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View Full Version : Your vote for best looking/most beautiful JBL driver(s)



mikebake
12-07-2005, 08:09 PM
I just love the look of lots of the great drivers; what are some of your favorites, and why? No posts without photos included!!

JuniorJBL
12-07-2005, 08:32 PM
This is my fav:applaud:

mikebake
12-07-2005, 08:40 PM
This is my fav:applaud:
Why do i keep flashing to 1950's space scifi with those? I agree, very nice. Beefy and swoopy...........

JuniorJBL
12-07-2005, 08:43 PM
This is my second (which I own 2 of)
http://www.jblpro.com/pages/pub/components/2242.pdf
:applaud:

JuniorJBL
12-07-2005, 08:44 PM
Why do i keep flashing to 1950's space scifi with those? I agree, very nice. Beefy and swoopy...........

:rotfl:

There are to many to list:applaud:

morbo!
12-08-2005, 12:23 AM
a program called gimp is awsome for photo manipulation and free too

chad
12-08-2005, 06:19 AM
The cat eye and lens from the L222
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=11473&stc=1

Ducatista47
12-08-2005, 08:08 AM
A nice piece of industrial design, worthy of Raymond Loewy

Ducatista47
12-08-2005, 08:12 AM
a program called gimp is awsome for photo manipulation and free too

Thanks, Morbo! I knew GIMP was available for Linux, but not for other platforms. You're my buddy, as usual, my good Aus-Irish fellow!

Clark in Peoria

mikebake
12-08-2005, 08:48 AM
I was gonna post the slot, too. It is the first JBL driver that caught my interest/attention. It was different than anything I had seen. Heavy, nicely done, felt good to heft it!!

10 Watt Street
12-08-2005, 09:17 AM
The JBL 1400nd is one of the highest expressions of the speaker building arts and sciences. It is the world's first low frequency transducer designed with a neodymium magnet structure. Neodymium is the first magnet material to surpass Alnico in performance. The design brief was to create unrestricted dynamic range and ultimate response. The JBL K2 series is a highpoint in ultimate JBL speakers such as the Paragon, Hartsfield, and Everest. The K2 S9500 used two of the 1400nd per side, and cost $30,000.00 per pair. Quite a statement.

Neodymium magnets are used for high flux densities and for excellent magnetic shielding. Advanced passive and active cooling techniques for heat removal are utilized to reduce LF power compression.

A single 1400Nd is capable of handling instantaneous input signals of 600 watts, corresponding to a midband peak output of 118 dB at a distance of one meter. The transducer’s second and third harmonic distortion have been reduced through the use of JBL’s traditional aluminum shorting ring at the base of the pole piece, as well as through the use of a copper shorting ring on the top plate adjacent to the voice coil. The transducers make use of JBL’s Vented Gap Cooling in which forced air, generated by cone motion, removes heat produced by the voice coil. The cast basket features extensive cooling fins for heatsinking.

Ducatista47
12-08-2005, 09:35 AM
I was gonna post the slot, too. It is the first JBL driver that caught my interest/attention. It was different than anything I had seen. Heavy, nicely done, felt good to heft it!!

Yep, the slot is fun to hold - dare I say fondle? When I get my 2245's, I'll give them the same test. Always wanted to hold an LE15A, never got the chance.

Clark in Peoria

Mr. Widget
12-08-2005, 11:25 AM
I'd have to say that the most beautiful JBL component is the gold tone HL89 from the Hartsfield. My favorite driver, from a purely aesthetic point of view is the alnico 075... it is just eye candy, especially in the Bel Aire.


Widget

Ian Mackenzie
12-08-2005, 01:55 PM
I like the 2245 woofer

Ian

johnaec
12-08-2005, 02:53 PM
Maybe not "best looking - how about "most muscular" ? - W10GTI:

John

jandregg
12-08-2005, 03:10 PM
The first JBL I saw and heard was a le14. Those white faced woofers, like so many first loves, still give me pleasure to behold.



