VintageKustom.com: Comment Board

Home » VintageKustom.com » Comment Board » JBL speakers (will they work for bass?)

Show: Today's Messages :: Show Polls :: Message Navigator

JBL speakers [message #23057]

Fri, 05 June 2015 23:38

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Another treasure snagged this week on my road trip......pair of JBL PA cabinets model 4265B. 15 inch speakers with the aluminum dust caps. Cabinet has a tweeter in it also as well as two bass ports. These things weigh a ton. Almost threw out my back carrying them down the stairs. I haven't opened them yet to see what speakers they actually are as far as speaker model, but was wondering if they could not be used in my one bass cabinet that has CTS speakers. These cabinets are rated at 200 watts RMS at 8 ohms. These things are built like a tank! Real neat parallel jacks on the back so you can run another cabinet off the one. If they won't work for bass, thought I'd put them in one of my 2-15's with siren cabinet for PA. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23060 is a reply to message #23057]

Sat, 06 June 2015 06:04

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Sure you can use them just do a 9 volt battery test to confirm polarity as many JBL cone drivers are made reverse, yes you read that right, reverse!

[Updated on: Sat, 06 June 2015 06:05]

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23061 is a reply to message #23060]

Sat, 06 June 2015 07:51

braud357
Messages: 154
Registered: July 2010
Location: Louisiana

Senior Member

Steve, I never knew this about JBL speakers until recently. Around 35 yeas ago I loaded a couple of Peavey 2x15 cabinets with D-140F JBL speakers, and gigged with them for several years. As per usual practice, I used the red terminal as the positive. I have wondered if I used them all of that time with the polarity reversed. By the way, they sounded GREAT !

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23063 is a reply to message #23057]

Sat, 06 June 2015 11:11

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Guess I'm not sure how you check polarity with the battery....guess that I always thought if there was a red terminal, that was positive. So are you saying that if you put the battery on the posts one way and the speaker doesn't move, then turn the battery the other way and it does move....by looking at the battery you will now know which post is positive?

[Updated on: Sat, 06 June 2015 11:15]

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23064 is a reply to message #23063]

Sat, 06 June 2015 11:34

braud357
Messages: 154
Registered: July 2010
Location: Louisiana

Senior Member

if you connect the "+" of the battery to one terminal, and the "-" to the other, and the cone moves outward - that is your positive. If the cone moves inward - you have reversed polarity.

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23065 is a reply to message #23057]

Sat, 06 June 2015 12:39

chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

The polarity only is a problem when two or more speakers are connected another at the same time with reversed polarities. As long as all of the speakers that are connected to one amp all push and pull at the same time there is no problem.

So mixing a JBL cabinet and a CTS cabinet could be tricky if they aren't correctly wired. You would lose all bottom end from the sound.

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23066 is a reply to message #23057]

Sat, 06 June 2015 13:59

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

Bill....I'm replacing the CTS with the JBL's, for my money they are a much nicer speaker. The other cabinet has Altec's. Thanks guys for the info on polarity. I had a new Eminence in one of my 3-15's cabinet that must have been wired wrong at the factory because when all three were hooked up one of the speakers was pushing while the other two were pulling. Turned the wires around on that one speaker and then the were all moving in the same direction together. I went to their website to see which terminal was positive and wired all three speakers the same way. Just goes to show......never assume. lol

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23069 is a reply to message #23057]

Sun, 07 June 2015 06:06

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Sorry, I should have gone into the detail that Bill was kind enough to do and not leave you hanging so to speak!

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23070 is a reply to message #23057]

Sun, 07 June 2015 11:56

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

No problem.....that's the nice thing about this site, you get more than one prospective on an issue. You guys are all great in my book. Thanks lots!

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23076 is a reply to message #23070]

Sun, 07 June 2015 14:43

chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

The first time I learned about the problem of out of phase speakers was back in the early '70s. A gut I knew of mine loved the sound of Voice of the Theater cabinets and built two of them to use for a PA system for his band.

He couldn't afford the Altec speakers, so he used a pair of Utah 15" speakers. He installed the two speakers and loved the sound of each of the cabinets, but something was wrong when he used both of them together. After testing everything and tearing out a lot of hair, he finally did a battery polarity test and found that one of the two speakers was wired wrong from the factory.

I guess the assembler just picked up the voice coil and installed it upside down, reversing the polarity. Once he reversed the wiring to the one speaker, all was well.

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23081 is a reply to message #23057]

Sun, 07 June 2015 17:04

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

I have had a lot of it with guitar players who use a stereo Chours pedal for example and two amps but differing types and they are out of phase with each other .

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23085 is a reply to message #23057]

Mon, 08 June 2015 08:48

C4ster
Messages: 686
Registered: June 2001
Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee...

Senior Member

Hi, I did a little research on your JBL cabinets. They are the second version of the Cabaret series speakers in the 80's. JBL did not market them as PA speakers but as a complete system for small bands. Stage monitors, bass cabinets, sub-woofers, keyboard and vocals. The model you stated were bass cabinets. With the volume that these cabinets were, the E140 speakers in them sounded great. But JBL did reuse the same cabinet for multiple configurations to allow the users to stack different cabinets. Similar to Kustom in that regard. I have 2 Cabarets with E130's that I routinely use for PA in small venues in a 2 way system. I also have E140's loaded in 3x15 siren cabinets that I love. But, the "newer" sirens with the 2 metal ports sound MUCH better than the earlier 4 2" ported pa cabinets. Go with the E140's, you won't be disappointed.
Conrad

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23086 is a reply to message #23085]

Mon, 08 June 2015 09:08

Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014

Senior Member

How cool.....thanks for the info. Looks like for only $200 I got an even better deal than I thought. The sound quality is remarkable. My bass amp will love them. The cabinets are still in too good of shape to pitch so guess I will watch ebay for some inexpensive...hahaha.....replacement JBL's and see if I can sell them. Thanks again.

Report message to a moderator

Re: JBL speakers [message #23088 is a reply to message #23086]

Mon, 08 June 2015 10:44

C4ster
Messages: 686
Registered: June 2001
Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee...

Senior Member

Where are you located. You've mentioned Wisconsin in a couple of posts. IA is not that far away. If you have a price in mind for the cabs, I might load those with E130's and a ring radiator for my small setup. PM me.
Conrad

Report message to a moderator

Previous Topic:	slanted 2-15's cabinet
Next Topic:	K-250-4 Amp Head

Goto Forum:

-=] Back to Top [=-

[ Syndicate this forum (XML) ] [

] [

]

Current Time: Sun Apr #d 23:14:22 EDT 2024

.:: Contact :: Home ::.