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Steve Gonzales
02-22-2005, 02:37 AM
I've just put together my last pair of L220's and have taken one last photo of them with their brothers. I've installed LE85's and H92's in them. They are going on a long journey to London, England to a good friend. If you have followed any of my restoration projects, you know that there is a lot of sweat equity in these 3 pairs. I would have never dreamed to have come this far in the past year and a half. I've learned SO MUCH and although it hasn't always been easy, I wouldn't trade the experience for any material thing in this world. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for my past but, I come from a poor family only as far as material wealth is concerned. I have always loved JBL and dreamed of having my own some day. Well that day is HERE!. I've worked SO HARD to get where I'm at and it is driven by pure passion for what I always call "All things JBL". All three of these pairs were headed for the DUMP!. LOOK what you CAN do, if you WANT IT BAD ENOUGH !!!. I traded, bartered, bought and sold and did the finish work myself with only a good attitude and a desire to succeed. I hope that not one member of this forum sees ANY braggadocio in this post, I just want to encourage and share. The L220/222 is what I like, there are many other wonderful JBL models to suit everyone's own unique taste.Thanks for letting share this with you, Sincerely,Steve G
:)

Steve Gonzales
02-22-2005, 03:20 AM
;) I wish I could keep them all!

yggdrasil
02-22-2005, 03:49 AM
Impressing:applaud:

4313B
02-22-2005, 05:12 AM
Very nice! :yes:

jblnut
02-22-2005, 05:54 AM
Put a chair in front of them and then have someone take a picture from the side - like the classic photo I use for my avatar. You wouldn't even need a fan - there's enough air-moving power there to blow you off the chair :) .


jblnut

porschedpm
02-22-2005, 06:03 AM
Great looking speakers, Steve. What'll be your next project? Knowing you, you've probably got something started already.

Ed

Robh3606
02-22-2005, 08:15 AM
Geez talk about a wall of sound!!! Nice idea on the photo!!! Those all look great!!!

Rob:)

majick47
02-22-2005, 10:48 AM
Looks like a JBL "family" picture, beautiful job Steve. Just think of it as one of the kids leaving home and off to college etc. Someone else will now get a chance to enjoy JBL sound and beautiful cabinets. Keep up the terrific work and I appreciate all your postings re the restorations/modifications. My L200b cabinet "makeover" will have to wait a little longer due to more snow/cold and can't work in the garage till it warms up but will get the components ready.

Steve Gonzales
02-22-2005, 11:35 AM
Thank you all for your comments. I had the good fortune to meet my neighbor's good friend Greg last week and after talking about NASCAR and such, we got onto the subject of my hobbie (we ALL know what that is) and he told me that he has been a CUSTOM CABINET maker for 20some years. He lives 3 blocks from me and has a full shop on his property!. I asked him to come and take a look at my speakers and hear them too. He loved them and the way they sound. We will be doing some interesting things this summer for sure. Here is a picture of the LE5-9 next to the LE85/H92 for a little perspective. Thanks again!, Steve G

scott fitlin
02-22-2005, 11:41 AM
Be nice if you could keep all of them, what a wall of sound! Explosive wavefronts, yeah! :D

evans224
02-22-2005, 10:47 PM
Wow.............

OFD
02-23-2005, 10:49 PM
Hey Steve,

I know a place just north of the Washington / BC border where a pair of these beauties could fall off a truck. I'd be so quick that they'd never hit the road, and I'd stay in motion until they were moving great masses of "Steve's air" throughout my neighborhood.

Fantastic job. Not only am I envious of your talent, but I have also found that your love of JBL is infectious, and I am determined to get the very most out of my little L101s - thanks again to your encouragement and support. :applaud: :applaud:

BTW, the 3805 goes back Saturday for replacement - OSD is flawed but everything else sounds great.

jtgyn
02-24-2005, 02:57 AM
G'Day Steve,
Great job!!!!
Regards Scott

Guido
02-24-2005, 04:33 AM
Damned!

What window glass do you use?

Alex Lancaster
02-24-2005, 09:11 AM
:) Hi Steve: Now that Your 3 pr is going, what are You using?

I think it is very interesting that You installed the LE85, I would be concerned with all the tuning changes.

