My JBL-DIY "Super-L100T"'s !!!

[ramin_audio]

Hello friends,

I have been very busy these days, but I managed to purchase two sheets of 1" MDF and build a cabinet for the L100T drivers.

Here are some photos:
55664556655566655667

[ramin_audio]

I was unable to find suitable bass port tube. The original cabinets have ports of 4" (diameter) and 5.25" (length).

I have read somewhere that ports with flared ends (at both ends) are much better and cause less distortion.

I am also not sure where it is the best location to put the port. On the front baffle?!
How long should there be the distance between the port and the woofer?!

Any help is very much appreciated.

Thanks. :)

[highcut28]

Good wood work.
They will be nice I am sure. Bigger than usual L100 s ?

[ramin_audio]

Good wood work.
They will be nice I am sure. Bigger than usual L100 s ?Thanks.

You mean L100T's?
A little bit. But the internal volume will be the same. I think I made them a little bit too deep. So, I have to fill them with braces to reach the internal volume of around 3.3 cubic ft.

[mech986]

I was unable to find suitable bass port tube. The original cabinets have ports of 4" (diameter) and 5.25" (length).

I have read somewhere that ports with flared ends (at both ends) are much better and cause less distortion.

I am also not sure where it is the best location to put the port. On the front baffle?!
How long should there be the distance between the port and the woofer?!

Any help is very much appreciated.

Thanks. :)

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=268-352

55752

Use rear port as L100T did.

[frankiegeee]

Hi!

This is my first post on this wonderful site!
Though I have creeped around on here for a few years now! lol :D

I was just wondering how your litrtle project has been going?
The reason I am responding is I too have rebuilt some L100t's! Well they were L100S's that are the L100t3 in a Vinyl cover cabinet.
I Used the flared ports from parts express mentioned above! And it worked out very well for me! I moved the ports to the front and used the old port hole for the upgraded Binding Post, also from parts express. Covering the old connector holes over, made new front baffles so I could mirror image them! Added bracing to the inside, then covered the entire cabinets with new red oak veneer!
Tell me what you think!5606156064560655606256063
I also refoamed the woofers myself, recessed all drivers, recapped the crossovers, replaced the old risers with spikes, and used new insulation! I couldn't be happier!
The L100T has been my favorite speakers for years!
Thanks for looking!

Frankie

[hjames]

Wow - VERY nice looking!
I swapped the port to the front on a pair of L60Ts I had a few years back -
I'm a big fan of front ports!

Did you do any work on the crossovers?
I had some L100Ts that I got the crossovers reworked into 100T3 mode and it really took the edge off the tweeters!


Hi!

This is my first post on this wonderful site!
Though I have creeped around on here for a few years now! lol :D

I was just wondering how your litrtle project has been going?
The reason I am responding is I too have rebuilt some L100t's! Well they were L100S's that are the L100t3 in a Vinyl cover cabinet.
I Used the flared ports from parts express mentioned above! And it worked out very well for me! I moved the ports to the front and used the old port hole for the upgraded Binding Post, also from parts express. Covering the old connector holes over, made new front baffles so I could mirror image them! Added bracing to the inside, then covered the entire cabinets with new red oak veneer!
Tell me what you think!5606156064560655606256063
I also refoamed the woofers myself, recessed all drivers, recapped the crossovers, replaced the old risers with spikes, and used new insulation! I couldn't be happier!
The L100T has been my favorite speakers for years!
Thanks for looking!

Frankie

[frankiegeee]

Hi Heather,

Thanks,
56067
Yeah I saw what you did to those L60Ts. They looked great with that port up front!:bouncy:
This set started life as a L100S. It's the same as a L100T3 with a plastic like fake wood grain finish!
So they already had the T3 Spec crossover!
I just recapped all capacitors and used the original coils.
I used Dayton Precision caps wich made a difference in the sound that I like quite a bit!
One day I'd like to make a custom crossover.
Since the drivers are a little closer spaced now!

[4343]

Hi! ...
recessed all drivers...

Very nice work there!

I did a write-up on how to recess a sqircle driver like your mid here:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=332577

It took a bit of practicing to get it to come out neat, I finally did gain enough courage/skill to recess the mid on my L100T's. It was scary cutting through the veneer! One slip and I would have had to cut new fronts and re-veneer... But then I could have mirrored them, that's nice looking, good job!

I don't think it made ANY audible difference, so can't say it was worth it...

[frankiegeee]

Thanks 4343,

And thanks for the thread.
The pictures I post earlier were taken about 3 years ago when I first got them completed. I didi finally get around to recessing the mids about 6 months later! I'm not sure it made a difference in the sound either but it looks good!
I had to do it the hard way, with a razor knife. lol

56070

Guess it's time to dust!