John

toddalin
12-08-2005, 03:20 PM
These guys are VERY NICE!http://www.audioheritage.org/photopost/data//518/23UREIDriver801C.jpg

Tom Loizeaux
12-08-2005, 06:21 PM
Here are two of my favorite industrial designs from JBL that make a great graphic.

Tom

mikebake
12-08-2005, 06:56 PM
Here is one; maybe not quite as zippy as some others, but yummy looking in it's own right. Kinda like women; there is a diversity of what looks good.http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=1827&stc=1

JuniorJBL
12-08-2005, 07:14 PM
Here is one; maybe not quite as zippy as some others, but yummy looking in it's own right. Kinda like women; there is a diversity of what looks good.http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=1827&stc=1


Yea Baby :yes:

pelly3s
12-08-2005, 10:19 PM
can i pick a driver i wish was a JBL because the Adamson 21" woofer is the best. Dual 6" VC's dual spiders kevlar cone and the largest neo maginet in production.

ok ok ok if i have to pick the most beautiful jbl it would be a 2235.... remember its whats on the inside that counts

Mr. Widget
12-08-2005, 10:25 PM
That 21" beast may be a great driver, but the build quality looks, rather clumsy.



Widget

pelly3s
12-09-2005, 06:40 AM
I questioned that when i saw the speaker the first time and one of their techs told me that its pretty much the only way to hold it together is to use a ton of glue


That 21" beast may be a great driver, but the build quality looks, rather clumsy.



Widget

Don Mascali
12-09-2005, 07:14 AM
Yep, the slot is fun to hold - dare I say fondle? When I get my 2245's, I'll give them the same test. Always wanted to hold an LE15A, never got the chance.

Clark in Peoria

You guys need professional help:blink:

4313B
12-09-2005, 07:29 AM
the only way to hold it together is to use a ton of glueOIC

4313B
12-09-2005, 07:30 AM
Here are two of my favorite industrial designs from JBL that make a great graphic.

TomAgreed

Ducatista47
12-09-2005, 07:46 AM
You guys need professional help:blink:

Didn't you ever know anyone in the clothing mfg trade? The "hand" - the feel - of a suit, or at least its material, is very important to the overall presentation. Like taste and smell are twin interconnected senses, sight and feel (tactile sensation) are too.

And yes, I probably need serious help:D
Sadly, only more JBL's seems to make the symtoms lessen.

Clark in Peoria

mikebake
12-09-2005, 08:42 AM
A good JBL driver in hand is like studying a static race car; your mind simply cannot help but consider it's potential in action.

Ducatista47
12-09-2005, 09:13 AM
A good JBL driver in hand is like studying a static race car; your mind simply cannot help but consider it's potential in action.

I searched Shakespeare, but alas no reference to JBL's. I had assumed your excellent remark must be from the Bard himself...:)

Clark in Peoria

mikebake
12-09-2005, 09:31 AM
"...A good audiophile strives to recreate the performance, whereas a poor audiophile listens to his equipment instead of his music..." Fragment on a pottery sherd, atributed to Ducatista47, noted blowhard; 323?-287b.c. He was said to be the product of a nocturnal thermionic emission."

Was he of the race of Mallbuilders?

edgewound
12-09-2005, 09:40 AM
I questioned that when i saw the speaker the first time and one of their techs told me that its pretty much the only way to hold it together is to use a ton of glue

More glue doesn't necessarily mean better. "Just enough" is the way to go.

Mr. Widget
12-09-2005, 09:44 AM
I questioned that when i saw the speaker the first time and one of their techs told me that its pretty much the only way to hold it together is to use a ton of glueWell... I'd look for some kevlar colored or clear glue then... the black really draws attention to itself. My guess it is priorities. I was playing around with a PHL driver with heavily doped cone and carbon fiber dustcap... I believe it is the same or similar to one used in a Genelec monitor... from the rear it looks quite well made, a nice casting with excellent paint finish like we would expect from one of our beloved JBLs, but from the cone face side, it just isn't a JBL.;)

Hey, you made me go :offtopic:.


