Looky What I just got - Those Darned L200 Cabs (from Aberdeen)

[hjames]

[If I was there, I'd straighten the lampshade for you, fully appreciating there ARE priorities, of course.... ]

yeah - it was a 6Am rush job before I headed out the door - just to show you the fine corinthian speaker cloth! I noticed it when I cropped it, but was running late as it is ... That shade isn't really for that big globe IKEA lamp, but I put it there because it does cut the glare and softens the light when watching TV late at night. Its an interesting mood lamp - flip the switch one way and a set of white LEDs illuminate the globe, flip the other and it slowly cycles through the color spectrum.

Look below - Image updated, just for you ...

Amazing what the waked eye sees after early AM kafee

[hjames]

No fools here - blame it on the Zilch audiophile training system!!
With the new receiver in place I worked through the 2435 horns and compensating networks, and the sound is quite fine. Impressive 2ways!

The HK AVR 335 receiver was a nice upgrade from my old JVC - 55w/ch (x7 channels!) is fine for rear & center, and with all channel preamp out ports, its got the possibility of expansion as needed (such as my use of biamping the front channels) and its all nicely integrated.
I can set stereo sources (like CD or turntable) to play stero, other sources can be set to play Dolby or DTS in 5.1 or even 7.1 if I get another pair of small speakers (but where do I PUT them in this room?) And if the phone rings I can hit mute on the remote and get it. Nice!

But last night I wanted to try something else. I fed left & right front preamp Out to the JBL 552 active crossover, connected the Low Out to the Citation 22
(wired in 200w/ch stereo mode) and fed that to the 2215 Woofers directly.
I connected the High Out to the Crown D75, and fed its output into the Giskard 3133 networks I built last summer. But - I tied the low out from the passives to the 2123 midbass drivers, the mids to the 2420/horn combos, and the highs to the 2405 slots in the small boxes on top.

I played around with the active crossover point, knowing that in the 4343s and 4345s they cross from the woofers to the midbass around 290/300Hz
(and knowing I have 2215s instead of 2231s or 2235s).

At 400Hz - bang! everything seems just right and I have very very nice sound. Bass is crisp and defined in very solid way - its not volume of bass, its the quality. The rest is good as well - tho maybe I should have a bit more power for the high split (2123/2420/2405 plus passives) - the vol control on the D-75 is at 3PM (max is about 5 1/2) instead of 12 o'clock.

Airtunes from the Mac upstairs (files @320kbps) via wireless network into the receiver sound great.
CDs sound great.
DVDs sounds great.
FM sounds like FM (!).
HDTV sounds great!

Volume control, mute and source switching all fine.

Gotta run and listen to more music now!

Thanks again, Zilch!!

[Titanium Dome]

The receiver is looking good in the rack, and I think the AV set up has never looked tidier. Nice.

Now when can we all fly out to VA for a listen?

[Robh3606]

At 400Hz - bang!

Don't get too hung up on the frequency. Those controls have about a 15% tolerance. So how's it going?? Still in hog heaven??

Rob

[hjames]

Don't get too hung up on the frequency. Those controls have about a 15% tolerance. So how's it going?? Still in hog heaven??

Rob

real fine!

Sunday I met up with Fred Sanford - he dropped off a Pro-ject phono preamp to try out - and it works quite nice ... so I'm set for Vinyl again.

I could use another amp for the woofers in the L200 cabinets (JBL 6260 perhaps?) so I can put the Citation 22 back into subwoofer only duty, (currently not using the B380 sub) but otherwise its real sweet!
Listened to a bunch of music Sunday & Monday - watched Cracker (season 3 DVD) & 24 (Fox TV) last night and enjoyed them both.

At some point I'll need to snag one of those new-build 4343 passive CC networks from the Giskard/Reissen team - but I gather they are still in development, But Zilch and Ian and Tom L and all the other folks who said "go biAmp" were dead on the money - it really does get the best out of the drivers!

[hjames]

Next stage (possibly) ... got a pair of 2312 (California Longhorns) horns from Steve Gonzales via ebay - arrived today all nicely packed and cushioned.

If I get time I'll pull out one of my cabinets out, pull it's 2215 woofer to have "room to move" (been listening to Mayall this morning) ... and see if I can fit this horn in. If memory serves, I have to mount the horn only to the front baffle, then slip the compression driver into place at the end and bolt it on.
Anyway - it'll take a while to find out for sure - but the gain should be a smoother transition between the LF and the Mid, and a "nicer" sound for the low end of the 2420 range ...

