A JUBILEE MAKEOVER

[The Godfather]

Hello everyone. I am in the market for some high end speakers. From what i have read on here and other forums, the Jubilee seems to be the best bass cabinet to buy; as being compared to the Klipschorn, Hartsfield, and other heritage speakers. Do any of you have any recommendations on what to do for the midrange and tweeter? I also had this wierd is idea. I sure do like the look of the JBL Hartsfield, but i have heard it doesn't produce very good bass. I wonder if there would be a way to take a Jubilee and make it look like a Hartsfield. I guess this is the DIY forum, so any of you engineers have any idea.

Thanks.

Al

[Coytee]

Welcome to the forum.

You don't list where you live. You might want to try to hear the Jubilee's before writing off the top horn most have gone with.

Something to know if you don't already... evidently one of PWK's goals was to take his vaunted Klipschorn back to a 2-way design and get rid of a driver and crossover point which was successfully done with the Jubilee as available from Klipsch.

I'd suggest to try to listen to a pair of Jubilee's with the larger horn on top (the K402). If you want a smaller top and have it look more like a Klipschorn, then perhaps get the smaller K510 horn and put it into a Khorn styled top-hat. You'd have to have that part done yourself as Klipsch doesn't do that.

I've heard both horns and personally prefer the K402 for over all use, I'll admit that I'm also planning on getting a K510 to use with my LaScala as a 2-way center channel between my two Jubilee's.

I admit that the Hartsfield looks pretty awesome. Once you hear the Jubilee's, you might end up thinking they sound good enough that you might end up deciding to let them stay looking like Khorns and not try to make them look like JBL's!

If you're anywhere near Knoxville TN, you are more than welcome to stop by my place for a jam session.

[The Godfather]

Sorry, i didn't know i wasn't supposed to tell where i am from. So you think the JBL looks good too? I wonder if a person could take that Jubilee and make it look like a JBL? If i am ever around Tennessee i will certainly stop by:)

[Coytee]

i didn't know i wasn't supposed to tell where i am from

Certainly no requirement to disclose your location. There are only 20+ Jubilee owners out there so if you had an interest in hearing them prior to a potential purchase your it would be easier to know who to contact given your proximity.

So you think the JBL looks good too?

Yes, I do

I wonder if a person could take that Jubilee and make it look like a JBL?

I suppose you could work on the bottom section. Doesn't the Hartsfield however, have it's HF horn sort of built into the top of the LF section? My memory of the last diagram I saw says it is. That would be a problem because there is really no way you can make the entire Jubilee (as a 2 or 3 way speaker) with the HF horn built into the top of the woofer bin.

I guess it depends on how exact you want it to look. You could put some grills on the sides of the bass bin and I think that's about it. You're going to be forced to put your HF horn or mid/hf horns on top of the speaker.

Regardless of how much you messed around with it, I don't think you'd ever have anyone who knows what the JBL looks like, mistake a Jubilee as being one. So, in that context, I don't think you could really get it to look like one. It might also come off as looking cheesy if someone tried and failed.

Then again, I'm not a woodworker so I don't know all the tricks of their trade.

[greg928gts]

I think the Jubilee could be made into a similar design as the Hartsfield pretty easily. In the picture below, notice the bottom of the speaker has the angles similar to the mouth of the Jubilee bass cabinet. If you cut the top part of the Jubilee mouth back square and built a top section up and around, you'd pretty much have it. Then trim out the front with the wider hardwood, veneer the front middle section, etc...

Of course one of the signature details of the Hartsfield is the mid horn lens. Now that might be a little more difficult to replicate!

The Hartsfield is a beautiful speaker.

I do wish they had centered the wood grain on this cabinet though!

Greg

[PrestonTom]

It has already been done.

You will need to search for yourself over at the Lansing heritage site, but there is a guy from Oklahoma who has taken a Jubilee bass bin (a clone I think) and then "built it into" a Hartsfield cabinet.

He chose a three way system mostly using JBL parts for the mids and highs. The cabinet has an interesting look, although I can't comment on whether his implementation affected the dispersion at the mouth or whether the the top section was appropriately mated with the bass bin in terms of crossover (distortion, slopes, frequency, dispersion etc).

