Value (not cost) of reconing a pair of S109 Aquarius 4

[Tony1kenobe]

Back in '72, I bought a new pair of Aquarius 4's. At the time, the small footprint fit my tiny apartment nicely. For quite a while, they worked well, but eventually needed to be reconed. But here's the question. The general consensus is these speakers were "interesting" but hardly of notable audio quality. Since the cost of reconing seems to be around $150-$200 each, is it worth it? I wouldn't mind using them again, but given the cost, would I be better served to put the cash toward a better set of modern speakers? Other than the cones, they are in great shape (I even have the original JBL shipping cartons). Thoughts are most welcome (and yes, I've seen the idea of using them for a plant stand). Thanks.

[cosmos]

Here's the question:

Do they need to be re-coned or just re-foamed?

[jcrobso]

http://cgi.ebay.com/SPEAKER-FOAM-DIY-Refoam-kit-8-JBL-LE8_W0QQitemZ200399167984QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item2ea8b8a1f0

Many of us have done this, much more cost effective than full recone.
Also some members also are JBL service dealers, if you want to have it done.

[Tony1kenobe]

I disassembled one of the towers to get a good look at the speaker. The paper was literally falling apart. So it's a full recone for me. With one of the units having that problem, I as assuming the other needs it too, but I didn't bother to disassemble at the time. If its worth it, I don't mind spending the money for the reconing (I rather liked the speakers). So I know what the cost is, but I'm uncertain about the value of restoring these units. Of course, the other side of this is I would hate to just toss these out, either.

[robertbartsch]

As you noted above, these were never considered a great performer so it may be a tough call.

Getting OEM cones from JBL is another story and you may be stuck with having to use a non-JBL kit. Frankly, I would not spend the dough on these but it is not my decision.

[Slare]

(I rather liked the speakers).

Seems to me you already know the answer.

All kidding aside either you like them, in which case you should just get them fixed up... or it is truly a pure financial decision and the situation becomes a lot more foggy.

Don't be afraid to spend money to fix up something you know you like the sound of and are happy with the looks of. Speakers are so subjective if you find some you like... be happy.

On the other hand it sounds like you want to be practical about it, so you should at least take a couple trips out to listen to what is out there nowadays... B&M dealers, craigslist postings, whatever. But $150 won't go very far buying new towers with nice construction.

[speakerdave]

Those woofers are LE8T-2's , not the regular LE8T, and have a lighter, nonaquaplased cone that has been NLA for a few years already. If the paper is shredded perhaps they have been badly over-driven. You may be limited to buying replacements on ebay, which could happen, because those speakers are often mined for their drivers. It is the same driver as the 2115-8, in case you see some of those. Neither appears very often.

As for the speakers themselves: There was a period of fascination with omnidirectional speakers; the S109 is one of JBL's offerings. It's an interesting idea, but the trade off for a large wall of sound whose source is difficult to locate is an almost fully smeared image/soundstage--I have found with similar speakers--not these. They might work for background music or rear surrounds in a home theater system, but for a pair of main speakers I think you could do better for the same cost as restoration. Unless you get some kind of fabulous bargain on a pair of woofers, a pair on ebay will almost certainly go for more than $200, and maybe as much as $400, and will also need to be refoamed, as the originals were lansaloy. You can sometimes get L100T3's for that.

[Mr. Widget]

I agree with most of the comments above... however there is another question for you. Are your speakers set up for and do you sit in the sweet spot of an equilateral triangle and focus on the sound hoping a sonic holographic recreation of your favorite music to appear before you? Or on the other hand, do you have these speakers comfortably nestled in your home where they play music while you go about with your life?

If you are into the former, you need different speakers, for the latter these may be perfect for you and you should consider fixing them.


Widget

[Mr. Widget]

If the paper is shredded perhaps they have been badly over-driven.I imagine that as the old Lans-a-loy surrounds became stiff with age the thin papered cones failed. Most old JBLs with the Lans-a-loy surrounds had much heavier cones or had cones that were treated with aquaplas... hence the surround failed instead of the cone. In this case the only options are to find a pair of aftermarket cone kits or find a pair of replacement woofers that became stiff while in storage and have not been used to death after the surrounds hardened... as mentioned above, these "new" woofers would then need new foam surrounds.


Widget

[Tony1kenobe]

Thanks to all for thoughtful input. The combination of technical insight along with some practical guidance is exactly what I needed. I started out on the fence about this, but Mr Widget asked a pertinent question about whether I was going to do critical listening sitting in front, or for more background use. The answer is background only (often not quite in the same room). Combined with another factor that as my kids are about gone and retirement is near, I plan to move back to a smaller house, so the small footprint again is useful. I am going to make a serious look for reconing, but keeping in mind SpeakerDaves comments about the actual speakers being LE8T-2s instead of LE8T's (i'll verify when I open the cabinets again to remove the speakers). I was planning on finding a qualified JBL repair tech, but this issue may become a practical obstacle. It also makes for a check of the repair tech's knowledge. We'll see. So.. on to reconing if I can get it done by a legitimate JBL repair shop with the right parts. Again, thanks to all for the advice.