Hell, it may all be moot anyway - with Biamping for the 2215s, and the 2123s on the LF leads from the 3133 G equiv crossover, its a funky kludge now at best (waiting for word on availability of G's new 3145 equivalent networks) - but no matter what, having the horns for the 3143/44 system this will eventually become, its one more part of the solution, even if I can't use them now (they won't get any cheaper!).

[Zilch]

They would "Just fit" in the 4320 boxes that way, but I don't think it's going to happen with L200 mounting them the standard way, rear of front baffle.

However, if you mount them on the FRONT of the baffle, with spacer blocking if required, they'll go....

[hjames]

They would "Just fit" in the 4320 boxes that way, but I don't think it's going to happen with L200 mounting them the standard way, rear of front baffle.

However, if you mount them on the FRONT of the baffle, with spacer blocking if required, they'll go....

Yep - they are too long for the boxes - guess they'll go on the "spares" shelf for later projects ...
maybe if I get a set of 4340/41/43/44/45 boxes I can use them or sell them then ... ahh

[Zilch]

Yep - they are too long for the boxes - guess they'll go on the "spares" shelf for later projects ...

I've been trying to inspire someone to make the requisite opening in the rear of L200 cabinets and document the optimum size and location. There's a bunch of JBL and Altec cabinets which do that.

How "short" do you come up, I mean, would the driver hang out the back and have to be boxed as well, or would a simple external cover be enough?

'Cause that'd take a lot of the "Quasi-" outta "Quasi-L300...."

[hjames]

I've been trying to inspire someone to make the requisite opening in the rear of L200 cabinets and document the optimum size and location. There's a bunch of JBL and Altec cabinets which do that.

How "short" do you come up, I mean, would the driver hang out the back and have to be boxed as well, or would a simple external cover be enough?

'Cause that'd take a lot of the "Quasi-" outta "Quasi-L300...."

Well - maybe ... but I'm currently running them as part of a 4-way system, not an L300 3-way. And I blame it all on your biAmp lessons!!

2215, 2420, 2123, and 2405. Its biAmped at the woofer/MidBass split ... and I just won an auction for a JBL 6230 to run the high-split.

But - if things go as planned, I'll be putting the L200s up for sale - and they'll need to be intact for that to happen (and to help pay back that change) - so I'm not very inclined to cut into them right now ...

I'm looking to take a road trip in the next few weeks for some bigger boxes - more news when (and if) it happens.

But the hard part is over - got WAF for it (as long as the sound is good)

Now back to packing up my old L36s to ship out west for Larry ...

[4313B]

Next stage (possibly) ... got a pair of 2312 (California Longhorns) horns from Steve Gonzales via ebay - arrived today all nicely packed and cushioned.

Last I heard that guy was looking at a couple of lawsuits. Bad, bad news that one.

(waiting for word on availability of G's new 3145 equivalent networks)

I'm actually listening to them now and am really enjoying the results. Further evidence that these legacy transducers haven't outlived their usefullness by any stretch. Excellent for DVD playback.

And I blame it all on your biAmp lessons!!

How funny.

[Zilch]

So - I'm not so inclined to cut into them right now....

Folks get squeamish whenever I break out the SawZall here....

How funny.

I was TRYIN' to demonstrate the merits of two-way.

[It backfired.... ]

[hjames]

I was TRYIN' to demonstrate the merits of two-way.

[It backfired.... ]

We enjoyed the 2-way ... it just seemed a bit lacking somehow compared to the 3 way we had gotten used to ... still can't quite put my finger on it exactly - a quality in the low-high transition maybe - plus a bit off at the top end ... subtle.
But a real pleasant speaker system none-the-less.

[4313B]

it just seemed a bit lacking somehow compared to the 3 way we had gotten used to ... still can't quite put my finger on it exactly

If you are used to the 2121/2122/2123 it's going to be pretty hard to wean yourself off it. And probably unnecessary to boot. Yeah... it's that good...

[Zilch]

We enjoyed the 2-way ... it just seemed a bit lacking somehow compared to the 3 way we had gotten used to ... still can't quite put my finger on it exactly - a quality in the low-high transition maybe - plus a bit off at the top end ... subtle.
But a real pleasant speaker system none-the-less.

I think LE15A was a major factor. Those aren't very capable at 1 kHz. Even 2235s are a compromise. (Love 'em tho. )

LE14H-1s or H-3s just get it much better....