LE8T-2 (Aquarius IV) recone problem

[Luke_A_P]

I'm new to the forum so first I'll say hello to you all and thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

Ok, on to this little problem I have:

I am restoring a pair of JBL Aquarius IV speakers for a friend. When I opened up the speakers I was not surprised to find that the surrounds had decayed but I was surpised to find two bass cones that looked rather different to each other.

The bass units are LE8T-2 and the chassis on each one appears to be the same but the cones are different.

It seems that at some point one of the bass units has been reconed. It does not have the white coating on the front of the cone (it is just plain paper). But it does seem to have the same Aluminium dustcap and there seems to be quite a bit of glue around the edge of the dustcap. My first guess was that some how just the cone was replaced leaving the dust cap and motor system in place.

However after checking further I found that the reconed unit is a 4ohm unit! (<3ohms dc resistance).

I have a bit of a dilema here, my friend is interested in keeping these as a working example of a rather esoteric speaker, i.e. he wants to keep them in the original cabinets. However from what I understand it is going to be very difficult to make the Aquarius IV perform as it should without exactly the right drive unit so I am not sure quite what to do.

Is there any chance of getting a genuine equivelent to the LE8T-2 cone? Most people seem to assume it is the same as an LE8T which is not true of course. Can any of you suggest some kind of solution for this problem.

Thanks,

Luke

[4313B]

The LE8T-2 takes the C8R2115 cone kit which has no aquaplas and has an aluminum center dome. DCR should be 5.1 to 5.9 ohms. The C8R2115 cone kit has been discontinued. It appears JBL might have a few left in stock. MSRP is $207 each.

[Dave G]

Hello Luke_A_P

I would be very interested in finding out if you get any sort of useful response from UK dealer on this. I would urge extreme caution before handing these drivers over to any speaker repair 'specialists' Let me know if Harman UK repair takes these on as it means I still have service for some of my orange labeled animals!

Don't discount the option if you have problems.

[boputnam]

Originally posted by Luke_A_P
It seems that at some point one of the bass units has been reconed. It does not have the white coating on the front of the cone (it is just plain paper). But it does seem to have the same Aluminium dustcap and there seems to be quite a bit of glue around the edge of the dustcap.

Hey, Luke...

Just to make sure, and this will tie to what Giskard posted, the LE8T-2 is NOT white on the face of the cone. The LE8T-2 is a very thin paper cone, and this transducer has very different characteristics than the LE8T (white cone), and has a very specific application in the Aquarius IV.

The white cone is the one that has been wrongly installed in your Aquarius IV.

[subwoof]

Hey there - I have a single recone kit C16R2115 that would work IF you could deal with the impedance issue.

sub

[Luke_A_P]

Thanks everybody,

Boputnam,
I see what you are saying, but the plain grey paper one is the one with a DCR of 2.4 ohms.

So doesn't this suggest they have both been incorrectly reconed? (one with a LE8T kit the other with something else.)

Here is a picture of the paperconed one:


Does anyone know if this looks right for a genuine LE8T-2?

(incase anyone is wondering they both do have proper LE8T-2 lables on the back of the magnet.)

It looks like I am kind of stuck for a solution here unless I can get two recone kits of the right type.

Wembley Loudspeakers in london said they can recone the speakers but I suspect they may have been assuming the -2 is the same as the normal LE8T. Also I don't know yet is they are genuine JBL cones or some near equivelent.

Luke

[4313B]

Yes, it looks right.

Like I said, it appears JBL has a few of the kits left in stock but they are expensive!

You can also look for 2115 drivers, they are the Pro version of the LE8T-2.

[boputnam]

Originally posted by Luke_A_P
... the plain grey paper one is the one with a DCR of 2.4 ohms. ... Does anyone know if this looks right for a genuine LE8T-2?

Concur with Giskard. That is a bona fide LE8T-2. Fragile little cone, hey? Be gentle...

I can't speak to the DCR, but that won't matter anyway once you recone it. If Wembley Loudspeakers are reputable, and will use the JBL factory kit (insist upon it!), you're back in business.

Saw the Dead once at Wembley...