Steve Gonzales
02-24-2005, 12:20 PM
:) Hi Steve: Now that Your 3 pr is going, what are You using?

I think it is very interesting that You installed the LE85, I would be concerned with all the tuning changes. Only one pair is going away. As far as the tuning goes, the LE5-9 is crossed over at 800hz and so is the LE85/H92 so that works out good. There is still the impedence deal ,which I will work on in the future and the also the efficiency difference, which for now is handled quite well with the stock L-pad. I've got the proper x-over mods already mapped out for me by fellow members. Whatever problems there might be on paper are a non-isssue once you hear the difference in reality, it's that good. ;)

pmakres1
03-17-2005, 05:04 PM
Hi Steve,
This collection of L220's is very moving and very impressive...I never gave a thought to what multiple pairs of these would look like all standing next to each other like that. You did a superb job and to part with any of them would have to be a very bittersweet event-but you know that the new owner will be very pleased! Tomorrow (March 18) marks the 23rd anniversary of my purchase of my L220's. I have heard many fine speakers but have seen few if any that have as many fine attributes as the L220's. After many years of searching, in 2002 I realized my dream of adding a B460 sub to the system-I felt that no other sub could more rightfully complement the L220's. MyL220's are the "A" version, with the LE14H Low frequency drivers. I have refoamed them over the years but I had a full recone done on the LE14's in 2002. I just joined this site today, so I am still learning how things work. I hope to post some photos of my system showing the B460 as well. The amplifiers I am using are a McIntosh MC300 to drive the L220's, and a McIntosh MC252 (bridged mono) to drive the B460. Talk about deep, beautiful bass..and teamed up with the L220's it's nirvana!

I read with great interest your modification using the LE85 midrange driver with the H92 Horn. I have often wondered about what a difference a mod like this would make..with my arrangement I couldn't live with the network panel protruding through the back. Isn't there a JBL horn with a shorter throat that would allow the network panel to be mounted flush?

I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts..and of your future projects.

Best regards,

Peter Makres

Steve Gonzales
03-17-2005, 07:01 PM
First off, thank you for the kind words and interest, it means alot. As far as a horn that would fit, I believe someone mentioned a Selenium one, I'd have to search. The L220/L222 front profile is such that in my particular set-up, I cannot even see the back, even from as much as I can see from the side. What I try to impart to anyone contemplating this mod is, that once you've heard them with that LE85/H92, well, that box sticking out of the back just seems like a complete and utter non-issue, really. I can and will eventually do some crossover upgrades that will better suit the horn but I'm so happy with it now, that it isin't even on the front burner. One other idea I've had is to relocate the crossovers to the lower portion of the enclosure and build/mold a back plate that would only have a very slight bulge in it. It's funny, once I'm content with something and I've got other projects to work on, I lose the urgency to go further for some time, so not much hope of this happening here soon. I also want to reinforce something that I think gets lost in the discussion and that is that this modification is VERY easy to reverse. The worst part would be to re-glue the tube enclosure that is used for the LE5-9's. Any money invested in the LE85/H92's is extremely easy to recoup although I doubt anyone would ever have to once they've heard them. Killer sub, by the way, I've always wanted a B460. nice to chat with someone who also loves the L220/L222's, you take care, Steve G

pmakres1
03-17-2005, 08:00 PM
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your input on this. I don't believe I have heard of the Selenium horns. I don't doubt for a moment that the mod coould make a dramatic difference, and I understand why you say that the box sticking out the back would be a non-issue. In my setup, the box sticking out the back would be no problem. The problem would be on the right speaker, which is placed quite close to the foam treatment on the wall. The reason for the close placement is that the speakers are placed exactly the same distance from the listening position (sweet spot), which, because of a doorway, is not exactly mid-way between the speakers, as measured laterally between the speakers. So, the compensation has to be made in the front-to back positioning of the L220's. It's good practice to have the distance the same for timing reasons, and even more so in my system since I have a Carver C-9 Hologram generator in the system. So, if I had the box sticking out the back of the right speaker, I would then have to move it out from the wall, and then the left speaker would have to move out accordingly, and would be really out in the room. I could tolerate an inch or two, but not much more than that. I will continue to watch this thread for anything you may find out on that shorter horn.
Thanks!

Peter