4.022024 17:19 JBLL100 Century DIY Loudspeakers: HOME INDEX UPDATES RESPONSE WHAT'S NEW JBL L100 Century Up-Grade Kit from Jantzen Audio onto: CROSSOVER DISCUSSION IHENEW CROSSOVER CABINET MEASUREMENTS UpsGradeKIT Set-Up 4310 versi ‘The kit is suitable for those JBL variants using the 123A woof nicrange driver and LE2S/LE26 tweeters, e.9. For the 4310 (LE20 tweeter) you need 3 additional components. Be mi The crossover is NOT suitable for 43118, 4312 or 43128; these have different midrange driver. he L100 Up-Grade kit is NOT sultable for L166 or any other JBL speaker Please clearly state what speaker you have and what your drivers are before contacting Jantzen Audi ‘Response from neanle buying the ungrade kit eines 2 Apt 5 a im at ie Wena Ergenng maaan tL ear Mr Gravesen, Tleuly admire the mock you have done to upgrade the JL L100 Loudspeaker. 1S soto tke you've given an ald man 2 new heart am retired now, but T worked in the audla/consumer eletrones manufactaring industry for forty years ~ fron’ 1960 = 2000, During the 1960' 1 Engineering Administration at J8L. 1 am not an engineer it Iai erect the 100 development program. (100 Design Engineer Ed May was 9 very de cooranated the Work of Indust design consultant, Arold Well - who, with Deug Warner, was responsible fr the visual design. Amol ater went on fo be ‘nd my bess. Lary Philips created maybe the best audo promation program ever: "Wednesday for Trombanes, Thursday for Drums.” Years late, en Iw {revinson engineer, Tom Colangelo ~ Tom — smiling when he heard about my past JDL work experience, simply snied and spoke that now famous marketing Tie best 1100 story never tits tht of IL araftsmon/audio etusist Carl Davie fom Otturm, lows, FO May tld vs all that microphone mind seroet ‘make on acceptable grile materia. Amold Wolf gave us stunning designs. The problem was thatthe Foam instry was basicaly the packaging and Miter Ghtamg foam tolerance was about +/--25 inch” No foam vender could meet hmalas design requramants. Ca? Davis, without degree, without asin Weekends ~ as the first in the entre industry ~to discover that foam could be Hot mire cut ~ and with the Feguied precision. The L100 projet hed ‘mont n limbo while we struggled withthe gre design probe, ‘earns, the L100 market got of fo head stare when studios Began ordering 50 to 100 pars of walnut 4310's. We al ew an unauthonzed distribu vay. Thanks forgiving me a reason to lok Back, Sim Barenll White enjoying the sound from newly renovated 81 126 Decades, ! might as well tart wrting about the one and only, JBL L100 Century. A month a96 one Inthase speakers, having bought them fom an old felaw for 300 DXK (SU US §) 2 total gve-avay. Al drivers nat condlbon and th cabs wth miner Sat aa gone but ean easy be replaced fom cBay sles. Tort go into historical dete on the C100 es so uch can be found at: ini/audobertage.orefntml/ojectmaydomintrs him, a in partielar about the L100 here: yeLioo.nim ‘rate opportunity to measure what the L100 aid back then whare I could oly dam of ening a pale of thas speakers trom “over there". I dort recall the lnare very expensive. Hong recenily experienced the SEAS S03 kit now false the 503 kk mas etualy @ better speaker at at ume. Quite simian ire ¢ ‘he 503 had m beter midrange ond’ better crossover and the 33FWK bose drivers may Deat te 123A Severs. Bul the SEAS crvers aint have the gorges ‘vers, the whte-conted cone ofthe Bose driver and che exquisite fins of te LES-2 aver Ive always fad a weok spot forthe sS-2 gue to ow well | how the dust cao is glued to the cone and the fine touch of aint around the edges. I takes grat sklls to make Such fina warke However, te LES net 2 shal'se ter ‘This fst part of tho my L100 story wil not engage in anew crossover, meray try to find out what the L100 was In terms of diver performance and crossowt Wwe might as Wel take 3 look atthe orginal eossover right away, because [es simply fel 8 ur to tha md and 3 UF tothe tweeter Tats all Som drivers Pad'oraitenualon. Mid eannected with inverted polarity. Having a 12" bass driver Tanning fal fange is bald chlce and 9 tof work must Mave gone ito Sve to prosuce» smooth raf: The LE25 sa better tester than we might tink, moybe Not fam measuring perormance, but well equalized, can del ‘ecble Integrating wel wih midrange, actualy beter thon many marin domes in my spinion ve recently bought some LE tweeters on eSay LE20, LE2S ond my ‘Mtpi//wwtreelsgravesen-dk/JBL_LEZ6 nto