bliss53 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Is anyone familiar with these components? What would they sound like? I have a line on these but I would need crossovers and cabinet plans. Can anyone guide me? See the stock picture from the net. A different seller on the net referred to the horn/drivers as "potato mashers" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bliss53 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Net picture of woofers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I'm not as familiar with the LE175 but the D130 was used in 1950/60's and into the 70's as a "premium" musical instrument speaker, most notably in the original Standel amplifiers, and later in Fender (Showman/Dual Showman). As such it has a coloration bias as most all musical instrument speakers do ~ better known in the "old days" as "the JBL Sound". I have several of these as well as D140 (bass and organ version ~ longer throw, copper voice coil vs aluminum, higher power handling, and heavier/stiffer cone, different suspension). I believe JBL made a "high fidelity" version of the D130 (2235? or something like that). The LE175, if I remember correctly, was primarily used in P.A. systems although I believe it also found it's way into a number of consumer and professional speaker systems. "potato mashers" is probably referring to a "corregated" diffuser that was used on the front of it. Or it could simply be the (hand-held) shape and weight (magnet end as smasher). I guess maybe the diffusor would be better for french fries. LOL See JBL Hartsfield http://www.jbl.com/resources/Brands/jbl/Products/ProductRelatedDocuments/en-US/OwnersManual/HARTSFIELD-om.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 You can definitely use the LE175s in hifi cabinets. Check out the pages on wardsweb: http://www.wardsweb.org/audio/diyjbl/diyjbl.html fini had a set of the LE175s... Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Wasn't LE the Linear Efficiency series, which came out later and I think was meant for smaller cabinets? The 1956 catalog on Hifilit.com doesn't show any LE series drivers, so I can't tell what bass driver or xover was supposed to go with the LE 175. http://www.hifilit.com/hifilit/JBL/1956-6.jpg The '56 catalog shows the D130 paired with the 075 tweeter and N2500 xover. The 175DLH was paired with the 130A 15" and the N1200 xover. So, I'm not sure the D130 and LE175 were engineered as a pair by JBL, or that it had its own engineered xover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 That is a 175 in a 175DLH (driver, lens, horn) set, there is no LE175. If it has the original diaphragm, and if it has not been overpowered, it sounds quite fine. The 130A/2220 truely qualifies as no real bass (unless in a rear-load horn). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 LE or Linear Efficiency was JBL's response (IMO) to the industry coming up with somewhat smoother speakers that were less efficient (like the somewhat muddy sounding AR1 and some better successors). So with JBL, you had a choice between High Efficiency (very clean and detailed and precise speakers that did not have very flat frequency response) and Linear Efficiency (flatter, but IMO lacking the precise sound of JBL). djk is correct ... I went through several JBL catalogs, and did not find a LE175. If that is a 175DLH, it is part of the High Efficiency line. The horn/lens part of the 175DLH resembles the larger version used by Ampex who hired JBL to construct speakers for the superb Todd-AO 6 channel stereophonic sound system for 70mm movie theaters. It sounded great! I'm pretty sure the movie version used a different (better) driver, though, like the wonderful JBL 375. The D130 and D130A were very snappily tight and clean 15" speakers, marvelously constructed with 4" voice coils, etc. In 1964, the D130A and 175DLH, along with a N1200 crossover crossing over at 1,200 HZ at 12 dB/ octave (I think) -- with no cabinet -- were priced at $267 (when the minimum wage was $1.25/hour). A pretty good rear loaded folded horn enclosure for them was the C34, for which JBL charged another $201. How good were they? Probably clearer sounding than any other speakers, except Klipschorns, LaScalas when they came in about 1963, and JBL systems using the 375 mid driver with 537-509 mid horn/lens, and a 075 super tweeter (that combo, with a 150-4C woofer, in a Hartsfield enclosure, would have cost you $1083 in '64. For all of the above, there was some noticible midrange coloration, especially, to my ears, with the 175DLH. They all were good with dynamics, but all of the JBLs mentioned lacked deep bass! For a while I had D130s in a C34 folded horns, and they dropped like a rock below 80 Hz. They would take bass boost, though. I heard JBL's ultimate -- the Paragon, using LE15 woofers updating 150-4Cs, and 357 mid drivers with special Paragon horns, and 075 supertweeters -- in the same store as Klipshorns of that time. It was close, with each doing some things better, but on balance, the Klipschorns sounded better and produced more bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bliss53 Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Thanks for the info. I guess I will pass on purchasing these for a future project. Maybe a nice lascala two way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 The LE- 175 is listed in JBL catalog PL 69-2 july 1969 and catalog PL104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 If I am not mistaken those drivers were used in the JBL C-40 Harkness speaker, I know of one for sale in Champlain, NY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 JBL was not shy,, that configuration was used in many speaker deaigns,,, Olympous, Sovereign, Metragon to name others,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.