Looky what I just got - Walnut lenses for my horns

[hjames]

Care package came in the mail today - I've been anticipating this since June ...
First shot is the new one against the old JBL Factory lens - its a great size match!
And the wood grain - pictures don't do them justice ...

Not much to say, other than - they are brilliant, gorgeous, magnificent!
... I'll just hush up and post some pix now ...
let the images speak for themselves!

For more info - see Indycraft - they're from FoamTrends!


(and yes, I know I need foilcals on the baffleboard -
I figure that's due AFTER I rebuild the crossovers,
and build grills for them - tho I did just get grill badges last month!)

[MikeBrewster77]

Very cool! :applaud:

When you've had a chance to do some listening on them, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on any audible differences.

[jcrobso]

Visually very stunning!:) Let us know how they sound!!!

[hjames]

Just played Van Morrison - Beautiful Vision (http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Vision-Van-Morrison/dp/B000002KNG)(played the whole CD)
jazz to bagpipes to scat singing and gospel choirs ...
... sound fine to me - no audible change from the plastic lenses, but -
I didn't expect an audible change (should I?)
... I figured it would be a visual improvement ...

More music over the weekend -
I'll let you know if anything sounds twitchy ...

[Titanium Dome]

Very nice work. Congrats to Indycraft and to you.

[BMWCCA]

This is a shot from Kenji just like my pair. They came with my 4345s from NewZenith (via saeman (http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=16275&highlight=4345) and Norealtalent) who said he never heard a difference but loved the look! I have no idea why the top four fins had the corners cut. Maybe Rick can explain the purpose.

Yours look great and the craftsmanship appears first-rate. :applaud:

http://www.jbl43.net/img/4345-14-5s.jpg

[hjames]

Don't believe the Indycraft/Foamtrends folks are in business any more

I may have the only pair they made ...

The foamtrends.com ([email protected]) is offline now ...

Darned shame - they were good folks!



Went over to FoamTrends website and they announced that they've ceased production of their L100 and L200 products. I had spoken to Barton Love a couple of months ago and he had a lot of problems with getting quality foam consistently to use in his products. A real shame as his grilles, IME, were very good, accurately cut, and color consistent. Sad to see this niche supplier gone, although I know there are at least two other makers out there. This damn recession...

RIP FoamTrends and thanks for doing some good work. Their announcement:


To our current and potential customers, we regret to announce that we will no longer manufacture replacement grilles for the L100 an L200 JBL speakers. As stated in our history, our main intent was to supply vintage JBL enthusiast with foam replacement grilles after developing them for our own L100s. Due to problems with foam suppliers and personal family commitments we have made the decision to close our small business. We would like to thank all of our customers and hope everyone will understand our position.

Bart & Roger

Foamtrends

[Regis]

Beautiful work by a now defunct company. The craftsmanship looks first-rate! Sigh, another audio company joins the long, long line of the many before it! Oh well, at least you got the only pair made! BTW, nice rack! I like the look of a untidy rack area. That means you're using it!:D

[martin_wu99]

Looks nice!It must have good effect on sound:D

[Regis]

BTW HJ, are you going to apply some foilcals to those big beasts? That guy in Nebraska (refresh my memory here, please!) sure makes some nice looking reproductions!

[hjames]

BTW HJ, are you going to apply some foilcals to those big beasts?
That guy in Nebraska (refresh my memory here, please!) sure makes some nice looking reproductions!

Well, no need for sign--shop now ...

The room has changed RADICALLY since that image below ...

The HK AVR7300 died once, got repaired with much trouble, then blew again and is rusting in the basement.
Replaced it with an Integra DTC9.8 and an Adcom GFA to run the mains, and an Elan z660 for all the surrounds

Sold the B380 around christmas and replaced it with a 4641 18 sub - (for now ...) on the other GFA-555 (Bridged-mono!)

Sold the L100T/3 side surrounds, and sold the 4341 main speakers last month
then knocked down the whole biamp rack as well ...
Sold the Apple TV and the SCAN audio cart after that ... simplify, simplify!

Loaded up the bank account after all those sales!

Got a number of DCM Timeframe speakers that clean up the room and play well for movies and TV surround use.

Got a Salamander rack at a yard sale for a crazy cheap price and loaded everything in that now ...


http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=56057&d=1339963877

[Regis]

Wow! You've been busy! Looks great and I love the coffee table. We were thinking you could play two simultaneous games of chess, side-by-side.:p

[jbl_daddy]

Wish I knew you were selling your l100t's, I would have had my brother pick them up when he purchased the 4341's. I did a work friend a favor and sold him mine about five years ago...

[hjames]

Wish I knew you were selling your l100t's,
I would have had my brother pick them up when he purchased the 4341's.
I did a work friend a favor and sold him mine about five years ago...

Had a devil of a time selling the first pair I had a couple years ago - wound up shipping them to a LHF member in Canada.

This pair I listed on CL for $560 and a guy came down from Baltimore and bought them right off.
They went before I listed the 4341s for sale.

You can never tell what will catch the right person's eyes.

