Recently, I have been asked to give a comparison of the JBL 2241h and the LMS 5400's. My comparison will have to more subjective than what most of us on this forum are used to. The 2241 is a world renowned driver that is used in dance clubs, theaters, houses of worship and anywhere concert level performance is demanded. The 2241 has an xmax of 7.6 mm and an xmech of 40 mm p-p. Driven with the correct crossover, signal and power, the 2241h will deliver performance that is second to none. The following article will shed some light on the effects of efficiency and the use of the correct crossover and powe rutilization.
http://sound.westhost.com/articles/pa.htm
Now, the LMS 5400 is a different beast altogether. I have been the proud owner of these drivers since 2007. I bought them when they were pretty much first introduced. I wondered if I made the correct decision, but Ilkka's tests confirmed that my suspicions about how good these drivers are were definitely true. As I was getting finished my actual build, I went to a GTG, and there,
I met Josh Ricci, Brandon Nash, Ivan from Danley and a host of other AV guys whom I hope to keep learning from as the years go by. At this meet, I saw Josh push the LMS to a limit that I only saw on youtube videos. I have yet to come close to excursions that I witnessed that day, but the sound and feel that comes from those cabinets is hard to describe. My HT is on the second floor of my home and there have been times when I felt as if I was being tossed around on a boat in a rolling ocean. It has felt as if my house was actually swaying from side to side. I am sure that I could get the same kind of performance from multiples of other woofers- especially the XXX or the Fi's or any of the recent 18's on the market. But, and this is a big but!! But, there is something about seeing these massively built, very musical drivers sitting in your room one day and then at some distant time being coupled to enclosures that were built with care that has never been given to any other item in my life. I explained the development of this system since 2001. Initially, I was just going to go with some old 15's I had around and build an LFE in seating around the room, but that idea was squashed as time went on. I moved on the Montey Kay's idea of the Bully woofer in multiples as well as the Titanic 15". I knew nothing of these omonster drivers. Finally, one day, I searched extreme subwoofers and found a huge number of drivers. The one I was leaning toward was the Acoupower 18 in multiples of 4. I was about to pull the trigger and then I saw the TC Sounds driver line. I was tossing around multiples of this or that and the Acoupowers kept coming back to me. I spoke with Carlos of Acoupower and Kind of felt something was a little off when he answered the phone when I called at about 2 am my time just to see if it was a real business. Well, It took a while and all those hours of deliberating led me to just taking the plunge and going for the LMS 5400. It was still in its infancy- not far from the times it was being crumpled and destroyed by overzealous SPL guys. My drivers are the Titanium cone versions. From what I hear, they are very strong. Well, I do not want to find out how strong they truly are as I am happy knowing that they will be in there little home for years to come. Not saying that I do not flex their mighty muscles from time to time, but my true joy comes from knowing that I have some of the finest drivers in the world and if they are asked to show off from time to time they will be able to do so. I know there are systems that supposedly test louder or lower, but this is my system and I am proud of it, just as each owner is proud of their respective systems. DIY is a learning process and no matter how much time and effort we put into this hobby, someone else is going to come along with a bigger and badder system. We must learn to be happy with our achievements and if we choose to add more "stuff" it is for the reason that we are getting enjoyment from the hobby and not trying to change just because somebody has the new thing on the block. I look through these forum threads and I am very impressed with all of the skills that each person possess. I get tons of ideas but some would have to be used only if I tore out a bunch of already built stuff. So, I enjoy the systems put forth and very much would love to experience the performance for myself. I can only imagine the output and level of workmanship that goes into some of these systems. Long winded and I need to go out seeing the lights with the kids, so, I will wrap up by saying I am pleased with every purchase I have made. Yes, I could have bought more or less or bigger or better, but I bought what made me happy at the time and after tons of reading and "seeing" the final product. I am about 90% on my HT, so I will be done one of these days. Till then, I will keep cranking and reading the forums in search of the HOLY GRAIL of audio and video as all of us seem to be doing.
Good luck,
Robert