[Luke_A_P]

Ok so if this is the right cone doesn't the low DCR suggest that maybe there is a partial short or something? Maybe from the voice coil rubbing if it was used after the surrond decayed.

I don't have much experience working with damaged drive units apart from rotted surrounds so I'm not sure what to make of the DCR anomaly.

Giskard, thanks for the info on JBL stocks. I will bare it in mind. I'm going to speak to Wembley loudspeaker tomorrow and see what they say. If I can avoid order parts from the states myself I will, it tends to get very expensive and it is very annoying if something goes wrong.

[Dave G]

Do not bother going to wembley recone. You will get a walrom pattern job WHATEVER you request. The are not capable of doing what you ask and the work they did on my spakers was sub standard.

I was warned not to go to them by a musisian from who I bought these particular speakers, they gave me a vague answer and could not quote a price for the job until completed. Even when I quoted the price to them of two cone kits and the factory labour time to fit!

It depends wether you want speakers with a JBL sound or a waldom (waldom is large USA generic cone and coil reseller) sound but if you want expert advise then this forum is for real JBL expertise.

You will need to ship these to US for a real recone, don't ask if your new recones are genuine if you get em done at Wembley unless they reproducing the various stickers and chalk signings on the back they ain't.

Oh, of course those pattern parts will always be claimed to be as good or better than JBL original or you pay for the name etc. INMHO you get what you pay for.

[Dave G]

You cannot order cone kits yourself. It is possible that I could get you a pair but with the turmoil with JBL in the UK at the moment they are likely to ignore order. Previous orders have been in the regions of months rather than weeks.

Work out the price of a two way ship and convert the dollars into pounds and send em off. Orange County Speaker are good and fast! It is only money after all.

I have no affilation with Orange County or axe to grind with UK reconers but I would not like you to be disapointed with this project. Being a Aquarius you are already doing the work for love rather than a money making exercise. Perhaps one day these will be worth a fortune therefore making you time and money worth it.

[Luke_A_P]

Right, I have spoken to Trevor Cook at harmon uk.

I seems they have a few recone kits for the LE8T-2 (part C8R2115) in stock in the UK.

Unfortunatly they will not sell them direct, I would have to go through a service center. Harmon UK charge £103.77 +VAT and shipping each and the dealer might add their own markup as well. So it all gets very expensive.

I'm going to have to pass the estimate onto my friend and see what he thinks.

Myself I have never heard the Aquarius IV in working condition. From what I have read the sound is somewhat "compromised" by the design ethic.

Have any of you heard them? Do you think there are better things to do with the money?

Of course my friend has a certain emotional attatchment to the speakers so he might want them just as they were.

[Luke_A_P]

Oh yeah Dave G,
about ordering them, if you could get them and my friend is interested in paying how much would you want as a handling charge?

Luke

(I did check orange county but they don't list the Le8T-2, going on the price of the Le8T they would be close to 200 dollars just for the cones so I think it would probably be much cheaper to handle it in the UK)

[boputnam]

Originally posted by Luke_A_P
Myself I have never heard the Aquarius IV in working condition. From what I have read the sound is somewhat "compromised" by the design ethic.

Have any of you heard them? Do you think there are better things to do with the money?

Of course my friend has a certain emotional attatchment to the speakers so he might want them just as they were.

Posted 10 July, 2003:

Originally posted by Don McRitchie
Be forewarned, they are an acquired taste. If you like the diffuse sound of Bose 901's, then this is for you. Conversely, it does not have great extension at the frequency extremes and has a fairly uneven response due to the slot loading.

As with "Aquarius", you can search the forum and get posters views on just about any model cabinet, transducer (LE8T-2, too) or the like.

The question of "emotional attachment" keeps many of us here, working on many "extra" projects, the value of which is often lost on any but the project protagonist...

[johnhb]

I have Aquarius 4s I use for surround speakers. I have the correct LE8T-2s but I have substituted LE8Ts and LE8TH to test. They all work fine. The speakers are great for background sound or remotes but I would not select them for main speakers. If the cabinets are in great shape tell your if he can get the original kits to belly up and do it. Be careful putting pressure on the top since it is supported by the partical board speaker plate.