Yes they were the 1400 Arrays.....the "Look" of them never did anything for me either......nor the sound .....like i said 2K pair of Klipsch sounded the same almost clone like,but looked much nicer.
Diversity - the spice of life, eh? It is great how we all have a common passion for quality audio but reach nirvana by our own individual and dedicated path.
I would tend to agree, that at one time, horns were somewhat “bright” but the JBL Project Arrays have easily dispensed of this. Even with the new Bryston SST^2 amplifiers, some individuals claim that Bryston is still somewhat “bright.” I would also say that this is not true.
The “love it or hate it” Project Arrays aesthetics, it is very refreshing to have a speaker manufacturer thinking outside of the box - literally. I prefer the aesthetics of the Project Arrays over any other speaker including the JBL K2. Perhaps it is my artistic side “peeking” through.
As for audio quality, I am sold on the performance and delicacy of the 1400s - for me, horn-loaded compression drivers are the path to my audio nirvana (driven by the 28Bs of course). After auditioning speakers for almost a year, The JBL Project Array 1400s were my hands down choice (even over speakers with considerably higher price tags).
I have seen the 1400s, for a lack of a better description, have everything thrown at them - including the kitchen sink with everything attached during a demo by an audio dealer who was not reluctant in anyway what so ever to truly test the mettle of the JBL Project Array 1400s. This is when I actually witnessed the Bryston 28Bs clipping
I would never subject my 1400s to this insanity.
Somehow I do not see a pair of $2K Klipsch speakers surviving the thrashing a very angry 1200 plus watt 28B would deliver (and we are speaking of a crystal clear audio output here)
I am in no way intending to be condensing with this statement. Perhaps, more of an introduction for the next paragraph.
What you must also examine are the components that make up the JBL Project Array 1400. The 1400’s 14-inch woofer has a four-inch edge wound voice coil. The K2 S5800 and JBL Project Array 1400 also share 435AL aluminium midrange compression driver. On top of this you have a one-inch, pure titanium compression driver. Want an inert material? How about compression-moulded Sono-Glass enclosures. Precise imagining and awesome sound from low levels all the way up to levels that can hurt you.
Price wise, I think at the time of my purchase, the list price for the 1400s was a modest $13,000.00 to $14,000.00 - a bargain for this kind of stellar performance. I have recently read some reviews that now place the list price at just under $19,000.00.
I believe the old adage of "you get what you pay for."
I am spoiled with the JBL Project Arrays and now compare any other speaker that I hear to them. If I were to upgrade (I hope my audio guy does not read this
) I would have a pair of K2s on the floor.
My humble opinion of course
Be well…