Widget

mikebake
12-09-2005, 09:54 AM
I searched Shakespeare, but alas no reference to JBL's. I had assumed your excellent remark must be from the Bard himself...:)

Clark in Peoria

Alas, poor Yorkville, I knew them well.

mikebake
12-09-2005, 09:56 AM
Those are neat, alright, but the look on the backside is disturbing; like a small frog mating with a big one.....
These guys are VERY NICE!http://www.audioheritage.org/photopost/data//518/23UREIDriver801C.jpg

edgewound
12-09-2005, 09:59 AM
Those are neat, alright, but the look on the backside is disturbing; like a small frog mating with a big one.....

...resulting in beautiful offspring;)

mikebake
12-09-2005, 10:03 AM
I searched Shakespeare, but alas no reference to JBL's. I had assumed your excellent remark must be from the Bard himself...:)

Clark in Peoria

To Be, or not to Be...........

paragon
12-09-2005, 11:16 AM
This, and a lot more !!
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/9262/jbl244113zx.th.jpg (http://img392.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jbl244113zx.jpg)

paragon
12-09-2005, 11:19 AM
This, and a lot more !
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6671/jbl239716gf.th.jpg (http://img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jbl239716gf.jpg)

paragon
12-09-2005, 11:22 AM
This one, in perfect condition.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6788/jbl231069iv.th.jpg (http://img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jbl231069iv.jpg)

paragon
12-09-2005, 11:26 AM
And this ! (Tears in my eyes).

http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/2974/monza2a0pf.th.jpg (http://img455.imageshack.us/my.php?image=monza2a0pf.jpg)

Ducatista47
12-09-2005, 08:33 PM
"...A good audiophile strives to recreate the performance, whereas a poor audiophile listens to his equipment instead of his music..." Fragment on a pottery sherd, atributed to Ducatista47, noted blowhard; 323?-287b.c. He was said to be the product of a nocturnal thermionic emission."

Was he of the race of Mallbuilders?

No, I think he was a slave in a vomitorium. He was arrested once, and as punishment was forced to listen to Edirols for one lunar cycle. When released, he somehow survived, he was heard to utter, "This gives new meaning to 'Being on the lunar cycle'." He is thought to have perished when the incident was repeated, but with Bose.

Dave Zan
12-10-2005, 03:38 AM
The JBL 1400nd is one of the highest expressions of the speaker building arts and sciences. It is the world's first low frequency transducer designed with a neodymium magnet structure. Neodymium is the first magnet material to surpass Alnico.

Neodymium magnets are used for high flux densities ...

The 1400 is very nice but the JBL PR release isn't quite correct.
The flux density is limited mainly by cost and mass (where Neo. helps) and eventually by saturation in the pole pieces rather than the flux/coercivity properties of the magnet. And Alnico has lower temperature coefficient of flux and (relatedly) more elevated Curie temperature. Hence its use in the even nicer 1500AL.

Ian Mackenzie
12-10-2005, 08:07 AM
The 1400 is very nice but the JBL PR release isn't quite correct.
The flux density is limited mainly by cost and mass (where Neo. helps) and eventually by saturation in the pole pieces rather than the flux/coercivity properties of the magnet. And Alnico has lower temperature coefficient of flux and (relatedly) more elevated Curie temperature. Hence its use in the even nicer 1500AL.

So where's the picture?.

No picture no post.

Anthony L100
12-11-2005, 03:01 PM
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/biggrin.gif one day I will find a project for these, until then I will continue to fondle... I love these because it seems like overkill, a voice coil 33% the size of the cone, and that huge magnet! It's going to work, isn't it? I guess, due to it's domestic designation it was used in a home system, but which? I know the 2203 was used in the 4315s but both variants seem fairly rare in their application. I know somebody will put me out of my obvious misery:rockon1: .

