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soundmotor
08-27-2005, 12:01 PM
I am new to this forum & wanted to introduce myself.

I am a long time vintage audio fan & last year picked up my first set of vintage keepers which I plan to restore. They are S109 Aquarius IV's & Primas. Both were from the same source & original owner's family. Both the 125A & LE8T-2 woofers are in need of re-foaming.

Previously I've had a few items (Ti18 speakers, an early D130 & a pair if D208's). All of those long since traded towards other things I couldn't live without.

I am very happy to have found this forum & look forward to learning more about JBL history.

soundmotor

Zilch
08-27-2005, 12:07 PM
Welcome aboard. You've found the right place.... :D

scott fitlin
08-27-2005, 12:13 PM
Welcome. :)

Titanium Dome
08-27-2005, 12:43 PM
You'll enjoy it here. :yes:

Did you choose "soundmotor" due to your magnetic personality?

In my case, Titanium Dome goes to my preference for the unparalleled sound of JBL inverted titanium dome technology, AND to the fact that I have a shiny bald head. :spin:

soundmotor
08-27-2005, 03:33 PM
Did you choose "soundmotor" due to your magnetic personality?

It seemed appropriate since nearly every hobby I have; audio, blacksmithing, cars, guns, & metalworking involve some level of noise generation.

I appreciate the welcomes, thank you!

Don Mascali
08-27-2005, 04:43 PM
Welcome aboard!

We all seem to share a lot of those hobbies. It's a wonder we can still hear our toys.

mike
08-27-2005, 08:10 PM
Aren't you the guy on the other forums that seems to know quite a bit about the older ADS speakers? Nice to see you have an interest in JBL's as well.

Mike

spkrman57
08-28-2005, 06:01 AM
You hail from the Northeast. Where exactly are you located?
Ron

soundmotor
08-28-2005, 07:36 AM
Aren't you the guy on the other forums that seems to know quite a bit about the older ADS speakers? Nice to see you have an interest in JBL's as well.

Mike

Guilty as charged!

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/smile.gif

Here is the set of JBL's I am attempting to restore for anyone who didn't see them on AK -

http://home.comcast.net/~mechanized/images/jbl_pile.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~mechanized/images/jbl_prima.jpg

soundmotor
08-28-2005, 07:37 AM
You hail from the Northeast. Where exactly are you located?
Ron

I am in Massachusetts.

soundmotor
08-28-2005, 07:40 AM
Welcome aboard!

We all seem to share a lot of those hobbies. It's a wonder we can still hear our toys.

Indeed!

Hearing protection was for p*ssies I always thought as I worked my way to the front stage for BOC, AC/DC, Cheap Trick, etc. back in the day. I can still get out past 14K but not much more than that. Now it's all about a great midrange!

:D

mike
08-28-2005, 08:29 AM
Great midrange was one of the strong points of the older JBL speakers from the 60's and 70's. Both the Aquarius IV's and the L25 Primas are fairly rare speakers. The L25 Primas likely only need to be refoamed. The Aquarius IV's usually need refoaming and refinishing as the white finish starts to flake off after time. I've heard that underneath the white finish is birch veneer that can be finished itself and look pretty nice. Of course some recommend recapping the crossover networks as well.

I used to have a pair of Aquarius IV's in walnut. They are really unique speakers and they are somewhat desireable to overseas collectors.

Mike

soundmotor
08-28-2005, 09:07 AM
Great midrange was one of the strong points of the older JBL speakers from the 60's and 70's. Both the Aquarius IV's and the L25 Primas are fairly rare speakers. The L25 Primas likely only need to be refoamed. The Aquarius IV's usually need refoaming and refinishing as the white finish starts to flake off after time. I've heard that underneath the white finish is birch veneer that can be finished itself and look pretty nice. Of course some recommend recapping the crossover networks as well.

I used to have a pair of Aquarius IV's in walnut. They are really unique speakers and they are somewhat desireable to overseas collectors.

Mike

No doubt on the collector interest. The Primas especially so it seems. Last year when I was looking for more info on them, I got a surprisingly high "as is" offer immediately.

Mine had a hard life. I am going to keep eBay staked out & find a better set of L25-2s than what is in the Primas now as both suffer from "fingerpoken". The 125As appear to only need refoaming. On the S109s, one of the LE20 has been poked & both LE8T-2s need refoaming. Refoaming is probably the easy part of the resto.

The cabs on the S109s are really beat. Complete but beat. I will probably start tackling them this winter at work as we have a large shop assembly area & neg pressure paint booth I can use. I am planning to redo the white lacquer too. I've had, and have enough, wood box speakers.