wou troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim ana4.022024 17.19 JBLL100 Century <= 4 Left: My friend's 81 L100, some scratches to te cabs, but drivers in mint conaiton. Right: JBL LE2E tweeter. Sr dll | Here's my own stock drivers for recreating the JBL L100. have to say fs much cheaper buying ano par of L100s compared to buying vers saparataly on eBay. On e8ay, sels wil completly stip an L100 speaker and sell rt by BE down tote pins eldng te Font rie ‘The L100 Cabinet JBL L100 Contry cabinet dimensions Interna volume: 657 128.25426)'253.40)~ 444 Ti ni ea, value Box simulation wou troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim ana4.022024 17:19 JBLL00 Century Fie coe msaratas “Resor Tae, we [Be ) Cabinet modelling trom TS-data reves the above seen response profile. aslcaly the 123A diver has a too high Qt to be used in 2 ve ‘abinet ana theres rom a 48 Her volumes 3-4 dB increase in response at 70 Hz, which s canted By @ fedrield reading of the response Place the cess (100 Century an the hor cbse to a wal an we wil have an overall 7 3D espante increase fom 50 ta 100 Me. Tak about 8 box! Se, two eptons avalele. Aad some acouste feam to te vent, etre speaker seme 80cm ‘Tom the flor, which wil raise the bass dr 1°70 em tram the flay, move it some 100 cm (dstance to front paral) out frm the rear wal, place in on the Tong side ofthe room wilh ‘meters side wal, and we wll reduce the bass peak to 3.48 ebave average level. Much nicer Placing the L100 i corners @narna e) Teter deen, Response #4 Wer closed box (Fe set to 1 = Gowsd box or the Fake of ease) Driver performance worm troslegravesen.dk/JAL_L100.ntm ana4.022024 17:19 JBL L100 Century Lets: Inavdual response of drivers witnoutcrassover, Smooth bass roll-off? Well, maybe net from this cabinet, bu tke 2 lock below where compare the 12: {ina cap anda 60 em wide, curved bam ‘The LES-2 Is extremely sensitive. IF hade't been forthe sip around 1 wiz, we Woulé have had 96-98 d8/2.8V sensitivity. The peak at 6.5 Kz needs sp rostver cnstrecton, ‘The L225 2 much better than { hag anticted, It doasn't matter much whether the foam In lace ar not, It may change the sound, but not measuring | Right: Indviual response of ervers from orginal crossover with mid and tweeter attenuation se to zero. Some serous tafc fam around 3-10 KH2 three ev tha most oft hae. No wenderthe orga set-up fais on vecal recordings. ‘The 123A bass avers really shouldnt Uy to play upper treble. The mid shouldn't peak at 6.5 KHE and some proper low-end rol-off might improve pertorma Imig improve performance om smoothing overl ipedence, . Beas ANAND | lat: The SPL response ofboth speakers with “0° otenuation forthe tweeter and -3 JB ttenuation forthe mid to get the tebe peak a 6.5 KH down to re ths stesuaton setting to produce the best overa lances sound. Neorelé bass response ls merged s¢ 350 Hz. Daregaré ference bors response. Probably Now, listaning to some musie fem ths setng may be cle to wnat we heard back ten, Que an experience to heer tat JBL LI0D sound once agan Impressive, ote of bass, speedy midrange. The sound of acoustic quars Is very qood, but vocals? Something is very much wrong inthe treble area, the 5-10 tough fim strongly biased due to the 6:5 KHe peak. The dange” of knowing wht ls going on. As soon as ou Know how it perfars on paper you cant hel pinion about wha the sound i ke ~ and what is wrong about. But the 6.5 Kl peak ie most ikely the cause of sore ofthe problems ofthis sips cross ISemhasizod and you cart attenuate the mid to get ofthe teuble without losing tonal balance, Right: Response of midrange alone wih crossover and attenuation se (of -3 dB. Severe dip at 1300 Hz and the 6.5 kz peak... This looks ke 2 poorly manag [Aresporse up to 15 Kel Imean, a single eol tothe mid might a east have pradvced 8 more fl response, Dut then the upper eb may run int rouble rom ‘The Crossover Modelling the original crossover performance oH SIRF oa 100 originat crossover oe Modeled response of vers where the drivers are attenuated with two resistors In Berto eereate the measures performance. Not tat easy, but tis close. Phase {racking Besween boss and mid beter that we Mah expec, but te sweeter fe ‘ery much ving ifs own Ife nthe upper mirange. Viner I reverse te polity of mid and western the LSpCAD,thlogs at least get verse, Ie not tha bad wou troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim ana4.022024 17:19 JBLL100 Century 20 