Barzilay JBL Speaker Cabinets

[Bassnutt]

Have a very nice set of Barzilay Speaker Cabinets loaded with LE14As LE20s and LX8 crossovers they have not one bit of damping material inside the cabinets and lack bass Is there anything else I can add beside ewaves to these to make them sound better.I love the cabinets and do not want to use them just as furniture as they sure are lookers I added a picture to see how nice they are.Thanks

[BMWCCA]

How about a picture of the woofer surrounds? Are they the least bit pliable?

[Bassnutt]

How about a picture of the woofer surrounds? Are they the least bit pliable?

I will pull one and add a picture in a just a bit.

[Bassnutt]

Heres a couple of pictures they do seem stiff to the touch.

[Mr. Widget]

You will not get bass from your speakers until you deal with the surrounds. That original Lans-a-loy material used for surrounds on all LE Series woofers through the mid '70s gets rock hard over time and raises the Fs of the driver significantly out of spec. Gray urethane was substituted in later production LE Series woofers. It never gets stiff, but it does rot and turn to dust over time... on later versions they have changed the designs and now they use a much longer lasting rubber material.

So, you have two choices. One, replace the surrounds with replacement urethane foam. You can do this yourself following instructions from the supplier of the surrounds and following these directions (http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?469-Resurround-Step-by-step), or you can take the woofers to a repair center and have them professionally done. Alternatively, you can use the DOT method. As it turns out, DOT brake fluid will soften the original Lans-a-loy material. It is not a permanent solution as the surrounds will eventually get stiff again, but it will restore the bass for a year or more and then you need to apply the fluid again. You can search DOT on this site and find discussions about the pro and con of this technique as well as application tips.

Beyond that I would line the interior of the cabinets with fiberglass. I use wrap-on brand non shedding fiberglass.


Widget

[Bassnutt]

You will not get bass from your speakers until you deal with the surrounds. That original Lans-a-loy material used for surrounds on all LE Series woofers through the mid '70s gets rock hard over time and raises the Fs of the driver significantly out of spec. Gray urethane was substituted in later production LE Series woofers. It never gets stiff, but it does rot and turn to dust over time... on later versions they have changed the designs and now they use a much longer lasting rubber material.

So, you have two choices. One, replace the surrounds with replacement urethane foam. You can do this yourself following instructions from the supplier of the surrounds and following these directions (http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?469-Resurround-Step-by-step), or you can take the woofers to a repair center and have them professionally done. Alternatively, you can use the DOT method. As it turns out, DOT brake fluid will soften the original Lans-a-loy material. It is not a permanent solution as the surrounds will eventually get stiff again, but it will restore the bass for a year or more and then you need to apply the fluid again. You can search DOT on this site and find discussions about the pro and con of this technique as well as application tips.

Beyond that I would line the interior of the cabinets with fiberglass. I use wrap-on brand non shedding fiberglass.


Widget

Thanks as soon as pulled them I knew they were too stiff, I will order some new surrounds from Rick Cobb have done a few like on my L166s and L80T3s but never taken off this type of surround before I guess its time to learn.Will pick up some installation also.

[Bassnutt]

Well I know I am getting old I got these cabinets over a year ago and when I did I got surrounds at the same time memory is shot I guess anyways one is almost complete letting the inside dry overnight then do the outside when I get off work.

[miker]

Barzilay cabinets are very beautiful but can use internal modifications to improve the bass. The front baffle is removable and not very well sealed to the cabinet. There are lots of air leaks, especially in the front corners. You might try caulk on the inside to help seal them up. The flat panels also resonate a lot. Cross bracing makes a world of difference on the bass performance. The rear panel needs stiffening and apply a foam gasket around the edges for sealing. Some type of acoustic insulation material is also required.

With some internal modifications and new surrounds, you should get very strong bass out of these. Enjoy.

[hjames]

All the web's a research tool, and the speakers merely players ...

One of the guys on Audiokarma went through a real upgrade with a pair of Barzilay cabinets - you may not want to go this far, but his tips on bracing and beefing them up could be real informative

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=431549&highlight=barzilay
I think you have to register there (easy enough) to see the pictures ....


Barzilay cabinets are very beautiful but can use internal modifications to improve the bass. The front baffle is removable and not very well sealed to the cabinet. There are lots of air leaks, especially in the front corners. You might try caulk on the inside to help seal them up. The flat panels also resonate a lot. Cross bracing makes a world of difference on the bass performance. The rear panel needs stiffening and apply a foam gasket around the edges for sealing. Some type of acoustic insulation material is also required.

With some internal modifications and new surrounds, you should get very strong bass out of these. Enjoy.

[Mr. Widget]

With some internal modifications and new surrounds, you should get very strong bass out of these. Enjoy.Don't forget proper tuning as well... it is very likely the ports are not properly tuned.


Widget