The Primas though aren't going to be redone in white. The more I look at the blue-painted one, the more I like it. That might even be the orginal color too. I think I will probably redo them in it. In the pic, you'll see there is a 3rd Prima grille on the floor that came with the lot. There may have been another set somewhere along the way but the seller only had these. Perhaps the other set was 1/2 blue, 1/2 white too.

Every year I do the sound for our neighborhood block-party. I usually lug my ADS L980/IIs along for that. The Primas weigh ~1/3 of those beasts & I plan to substitute them for the ADS. I have a ZERO/Halliburtion case that I am building a custom amplifier into and it will also hold my laptop & outboard USB soundcard. It will be a nice portable system when complete. "When complete" though is becoming "Your check is in the mail." as of late..........

mike
08-28-2005, 03:00 PM
ADS L980's are too nice to be lugging around to block parties, especially if they are the walnut veneered ones.


Mike

Robh3606
08-28-2005, 03:09 PM
Hello soundmotor

Welcome to the site. Primas were my first real speaker. I still have a pair of Charcoal ones but my grilles are long gone:( . They look to be in decent shape how do you like them??

Rob:)

soundmotor
08-29-2005, 04:08 AM
Hello soundmotor

Welcome to the site. Primas were my first real speaker. I still have a pair of Charcoal ones but my grilles are long gone:( . They look to be in decent shape how do you like them??

Rob:)

I did not try them out as the surrounds were shot. How do you like yours?

majick47
08-29-2005, 07:01 PM
Greetings Soundmotor, I'm from MA also, Pembroke (South Shore), in years past wondered away from JBL and owned some ADS but I'm back home with JBL for good. Recently saw a pair of Aquarius for sale in a used audio equipment shop buried under some "junk". A casual exam revealed very minor wear to the bases and the rest of the cabinets looked to be in very good condition. The price tag was marked $100 but I'm fairly certain that's "asking". Would $100 or less be a fair price?

57BELAIRE
08-30-2005, 08:56 AM
Greetings Soundmotor, I'm from MA also, Pembroke (South Shore), in years past wondered away from JBL and owned some ADS but I'm back home with JBL for good. Recently saw a pair of Aquarius for sale in a used audio equipment shop buried under some "junk". A casual exam revealed very minor wear to the bases and the rest of the cabinets looked to be in very good condition. The price tag was marked $100 but I'm fairly certain that's "asking". Would $100 or less be a fair price?

Aquarius IV's are among my favorite JBL designs. Their direct/reflecting is unlike anything in the lineup. A single pair when properly placed ,especially in each corner , fill the room with sound and are quite stylish with that '70's vibe.

Assuming the original LE8T-2's are still there they'll most certainly need refoaming. No big deal.

If you can score a decent pair for under $100, I'd jump on 'em:applaud:

soundmotor
08-30-2005, 01:15 PM
The price tag was marked $100 but I'm fairly certain that's "asking". Would $100 or less be a fair price?

I am pretty green in the JBL realm, but I'd consider that the salvage value of 2x LE20 (probably OK), 2 LE8T-2 (likely needing refoam), 2x LE20 diffusors, 2x cast JBL logos, 2x JBL attenuator knobs, & assorted misc. small parts like grille frames & crossovers easily exceeds the $100 buy-in. All the better if they take an offer 1/2 that.

Robh3606
08-30-2005, 06:58 PM
Hey Soundmotor

I still have them. Got them new in 1973. If that doesn't tell you?? I like them, they are fun and they have a sentimental value so they are not going anywhere.

Rob:)

soundmotor
08-30-2005, 07:37 PM
Greetings Soundmotor, I'm from MA also, Pembroke (South Shore), in years past wondered away from JBL and owned some ADS but I'm back home with JBL for good. Recently saw a pair of Aquarius for sale in a used audio equipment shop buried under some "junk". A casual exam revealed very minor wear to the bases and the rest of the cabinets looked to be in very good condition. The price tag was marked $100 but I'm fairly certain that's "asking". Would $100 or less be a fair price?

I am still sensing some hesitation on your part in getting these.

Exactly which audio store did you say you saw them in again?

:)

speakerdave
08-30-2005, 08:38 PM
Exactly which audio store did you say you saw them in again?

He asked casually.

soundmotor
08-31-2005, 05:29 AM
He asked casually.

Educational use only, I'm taking a survey.

Yeah, that's it, that's the ticket, a survey...............

;)

doucanoe
08-31-2005, 09:55 AM
Hey soundmotor!

Glad to see you on the other of the two best Audio forums on the Net! These guys are great here and are very willing to lend an opinion or a helping hand.

Thanks again for the info. on the Fraizers.