4313B
12-11-2005, 04:06 PM
Ah yes, the good old alnico 124A. :yes:

As a member of the Loudspeaker Component Series it was specifically used in the S21 system: 124A, LE5-2, 077, LX30, EN3. The S21-1 used the SFG ferrite drivers 124H, LE5H, 077, LX30, EN3. For all intents and purposes the ultimate expression of the Jubal 65 theme.

You are correct in that the motor was just too damn powerful. They were literally the fifteen inch 136A/2231A transducers in a twelve inch package. I never much cared for them used in the standard JBL 3.0 cu ft volume. I built a pair of 1.8 cu ft boxes once and put the S21 components in them tuned around 40 Hz. Good grief! Outstanding transient character! They worked well in the Lancer 55 and Jubal 65 sized enclosures too. You can get them to work better in the 3.0 cu ft volumes such as the EN3 and 4315 if you use a high DCR choke in the low pass, otherwise a bit of EQ is usually required.

As subs they work fantastic in 2.8 cu ft volumes tuned to 30 Hz and crossed over at or before 80 Hz.

Anthony L100
12-11-2005, 04:19 PM
Thanks Giskard, I will search the S21. I am somewhat surprised that these three drivers are "forced" to work together, as the 124 doesn't like to crossover above 800hz and the 077 below say, 7500hz. Does the LE5-2 do a good enough job of integrating them? Oops! got a bit off thread, sorry. This is always a concern, guess I should go to tech help.

4313B
12-11-2005, 04:52 PM
Does the LE5-2 do a good enough job of integrating them?They were ok, they were fun for the time...

The 076/2403 is the best bet if you have to use ring radiators with LE5 variants (Think 124, LE5, 076, N220). They are rediculously overpriced these days though. It's like people are paying for a distant memory instead of a 25 year old legacy driver worth little more than the price of a new diaphragm. It's really too bad too because alot of you guys could be having alot of fun with this old crap if it was priced at what it was actually worth. :(

Anthony L100
12-11-2005, 05:19 PM
Yes Giskard, spot on. I would never pay the outrageous price commanded by 076s these days. It's just that I have all these drivers previously mentioned laying around, and in keeping with the theme of this thread I would love to combine them as they are "favourites". As an afterthought, i've noticed that LE5-2s seem to be extremely popular on e-pay recently, fetching loads more than their real value. Any thoughts?

Alex Lancaster
12-11-2005, 06:13 PM
:) Giskard: Congrats on Your 5K posts:applaud: .

4313B
12-11-2005, 06:27 PM
It's just that I have all these drivers previously mentioned laying around, and in keeping with the theme of this thread I would love to combine them as they are "favourites". As an afterthought, i've noticed that LE5-2s seem to be extremely popular on e-pay recently, fetching loads more than their real value. Any thoughts?If you have 'em use 'em. You owe it to yourself to try these things out. You can always eBay what you don't like.

:) Giskard: Congrats on Your 5K posts:applaud: .:p

LE15-Thumper
12-11-2005, 08:30 PM
.

You can get them to work better in the 3.0 cu ft volumes such as the EN3 and 4315 if you use a high DCR choke in the low pass, otherwise a bit of EQ is usually required.

As subs they work fantastic in 2.8 cu ft volumes tuned to 30 Hz and crossed over at or before 80 Hz.

What does raising the resistance of the low pass choke do to the response of the woofer ? And how ?

4313B
12-11-2005, 08:46 PM
It increases the Q and flattens out the response. Not usually desirable but in the case of the 124/2203 in big boxes tuned low and run up to 800 Hz...

Red with 0.5 ohms DCR versus Green with 2.5 ohms DCR

4313B
12-11-2005, 08:58 PM
I just skip all that and use them as subs.

