JBL 2213 Woofer

Name: JBL 2213
Brand: JBL

The JBL 2213 is a 12-inch woofer. It was an original replacement driver for the L100 Century and L36 speakers. Most sources agree it is essentially the same driver as the JBL 123A-1, with the same frame, cone, surround and magnet, but a different voice coil. Which coil is still debated among collectors. Most list the 2213 at 8 ohms, though at least one forum member has described it as the 4-ohm version of the 123A-1. The 2213H designation appears to be a later repair/replacement variant with a square magnet and different coil.

You can pick out a 2213 by its light-colored Aquaplas-coated cone and its cloth surround with damping material. It also carries a JBL sticker on the back of the frame. The voice coil is edge-wound ribbon wire, wound in four layers. Power handling is commonly cited at 75 watts.

The 2213 has its defenders. One Lansing Heritage forum member called it "one of the best-sounding 12-inch woofers JBL ever made," and another preferred it to the 123A-1 for what he described as cleaner, more authoritative bass. Users report the bass as musical rather than one-note, and a pair run in a simple two-way with a horn tweeter was said to produce a very natural sound. The foam on the surround is prone to dry rot, and a good pair is increasingly hard to find.

No official JBL spec sheet for the 2213 has surfaced, and no frequency response or sensitivity figures are documented. What the record shows is a driver that lived in the shadow of the 123A-1, serving as a replacement and occasional upgrade for owners of some of JBL's most popular consumer speakers.

- 12" nominal diameter

- 8 ohms (some sources suggest 4-ohm variant)

- 75 watts power handling

- Aquaplas-coated cone, cloth surround

- Edge-wound 4-layer copper voice coil

- Variant of the 123A-1 used in L100 and L36