OK - who's going to be the first to put together a DIY project of the Performance series? Those component prices seem VERY reasonable!
John
OK - who's going to be the first to put together a DIY project of the Performance series? Those component prices seem VERY reasonable!
John
I wouldn't mind swapping out my 115H-1 in my XPL-200's and give that 8" Titanium driver a whirl. I was thinking of playing with 2118H's but that driver sure looks nice
Rob
Those component prices seem VERY reasonable!
Yep,
AND, a warranty of sorts / no eBay flake-outs from sellers who never learned how to pack and then blame "their own short-comings on UPS / an expectation of shipping accountablility without finger-pointing from a "motivated seller" / SOTA components that are just way-too cool / etc. etc.
Rob, do figure you need something bigger than the 6" found in the PC600 ?
EarlK
Last edited by Earl K; 09-23-2004 at 06:03 PM.
"Rob, do figure you need something bigger than the 6" found in the PC600 ?"
Well no! might even fit in the existing hole! Nice Have to look into that after I sell off some stuff.
Rob
That has been my thoughts for over two years, since I first read a review in SGHT. The only Synthesis dealer around here doesn't have a showroom, nor in northern Cal. And then for a dealer to tell you to f**k off because you only want to spend $10k!Originally posted by Titanium Dome
Honestly, one could get the impression that JBL doesn't want to sell these.
They said I'd need to go to an authroized Synthesis dealer to purchase them, so I found one, and I got a brilliant demo of a Hercules System (OMG!) but the owner said he wouldn't waste his time on a $10K purchase. He only did serious HT. Go somewhere else.
To which you should reply "unlike you, my dear, speakers have not yet reached the pinnacle of perfection. I may need to try out more speakers, but you are a keeper!"Originally posted by Titanium Dome
Anyway...the old JBLs were bowed but not broken, and they're still operating with dignity. I just can't seem to part with them, even though my GF keeps asking, "Why do you need so many speakers?"
Originally posted by John Y.
To which you should reply "unlike you, my dear, speakers have not yet reached the pinnacle of perfection. I may need to try out more speakers, but you are a keeper!"
Damn! So smooth. If only I could say things like that and not grin.
Actually I can't complain, Mrs. Gadget, as Bo likes to say has been very understanding of my affliction.
Widget
Good wives are understanding. That's why WAF should mean wife APPROVAL factor! Mine is very understanding except for an occasional scowl as a speaker wire crosses the listening room. That subsides when I vow to run it over the ceiling or under the floor. Most criticism comes from systems which are not in use and haven't been for a decade. Good thing we have a separate home theater room above the garage and we don't have this to contend with in our regular living space.Originally posted by Mr. Widget
Damn! So smooth. If only I could say things like that and not grin.
Actually I can't complain, Mrs. Gadget, as Bo likes to say has been very understanding of my affliction.
Widget
John Y.
I mean I look at the Hartsfield in your avatar, John, and I couldnt possibly see someone NOT liking that! Thats furniture as well as audio, and really nice looking furniture at that!
Thank goodness sound is an integral part of my buisiness, no one would want my monsters in a house! But it gives me the opportunity and area I need!
Here's a little perspective on my personal history with speaker break in and with the Performance Series in particular.
When I got my first "real" speakers in 1970, they were L100s. Before that I'd purchased some discount stuff like Electrophonic and Audiovox, but the JBLs were worlds apart from them.
Even though I had aspirations of being a knowledgeable audio enthusiast, I had the sophistication of a hard rockin' college musician. So if there were such a thing as break in with new speakers, it was unknown to me and I played them loud and hard from day one. I did not anticipate or listen for any change.
In subsequent years, I've had a lot more speakers, but given the realities of life, most of them were used, remanufactured, or floor demos, so if break in were a reality, it had already been done for better or for worse by others before I got them.
With the SVA 1800s and the L7s, I didn't do anythying special other than be a little more respectful during the first day or two of operation. And I listened more carefully to them. Honestly, it's impossible to say if the sound improved a tad after a few days or, more likely, that my ears adjusted to the new sound. However, any improvement after a so-called break in period was slight and just as likely caused by my subjective response as by any technical cause.
Now we come to the Performance Series. The two sets I heard before purchase were not new. They had been played a lot, and loudly as well. At the Chicago trade show, the environment was challenging. At the JBL showroom in Northridge, the environment was quite good.
My home environment is somehwere between the two; hopefully, closer to the JBL listening room than to the trade hall. However, its one advantage is that I'm intimately familiar with it. When the Performance Series came, I kept the L7/L5 set up in the room for a week to see what subjective comparisons I could make.
Before listening to the Performance Series for the first time, I gave myself a good 15 minutes of L Series listening to be sure I had a fix on the sound. Then in a few minutes I switched the connections, fired up the Performances, and...
Tight, nondynamic, strained--what have I done? Did I just waste thousands of dollars?
Well, thank heaven for J. Gordon Holt, whose review I found online as I searched for an explanation. To quote: "The Performance system sounded unpromising when I fired it up—pinched, tizzy, almost shrill—but these shortcomings rapidly diminished with use."
So over the next week I alternated between the Performance Series and the L Series in a number of listening sessions, and darned if the Performances didn't sound much, much better by day two and outstanding (as I remembered them) by day three, until it just wasn't fair to the L Series to keep asking them to compete.
So this post serves as a suggestion/warning to anyone who buys the Performance Series or any of its Ti drivers to give them a little time before judging them. Either the drivers, or your ears, or both might require a little time to adjust.
FWIW.
Last edited by Titanium Dome; 09-26-2004 at 01:05 PM.
Out.
Well, here are some numbers for you to play around with then:Originally posted by Robh3606
I wouldn't mind swapping out my 115H-1 in my XPL-200's and give that 8" Titanium driver a whirl. I was thinking of playing with 2118H's but that driver sure looks nice
Rob
908Ti
Qts 0.37
Qes 0.38
Qms 13.71
Fs 44.45 Hz
Vas 22.05 liters
Mms 33.01 grams
Bl 11.15 T*m
SPL 88.9
Re 5.12 ohms
It's a very nice midbass driver, just don't blow it up with too much information below ~ 80 Hz.
Yes, the both the manual and the reviews I've read are adamant about that.Originally posted by Giskard
It's a very nice midbass driver, just don't blow it up with too much information below ~ 80 Hz.
Out.
Thanks Giskard
Almost missed the T/S on the driver.
Rob
Giskard asked for some measurements of the enclosures, so here's the externals:
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Here's the PT800 cabinet with the drivers removed. You can see the rubberized (neoprene?) gaskets for each driver. The cabinet is made of 1" thick MDF and filled with SonoGlas(TM) dampening material. The cabinet is divided by a sealed MDF IsoPower(TM) baffle 11" from the inside bottom (between the 8" and 4" openings) of the enclosure.
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