Four way disco system with huge basshorn

[Ruediger]

Here comes a system which was built in the early 80s in Limburg (Germany). The place was called "Why not". Their old system consisted of Bose 901s and Bose amplifiers.

The new system was 4-way all horn loaded with a large mono sub bass horn.

The outer walls of the bass horn and the big wedge were made from bricks, the inner part was made from wood. It was 2,4 mtr wide, 1,80 mtr deep and 1,10 mtr high. It was driven by two E155 and one of the Bose amps. First we tried to save money and tried EV 18" drivers. They lasted just two or three days, then we bought the JBLs.

The lower midrange horns operated from 150 Hz to 800 Hz, drivers were E130, and they were also driven by one of the Bose amps.

Upper midrange was a 2441 with a 2395 horn/lens, and the tweeters were 2405. Crossover frequency was ca. 8 kHz, and we bought Yamaha amps for mids and higs.

Later we added a dbx subharmonic synthesizer (boom box) which really sounded great.

That was quite a funny time

[Eaulive]

Cool!
Midbass horns with E130... talk about loud!

[Don Mascali]

I bet most of the people in that picture are wearing hearing aids today.

[Eaulive]

I bet most of the people in that picture are wearing hearing aids today.

With that 2395 lens a couple of inches from their ears... you bet!

[louped garouv]

pretty cool!

any info on the DJ booth equipment?

thanks!

[4345]

The lens looks odd shaped. May not be JBL. I think RCF made a lot of lenses that copied JBL at the time.

[Allanvh5150]

They certainly look like the 2395's that I used to have way back when....

[JBL 4645]

I bet most of the people in that picture are wearing hearing aids today.

When you consider just how close those speakers are to their heads! Lethal range!

What is the sensitivity of the HF horns and their maximum SPL?

[Allanvh5150]

What is the sensitivity of the HF horns and their maximum SPL?

At that proximity it is quite irrelivant!

[JBL 4645]

At that proximity it is quite irrelivant!

Yeah, yeah I have to agree with you, on that. I’d guess anything over 100dba at constant level = buggered up ears!

Could that disco be held liable for health and safety for excessive db levels?

[Ruediger]

The lens is an orignal JBL 2395. I installed it myself.

The booth equipment was kept from the previous installation. The mixer was a Klein + Hummel (I think), and the turntables were Thorens.

The sound was radiated over the peoples heads, not straight into their ears. The 2395 radiates alongside the horn's axis, not downwards alongside the plates.

Sure the system could play loud, but most of the time the level was moderate.

Ruediger

[4343]

The lens looks odd shaped. May not be JBL. I think RCF made a lot of lenses that copied JBL at the time.

Along with DAS, who made a serpentine version. I used to see 2395's mounted just that way in clubs here in the Bay Area.

I also sketched a 130 front horn something like that back in high school. I was really surprised when the front office approved my idea to purchase two K-130's! I was able to build the compression chambers in wood shop, (about 1 cubic foot) but the horn was never built. We used them all over the place as they were. They really outdid the little lid speakers that came with the reel-to-reel we used back then!

[Eaulive]

The 2395 radiates alongside the horn's axis, not downwards alongside the plates.

Ruediger

On this you are right!

[Horn Savant]

Your club has the right idea now.

Though most modern schlagermusik doesn't need - and shouldn't use - the sub harmonic synthesizer

I listen to Sunshine-live.de on my 4-way all-hornlautsprecher system (low to moderate level)- it's the perfect complement for today's Elecktronische schlager tanzmusik

[Ruediger]

And now for something completely different ...

The Jara disco in Dortmund started with 4530 scoops, 2390 horns & lenses driven by 2441s and several 2402 arranged like in Richard Long's Z-Arrays.

At that time no decent basshorns were available in Europe, just Martin Bins which were not really "sub". The owner wanted a horn about the size of RLA's Bertha, and I suggested to build two smaller horns which combined would come close to the Bertha.

I designed a bass horn for a single 15" driver, 70 cm high, 112 cm wide, and 164 cm deep. For midbass from 150 Hz to 800 Hz I designed the horns which You can also see in the 1st posting (in this thread).

The guy who builds the horns is a carpenter, and the guy with the curly hair and the cigarette in his fingers is me. My hair is gone in the meantime, and I don't smoke any more

Of the bracing, 50% are needed for stability, and 50% are for a "heavy" appearance.

Later a dbx subharmonic synthesizer was added. Also they had a 3bx dynamic range enhancer. Amplifiers were BGW.

The music in these days was funk, Johnny Guitar Watson, Disco Miss Frisco! I am getting sentimental

Ruediger