uses transducers that were designed to be "uncompromised" (or let's say "least compromised" at the time of development) in their performance. Here are a few aspects that I’ve read about in the past. The woofer is the 15" 1500AL (when introduced, the first JBL Alnico motor in 20 years) and many believe that it arguably has lower levels of power compression than any other driver of its size. Testing at a 110 dB output level revealed mid-band distortion to be down 50 dB, or around 0.3% The 435Be midrange compression driver uses a beryllium diaphragm (similar to TAD) and was designed to provide extended response without breakup (i.e. oscillating deflections that increase distortion) and does not rely on resonances for high frequency extension. The 435Be uses a 3" diameter beryllium diaphragm and breakup modes should be above 15.5k Hz. By comparison, a 4"-diaphragm compression driver can show breakup modes for both aluminum and titanium as low as 4000 Hz. I believe that the latest Everest project (DD66000) now has even better drivers (i.e. 476Be), but at the time, the 435Be compression driver was the highest-performing high-frequency driver ever produced by JBL. The 045Be is an ultra-high-frequency driver, also using a beryllium diaphragm, was developed for high-resolution formats that can record information to 50k Hz and beyond. This driver was designed for extreme extension, high output, low distortion and wide coverage with a frequency response that is essentially flat from 10k Hz to 48k Hz. Hope this helps clarify some of the confusion. Edited March 23, 2014 by Fjd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 These were snagged up if for real. If you were going to buy to flip them, better they went to someone over at Heritage. There is a pair of Array 1400's on AudioGOON for $5500. They were $5K a little while back (I posted about these during the holidays). I think the latest Everest project is the 67000, and the 66000's have dropped to the low $20K range. There was an auction recently where a pair of NIB 66000's were around $18K. Don't know the results because AudioGOON is so secretive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 You probably have some high frequency hearing loss just from age alone, and notch outs from your job, - but believe it or not, you would still be able to hear the improvement. There are some significant differences between a loudspeaker like this and your standard stuff - even a new pair of Klipschorns aren't going to carry this level of refinement. The Klipsch Palladium P-39 is like that, just so smooth - even the half deaf notice it. : ) Jeeze Dean, i agree with your statement but you, sir, are starting to slum it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etc6849 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Which crossover is that? Thanks! You probably have some high frequency hearing loss just from age alone, and notch outs from your job, - but believe it or not, you would still be able to hear the improvement. There are some significant differences between a loudspeaker like this and your standard stuff - even a new pair of Klipschorns aren't going to carry this level of refinement. The Klipsch Palladium P-39 is like that, just so smooth - even the half deaf notice it. : ) Jeeze Dean, i agree with your statement but you, sir, are starting to slum it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uams Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) Sorry for bumping an older thread here, but I found it worthwhile, hopefully, to leave a few comments. The JBL K2 S9800's (and the newer S9900) was on my radar for a while as possible go-to speakers for my setup, but I wrestled with their high price tag (and how it seemed to stall a further investigation of their ups and downs). I had listened to both the older and new iteration (i.e.: the S9800 SE and S9900), and generally found them sonically intriguing in offering an alternative "dish" compared to the more typical and all-direct radiating speakers. Then a little over two years ago I instead pursued the all-horn route and finally implemented a pair of Simon Mears Audio Uccello's (UK handmade, Klipsch Belle-inspired speakers where the bass horn flare is the only thing that is similar with its US origin), which Mr. Mears had spent 2-3 months carefully building to me (please note that a pair of new Klipsch La Scala II in Denmark, where I reside, retails for $13,000, while a pair of new Uccello's from the UK, bought directly from the maker with no distributor, presently sits at $15,000 - just to put things into perspective; the difference in price is by no means staggering, but had Mr. Mears opted to use a distributor it would've been another matter entirely). Having lived with Uccello's in my setup for almost two years I recently revisited the JBL S9900 at an exhibition in Copenhagen, and was rather surprised with my newly formed impressions here compared to my vivid recollection of the Uccello's sound - to the detriment of the former: I now found the JBL's relatively incoherent sounding with a slightly pale, hollow-ish midrange that lacked substance and didn't quite "snap" into focus, while also being less refined overall. I know, this was an exhibition demo, albeit one careful set-up and with very expensive Mark Levinson gear. Suffice to say that I know me way around assessing a speaker's inherent sonic imprinting, irrespective of the context in which it's set, and my recent take on the S9900's was established after a lengthy audition (via two rounds) in different seating positions, with different volume levels, and a variety of music ranging from rock/pop, classical, jazz and electro/techno. The dynamic capabilities of the JBL's were good, and the sense of composure remained intact even with complex material and elevated SPL's - nothing btw. the Uccello's couldn't replicate at least as effortlessly. Which brings me to the price of a pair of JBL S9900's here in Denmark: $60,000, or four times as much as the Uccello,s, and although the Uccello's lack close to an octave in the lower regions compared to the JBL's, I hope you get the picture. Myself I use an SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofer with my Mears horns to augment the last two octaves (which it does excellently), and even though I'd have used two of those subs the price would've been no more than one third of the JBL's, and for that you get a more refined, naturally warm, enveloping and coherent presentation, and with a full, one more LF-octave to "toy" with compared to the JBL's. Or, to put it bluntly: the JBL's to my ears are overpriced, and that by a wide margin. To each their own and all that jazz, I get it, but what I heard (and a friend as well) was less about taste and more about quantifiable, audible intel (some may take issue with this statement, but so be it). Let's not kid ourselves; more often than not audiophiles are convinced more readily with their eyes and a simple, (higher) numerical value than what their ears are able to tell them (or what they'll let them tell). I'm glad Klipsch is around, also to inspire others with their designs as is the case with my speakers. Sorry for the lengthy post... Edited February 4, 2018 by uams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parlophone1 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Nothing to be sorry about, in my opinion. I also don't mind raising up older threads if there is a point to it. Always wanted to hear these JBLs, never had a chance. And happy to see that PWK design inspire other people to build good looking and nice sounding speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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