Community vs JBL All weather

[DiscoBoxer]

Looking at upgrading exterior stadium speakers on 70v system.

Considering: Community R.5HPT vs JBL AWC129 and then Community R.25-94TZ vs JBL AWC82 for fills.

JBL has more "claimed" coverage pattern and freq response, along with cheaper price tag.


Please share any experience between these models. My experience in the past is that the JBL's will "sound better" but have not yet had the chance to battle these side by side.

Thoughts?

 

[museav]

JBL has more "claimed" coverage pattern and freq response, along with cheaper price tag.

The nominal 90x90 pattern of the AWC129 is definitely greater than the nominal 60x40 pattern of the R.5HPT, and the 120x120 of the AWC82 than the 90x40 of the R.25-94, but which pattern is more appropriate for the application? If the wider patterns help provide better coverage of the listener areas or allow the same coverage with fewer boxes than that could definitely be an advantage, but if it instead means more of the output going somewhere other than to the listeners then it might be a disadvantage.

The JBL AWCs have an extended on axis high frequency response compared to the Community R models but the pattern of the AWC's narrows at higher frequencies meaning that difference in the on axis response may not directly apply to the off axis response, which may be applicable for many of the listeners.

The Community boxes seem to have a higher sensitivity, much higher on the larger boxes, and greater potential output. Is that a factor?

Is speech intelligibility or music reproduction the primary goal? There is likely to be some aspect of both but if you might end up tweaking the response to improve intelligibility then how relevant is any difference in frequency response and how do the patterns, etc. compare for the frequency range most critical to speech intelligibility?

What it really comes down to is what is important and appropriate for the specific application and the system design you have developed.

 

[AlexDonkle]

I can't speak to the sound quality of those JBLs as they're still new, but Community R-series has been the standard for many years in outdoor stadiums and their speakers definitely have a very well proven track record under all weather conditions. Personally I'll take "I know this will still be in great shape in 10-years" over "This may sound 10% better"

 

[venuetech]

Personally I'll take "I know this will still be in great shape in 10-years" over "This may sound 10% better"

If something can still be "great shape" after ten years in a pacific marine environment.... will likely last a very long time in Green Bay

 

[Ancient Engineer]

I know this is an old thread, but it might be useful still...

I have a vast experience with all-weather speakers.

We use Community R-2s and R-6s, Atlas horns (super efficient) and practically every kind of One System and JBL outdoor speakers.

The JBL AWCs are REALLY mid-rangy. The Control series is a more favorable sound to my old ears.

Outside of the very very high SPL situations where the R-2s and R-6s are kind of unequaled, we are slowly going to One Systems everywhere.

They sound great, are reasonably efficient and the idiots with the garden hoses and pressure washers cant seem to kill them. (Oh, but they try...)

Of the 200 or so speakers in this facility about 60% are now One Systems. All of these stay outside all year in northern Ohio.