Got L150's What now?

[OleSeberg]

Hi

A couple of months back I bought a myself a set of L150 to use in my home cinema set-up. They are my first JBL and I wonder why I did not take that step years back. Talk about comming home. I know they are maybe not the most fashionable or most expensive speakers one can get, but I am impressed with the sound from these old ladies. :D

Now it is time to look out for some more, I guess i have the disease. I think the only thing that could cure me would be a matching center speaker and two surround speakers. When I read through old posts it seem that my choice is from L150, L110 and L40 as they have the 033 tweeter.

My idea is that L110 would be a good choice for the centre channel, but I am blank as for the rear. Should I go for yet another pair of L150 or either L40 or L110 which I could place higher up on the wall? My room is about 25 square meters.

Thanks for any input, which you guys may offer.

[johnaec]

The L110's will obviously be the closest match, due to having the same midrange, while the L40's are only 2-way.

John

[Titanium Dome]

John's advice is good, since the midrange driver is as important as the tweeter for timbre and presence, especially in a HT set up. Once you have speakers with the same midrange and tweeter, you're on your way. :yes:

The only thing that is better is to have identical speakers all the way around. However, with a larger speaker like the L150, that''s not practical in most situations.

[OleSeberg]

Thanks a lot for your advice. Titanium Dome do I understand you correct that I would do best using another couple of L150's as rear speakers? I was concerned that as they are floor standing they will be positioned too low. Well if that is not the case i'm off to find yet another pair of 150's.

BTW: Thanks for the welcome.

[Titanium Dome]

Thanks a lot for your advice. Titanium Dome do I understand you correct that I would do best using another couple of L150's as rear speakers? I was concerned that as they are floor standing they will be positioned too low. Well if that is not the case i'm off to find yet another pair of 150's.

BTW: Thanks for the welcome.

L110s will be a bit easier to handle and you'll only be giving up something at the bottom end (soundwise), really.

If you do get more L150s, you'll probably want to experiment with raising them a bit if the tweeters and midranges are blocked by the back of your couch or chair. A couple of inches can make a big difference.

By blocked, I mean that your ears don't have a direct line to the speakers.

[OleSeberg]

Thanks TD. That does make good sence. My couch is quite high. I will see what turns up here in Denmark. L110 seems more diffucult to get hold of around here. Meanwhile i can start on the mods recomended by this forum and restoration of the 150's I have. Thanks again.

[OleSeberg]

There is another subject, I would like insight on: I have a GTI 1800 driver, which I got for cheap. Could I use it for an infinite baffle subwoofer? I have some 3000 liter of space above the room and would mount the driver in the ceiling, just above the main speakers, facing downwards. If more output is needed, i would mount yet another GTI 1800. I am sure the setup would serious require equalization, my question is if the driver will fit well in a IB application. I have tried to find information on this forum and the net in general, but did not succeed.

Any thoughts and ideas are welcome and highly appreciated.

[Guido]

I would not mount the GTI 1800 facing down.
The cone is very heavy and the speaker will seriously sag.

Also I believe that this woofer needs a cabinet to get the best performance. Search the JBL Car Audio sites for a cabinet suggestion.

[Titanium Dome]

Put two of them in your attic using a single IB manifold, facing each other. The drivers are 90 degrees to the ceiling, with the manifold opening on the bottom to the ceiling.

I know there's info on the Web about this. I saw/heard it and it was freakishly effective. Caveat: make sure your ceiling can handle it, or it'll become a vibrating mess of unwanted harmonics.

[Titanium Dome]

OK, here's a picture.

[OleSeberg]

TD, I think you have hit the exact spot. I have looked a bit on the net about IB's and that is where I got the whole idea from. With Guido's advice not to mount facing down and your's about a manifold, I think I know what to do. I do not expect harmonics to be a big issue as the space above the drivers is without openings. It is sorounded by plasterboard on a 1" wood structure. Behind that is 25cm of insulation material and another layer of plasterboard. I have heard about the effectiveness of IB's and would like to give it a try since I have a seemingly perfect space. My only real concern was if the driver is suited as it seems not have the largest Vmax and the experts say that most accordion surrounds are limited in their usefulness for IB. If I am not happy with the result in the end, I can always change the driver to something else. But one thing for sure: It has to be JBL! ;)

Would it be of interest to someone to start a seperate thread in the DYI section and post pics as the project moves along?

[Titanium Dome]

(snip)

Would it be of interest to someone to start a seperate thread in the DYI section and post pics as the project moves along?

We always enjoy pictures of projects. :bouncy:

[OleSeberg]

TD, was the system you have experienced based on the 1800 GTI drivers? I would of cause like an idea of how they are going to perform (can't wait to get building).