Ron

majick47
08-31-2005, 08:28 PM
If it makes a difference the speakers are S109 in white. Havn't had an opportunity to get back to the shop to give them a closer look but I'll update you soon after. I was considering a small set of JBLs for my spare room/office, maybe 4301B or L19, since these speakers take up little floor space they might be an alternative if they sound decent. If I decide to pass on them I'll let the members know where to locate the Aquarius S109.

majick47
09-05-2005, 09:00 PM
Finally made it back to the audio shop this evening and asked the clerk if we could take them out of the corner and look and listen. Actually all the "junk" was protecting them from damage. The cabinets are a consevative 9 out of 10 with no missing parts, badges in place and grill fabric in excellent condition. The corners and edges are in excellent condition and they would require very minor touch up to make them look close to new from five feet away. He hooked them up to a cheap receiver and they sounded very good. They had a sticker on the cabinet for $100, we casually haggled a little and I carried them out the door for $85 plus 5% sales tax. I havn't had a chance to check out the woofers yet to see what kind of condition they are in but the LE20-1 tweeters look fine. I'll update tomorrow re the woofers after I take the tops off. Not sure how they will be utilized, maybe rear surrounds, at least they are a little more managable in size then my two pairs of L200b.

majick47
09-06-2005, 10:37 AM
I hooked up the Aquarius iv (s109) to my system and they sound excellent, much better than in the shop powered by a cheap receiver. I unscrewed the LE20-1 tweeter housing and then loosened the four bolts that hold the top on, after pulling the top off I found the LE8t-2 woofer to be in like new condition. I was expecting the aquaplus foam to be crumbling but it is in excellent condition. As far as I can see the speakers show no signs of being disassembled in the past. Another interesting item I found were stickers on the rear that read "Strobbe Electronique 113-115 rue de Stassart Brux. tel. 11-33-39 . 11-15-24". Also one speaker had a sticker with "droit" printed on it and the other speaker had a sticker with "gauche" printed on it, guessing this translates to left and right, both appear to be possibly factory stickers. The shop I purchased the Aquarius iv at is near a large university in Boston and my guess is that they could of been formerly owned by a university professor from Europe/Brussels. Due to the condition these had to be "adult owned" and considering their travels they are in amazingly good condition both physically and sonically.

Titanium Dome
09-06-2005, 11:37 AM
Also one speaker had a sticker with "droit" printed on it and the other speaker had a sticker with "gauche" printed on it, guessing this translates to left and right, both appear to be possibly factory stickers.
Correct, except that would be right and left, respectively. :p

The Aquarius is a real oddity among JBLs, and that makes it quite interesting from many standpoints. You're fortunate to have such a wonderful example at such a low price. :thmbsup:

soundmotor
09-06-2005, 05:26 PM
I hooked up the Aquarius iv (s109) to my system and they sound excellent, much better than in the shop powered by a cheap receiver. I unscrewed the LE20-1 tweeter housing and then loosened the four bolts that hold the top on, after pulling the top off I found the LE8t-2 woofer to be in like new condition. I was expecting the aquaplus foam to be crumbling but it is in excellent condition. As far as I can see the speakers show no signs of being disassembled in the past. Another interesting item I found were stickers on the rear that read "Strobbe Electronique 113-115 rue de Stassart Brux. tel. 11-33-39 . 11-15-24". Also one speaker had a sticker with "droit" printed on it and the other speaker had a sticker with "gauche" printed on it, guessing this translates to left and right, both appear to be possibly factory stickers. The shop I purchased the Aquarius iv at is near a large university in Boston and my guess is that they could of been formerly owned by a university professor from Europe/Brussels. Due to the condition these had to be "adult owned" and considering their travels they are in amazingly good condition both physically and sonically.

I am glad you got them, I was losing sleep!

;)

Q Audio or Stereoplay per chance?

majick47
09-06-2005, 09:02 PM
Titanium Dome after listening to them for a little while I have to say the Aquarius iv speakers are quite impressive, the JBL sound is slightly different but very recognizable. This is my third pair of JBL rescues, no doubt they would of eventually ended up being trashed in a college dorm room. ****Soundmotor I found them at a used record/cd shop on Comm. Ave Boston near BU stadium/sports complex called "In Your Ear Records". The place resembles a Salvation Army thrift shop filled with records/cds/tapes/posters and God knows what else related to music from floor to ceiling. Most of the speakers/electronics are old and decrepid. They will be very much appreciated by me and I look forward to useing them in a second system either as mains or rear surrounds, no way would I have abandoned them. If I ever decide to part with them or any of my other JBLs I'll let the board members know first.