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  1. #1
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    C38 with Interesting Load

    I picked up C38's the other day and they have an "un-specified" contingent of drivers etc.
    LX5
    LE85 on 1217-1290
    D130

    Is this anything other than an original owner just loading with what they wanted or changing stuff out in an attempt to improve it?

    Yes, the cool legs are in tact!

    Cabinets will need work, but that's no surprise.
    The D130's are old and need a re-cone. The paper surrounds are starting to give way and there are few patches on them already I will probably improve for now.
    They sound veiled or muddy so I will have to get into the LX5 and replace the various goodies.....or go another route I guess although I am one to keep iconic pieces like this as they were intended.
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  2. #2
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Beautiful! Nice score!

    Don't get bogged down messing around with the LX5 networks. They will never work well with those drivers. They were designed to blend the LE15A with a 375 or LE85, but even then they are far from ideal in my opinion.

    Here are a few things to consider:
    1. The LE85 is best used above 800Hz
    2. The 1217-1290 horn is best used above 1200Hz
    3. The D130s are no longer supported by JBL, so any work done on them will be an aftermarket solution. I suggest reaching out to forum member Edgewound.
    4. If you want to stay with a JBL network, you might consider the N1200. Personally, I would build my own simple networks.
    5. While I am personally not a fan of the “potato masher” horn, it conveniently fits behind speaker grilles.


    Widget

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget View Post
    Beautiful! Nice score!

    Don't get bogged down messing around with the LX5 networks. They will never work well with those drivers. They were designed to blend the LE15A with a 375 or LE85, but even then they are far from ideal in my opinion.

    Here are a few things to consider:
    1. The LE85 is best used above 800Hz
    2. The 1217-1290 horn is best used above 1200Hz
    3. The D130s are no longer supported by JBL, so any work done on them will be an aftermarket solution. I suggest reaching out to forum member Edgewound.
    4. If you want to stay with a JBL network, you might consider the N1200. Personally, I would build my own simple networks.
    5. While I am personally not a fan of the “potato masher” horn, it conveniently fits behind speaker grilles.


    Widget
    Thanks Widget. Helpful stuff.

    The odd combo and how it all works together is the question I am having here for sure, so thanks.

    Does Edgewound work on drivers? I'm in no way married to these D130's considering they need work. They used a few different drivers in these so I do have some liberty there.

    Building a new network would be easy. I could even mess around a little first with DSP.

  4. #4
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    If they were mine, first I would want to verify that the LE85s were up to snuff. Assuming they passed muster, I would get a pair of LE14As or one of the other JBL 14" variants, and then I would explore horn options and create a two way with the 14" woofer and LE85. This will give you the widest range system. If deep bass is less important then you could look at the 130A high sensitivity route.

    I would sell the LX5 networks and likely sell the D130s. Though a properly working D130 with a bit of HF augmentation and modest bass boost can be a fun system too.

    Yes, Edgewound is in the business of resurrecting vintage JBLs. And yes, you have lots of options. You might want to look at Zilch's Econowave threads here and on other audio forums. He was able to get respectable performance out of the these vintage systems at moderate cost. You may find his threads particularly useful if you can read a schematic and not burn the house down with a soldering iron. DSP is also always an option.


    Widget

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget View Post
    If they were mine, first I would want to verify that the LE85s were up to snuff. Assuming they passed muster, I would get a pair of LE14As or one of the other JBL 14" variants, and then I would explore horn options and create a two way with the 14" woofer and LE85. This will give you the widest range system. If deep bass is less important then you could look at the 130A high sensitivity route.

    I would sell the LX5 networks and likely sell the D130s. Though a properly working D130 with a bit of HF augmentation and modest bass boost can be a fun system too.

    Yes, Edgewound is in the business of resurrecting vintage JBLs. And yes, you have lots of options. You might want to look at Zilch's Econowave threads here and on other audio forums. He was able to get respectable performance out of the these vintage systems at moderate cost. You may find his threads particularly useful if you can read a schematic and not burn the house down with a soldering iron. DSP is also always an option.


    Widget
    I have a pair of LE14A's and was thinking those would probably make more sense considering this cabinet.

  6. #6
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Perfect, it sounds like you are on your way. If you bi-amp and DSP, you can make these into some pretty darn good speakers.

    Do your LE14As still have their Lans-alloy surrounds or are they foam?


    Widget

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    I just came into a set of 2402h bullet tweeters. How would those stack up in this?

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    Anybody have any thoughts on using the 2226HPL in place of the 2235 recommendation?

  9. #9
    Senior Member jbl4ever's Avatar
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    They sound nice in those cabinets with the LE14’s. For your horns and compression drivers the recommended crossover was the LX10

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    The 2226s will have higher sensitivity and a higher Fc. You could get usable performance out of the system if you were to bi-amp the system with a DSP crossover and make measurements to correct for the differences but not with the stock passive network. You would never get the bottom half octave performance of the 2235 but with step down EQ and a big low frequency amp you could get close with the 2226s.


    Quote Originally Posted by Drugolf View Post
    Anybody have any thoughts on using the 2226HPL in place of the 2235 recommendation?

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