JBL L110 restoring crossover-networks

[jan_slagman]

Hi everybody,

Lately my JBL crossovers have been restored with MKT capacitors.
The pics show you the difference.

Kind regards,

Jan Slagman
The Netherlands

[coherent_guy]

Luckily, most of those MKT's fit in the space provided for the old caps! Looks like yours are early L110's like mine, without bypass caps, but now they have them! How do they sound now?

How did you get the network boards out of the cabinets, I haven't touched my L110's yet as I've been working with compression drivers, horns, and CC X-overs on my L300 wannabees, but I might get to them this winter.

Are you doing a restoration, or just an improvement?

[jan_slagman]

Hi Coherent Guy,

The JBL L110's sound more balanced and detailed now, without a trace of harshness. They produce a pretty wide soundstage. You can losen the six screws at the backside of the speaker, but first you have to remove the loudspeakercomponents. You can reach the X-over through the hole of the removed bass-speaker. It is partial a restoration and partial an improvement. The JBL L110's missed the bezels and knobs to adjust the mid-and high frequencies. Research pointed out one midrange had broke down and one of the tweeters had minor dents. It was member Larry Bacon who helped me to gather the parts. Without his support it wouldn't have been that easy to finish the JBL L110's and i really appreciate his help in this matter. By the way you can download the service manual from the internet. See the URL mentioned below.

http://www.retrevo.com/support/JBL-L.../597dj382/t/2/

Kind regards,

Jan Slagman
The Netherlands

[coherent_guy]

Yes, you sure need to take them almost completely apart to access the network, but not a bad job at all really. Thanks for the link to the service manual, it may come in handy, the network schematic is available on this site of course.

Do you have any plans to change any of the inductors to air core types, that is usually an improvement worth doing. I sure wish I could get new diaphragms for the 033's, but I doubt they exist. Mine still work but are a bit old... the woofers have been reconed although I don't know if that can be done anymore either.

I've always liked the LE 111A woofer although it is a bit odd in some respects. Seemingly very fast on transients, it does not have the capability of loud very low frequencies, being rather excursion limited. I've always dreamed of it matched with an 18" woofer crossed at about 50 Hz.

I would recommend (if you haven't done this) putting the '110's on low stands. I use some 18" (45cm) high ones.

Good luck with your tune up!

[jan_slagman]

Hi Coherent Guy,

For the moment I don't have any plans to change the inductors. You probably won't find any diaphragms and you just have to search for parted out 033's on Ebay.
As far as i am informed the woofers can't be reconed anymore, have a look at:

http://www.jblproservice.com/pdf/Tra...rts%20List.pdf

I already have the JBL L110's on heavy duty stands !

With kind regards,


Jan Slagman
The Netherlands

[4313B]

Very nice Jan!

As far as i am informed the woofers can't be reconed anymore, have a look at:

All the recone kits are still listed...

LE10H $200.00 C8RLE111H 31385 21813 1-P-6 A6 Wt 3
LE10H-1 $238.00 C8RLE10H-1 31385 21813 1-B-6 Wt 3
LE111A $230.00 C8RLE111A 31385 21813 M 1-B-6 Wt 3

LE111H $200.00 C8RLE111H 31385 21770 1-B-6 A6 Wt 3

Do you have any plans to change any of the inductors to air core types, that is usually an improvement worth doing.

His are all air cores (JBL did also use iron cores in early runs). Furthermore two of them have very specific DCR's necessary (~ 7.5 ohms) for the network to function correctly.

I sure wish I could get new diaphragms for the 033's, but I doubt they exist.

New kits are long gone. Fortunately they are phenolic.

I've always liked the LE 111A woofer although it is a bit odd in some respects. Seemingly very fast on transients, it does not have the capability of loud very low frequencies, being rather excursion limited. I've always dreamed of it matched with an 18" woofer crossed at about 50 Hz.

It is odd, way too powerful for its own good. I think the Qt on that thing was very near the Qt on the old 124/2203, another transducer that was extremely over damped. The 136/2231 was less so only by virtue of its larger size. The 2235H was less powerful and better balanced. The LE10H/LE10H-1/LE111H found in the last version of the L110 was less powerful and better balanced. All the ten-inch systems seemed to work very well crossed to B380's or B460's back then.

[jan_slagman]

Hi 4313B,

Thanks for your valuable addition ! Can i change my 111A woofer for a 111H without any consequenses regarding the crossover network or other adjustments ?

Kind regards,

Jan Slagman
The Netherlands

[4313B]

Your network is the N110 network (I can tell by the 36 uF cap in the photo above). You would want to use the N110A network with the LE10H, LE10H-1 or LE111H.

You might send a PM to LRBacon and ask him if it would be worth the trouble. I think he has both and can A/B them.

[coherent_guy]

How could I forget the inductors are air cores, as noted on the schematic, which I have! They kinda don't look like it at first glance in the pics. The small ones always call out to me to be replaced, but the designed-in resistances are a factor, as you mention.