[hjames]

FYI - Late update - the walnut lenses are no longer available from Indycraft/Foamtrends -
sadly, they are not in business any more ...

[Doctor_Electron]

Now the baffle boards would look great in walnut veneer. Those lenses make the blue color look sad.

[BMWCCA]

Now the baffle boards would look great in walnut veneer. Those lenses make the blue color look sad.Personally, I think they look pretty nice on black-baffle 4345s!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c378/BMWCCA1/4345-14-2s.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/BMWCCA1/media/4345-14-2s.jpg.html)

[S.O.Stefansson]

I have a pair of these Walnut lenses for sale, check Marketplace. In fact they are the same lenses as in Heather's pictures, I bought them from her. I have since sold my 4341s,

Sigurd

[hjames]

I have a pair of these Walnut lenses for sale, check Marketplace. In fact they are the same lenses as in Heather's pictures, I bought them from her. I have since sold my 4341s,

Sigurd

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=41047&stc=1&d=1249070930

[hjames]

I have a pair of these Walnut lenses for sale, check Marketplace. In fact they are the same lenses as in Heather's pictures, I bought them from her. I have since sold my 4341s,

Sigurd

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=41047&stc=1&d=1249070930

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=41047&stc=1&d=1249070930

[hjames]

I have a pair of these Walnut lenses for sale, check Marketplace. In fact they are the same lenses as in Heather's pictures, I bought them from her. I have since sold my 4341s,

Sigurd

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=41047&stc=1&d=1249070930

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=41048&stc=1&d=1249070946

[Doctor_Electron]

The black looks better than the blue. Wonder who decided to use the blue color, and why? It's not like the rather imposing JBL monitors weren't distinctive looking. And if they were installed in an actual recording studio there's a good chance the grilles would be removed. In a fancy styled client-friendly studio visually decorated to impress, there's not much there that wouldn't clash with that blue tint. imho.

[gdmoore28]

The black looks better than the blue. Wonder who decided to use the blue color, and why? It's not like the rather imposing JBL monitors weren't distinctive looking. And if they were installed in an actual recording studio there's a good chance the grilles would be removed. In a fancy styled client-friendly studio visually decorated to impress, there's not much there that wouldn't clash with that blue tint. imho.

Just a matter of taste, I guess, Doc. Those blue baffles are one element of the JBL "look" that has always been quite pleasing to my eye. Black is so ubiquitous that it's become almost invisible. As for clashing colors, I'm a typical guy: practically anything matches anything!

GeeDeeEmm

[toddalin]

The wooden plates look very nice. However, when I designed the slant plates for use with the 075s, I made sets with 1/8" and 1/16" plates and it seems that the thinner plates provided a better FR.

It would be interesting to see a RTA of any difference between the wooden and stock plates.

http://www.audioheritage.org/photopost/data//500/medium/Tweeter_Stand_and_Slant_Plate_Assembly_010.JPG
http://www.audioheritage.org/photopost/data//500/medium/Resized1.jpg

[1audiohack]

The black looks better than the blue. Wonder who decided to use the blue color, and why? It's not like the rather imposing JBL monitors weren't distinctive looking. And if they were installed in an actual recording studio there's a good chance the grilles would be removed. In a fancy styled client-friendly studio visually decorated to impress, there's not much there that wouldn't clash with that blue tint. imho.

My memory for people is terrible but wouldn't that likely be Dan Ashcraft? Who I think also created the quadrex L100 grille?

He was at the third Lansing Heritage meeting if memory serves me correctly and he is a walking statement of style. I don't pay much attention to people but this guy looked like he stepped off of a magazine cover and at the same time it looked as natural and relaxed on him as spots on a leopard.

He spoke a bit on the difficulty of making a speaker not look like every other speaker. He clearly tackled that problem.

To me JBL blue is as iconic as Chevrolet orange and I love them both. :)

Barry.

[BMWCCA]

To me JBL blue is as iconic as Chevrolet orange and I love them both. :)Love hurts!

https://autoinsight.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/209-chevrolet-vega-photo.jpg

http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod27/dw/image/v2/AAUJ_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-masterCatalog_Harman/default/dw24136423/Go-Blue-Hero_dvHAMaster.jpg?sw=626&sh=626&sm=fit&sfrm=png

[grumpy]

In this case, I bet the sound potential from the perforated metal is better than from the etched high silicon Al 4 banger behind the orange acoustic lenses. :)

[Mr. Widget]

My memory for people is terrible but wouldn't that likely be Dan Ashcraft? Who I think also created the quadrex L100 grille?

He was at the third Lansing Heritage meeting if memory serves me correctly and he is a walking statement of style. I don't pay much attention to people but this guy looked like he stepped off of a magazine cover and at the same time it looked as natural and relaxed on him as spots on a leopard.

He spoke a bit on the difficulty of making a speaker not look like every other speaker. He clearly tackled that problem.

To me JBL blue is as iconic as Chevrolet orange and I love them both. :)

Barry.I love this post!

I used to be in the more conservative black bagel camp, but over the years I've really warmed up to the "classic" JBL Blue. The newer darker blue doesn't work as well in my book.


Widget