jbl l65 jubals with 123a-1 woofers?

[boom6342]

hi, i just bought my first pair of jbl speakers, jbl l65 jubals, after doing
some research on them i'm wondering if the woofers are original, the
woofers in my speakers are 123a-1, from what i can find those came
in the l100's, 4310 and 4311, did the jubals ever come from the factory
with the 123a-1's or has someone changed these out?

the speakers sound great the way they are, i'm just curious about the
woofers and would these sound better or worse than the originals?

thanks for any information anyone has on these...

[speakerdave]

No, they're not original. Interesting idea, though. How do they sound?

David

[boom6342]

they sound good to me but i don't know what originals would sound like,
i do like the idea that there is no surrounds to rot out, i'm guessing
that may have been why they were just changed out by someone,
the bass is good and punchy

[speakerdave]

they sound good to me but i don't know what originals would sound like,
i do like the idea that there is no surrounds to rot out, i'm guessing
that may have been why they were just changed out by someone . . . .

That's likely. I had a pair with the original 122a woofers. They were nice, designed to go a little deeper than I would guess you are getting with the 123A, but I would not say they had a lot of slam. I can't really picture what your frequency response would be like with the 123A, nor can I comment on the cabinet tuning for that woofer, but you're the one that has to like it, so if you do, then enjoy them. Be careful not to overdrive them.

David

[boputnam]

I had a pair with the original 122a woofers. ... I can't really picture what your frequency response would be like with the 123A, nor can I comment on the cabinet tuning for that woofer...Biggest issue I see, is the 122A is a negative transducer; 123A-1 is positive.

You'll need to check the wiring in that cabinet and make sure the connections to the LF have been reversed - this will give you the crossover response as engineered by JBL.

[boom6342]

thanks david and bo,
ok i've reversed the wires on the woofers, i now have green
wire going to red terminal and black wire going to black
terminal, would that be right? i can't tell any difference in
sound quaility.

[boputnam]

You'll need to check the wiring in that cabinet and make sure the connections to the LF have been reversed - this will give you the crossover response as engineered by JBL.


...ok i've reversed the wires on the woofers, i now have green wire going to red terminal and black wire going to black terminal, would that be right? i can't tell any difference in sound quaility.Well, it seems whomever swapped woofers knew how to do it - thus, the wording of my post.

To use the 123A-1 in the L65 you'll need the Green going to the Black terminal, and Black wire to Red terminal. So, un-do what you just done.

And no, there won't be a drastic difference in sound quality. However, there will be less/no doubling in the range of the crossover point. This range might seem a bit less muddy.

[boputnam]

However, for our gentle readers, my records show there were three variants of the N65 network (thanks, Giskard!! :) ), and JBL used three different woofers:
122A = N65A
126A = N65
129H = N65B

It would be best to determine which N65 variant you had.

If yours had the 122A, as David suggested, we are fine. But, we need to know your network.

[boom6342]

thank you very much bo,
well i've changed the wires back, i noticed on the crossover
it was n65 on the round cardboard filter, i can change the wires
back if i need to, just let me know

[boputnam]

If it's truly the N65, the original woofer would have been the 126A, and not the 122A as was suspected.

The 126A, like the 123A-1, was also a "positive" transducer - a rarity amongst vintage JBL.

I've lost track of how you've got things right now, but regardless: According to the N65 network (and notes on the 126A), to use the 123A-1 woofer the Green wire = woofer Red terminal, Black wire = woofer Black terminal.

Sorry for the confusions, but you can see that by JBL having three network variants it is important to know which one you had, to honor the original network design.

Now go play some music! :dancin:

[boom6342]

well you've really got me laughing hard now (because you lost track)
thanks for your time for helping me get these the way they are supposed
to be!

[boputnam]

well you've really got me laughing hard now (because you lost track)Yea, but it's a deliberate posture I've learned to employ to make sure the situation is reviewed, again, before those seeking remedy are "done". Human error is everything out here... ;)

[Zilch]

http://manuals.harman.com/JBL/HOM/Technical%20Sheet/L55A%20Lancer%20ts.pdf

I have no clue why I know this stuff. It's like a curse.

Only one person I know of here might know where/how to find the schematic.

[And it's not me.... :p ]

[markd51]

Interesting thread,
Once, about 8-9 years ago, a man gave me two brand new Pro JBL 12" drivers to try in my L-65 Cabs, and I have forgotten the model #, but it was I think 2206?

Was curious how they would've sounded, and due to no foam rotting might've been a alternative to use, but hence, the magnets were so much larger on these beautiful drivers, and with the L-65's L-Shaped Port Tubes interfering with proper mounting, I trashed that idea as I wasn't about to butcher the cabs in this little experiment.

