DavidF
12-22-2012, 02:00 PM
Last May I considered an early Christmas present formyself when Mr. Widget so generously offered to arrange the buyout of some B Stock SAM1HF modules from JBL. I recently completed what is, for a while, a system configuration borrowing from the Array 1400. I believe I am as close to a one-system speaker setup as I have been in many years. Cheers to Widget and many others in the Forum who have contributed ideas and information that have been of help to me.
I have gone through a myriad of DIY systems following recipes of JBL designs and some of my own tweaks and experiments. One constant throughout the process was the feeling that there would always be something else. Some new driver, new enclosure, new driver combination, new xover tweak, you know the drill.
The first “complete” system was the L112 components in a handmade enclosure. That system made me smile on many occasion. Then I came upon a beat up set of 240Tis. I pulled the drivers, refoamed the woofs and sent the tweets off for new diaphragms only to have the drivers sit in the closet for a while. What to do, effectively rebuild the 240Ti enclosure or go up to a 250Ti?
Reading the various posts about the differences in the 240Ti and 250Ti put me on a course to a reconfigured 4-way a la the 250Ti. Tips from this site pointed to the Harman site and some parts that could be purchased as replacements. That led to the purchase of 2 new 2108H drivers. A little later some LE-14H-3s were “available”. I had read good things about these and the ability to effectively drop-in as replacements for the H-1s. I gulped and put out another $600 to have some drivers in reserve behind the H-1s.
Thinking about the design of an appropriate enclosure ledme to think I should start from the ground up, literally, in modules. I would build a bass commode for the LE14H with dimensions that allowed some flexibility in setup. The result was a 20x22 baffle large enough to support the bass and low mids and could be used with a variety of mid and high combinations anticipating the “something else”. A good idea, I thought, never thinking that the LE-14H would ever be called upon to operate any higher than a few hundred cycles.
This did work very well allowing me to rotate combinations of JBL and non-JBL mids, low mids, highs and ultra highs over a few year’s time. One problem is that I could never decide on the “best” combination for the mids and upper drivers. So I had not constructed a finished, permanent, enclosure beyond the bass commode.
When the SAM1HFs arrived I was faced with some doubts on how to implement a mock-up of the Array 1400. I had spent a lot of time and effort on the bass commodes only to discard them for something taller and narrower to fit the Array 1400 specs. In particular I was worried about too much baffle width and too much reinforcement of the lower mids. Also, I had to raise them to a level not originally contemplated and how could that be accomplished aesthetically.
I constructed some risers that, while not winning any aesthetics awards, serve the purpose to get the woofer up to the correct height. In a secondary role they also house the two xover boards that were previously in outboard enclosures taking up floor space and cluttering things.
So I believe I have a permanent speaker system solution that will allow me to focus on room acoustics and décor in the coming year. Permanent, of course, is a relative term to an audio enthusiast, n’est-ce pas? Might have to "unbox" the horns for one. Maybe some cherry veneer down the road. Aw, hell, why not all new enclsoures?:crying:
They sound just fine, wide baffles notwithstanding. I spent some time with the 250Ti mock ups (250MU) in comparison. The 250MU shares much with the 1400 mock ups(1400MU) in terms of expansive, dynamic sound that is both effortless and reflective of the original as to timbre. The soundstage of each is different in a smallway. The 250MU is broader and a little more centered-forward. The 1400MU narrower but more concise and detailed between the speakers. And a little more recessed. These impressions may be effected by the room acoustics. The 1400MU has the advantage of coherence among the drivers with much less of the stratification effect of the four drivers in the 250MU. The 250MU has a slight advantage in the power range with a little more detail and clarity. All said I really do prefer the more revealing detail of the horns in the 1400MU. And yes, the vertical orientation does make for a better image. Sounds quite nice, indeed.
Thanks again to Widget, G.T., 4313B (proper cc charged network implementation, thank you kindly) and many others of the forum in supporting a DIY enthusiast in the crowd.
5775257756577555775457753
I have gone through a myriad of DIY systems following recipes of JBL designs and some of my own tweaks and experiments. One constant throughout the process was the feeling that there would always be something else. Some new driver, new enclosure, new driver combination, new xover tweak, you know the drill.
The first “complete” system was the L112 components in a handmade enclosure. That system made me smile on many occasion. Then I came upon a beat up set of 240Tis. I pulled the drivers, refoamed the woofs and sent the tweets off for new diaphragms only to have the drivers sit in the closet for a while. What to do, effectively rebuild the 240Ti enclosure or go up to a 250Ti?
Reading the various posts about the differences in the 240Ti and 250Ti put me on a course to a reconfigured 4-way a la the 250Ti. Tips from this site pointed to the Harman site and some parts that could be purchased as replacements. That led to the purchase of 2 new 2108H drivers. A little later some LE-14H-3s were “available”. I had read good things about these and the ability to effectively drop-in as replacements for the H-1s. I gulped and put out another $600 to have some drivers in reserve behind the H-1s.
Thinking about the design of an appropriate enclosure ledme to think I should start from the ground up, literally, in modules. I would build a bass commode for the LE14H with dimensions that allowed some flexibility in setup. The result was a 20x22 baffle large enough to support the bass and low mids and could be used with a variety of mid and high combinations anticipating the “something else”. A good idea, I thought, never thinking that the LE-14H would ever be called upon to operate any higher than a few hundred cycles.
This did work very well allowing me to rotate combinations of JBL and non-JBL mids, low mids, highs and ultra highs over a few year’s time. One problem is that I could never decide on the “best” combination for the mids and upper drivers. So I had not constructed a finished, permanent, enclosure beyond the bass commode.
When the SAM1HFs arrived I was faced with some doubts on how to implement a mock-up of the Array 1400. I had spent a lot of time and effort on the bass commodes only to discard them for something taller and narrower to fit the Array 1400 specs. In particular I was worried about too much baffle width and too much reinforcement of the lower mids. Also, I had to raise them to a level not originally contemplated and how could that be accomplished aesthetically.
I constructed some risers that, while not winning any aesthetics awards, serve the purpose to get the woofer up to the correct height. In a secondary role they also house the two xover boards that were previously in outboard enclosures taking up floor space and cluttering things.
So I believe I have a permanent speaker system solution that will allow me to focus on room acoustics and décor in the coming year. Permanent, of course, is a relative term to an audio enthusiast, n’est-ce pas? Might have to "unbox" the horns for one. Maybe some cherry veneer down the road. Aw, hell, why not all new enclsoures?:crying:
They sound just fine, wide baffles notwithstanding. I spent some time with the 250Ti mock ups (250MU) in comparison. The 250MU shares much with the 1400 mock ups(1400MU) in terms of expansive, dynamic sound that is both effortless and reflective of the original as to timbre. The soundstage of each is different in a smallway. The 250MU is broader and a little more centered-forward. The 1400MU narrower but more concise and detailed between the speakers. And a little more recessed. These impressions may be effected by the room acoustics. The 1400MU has the advantage of coherence among the drivers with much less of the stratification effect of the four drivers in the 250MU. The 250MU has a slight advantage in the power range with a little more detail and clarity. All said I really do prefer the more revealing detail of the horns in the 1400MU. And yes, the vertical orientation does make for a better image. Sounds quite nice, indeed.
Thanks again to Widget, G.T., 4313B (proper cc charged network implementation, thank you kindly) and many others of the forum in supporting a DIY enthusiast in the crowd.
5775257756577555775457753