2.8 cu ft tuned to 30 Hz with 100 Hz 24 dB/octave L-R LP. No passive parts.

LE15-Thumper
12-11-2005, 09:13 PM
I just skip all that and use them as subs.

2.8 cu ft tuned to 30 Hz with 100 Hz 24 dB/octave L-R LP. No passive parts.

Wow !!!:applaud: Nice curve

4313B
12-11-2005, 09:14 PM
I think Guido built a pair. I wonder if he still likes them.

Ian Mackenzie
12-12-2005, 04:59 AM
What about room gain?

Ian

4313B
12-12-2005, 05:19 AM
In what context?

Here's the simulated response of the 4315 box running the 124/2203 (red) versus the 4333 box running the 136/2231 (green). The shelved response of the lower Q 124/2203 can easily be seen.

UreiCollector
12-12-2005, 11:31 AM
My personal favorite.....along with all the larger variants!

glen
12-13-2005, 12:32 AM
It has few followers, but the LE30 tweeter has to be one of the most beautiful drivers ever produced. The luscious, delicate compound curves of the gleaming brushed aluminum diaphram, framed by the strong, solid embrace of the machined frame, seem to be a passionate meeting of form and function in the realm of art.

sa660
12-13-2005, 02:34 AM
I questioned that when i saw the speaker the first time and one of their techs told me that its pretty much the only way to hold it together is to use a ton of glue

Glue has very poor mechanical strengh compare to kevlar.
:banghead:
A Ton of glue = poor mechanical joint.

Dave Zan
12-15-2005, 09:52 PM
So where's the picture?.

No picture no post.

Seemed a bit redundant when it had already been done.
But for those who missed it the first time - and because it's the most exceptional speaker JBL make and how can you have too much of that?

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=80758&postcount=2

4313B
12-16-2005, 05:26 AM
I've got four of them sitting here and can't wait to get them mounted in boxes. They are ugly as hell from the backside ( Sorry Jerry! :rotfl: ). They look fine once mounted in boxes.

Mr. Widget
12-16-2005, 10:43 AM
I'd have to agree with you... once mounted they are very nice looking... the back side is too much for my taste... they are really well made though!


Widget

toddalin
12-16-2005, 11:45 AM
Seemed a bit redundant when it had already been done.
But for those who missed it the first time - and because it's the most exceptional speaker JBL make and how can you have too much of that?

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=80758&postcount=2

Quite similar to these, except without all that Godawful printing on the dustcap. However, due to their intended purpose, these look to dissapate heat better. (I think that these actually look much cooler too.http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/wink.gif )



http://www.jbl.com/car/products/..%2fproducts%2fimages%2fproducts_large%2fW15GTI.j pg

4313B
12-16-2005, 11:50 AM
(I think that these actually look much cooler too.http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/wink.gif )I suspect that you are a member of the Pepsi Generation... ;)

Mr. Widget
12-16-2005, 11:54 AM
I suspect that you are a member of the Pepsi Generation... ;):rotfl:

toddalin
12-16-2005, 12:04 PM
I suspect that you are a member of the Pepsi Generation... ;)

Hey, I want to "Come Alive!" and definately prefer it to Coke.:D

4313B
12-16-2005, 12:17 PM
Hey, I want to "Come Alive!" and definately prefer it to Coke.:D :applaud:

JuniorJBL
12-16-2005, 02:22 PM
I really like this whole thing!

Tom Loizeaux
12-16-2005, 02:48 PM
Hey, front or back, put those JBL 1500AL drivers in a cabinet like this have it both ways!

Tom

Dave Zan
12-16-2005, 10:38 PM
I've got four of them sitting here

I had no luck when I tried to source them.
How and where did you obtain them?
And if you care to tell - What price?

TIA

4313B
12-17-2005, 04:03 AM
They are for Project May.