D130 vs LE14 in Apollos

[2string]

Can someone give me a comparison between the D130 and the LE14? I have the Apollo C51's loaded with the LE85 horn and the LE14's. LX7 crossovers. Will the D130 drop right in with no cutting involved and will the mounting holes line up? I don't want to put any extra holes in the baffle board. Any benefits to having one or the other?

[Don C]

They won't fit without cutting a larger hole. Double check though, sometimes the smaller speaker is mounted on an adapter plate.
The 130 would play louder with the same power, and give a lot less low bass.
Edit, from looking at the pictures in your other thread, your LE14 woofers need to be refoamed. I'd get that done before making any other changes, you would probably love the sound if the original woofers were working correctly.

[2string]

Can you tell me where you think they need refoaming. I don't see anything wrong with them, I don't think they have foam"but what do I know"

[BMWCCA]

Can you tell me where you think they need refoaming. I don't see anything wrong with them, I don't think they have foam"but what do I know"They are the original "LansAloy" and no way they'll have retained the original compliance they were designed to have.

[grumpy]

...the cream-colored or yellowish bumped-out area between the cone edge and
the frame.

[2string]

OK now what do I do? Show me what it should look like.

[Don C]

It's not really about what it should look like. When your speakers were new, the woofer surround, that yellowish ring, was nice and soft and flexible. So the speaker cone could move back and forth freely. Now it's as hard as a rock and the speaker cone can barely move. A professional in your area should be able to replace that part with modern gray foam. After that is done, the difference in sound quality should be obvious, it should be well worth the money. Much better than swapping to a D130, which is really a full range speaker rather than a woofer.

[2string]

Holy cow, I play bass and know how the speaker moves in and out and when I purchased these speakers I had never seen surrounds like these before (LansAloy) I thought they were suppose to be stiff. Was that LansAloy soft like foam when it was new? Is it hard to find foam for the LE14?

[LE15-Thumper]

Foams are really easy to find. We like our local guy, Rick Cobb. He has an ebay store here :
http://shop.ebay.ca/looneytune2001/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

[2string]

Thanks guys I would have never known. My local speaker repair guy said he'd do it for $30 a speaker. Sounds like a good price to me. How much of a difference will it make in the sound?

[JoMoCo]

Dude...:blink:

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=27548

[2string]

Those threads are fairly old, any updates on the brake fluid usage. Is there anything better. Opinions please on the sound quality between the LansAloy and foam. I don't understand what Fs and Zmax means. All I care about is sound quality.

[Mr. Widget]

Holy cow, I play bass and know how the speaker moves in and out...
I don't understand what Fs and Zmax means. They have to do with how easily the cone moves in and out and how far. ;)

The DOT3 treatment will work, but since you don't know what Fs is, you certainly can't measure it... without measuring it, you'll quite possibly not get the woofer performing correctly so get them refoamed.

From your other thread about correct foam, I don't know the answer, but you might PM, oldmics, edgewound, GordonW, or one of the others who fix these things for a living. As far as whether or not to replace the spider? The LE14A does have a heavy cone so the spider will likely have sagging issues even if the speakers were just sitting around all these years...

Typically the correct answer is to have your reconer replace the whole cone assembly with a JBL kit, but for the LE14A these have been alternately unavailable or horrifically expensive so that's a tough one. I think I'd send the woofers to someone who has experience with these specific drivers. They could probably evaluate the condition of the whole system and make the best recommendation. On the other hand, it sounds like your local guy is honest.. he didn't tell you that he could get JBL original foam... no one really can, they don't exist as a single part.

As for the D130/LE14A question? I would go with the LE14A, it will be much more Hi-Fi... if you do go with a D130, the character will change dramatically, it will be more of a punchy floor monitor with good tone.


Widget

[Earl K]

- Like JoMoCo said ; " Dude...:blink: "

- Shaansloan(s)' thread on applying DOT 3 to his le14a(s) surrounds (http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=27548)is an easy first step ( maybe even, final ) to take when refurbing ones le14a(s) . .

- The price of entry is a Q-tip & some DOT-3 brake-fluid .

- Rick Cobbs' replacement surrounds might be the better (semi-)permanent solution / unfortunately / going that route opens up another can of worms ( as to which side of the cone should the new foam surrounds be attached to,,, front or back ? ) .

cheers

[Mr. Widget]

- The price of entry is a Q-tip & some DOT-3 brake-fluid .
I suppose it all depends on the goal.

If you want better, or if you want correct. Personally I usually seek correct, and with the DOT-3 and measurements you can get really close. Alternatively, you can slop some on there and it will certainly sound better. Care should be taken not to contaminate the cones though.


Widget

[2string]

So your saying Dot 3 is the correct and best way to fix them? Why do you have to take measurements after and if you get the wrong measurements how do you correct it? By using Rick Cobbs' replacement surrounds will they not sound as good as using the Dot3 and staying with the LansAloy?

[Mr. Widget]

The brake fluid will make the stiff Lans-a-loy surround more supple. If you use too much the Fs will become lower than it should be, if you use too little the Fs will be too high.

If the magnet and the spider are still in spec, a new and correct foam surround should bring the driver back to spec.


Widget

[Earl K]

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=41536&stc=1&d=1251754182
- 2string bought his speakers for a mere $ 300.00 ( if I read his past posts, correctly ) .

- If the intent is to flip them ( after restoring them ? ) / then it doesn't make much sense to spend a lot of $$$ on rehabbing these woofers .

- Putting new foams ( possibly on the wrong side ) won't enhance their resale value on eBay .

- Mind you, parting out those le85s/HL91s can bring $500 to $ 800.00 , dependant on their condition .

- OTOH, if 2string is curious about how the le14s sound ( when close to spec. ) / I feel the DOT-3 method is a "cheap & cheerfull" route to achieving a reasonable audition .

- If the surrounds aren't cracking / then even excess applications of Brake Fluid ( IME ) won't take the Fs lower than 20 Hz .

- I'm concerned somewhat with the spiders being "bagged" . As far as I see it, the spiders should also be replaced ( along with the surrounds ) for longer term peace of mind .

<> cheers


http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=41537&stc=1&d=1251754226
http://i48.tinypic.com/2ugykjs.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/b989vr.jpg

ps : looking good :thmbsup:

- What are you going to do regarding grills ( since you have only one original ) ?

[2string]

I don't plan on reselling at this time. I want to enjoy them. I purchased another original grille and also made 2 grilles for a different look. I can't decide whether I like the homemade grille with the cut out for the louvers or the full grille? Because my surrounds are glued on the front of the cone will it be more of a problem getting them off without damaging the cones,will these surrounds glue on the same way to the front? http://cgi.ebay.ca/BEST-Speaker-Foam-kit-for-JBL-LE14A-LE14C-LE14H-LE14H1_W0QQitemZ170436994467QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVin tage_Electronics_R2?hash=item27aed625a3 Where can I get the spiders?
http://i50.tinypic.com/2iub8fb.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/att64x.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/erbcaq.jpg

[Wagner]

Just because something works doesn't make it right or a good idea.

Putting automotive brake fluid on speakers is bull shit.

Plain and simple.

Thomas