Once could probably acquire the correct pair of 126A drivers without too much expense, and may be a worthy expenditure to have these back bone stock, and the way they were meant to sound. Provided you can find a pair that haven't been blown, and just need surrounds, the correct surrounds can be gotten (probably from Rick Cobb right here)

I do understand though, that the recone kit is now gone from JBL, correct? (I now gotta pray I never blow one of my four 126A's!) Can the 126A be reconed with another kit? Mark

[Fernand]

I'm new to this forum hoping this is the place to find the right info. I purchased back in the late 70' 2 Jubal L65. They have an N25 Crossover and a model 126A woofer. A woofer was punctured and I bought 2 122A-1 woofers (not knowing the ones I had were 126A)

Is this an appropriate woofer for my Jubals? I connected the black to the black and the green (network) to the red terminal on the 122A-1.

[JBL 4645]

Fernand

Welcome to the JBL Lansing site and Happy Christmas Eve to you.

:happyh::window::tree:

[JBL 4645]

Yea, but it's a deliberate posture I've learned to employ to make sure the situation is reviewed, again, before those seeking remedy are "done". Human error is everything out here... ;)

bop

You do have a flair for the dramatic.:D

You should make videos with audio as well, to show members on the JBL Lansing site, what they should be looking for. This would cover a lot of ground in a shorter time and visual and sound representation is powerful way of getting the message across.

:happyh::window::tree:

[boputnam]

I purchased back in the late 70' 2 Jubal L65. They have an N25 Crossover and a model 126A woofer. A woofer was punctured and I bought 2 122A-1 woofers (not knowing the ones I had were 126A)

Is this an appropriate woofer for my Jubals? I connected the black to the black and the green (network) to the red terminal on the 122A-1.Good question. It depends on which L65 you have.

L65 came with the 126A woof.
L65A came with the 122A.
L65B came with the 129H.

So, which L65 do you have?

The 126A is positive - a rarity in the JBL lineage.
The 122A is negative.
The 129H is negative.

We need to know which iteration of the L65 you have to give guidance. L65's should have the "N65?" network. Are you sure you have the "N25" network? :blink:

By the color description you give of the wiring, you have the N65.

If the N65, you need to reverse the connections to the 122A woof. Use BLK wire to Red woofer terminal of the 122A - this would honor the engineering design for the N65 crossover using the 122A woof.

[grumpy]

I could see where someone might mistake these for L65's with 123a-1's ...
see Zilch's earlier post in this thread. mfg'd 1972-73. Especially if they used
the same L55/L65 looking cabinet. -grumpy

[brutal]

I'm new to this forum hoping this is the place to find the right info. I purchased back in the late 70' 2 Jubal L65. They have an N25 Crossover and a model 126A woofer. A woofer was punctured and I bought 2 122A-1 woofers (not knowing the ones I had were 126A)

Is this an appropriate woofer for my Jubals? I connected the black to the black and the green (network) to the red terminal on the 122A-1.

Threadjack:

If you end up not needing the 122a-1, please contact me about selling them. I need one for a pair of L-166A's I'm rebuilding.

[Fernand]

"Good question. It depends on which L65 you have. "

Thanks Bo!

I have the L65 which as you state came with the 126A woofer and the N65 network. I am sure I have the N65 (N25 was a typo, thanks for pointing it out):blink:
I have made the connection between the N65 and the 122A-1 as you indicated.

What is the technical consequence of having replaced the original 126A with the 122A-1 on the L65? I get the impression of a somewhat "tighter" bass.
F

[Fernand]

Brutal...

I'll take your offer to buy the 122A-1 in consideration if after listening for a couple of weeks I decide to return to the 126a.
Most likely I'll sell the pair of 126a.

F

[misterharrison]

I'm just resurrecting this thread to say thank you!

I picked up a pair of L65A's locally which had the white 123A bass drivers. I've been pretty happy with the sound, apart from a feeling that the bass, especially the upper-bass, was a bit 'confused'. I then stumbled on this thread which led me to think that it was possible that my 123A's were wired the wrong way round. So I opened them up and, sure enough, they were wired the same way the original 122A's would have been wired (black-to-black ... at least that is how I interpret BoPutnam's comments earlier in the thread!). So I switched them round, which I was quite relieved to see did not require any soldering, and now the bass is clear and full.

So thanks, guys! You've got to love the internet!!!

:bouncy:

[doodle6]

I recently picked up a pair of L-65s but the woofer is a different model entirely. It's a 4" VC 124A. Was that a real iteration from JBL or an aftermarket modification? Anyone know?