speakers

Kevin Quick · From: Sacramento

been outta the loop for quite some time now. apparently JBL does not make the k-130 15" anymore. along with a lot of other speakers they used to make. doing some research online tells me that the eminence eps 15c would be an equal replacement? just fishin for some opinions here. thanks

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

There are all sorts of great speakers out there. In my experience nothing sounds like an old JBL except an old JBL though. I am back to using only old JBL speakers after wandering around in the desert of "sounds like..." clones for many years.
_________________
Bob

Chuck Blake · From: West Virginia, USA

Maybe this question has been asked. So if the older JBL's have the sound, I'm wondering why JBL or some other manufacture has not been able to mimic that sound.

Could it be the the materials used or the specs? Or the fact that all of those speakers has seen several years of service and are "well broken in".

Inquiring minds would like to know.

Thanks for any insight on the subject. Very Happy

_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

You just need to keep your eyes on e-bay or Craig's list and they come up for sale quite often.
I just put one in my Webb.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

The Eminence EPS-15C neodymium comes close. I did field testing of this speaker and the first time I tried it I immediately thought "this sounds just like the JBL K-130 I had in a Fender Twin Reverb".

This also follows the Peavey 1501-4. The Eminence EPS-15C was made to be a light weight direct replacement for the Peavey 1501-4. According to what Mike Brown posted, the 1501-4 was designed to be a higher power replacement for the JBL that Peavey had originally used in the Session 400's.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

You should check out the Telonics 15" Neo - an outstanding speaker in it's own right ... I have never used a K130 so couldn't offer a comparison, but I believe they are better than the BW1501-4 which is saying a fair bit.
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases.

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 7 Jan 2015 3:24 pm

I'm with Bob, there is nothing like a D or K series JBL. I have a Telonics 15 that I like. You can hit it with a whole lot more power than a JBL but it doesn't sound at all like a 130. I like the Telonics twelves too, but they are even less like a JBL. There's something about the mids.....

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Paddy,
Make sure you never try a real JBL ! The neo speakers are great but do not sound the same. Once you get that sound in your ear it is very hard to go back. The difference is not subtle. I used Telonics speakers in my Milkman amps for as long as I could stand it. They are not even close to old alnico JBLs when it comes to detail, response and focus.

I have had quite a bit of luck with JBL recones. There are a couple guys in Austin that do great work. Ken at Mustang speakers and Austin Speaker Works.

There are people working on making real JBL type speakers at the moment. They are not cheap but I have heard some very encouraging things.
_________________
Bob

John Dowden · From: Louisiana, USA

Real JBL type speakers you say????....please tell me more.

Tim Marcus · From: San Francisco, CA

I have talked with Chris at Jupiter speakers about re-creating JBL speakers back and forth for years, and here is the main hang up why there are no new JBL speakers:

the company that made the cones for jbl went out of business a long time ago, and the paper recipe for the cones never made it out of there. The cone materal has a lot to do with the magic sound

you can re-create the basket and the magnet but without the exact recipe for the cones you will never make it.

On top of that are the aluminum dust caps. These are outrageously expensive to manufacture in small quantities. If you have an original JBL speaker you will notice that the dust caps curve down to the cone at about a 90º angle whereas on most recones and copies the dust cap is more of a lens shape that meets the cone at a more obtuse angle. There is some sort of magic there too.

Lastly, the price of alnico is through the roof and ceramic/neo magnets sound different.

Three giant hurdles... but I can say that there are some good people out there tasked with making something similar to a JBL speaker. Chris at Jupiter has a few ideas that might get us closer to the JBL sound at a less outrageous price point - who knows, we might even stubmle onto something better!
_________________
Milkmansound.com

Chuck Blake · From: West Virginia, USA

Thanks Tim Marcus for the posting. That was the type answer I was looking for, and your explanation is spot on for a less than knowledgeable inquiring mind Whoa!

Chuck
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

The 4" edgewound voice coil and the massive magnet structure of the older JBL speakers are essential elements of the design, the latter now being too expensive to reproduce, one of the reasons JBL went to ceramic magnets with their "E" series.

Jay Ganz · From: Out Behind The Barn

...and of course there's the aging of the alnico. New alnico in speaker (and pickup) magnets doesn't sound like the old stuff.
I guess it's because it looses some of the magnetism over time...or something like that. Rolling Eyes

Kerry Johnson · From: the Bay Area, CA

Here is the spec sheet from JBL on the K Series,

www.jblpro.com/pub/obsolete/k_series.pdf

the K-120 speakers have a very unique tonality.

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

Does anyone use WEBER speakers?

Roger

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

I'm using a Weber ( California ) 15" in my Nashville 400 now. The JBL E-130, after 23 yrs crapped out and I exchanged them until I decide what I want to do. The Weber sounds good, but, isn't broken in yet. It's rated at 80 watts and is lighter than the JBL. The 400 is my at home amp, so, it doesn't get the work out it would normally get. I'll get back to you in a year or so after it breaks in a bit. My main rig is a Stereo Steel with 2, 15" JBL's. I'm not sure what models they are, but, they sure sound good.

Forum Index > Electronics		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: