Dx-1

[bbno4]

I had just bought DX-1 for my JBL K2-S5500, but found that the paper box of the DX-1 shown that's for XPL-200. And the agent said that it's also fit for K2-S5500. But the cross over frequency of K2 is 800 Hz and XPL-200 is 250 Hz. Is the agent tell me the true?

[4313B]

Originally posted by bbno4
I had just bought DX-1 for my JBL K2-S5500, but found that the paper box of the DX-1 shown that's for XPL-200. And the agent said that it's also fit for K2-S5500. But the cross over frequency of K2 is 800 Hz and XPL-200 is 250 Hz. Is the agent tell me the true?

It sounds like you got the wrong crossover cards. We've been trying here on the forum to find XPL-200 cards for quite some time now! Not even the original designer has any information on them! Would you be able to take pictures of your cards and DX-1 and post them for us? Also, would you be able to tell us the values of the components on the cards? We would greatly appreciate it.

I will try to find the correct values (or cards) for the K2-S5500.

[bbno4]

Hi Giskard
thanks for your reply. It's the last set of DX-1 from Hong Kong agent with special price HK$2000. The photo of the card will be a little bit later.

[4313B]

I just got a reply back from Harman Service that all the DX-1 cards have been out of stock for years and they are also unable to find any schematics.

I still have a query into JBL engineering and will let you know what I find out from them.

[bbno4]

Hi Giskard
Thanks for your help. The manual of new model K2-S9800 still asked consumer to buy DX-1 for Bi-Amp connection. There must be something wrong with the group of engineers of project K2.

[Don McRitchie]

The problem is not with the engineers. There is an example of a similar problem with the Everest literature. When that speaker was designed, the engineers intended that there would be a subwoofer available for the domestic market due to the Everest's lack of deep bass response. The spec sheet refers to this and even lists the model number: the D50000. Subsequently, marketing decided that they would not pursue domestic sales and the subwoofer was dropped. However, the literature was never changed.

[bbno4]

Hi Don
The problem is that the DX-1 had beed stopped to produce for years already. And the marketing still selling the old DX-1 with XPL-200 crossover card to the new K2 user.

[Don McRitchie]

I doubt if JBL's marketing is selling them for that purpose. The fact that your local distributor only had one means that it is most likely old stock held by the distributor from the XPL200 days.

I know that the engineer behind the K2 speakers, Greg Timbers, used the DX-1 for development of the K2 systems. They have around a half dozen of them in their lab. They build custom cards when doing development work on prototypes. My guess is that JBL, at one time had the intention of putting into production one of the development cards but never did.

[bbno4]

Hi Don
I agree that the theme of engineers of K2 is very good. But they had lack communicate with marketing & the customer service. Before I had bought the DX-1, I asked the customer service that the button of BI-Wire & Bi-Amp. They asked me to put the button on Bi-Amp position & no need to buy the DX-1. You know the result is all the four woofers had been burned. And i need to pay the full reconed fee Now they asked me to buy the DX-1 with XPL-200 crossover card. you know the result is lack of low frequency. Because the crossover frequency is 250Hz in XPL-200. But the agent still said that DX-1 is also fit for K2, and they refused to refund

[sa660]

BBNO4,

I am very upset to hear all your trouble and can only advice you to write a later to the man in charge of Harman and JBL.
I will also strongly advise to obtain help from specialize magazine to warn other customers from the very bad service you have been suffering.
It sound to me that JBL us will make the upmost to repair this.

May be DON can help to point towards the right person to talk to about all your trouble.

Good luck

[Don McRitchie]

bbn04

I too am sorry to hear about your problems. However, from your posts, I am not clear who may be at fault. You have to understand that there are at least three levels of involvement for which JBL is only one. Generally, your direct contact is a local dealer. The local dealer is an agent for the regional distributor and the regional distributor is an agent of JBL Consumer. These are all separate companies. If it is the retailer that made the promises that were false, then I would start there to try and contact the manager or ower of the firm. If they do not solve the problem to your satisfaction, then find out which firm is the regional distributor and complain to them. If you still don't get a satisfactory response, then contact JBL. Unfortunately, I don't have an appropriate contact for this type of issue at JBL. My contacts are almost all on the engineering side.

[4313B]

There are two types of cards for the DX-1. The older DX-1 crossover cards are intended for systems such as the XPL200A. The newer crossover cards are intended for systems such as the K2-S5500. They are different cards.

The K2-S5500 card has a biased 6 dB/octave high pass and a conventional 18 dB/octave low pass coupled with a built in +4 dB low frequency EQ at 29 Hz. Nominal crossover frequency is roughly 800 Hz.

The older XPL200A card uses 12 dB/octave low pass and high pass filters set around 250 Hz.

[bbno4]

it's the distributor advise me to set the button in Bi-Amp position, and they refused to accept it's the reason that the four woofers had been burned. And I had tried to get help from JBL consumer services in http://www.jbl.com and they also said that it won't be burned the four woofers even you don't have DX-1. what can i say? As i know the DX-1 is only low frequency active crossover, the high frequency is passive. so that the horns of my K2 is not burned at that time.

[bbno4]

Hi Giskard
How can i know which card my DX-1 is? But from the paper box a hand written stated that it's configured for XPL-200 and from my listening it's lack of bass, i surely believe that the card should be for XPL-200. But the distrubitor said that the card should be the same for K2 & XPL-200. what can i say
It's a new distributor in HONG KONG (only about 6 years). XPL-200 is a very old model. When they become distributor XPL had been stop to produce already. And the DX-1 they had ordered is followed the order of K2. So there maybe a chance the false of US distributor also. I think the distributor of US and HONG KONG don't know that there are different cards

[4313B]

"I think the distributor of US and HONG KONG don't know that there are different cards"

That is entirely possible. The "newer" card (~ circa late 1992) will have a biased high pass, meaning at some point it will have a voltage feed, unlike the older high pass card. The low pass card in both versions is schematically the same but the physical layouts may look different.

Can you tell us the values of the components on your particular cards?
Specifically:
C101 - HP
C103 - HP
C105 - HP
R101 - HP
R103 - HP
R105 - HP
C201 - LF EQ
C203 - LF EQ
C205 - LF EQ
C207 - LF
C209 - LF
C211 - LF
R201 - LF EQ
R203 - LF EQ
R205 - LF EQ
R207 - LF
R209 - LF
R211 - LF

If you can't find the following on your current cards then you definitely have the older cards and they will not work with the K2 series "out of the box" although they can be fairly easily modified to do so:
C113 - HP
C114 - HP
C115 - HP
C116 - HP

If there are jumpers in the spots for C201, C203, C205 then you don't have any EQ installed. The low pass cards can be easily modified to work with the K2-S5500.