JBL speaker ID

[2020]

Hi
Recently I got a pair of speakers with JBL D130 woofers, 175 midrange and 077 tweeters. They have n7000 crossovers.

I did some research and don't see any JBL cabinets quite like these, so I THINK the cabinets are custom made or DIY

Has anybody ever seen JBL factory cabinets that look like these?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

[hjames]

Looks like a custom hybrid - if they are cheap enough, go for them, they could be fun listening!

 

[SaturationPt]

The 077 tweeter is certainly worth owning, but the cabinet does not look JBL to me FWIW.

 

[SaturationPt]

Even if the 077 is not original, it would be worth owning IMO. I'd be happy with the crossovers, ...

Hard to say if they are factory cabinets or not, any clues as to what's under the black plywood 077 mounting slab?

 

[2020]

Thanks for your responses hjames and saturationpt.

The construction quality of the cabinets is very professional. I have a feeling they were custom made and the 077's may have been added later. Back in the day, people did that sometimes.

One thing I can tell you is they sound GREAT! Very, very smooth and musical. Probably too sweet for some people's taste, but right up my alley. My other speakers are Voice of the Theaters and Klipschorns, so there is a certain pattern here.

Sincere best wishes!

 

[Zonker92]

The tweeters are definitely 077s? In the photo they look to me for like 2405s (aluminum center plug, not acrylic).

 

[SaturationPt]

The 2405 is acrylic also, just black instead of the 077's clear. Same tweeter but the 2405 (alnico) and 2405H (ferrous) are the professional versions.

It looks factory as I look more at the photos, maybe '60s? The addition of the black panel with the 077/2405 in it certainly is not original as you've surmised.

The tweeter and potato-masher mid are valuable, LF probably too, I would certainly pick it (them?) up if the price is reasonable and the drivers work. I'm pretty sure that the cabinet isn't going to pay your mortgage, but if it's in nice shape it might be worth having also.

 

[Zonker92]

Really? I always understood and read that the 2405 plug was aluminum.

OK, see http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?20427-2405-phase-plug

Undersides (077 on left):

 

[2020]

Wow! You all are good.

I think I have one cabinet with a 077 tweeter and one with a 2405.

The cabinet shown in my picture above does not have a clear center on the tweeter. I bet it is a 2405 tweeter.

I had pulled the crossover out of the other cabinet and found a D130 woofer, LE175 mid horn driver and 077 tweeter as labeled on the backs of the drivers. The tweeter on that speaker has a clear center. I had not noticed that before. I thought they all matched.

Originally I had planned to remove these drivers and use them in some lonely Apollo cabinets I have, but I like them pretty much the way they are.

FWIW, I bought these for a good price and have them playing in the other room right now.

Thanks to all for your advice! I learned some things here..

 

[SaturationPt]

Really? I always understood and read that the 2405 plug was aluminum.

Well I learned something new then! I looked at mine again, always thought they were black plastic, but I guess I can't tell plastic from coated aluminum!

http://www.jblpro.com/pub/obsolete/2405.pdf

 

[mech986]

The cabinets are custom or home built unless you can provide some back and interior pics showing construction, bracing and damping materials. Very odd to see an inset top panel which places the acoustic center (voice coil) even farther behind the woofer than is usual with the Potato masher horn. The more forward placement of the 077/2405 tweeter gets a little closer to the front of the baffle. Time alignment wasn’t in the cards for this speaker.

Also, the tweeter diffraction slot is oriented incorrectly, it should be vertical, not horizontal. Vertical will give the widest horizontal dispersion. Of course, the rather conical dispersion of the mid horn will dominate the response.

Any pics or idea of what the crossover is? How is the front baffle as a whole attached to the cabinet? I wonder if there was a vented port where the tweeter now resides?

 

[2020]

The cabinets are custom or home built unless you can provide some back and interior pics showing construction, bracing and damping materials. Very odd to see an inset top panel which places the acoustic center (voice coil) even farther behind the woofer than is usual with the Potato masher horn. The more forward placement of the 077/2405 tweeter gets a little closer to the front of the baffle. Time alignment wasn’t in the cards for this speaker.

Also, the tweeter diffraction slot is oriented incorrectly, it should be vertical, not horizontal. Vertical will give the widest horizontal dispersion. Of course, the rather conical dispersion of the mid horn will dominate the response.

Any pics or idea of what the crossover is? How is the front baffle as a whole attached to the cabinet? I wonder if there was a vented port where the tweeter now resides?

Thanks for the info, Mech986.
I am pretty sure now these are not JBL factory cabinets, and that's no surprise.
These are from a house in the Kansas City area, where we used to have a high end dealer named David Beatty. It appears that Beatty built (or had built) custom furniture grade cabinets loaded with JBL drivers. I have a feeling the cabinet work on these may have been done for them. On the other hand,the panels with the midrange and tweeter horns looks like a home made hack job. My guess is they were added on at some later point, but that's pure speculation.
I especially appreciate the info about the placement of the 077/2405s. I wondered about that.

There are aspects of their sound that are wonderful, and others that are not so great. You are certainly right, time alignment is not a reasonable expectation in their current form. Deep bass may be a little bit lean, and imaging is good, but not great. However they are SO SMOOTH and musical it's like being in a trance. Female vocals, cellos, violins, steel guitar, and wind instruments and especially luscious.

Because I like the sound so much, I have been very hesitant to take them apart. Hopefully I can get some more pics soon.

Happy Holidays to all!