DTLongo Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 (Posted toTwo-Channel and also to Home Theater) I'm contemplating some fun over the next few weeks. Years ago around 1980 I purchased for around $800 something called a JBL380 subwoofer. It came in a massive handsome box about the size of a Klipsch Belle turned on its side, one humongous 15" woofer with an outboard electronic crossover through which xover the woofer was intended to be bi-amped. Well, to make a long story short, I've been helping my now ex-wife set up a new house, the enclosure and xover were there (the actual speaker long ago purloined by one of my sons), and I am going to take the box + xover back home and buy a new 15-incher and set it up with an extra amp I have and try it out with my Klipschorn + Belle array, or alternatively with my home theater in another room Hey, who said we ever grow up with this stuff <g>. Actually, the JBL380 box was incredibly impressive in its time, and it's going to be fun to play around with a "neoclassic" version of it again. Are any of you aficionados familiar with the JBL380 and would anyone have a recommendation on a replacement woofer driver for it? P.S. I think these Klipsch forums are the best things of their kind on the Internet and once again I thank Klipsch for hosting them as you do. Doing so may not show up directly in your bottom line as $ but they sure do in fandom. Thank you Amy and everyone else at Klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest srobak Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 JBL 2225H would be a great choice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricci Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 That is a good suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 "That is a good suggestion." The Fs=40hz 2225/2226/2227 are not a good choice for the B380 (designed for the Fs=20hz 2235H). The $104 Martinsound #1844 (Eminence 15269) is almost perfect, I have used these to replace JBL 2235 that needed to be re-foamed/re-coned. You could also use the cast frame driver from BEC, but the box MUST be re-tuned. http://www.martinsoundpro.com/item.asp?id=339 If Martin won't sell to you, both BEC and myself are set up to buy from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTLongo Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 The "new" B380 is up and running. See pictures (three). . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTLongo Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Second pic of 3 - woofer installed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTLongo Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Third pic of three - up and running. The woofer unit is a Memphis Audio 15", dual 4-ohm voice coil auto subwoofer spec'd at an Fs of 27 that fit perfectly in the B380 box. The "new" B380 anchors a three-channel Klipschorn + Belle system fed by a Sony STR-DE698 home theater discrete digital receiver. Its subwoofer output feeds my beloved old vintage 1990 Pioneer VSX-5700S Pro-Logic receiver run in straight stereo mode, which comfortably handles the 4-ohm load as long as no other speakers are connected to it. Which gets me finally over a a tale of frustration. I have three newer Dolby Digital HT receivers here, the Sony, an Onkyo and a Harmon-Kardon, but ONLY the old Pioneer has the bass-oomph to make my Klipschorns really sing. And, run in straight stereo from the Pioneer, boy, do they sing. But with any of the other receivers they are bass shy. But alas, the old Pioneer with its middling derived Pro-Logic center channel signal would not do justice to my center channel Belle. Frustration! But now that's solved. The Pioneer and the "new" B380 do the bass heavy lifting and sound magnificent, as good as the Khorns themselves did when run with the Pioneer. By "magnificent" I mean MUSICAL as well as in terms of deep full bass. My Velodyne S1500R sub sounds sterile by contrast. That B380 box really sings. Plus it looks good, too. I'm happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundbound Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Heck yes... Great job and idea. Real nice it worked out so good for you. Looks very nice and I bet it sounds good too. Right on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 cute cabinet. Hey what's with the 'dueling logos' on those Khorns? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTLongo Posted April 10, 2008 Author Share Posted April 10, 2008 Hey what's with the 'dueling logos' on those Khorns? LOL The Klipschorns are 2003's. The Klipsch nameplate was the then-factory logo on them. I spotted the PWK ones at the Klipsch Pilgrimmage ca. 2004 and ordered a pair from Klipsch later at $12 apiece, as I recall. Neat, huh? (My 2004 Belle came with only the PWK logo.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ka7niq Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Bump ! That is SOO Cool using a Memphis Audio CAR Subwoofer !! When my Son saw that, he jumped for Joy. ALL Car woofers are not "junk". Some Car Woofers are serious pieces of engineering. I too have used car stereo subwoofers shamlessly in many subwooofer designs. Good for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Delmar Tom, That's a nice thumper. Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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