Newbie Project- Olympus C50

[bamboo72]

Cheers all. OK here are the specs on my fledgling JBL project. Basically this is a cab refinish (dare I say re-veneer?) and total seek and install on the components. Ha.

Now... here is a photo taken by the previous owners. I pick the cabs up this weekend and will take clearer detailed before shots of everything.







So given the layout of the existing holes I am guessing that this was once filled with the S8 load? Wow that's a lot to find huh? A million dollars or what?? Another forum member checked these out locally and let me know I am in for a task. Whatevs. I got help right??

[Mr. Widget]

Is your goal music reproduction or restoration of a vintage system?

For the purist vintage approach you are right, you'll need to track down an S8 component package, however if you are simply looking for good tunes in a cool vintage cabinet, I'd add a bit of bracing, a pair of 2235Hs with ports tuned to 30Hz, a pair of mid horns and drivers of your choice, and a pair of tweeters. If you are not terribly adventurous you could build a system based on the L300/4333... horn depth might be an issue though as the H92/2312 is pretty deep.

If you are feeling creative there are many options... Zilch has played around with quite a few tiny horns... and some not were not so small... One of our forum members had a pair of Olympus C50s with walnut Westlake horns simply sitting on top of the cabinets and they sounded pretty darn good and looked cool too.


Widget

[bamboo72]

Thanks Widget! Actually I am open to both options. Of course, right now, at this moment the restoration aspect sounds really good to me. Maybe not so good sounding to my wallet. Either way the ultimate goal is to have a sweet sounding set of speakers that will last forever. Open to any suggestions!

I would love to see some pics of some creative uses with these cabs though!

[Zilch]

I did these 20 years ago. Yes, 2235H bass is VERY nice from them.

I'd do mid/high differently today, and may rework these or mod another pair I have first, so I can A/B them.

While S8 was possible, more likely yours were S7 with a supplemental UHF driver.

Sonically, neither of those vintage systems would be worth pursuing, in my experience. You can get much better sound for much less money using contemporary components....

[bamboo72]

Looks cool! What do you suggest Zilch?

[Zilch]

To the best of my knowledge, I'm the only member who's had the temerity to actually mod C50s, but I think everyone would agree that 2235H is an appropriate woofer to use. You can get a used pair of those for $300 to $450, or make up an "as-new" new pair for $500 or less by reconing 2225Hs. I think you can still get 2235Hs new from JBL for like $800 a pair last time I looked.

Tuning's not a problem once you've made the cutouts for 4" ducts. Just vary the length to achieve a desired tuning frequency between 30 and 34 Hz.

For mid/high, I'd use BMS drivers on PT-F95HF Progressive Transition waveguides. $300 to $500 the pair, depending upon which combination you use. Add $150 for parts to build DIY passive crossovers, or simple compensation filters plus an active crossover. As Mr. Widget suggests, you can try out the M/H system sitting on top before committing to cutting the baffles to install it within the cabinets.

http://www.jblpro.com/ae/pdf/PT_WaveGuide.pdf

http://www.bmspro.info/

For under $1000, then, you can have a mighty fine sounding brand new two-way system playing in those, perhaps 1/3 the cost of a sonically challenged vintage load. Add $1000 - $2000 if you want to spring for JBLs current best M/H compression drivers.