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Cerwin Vega D9 / JBL 4343 Hybrids

vannozzi

vannozzi

New Member
I have just completed converting 4- Cerwin Vega D9 speakers to Cerwin Vega/JBL 4343 Hybrids.

I must say that they turned out awesome, and far beyond my expectations.

The first set I replaced all of the drivers with JBL components which include: JBL 15" woofers, JBL 10" mid-range speakers, JBL LE85 high compression mid-range drivers & horns, and JBL slot tweeters, all as used in the JBL 4343 Studio Monitors.

The second set I stayed with the Cerwin Vega 15 woofers, added Cerwin Vega 10" Mid-range speakers, JBL high compression drivers and horns, and JBL slot tweeters.

To accomplish these conversions, I had to cut out a large rectangular hole in the area about 1 inch above the top of the 15" woofer leaving @ a 1" lip around the perimeter of the rectangular hole.

This eliminated the area where the stock dual 5" mid-range speakers and Cerwin Vega tweeter and crossover insert were located.

I then re-in forced the cabinet using 1' X 2" plywood bracing around all inner perimeters, screwing and gluing them into place.

I used the stock Cerwin Vega D9 crossovers and relocated them to the upper rear of the cabinets, and they work great with the new combination.

I then built a slide out assembly which included a box to house the 10" mid-range speaker, and above the tweeter and mid-range horn assemblies.

There are plans on the internet to re-create the JBL 4345 & 4343 cabinets, and the component speakers and horns are readily available for reasonable prices.

I have had in storage for 10 years 4 Cerwin Vega D9s.

I have always been impressed with the deep base that the CV woofers put out, but have never liked the flat sounding mid-range and cheap tinny tweeters sound.

I have always been a fan of the high end JBL Studio Monitors, such as the JBL 4345, and JBL 4343, but have been put off by the price of these high quality speakers.

There are currently a pair of re-furbished JBL 4345 Monitors, (18" woofer), on Ebay for $16,500.00 + $2000.00 shipping. There is also currently a pair of JBL 4343, (15" woofer) for $11,415.00

So, It occurred to me, after taking some measurements, that there is room in the Cerwin Vega cabinet for the upgraded JBL components.

The cabinet is already engineered for a 15" woofer by CV Audio Engineers, and they work well.

The plans on the internet for the JBL 4343 include a separate box for the mid-range speaker that would fit into the CV D9 structure, leaving enough room for the self contained forward firing JBL mid-range high compression driver/horn assembly, and tweeter.

So about a month ago, I decided to go for it, and I am very happy with the results. As they say, the proof is in the pudding, and they sound fantastic!
 
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vannozzi said:
There are currently a pair of re-furbished JBL 4345 Monitors, (18" woofer), on Ebay for $16,500.00 + $2000.00 shipping. There is also currently a pair of JBL 4343, (15" woofer) for $11,415.00
Click to expand...

But those are insano prices. Notice that's the asking price. He could ask $1 million, but that wouldn't mean they were $1 million speakers.

He's about 3X higher than the normal selling price for pristine examples.
 
Cerwin Vega / JBL 4343 Hybrid

The JBL 4345 & 4343 speakers are also hard to come by. Anyone who has them usually will not part with them, and if they do it's usually for big money. If I could have found some for a price I could afford, I would have bought them in a split second, and I have been looking for a pair for years now.:music::yes: In building these 4 speakers, I have invested about $1600.00 so far. And the important thing is I like the way they sound, and they make me happy.
 
I didn't mean to sound like I was coming down on your speakers, sounds like you've done a fine job. I just didn't want anybody to get the impression that 4345s were $16K speakers.
 
IMHO... Never in a million years! Would I have done such a thing. Looks like the C-V cabs were ok to begin with. I'll stop there.
 
I would like to thank David Brink for helping me. David is a senior member of this forum. Thank you David for your encouragement, your willingness to share your expertise, and your kind generosity in helping me obtain the correct components I needed to complete this project. All the best to you David, Mike Vannozzi
 
Hey,as long as they sound great and you like them,,this is all that matters :yes: You have some very nice drivers there that I sure wish I had !!! At this point your in well below the going rate of the L-300 model so kudo's on that....What are your listening impressions so far with these beasts ???
 
My listening impression is that the tweeters are a little sharp and harsh, and I had to turn them down a little at the EQ, which took care of the issue.

The JBL LE85 Horns are very crisp and accurate, and they seem to work well with the JBL 10 inch mid-range drivers.

I can hear the horns over the speakers. the speakers act more as background sound to the horns which are more direct.

This is why you need the acoustic lenses.

The JBL 15" woofer is deep and responsive, and rattles the walls if you turn it up, but in normal play doesn't over power the other speakers, like the Cerwin Vega 15s did over the stock components.

Over all I think the speakers are surprisingly well balanced.

There is good separation, and I can hear instruments in songs that I never noticed before, and they sound like they are coming from different directions.

The big crap shoot was the CV-D9 passive crossover networks, and I think it was pure luck that they are working so well, and seem to be a good match to the components.

All things considered, I honestly feel that these are some of the best sounding speakers that I've heard, but I am a JBL person, and JBLs have their own distinctive sound.

I was playing some Pink Floyd the other day, and it was turned up a little, and when those clock chimes went off, it was like I was sitting in the clock tower of Big Ben, It was incredible.

My ears are still ringing.

In retrospect, of the 4 cabinets that I have converted, 2 of them were made in 1981, and 2 were made in 1987.

The newer cabinets are about an inch taller than the older ones, and with these large components, space is at a premium with the smaller cabinets.

I think the older shorter cabinets would be better suited to JBL L300 Hybrids.

Thanks, Mike
 
Seldom do hybrid conversions work out as well as this. Most times what you

see are hack jobs, or they simply don't work right. In this case, everything

just came together great, and the results are phenomenal.

In my opinion, Cerwin Vega makes a massed produced, middle of the road

product that has a certain appeal to those who like a pounding base, but

are not so concerned with high fidelity and accuracy.

By swapping in high quality JBL components into the Cerwin Vega cabinets, I

have been able to assemble 4 speakers for less than $1800.00, which is less

than one quarter of cost of 2 speakers that they replicate.
 
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