4313B, I don't get your point that the 033 dia's are phenolic... they are, but so?

Too powerful for their own good... I know what you mean regarding the LE111A's. One of mine would occasionally experience a strange phenomenon, where, on a low bass tone at high volume, would seemingly have such a long over-excursion, the voice coil would leave the gap and then the cone would get stuck outwards, the rear of the VC resting on the pole piece! No sound would come from that transducer afterwards! I was able to get the VC back into the gap by some miracle of careful manipulation, and it did not seem to scrape afterwards. That one was a recone done by some place in Orlando, FL., if that could be a factor, the amp a mere 100 watt Adcom.

Have you ever heard of such a thing, or experienced it? I'm assuming the VC was resting on the pole piece, what else could it be? I think I only had that happen to the one speaker, I haven't done that in years fortunately... or tried to!

The recone kits are available, excellent!! Better get some while I still can, although I need a pro to do the work, I guess. My '110's are due for an overhaul.

Thanks for the info 4313B, the L110 being their great grandfather or something like that.

Come on Jan, keep the LE111A, they aren't bad, just an over-achiever

[jan_slagman]

Hello Coherent Guy and 4313B,

Larry already informed by mail. Thanks for your input guys ! No, i won't sell these L110's that soon. I just will keep them in my collection.

Kind regards,

Jan Slagman
The Netherlands

[jan_slagman]

Hi Coherent Guy,

For the moment I don't have any plans to change the inductors. You probably won't find any diaphragms and you just have to search for parted out 033's on Ebay.
As far as i am informed the woofers can't be reconed anymore, have a look at:

http://www.jblproservice.com/pdf/Tra...rts%20List.pdf

I already have the JBL L110's on heavy duty stands !

With kind regards,


Jan Slagman
The Netherlands

Sorry Coherent Guy,

I overlooked the recone kits because i forgot the addition LE !

With kind regards,

Jan Slagman
The Netherlands.

[Hadro]

Folks, I am new here ,so I apologize if I am asking things that have been asked before.

I have a pair of 4313b's I inherited from a sibling. The cabinets have a slight water damage on the bottom (mild expansion), but are otherwise fine and whole.

The woofers need re-edging and maybe reconing, eventhough the paper looks just fine.

At the risk of sounding heretical, I would like to ask: should these woofers need reconing, how important is it from the perspective of sound quality to use original jbl kits for the recones? I was told by some that aftermarket kits sound just as good but cost half the price. Others say there is significant difference. I would very much appreicate if anyone could shed some light.

Very nice Jan!

All the recone kits are still listed...

LE10H $200.00 C8RLE111H 31385 21813 1-P-6 A6 Wt 3
LE10H-1 $238.00 C8RLE10H-1 31385 21813 1-B-6 Wt 3
LE111A $230.00 C8RLE111A 31385 21813 M 1-B-6 Wt 3

LE111H $200.00 C8RLE111H 31385 21770 1-B-6 A6 Wt 3

His are all air cores (JBL did also use iron cores in early runs). Furthermore two of them have very specific DCR's necessary (~ 7.5 ohms) for the network to function correctly.New kits are long gone. Fortunately they are phenolic.
It is odd, way too powerful for its own good. I think the Qt on that thing was very near the Qt on the old 124/2203, another transducer that was extremely over damped. The 136/2231 was less so only by virtue of its larger size. The 2235H was less powerful and better balanced. The LE10H/LE10H-1/LE111H found in the last version of the L110 was less powerful and better balanced. All the ten-inch systems seemed to work very well crossed to B380's or B460's back then.

[LuckyST]

Hi. I recently reconed my l110s and discovered one other problem.

there's something wrong with the crossover. While I'm turning the tweeter crossover, I can hear noise, and the midrange doesnt seem to produce any noise at all (I tried it on its own, and the speaker is alright).

could you give me some tips on how to reach the crossover panel without damaging the speaker?
and do you have any idea what might be the problem?

also,... while I'm already in there, any other things I could do to the crossover to make sure it's at its best

[robertbartsch]

I would not repair a busted vintage JBL speaker without a genuine JBL OEM kit (VC, spider, cone, surround, etc.) where the labor is done by a JBL service center.

If only your surrounds need replacement, this can be done without much expense. Surrounds last about 15 or 20 years, at most.

If I had a busted woofer and no OEM kit was availible, I would (i) look for a replacement pair of woofers being sold from a source such as Fleabay, (ii) replace the surrounds on these, if necessary.

[jcrobso]

Hi. I recently reconed my l110s and discovered one other problem.

there's something wrong with the crossover. While I'm turning the tweeter crossover, I can hear noise, and the midrange doesnt seem to produce any noise at all (I tried it on its own, and the speaker is alright).

could you give me some tips on how to reach the crossover panel without damaging the speaker?
and do you have any idea what might be the problem?

also,... while I'm already in there, any other things I could do to the crossover to make sure it's at its best

Did you try turning them back and fort slowly a few times? Many times this will clean the contact surface and the will work.