I certainly do not think that the completed build was tested with any measuring equipment (he may still be working on it).

Another possibility for a "classic look" would be a variation on some of the classic Tannoy cabinets.

[Coytee]

Wow, I just don't see how you could cut the front of the Jubilee back like that. Remember.... you have some drivers hanging out right behind that front panel.

UNLESS???

Would you suggest that the top (of the center section) of the Hartsfield would be the top (of the top) of the Jubilee and in essence, build the Jubilee bass bin "X" inches higher to accomodate that hf horn lens??

I just don't see how you could keep the current height of the Jubilee and at the same time, jam any kind of HF horn/driver assembly back into the top section of the LF unit.

Those 12" drivers (there are two of them in case the OP isn't aware) take up most of the usable space of the motorboard, do they not?

Even if they do not.... I suspect it would be a major reconfiguration just to get this look.

You guys that work with wood though, continually amaze me with your skill and artistry.

[Coytee]

Comment about the picture (I had a phone call and accidetnly hit post prematurely)

I don't see how you can cut into the existing top of the Jubilee and not affect some of this behind the scenes "stuff". Even if you could, would you not risk screwing something up that would/could butcher the sound from the bass bin?

[greg928gts]

Oh no, I'm not suggesting cut into the bass bin, just the very top of the bass bin, to each side of the front panel to take out a small "wedge" if you will, on each side. Then the upper cabinet could be built on top of the existing bass bin. This would leave the front panel of the Jubilee sticking out a few inches, as it does on the Hartsfield.

The front of the top section would be built back in line with the cuts made to the top of the bass bin, and grills would be made to cover the mouths of the bass bin and the top section.

The detail of the Hartsfield horn lens is important to the overall look though. Without that, the cabinet would look quite different.

Greg

[The Godfather]

I went and checked out that Lansing Heritage page and saw what that guy is building. I sent him an email about what i was thinking. Those cabinets look awesome. He just emailed me back and said you guys know him as ssctrojan1980.

[ssctrojan1980]

Wow.... I see that you guys are talking about my work over here. I guess going back to my last thread, when i had the audacity to make the statement that Hartsfield was

copied somewhat; seems to have some truth to it. Cause as i look at both of my Hartsfield plans. The external dimensions between the Jubilee and the Hartsfield are way

to similar to be chance. Actually the measurements are within fractions of an inch. The front of the Jubilee is within a quarter inch of the Hartsfield front. HUH!!!!!! Anyways,

no reason to bring up the past. This new project is interesting. I am veneering. My jubilee clones have been transformed into Hartsfield copies. So yes, i have the great

sound of the Jubilee with the great look of the Hartsfield. Yes i can get the front lenses, Yes i have listened to my cabinet since cutting off a few inches. (sounds the same, no

loss in bass) If you have been over to the other forum and seen my construction pics, that plywood you see closing off the bass exit will be the grill covers, and *** you can

see my veneering has started. Yes it is a 3-way. i'll keep you guys over here posted! And YES, i'm sure i will be selling them! And NO, they won't cost 15,000 dollars. Are

you kidding me with that? Hey guys, I have a NIKE hat here i will sell for 600 dollars. lol Any takers?

[ZAKO]

The Guy on the lansing Forum with the Hartilee,,is veneering his JubileeHartsfield in Rosewood,,, Talking to Link Ally who has auditioned them..Said they sound terrific.

[linkalley]

maron!!! shame on you!!! i did not say terrific------- i said, AMAZING!! DID I SAY AMAZING!!! YES I DID!!! NOT TERRIFIC.

WE CALL THE BASTARDIZED UNIT --HART-A-LEE looks of a jubilee & measurements of the jubilee- beauty of a hartfield!!!!

maron, i see the graphs on both the jubilee & the khorn--looks really close---BUT THE REAL PROOF IS IN THE LISTENING---NO COMPARISON------ NO CONTEST----i am selling my khorns. i will have the tractrix horn in the lense spot & i will use an apt 80 tweeter inserted on the side .

happy tunes!!!!!