Le5-10 midrange question

[Bob Nowak]

Greetings folks, i'm a newbe and long time fan of JBL. This will soon be my first venture back to vintage JBL. I'm interested in a pair of L110's that appear to have the correct le5-10 mid. , but the color of the cone is tan and not black. Im guessing it's a replacement driver , and I've seen alot of similar looking cones in pictures of other L110's. My question is why the color difference ?, and is this a deal-breaker for an apparent refreshed pair of L110's. Thanks, I'm a long time viewer of this site and have learned so much! Bob

[BMWCCA]

I'm interested in a pair of L110's that appear to have the correct le5-10 mid. , but the color of the cone is tan and not black. Im guessing it's a replacement driver , and I've seen alot of similar looking cones in pictures of other L110's. My question is why the color difference ?, and is this a deal-breaker for an apparent refreshed pair of L110's.

I always figured this was caused by fading from the sun. A quick Google search brings up photos with both the woofer and the mid-range discolored. Or, unless you've already seen them in person, could it be a camera flash issue? Hi-Fi red-eye?

Not mine, but . . .

[rdgrimes]

Seems to be more common on the LE5-9 and LE5-10 for whatever reason. I've also seen it on the pro versions of the same drivers.

[Bob Nowak]

Thanks for the info guys. I was just abit concerned that this mid might take away the from the original status of these 110's. Thanks again! Bob

[kippers]

Hello, I beleive that the LE5-2, LE5-6, LE5-8, LE5-9, LE5-10, and LE-12 are all the same driver.
They all use the same recone kit, which comes with the voice coil attached, so same spec. I think as long as both drivers have the same numbers (production run?) for a stereo set up, you should get the same sound.
I don't think the production numbers would dictate the fade level of the paper cones, I think that is mostly down to grills on/off and where they have been placed/stored in relation to sunlight. The paper on the faded cones will be weaker due to UV breaking it down, so if you are going to listen loud most of the time maybe go for non faded. You can cure the fade and strengthen the cone by diluting PVA (wood glue) with water, so it can soak right in, and brush it on lightly. When it dries the cones will be back to a nice matt black or much darker, stronger, and with care of use should last another lifetime, just putting back a little of what the sun has taken away.

[LRBacon]

Hello, I beleive that the LE5-2, LE5-6, LE5-8, LE5-9, LE5-10, and LE-12 are all the same driver.
They all use the same recone kit, which comes with the voice coil attached, so same spec. .

Close, kippers, LE5-2 and LE5-9 use different re-cone kits. LE5-6, LE5-8, LE5-10 and LE5-12 are all the same driver and the only difference between them is cosmetic. Here's the link to the LE5 Matrix:
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...The-LE5-Matrix

Thanks for the rejuvenation tip.


Larry

[kippers]

Thanks for that Larry, wasn't 100% sure and hoped someone would correct if I got it a bit wrong. The good news is I now know for sure the LE5-6's I've just bought to replace the LE5-10's are going to be perfect match
If using pva (wood glue) you really need to dilute it with water, as straight from the pack it will just sit on top of the paper and dry shiny, after dilution it soaks right into the paper and will only go shiny after applying too many coats.
Best way to do it is if you have 2 drivers that are the same, do one at a time, do 1 coat and let dry over night, have a feel and compare with the original uncoated driver for stiffness, when it feels right and you have reached the desired level of stiffness, you will then know how many coats to put on the other one to match them up as best as possible. I've never need more than 3 applications.
You probably won't need to do this again as it will last for ages once done. If the drivers are really faded they won't go back to black but will darken quite a bit. Nothing wrong with the fade look though, I quite like it!
Now, time for me to start another thread about the glue on 2213h's

[LRBacon]

Well, Kippers, those LE5-6 midranges you got are a perfect match audibly but not quite visually. The LE5-10 has a brushed aluminum frame front where as the LE5-6 does not or did not originally.

Larry

[rdgrimes]

^^^
Actually, the 10 has a black face. The 6, 8 and 12 have the shiny face.

[LRBacon]

You had better check the LE5 matrix, the 6
has always been flat black but not brushed.