[4343]

It does look nice, so who cares if it helps or not...

[ramin_audio]

I had totally for got about this thread. Here is the final results -- my Super-L100T:

57416574175741857419

[ramin_audio]

I have replaced the old 035Ti's with brand new 052Ti's. As the old ones were a little bit on the harsh side.

The sound of the speakers is simply fantastic, specially the bass. The bass is very realistic and accurate, and very dynamic. The only weakness of these are they are a little bit too sharp in the higher frequencies. For example, I play some Diana Krall CD; the vocal seems to be too much in the sound and the sound cymbals get too much.

I think some modifications in the xo is needed. If I manage to solve this issue, these speakers will be simply perfect.

I also don't know what to use for the speaker feet. ... So, still some work need to be done on them. :)

[pos]

Nice looking speakers! :coolness:

To tame the 052Ti you could add some aquaplas on the rear of the dome, or on the front as JBL does on its current LSR studio monitors.
This would damp and reduce breakups, as well as reduce the level a tiny bit...
I think 4313B did this numerous times, and Rob also did it and published measurements some time ago...

[ramin_audio]

Nice looking speakers! :coolness:

To tame the 052Ti you could add some aquaplas on the rear of the dome, or on the front as JBL does on its current LSR studio monitors.
This would damp and reduce breakups, as well as reduce the level a tiny bit...
I think 431B did this numerous times, and Rob also did it and published measurements some time ago...Thank you very much.

Can you be so kind and give me a link of this?

[pos]

I have never made the mod myself, but I am sure others that have will shim in.
In the meantime here are some links:
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?31675-Possible-bad-news-for-XPL-owners&p=319506&viewfull=1#post319506
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?14236-AQUAPLAS/page2
http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/general/ProductFamily.aspx?FId=6&MId=5

[ramin_audio]

I had no idea RCA and Digital cables have so much effect in the sound!
Last week I got a nice pair of RCA cable with a digital cable.
(I am using a Marantz SA-14 as transport for the RegaDac. My amp is the SimAudio Moon 220i.; only 40 wpc, but very high current and very well built, quite adequate for the L100T's.)

The little problem I had with the mid-to-high frequencies just faded away. The crappy video-cable I was using as digital cable must have been most responsible for the problem in the sound.

I don't think the 052Ti's need any modification, nor does the cross-over Frank has made for them... The tweeters are just very accurate and revealing, so they need to be set up right.

All I had to do was to get these JBL's 2 ft away from the wall and tune the L-pads to my taste!!! ... The sound simply got perfect: Really smooth and warm, but with outstanding clarity and dynamic. I finally got it right!

Sadly, I am very happy and satisfied with my system now... :(

[4343]

...

Sadly, I am very happy and satisfied with my system now... :(

One thing I did to my L100T's (aside from the T3 crossover changes) was to replace the stock cardboard port tube with the 4" flared version. I also added a brace inside at the bottom that became a baffle for the inside flared end of the port tube. The bass seems ever so slightly cleaner with the modification. Could be the effect of the brace on the box flexing, or the baffle reducing distortion, or both, or perhaps the huge inductor I used for the T3 mod...

Box looks sorts like this in side view:

| | |
| |=|
| | |

The brace ties the bottom panel to both sides, and via the port tube, the back panel.

[ramin_audio]

One thing I did to my L100T's (aside from the T3 crossover changes) was to replace the stock cardboard port tube with the 4" flared version. I also added a brace inside at the bottom that became a baffle for the inside flared end of the port tube. The bass seems ever so slightly cleaner with the modification. Could be the effect of the brace on the box flexing, or the baffle reducing distortion, or both, or perhaps the huge inductor I used for the T3 mod...

Box looks sorts like this in side view:

| | |
| |=|
| | |

The brace ties the bottom panel to both sides, and via the port tube, the back panel.I still have the original cabinets. I first wanted to brace the cabinets, but they seemed very alive. I used to put my hand on the front baffle (below the woofer), and there were too much vibration. I also didn't like the way cabinets looked... not minty. So, I made new ones. The new cabinet is made of 1" MDF and heavily braced. I made the bottom end double layered. I used flared ports too. I also glued 6mm neoprene sheet on the front baffle. I got the idea from the XPL200 (http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/jbl/specs/home-speakers/1989-xpl/page12.jpg). (The drivers look very cool on the neoprene.) The bass is night-and-day different; very clean and realistic, tight and warm. The L100T's tended to "shout" at me in the mid and high freq's. This was also gone.