Vintage HiFi Audio Forum
Audio Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sir Thrift-a-Lot on June 12, 2017, 02:20:14 PM
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I stopped at a thrift. Nothing. A few things that were embarrassingly overpriced. This store is laid out in such a way that you have to circle the building to exit. On the sidewalk in the back was a pair of 4312As. I went back around and talked to the manager. She said she had no way to test them. I asked her "How much is your untested, never have to take them in the store price?" She asked "How about $20 for the pair?" Sure! I can't wait to hear them.
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Mark,
good for you! Hope you enjoy them, before you flip them... ;)
George
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Well, my plan is to spend some time comparing them to the L100s. So they may not end up the ones being flipped. These appear to have the same woofer and mid, but the titanium tweeter instead of the cone. I've liked titanium tweeters in smaller, cheaper JBLs, so I'm expecting good things here. These also have an upgraded xover. The L100s are slated for the mod, so I can't really compare until I get that done. These appear to be in a smaller box (good for WAF, probably not good for bass response). Speaking of WAF, these also have good grills. But yes, eventually one or the other will end up going away as I have no room for a fourth system, but it likely won't be for a while.
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The size is closer than I thought. Same height and width, but the L100s are two inches deeper and five pounds heavier. The plot thickens.
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Wow, $20 for a pair is incredible! Nice find Mark.
Ron
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Thanks Ron. They are physically in pretty good shape. Only a couple tiny corner bumps and some water rings. An hour with some sandpaper followed by some tung oil should have them presenting very nicely. I haven't had a chance to evaluate the drivers, etc. yet.
Since you are the speaker guru, you may know this or know where to find out. What settings on the mid and high pots are closest to "flat"?
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....."What settings on the mid and high pots are closest to "flat"?".....
Without seeing them I really couldn't say. I checked the published specs and didn't see any recommended settings.
For me, I would choose a well recorded, natural sounding jazz or classical album. Then set the controls to minimum and adjust up until I got what I felt was the most realistic sound of the non amplified instruments. Be careful, it's easy to set them too hot.
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It's a funny thing. I would prefer there not be pots on the speakers, even though I'm sure they help. It's just one more thing to get OCD about. I sit there wondering if the left speaker is at 6 on the scale but the right is at 6.1, even though logically I know I wouldn't be able to hear a difference. It's a sickness of mine. One of the things I like about the L100 xover mod is that it bypasses the pots. Just like I prefer a quartz lock DD table to a belt. Nothing to futz with.
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I did find one paper that gave the sensitivity of each driver. It lists the woofer at 89db, the mid at 94db and the tweeter at 92db, so I'm thinking that the mid will require more attenuation than the tweeter.
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My guess is the middle setting on each pot should result in a flat frequency response......but that is a pure guess. Your ears are the best guide on where to set them.
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Amen! It's always nice to see 'em....
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Your wish...
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/markshan/4312a-1_zpssigrmako.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/markshan/media/4312a-1_zpssigrmako.jpg.html)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/markshan/4312a-2_zpsni69sv34.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/markshan/media/4312a-2_zpsni69sv34.jpg.html)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/markshan/4312a-3_zps9ejkcr1z.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/markshan/media/4312a-3_zps9ejkcr1z.jpg.html)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/markshan/4312a-4_zpsvzvjzkvu.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/markshan/media/4312a-4_zpsvzvjzkvu.jpg.html)
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My first impression in the garage is very favorable. They seem to do all of the right things that the L100s do but not the bad things.
I'll have to repair the one small tear, most easily seen in picture three, directly across from the big black mark. Then they will have a date with some Barkeepers Friend, a steam iron, a sanding block and some tung oil. After that I will get to play them in the house.
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They look very nice, especially for a 20.
I found some Bose 4.2 Series II speakers for .99 the other day. Passed them on to a friend for a 20 and he was quite happy.
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They look very nice, especially for a 20.
$20 for these was essentially free. They are going from $600 to a grand on eBay (not that I have any plans to flip them).
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Mark,
Are the 4312A woofers the exact same drivers used in L100s?
Ron
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Mark,
Are the 4312A woofers the exact same drivers used in L100s?
Ron
I haven't pulled them yet, but if not exactly the same they are very similar. Do you have a trick for repairing a tear in that white stuff?
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Those look great. I picked up a pair of AR3 speakers at the Red White and Blue store, that were pretty much in that condition for the same price. Best pick from the thrift I ever had.
Ive heard some using coffee filter with some fabric glue on the back side of the speaker to repair small tears. I also believe that Simply Speakers has a recone kit for those in the range of 55 to 90 dollars, if you wanted to go that route.
Good luck and grats on a great find.
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I've done quite a few torn cones from behind with coffee filter paper, thinned Aileens and a foam brush. What I'm specifically wondering with these is if there is a good way to make the repair invisible from the front. I was hoping there was some way to get that Aquaplas to melt or soften so it could be brushed back together seamlessly. I haven't found any info like that, but at Lansing Heritage I saw a couple people who use flat antique white acrylic paint to cover the repair and it wasn't noticable at all until you got right up on it, so I think I'm going to try that.
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BTW, those cones are so stiff that I heard no appreciable buzzing, even at pretty good volumes with electronic music. Plus they are ported so there isn't much back pressure. The repair will be mostly for cosmetics.
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Then that definitely sounds like a good plan. Repairs that you dont really notice are the best. Hope it works well. Id like to see how that antique paper turns out.
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Then that definitely sounds like a good plan. Repairs that you dont really notice are the best. Hope it works well. Id like to see how that antique paper turns out.
I'll try to remember to get before and after pictures.