mm Lots Step response showing reverse mid poly. The strange thing about these drvers is thatthe red terminal on the 123A boss is comact. The cone mot postive volage, The LES.2 cone in moving inwards when postive vokage Is applied tothe red terminal. Why WOUE! JBL do this? To ensure corect Delaney of From crossover were cennactea to uiivers? Sut the LES wae used in ther conatuctions,. Doesn't make Sans, Right: Ma sttenuston xed st -3 Band tweeter response shown from +3 €8, 0 dB and 3 dB settings. LS 1h | LAN a St aI mY ha WAI i | | Lets Mid response from attenvation a “3B, 0 6B and + 3 dB. Red = summed response frm mid attenuation at -3 JB I you run the L100 from "mid +3 JB" Right: The 1238 bass in L100 cab, be, and fom a wide curves bale (red). Now, finda 12" crver today that wil perform at up to KM and have @ smooth re ‘The LES-2 middrivers: J Py LA Ee Los 1 have two LES-? drivers asignee my fiRure L100 reconstruction, So my flena's L100 gave mean opportunity to compare four LES-2 drivers - and there ‘the upper micrange we have some 4 cB afference in sensivty. Bascal t's due eo ferences In voce eal impedance, Right: Impedance of four LE5-2ervers. From 5 to 7 ohms. Unfortunately both my lend and 1 have ane of each and the cones ae so diferent in clout that we you ever Buy LES-2 érverson eBay be sure to have 3 DCR reading of ath divers before beng. worm troslegravesen.dk/JAL_L100.ntm sna4.022024 17:19 JBL L100 Century ‘naw crossover desioned forall varlants of LES-2 drivers Isa challenge and fortunately it can be done du tothe vary high sensitty ofthe middrver. Placing river wil increase impedance and the kl crossover wil have @ deviation In midrange level of 4/-1 a8 from the shown rivers. This ls manageable nd fort ‘ome fine-tuning, the mid level may be ereased or decreased by the input resistor Problem seed New crossover design criteria {A lot of work has gone Into designing new crossover and numerous simulations and actual crossover constructions have been ted Seder try taming the LES"? midarver and provide ant overal balance sound from the L100. Waot Canced was to maintain the basi vues ofthe (100, Le. the 123A bass deer working - slmast~ ull range, thus a 2st orcer tke was seen In lacs, To maintain Ist order fier 3s high Ub in fFequency a5 possible, the LES-2 Maa an LCR ereut to Maton the 50 Impedance str, slowing te high-pass section to be ane single capactor To cope WIS amplitude and phase between rid and tweeter, th heintis aod ocr owe ation andthe LESS nae 9 Sere Mara Sut get angie ad sae nlc. Soe ‘Three significant things have happens here: First of al, the LES-2 midérver no longer paaks at 6.5 kes. Sacondly the midsection wa Congvucted in suena way thatthe common varlatn in aver impedance (LES-2) only produce minor Gevation trom target eaponse. Las bet rot tact, both the taster end mis ow produce 9 smooth roll below points of crossover ‘Should you want to Inerease mid ae twoctr levels, you May bypass R2OzI (mid) and increase R061 (tweeter) from 4R7 to SRG. Both AR’ land SRE are supplied withthe kt for you to experimen JBL L100 Century: original crossover vs. new Lst/2nd/Srd order crossover Ta a is after a - 2 sa freavoncy response, individual divers and summed The New Crossover 3BL 1100, Century/4311 eee 1232 :RED terminals PLUS A remiiane st LES-2:RED terminal = MINUS 125/26: Male terminalis PLUS i ou i Esau ons ran i E soe ie cofe, Om Jf ee E ; if =. it New crossover topology. Pay ole to termina lay-out of JBL eves. Pease note this is 9 commercial kts, Component values comes with ie Inston mana Fncing the polarty ofa deve Use a1 SV batery and connect to drivers terminals (ony for ~Ys cand). When postve voltage fe apaled to verminal ana the cane moves autores, then you have found the PLUS terminal Using attenuators ‘Astenuators have a bad reputtion, but usally frm failing ater many years of service. From my on expermentsnew attenuators do nat degrade the sound a [aL ateruatars need repladng's hard to say Out you can turn them fully without pops er cack, Uey'e probably OK and You can Wie a Seen beloM. For re wou troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim ena4.022024 17:19 JBLLA00 Century to 00 to eBay and source simular products. Fstex has some nce products, but net cheap at all Bins: /swu.chay.co.uk, and 100 wat s more than enough. 20-! nau. JBL L100 Century 123A: red terminal is PLUS resistance of LES-2: black terminal is PLUS LE25/26; male terminal is PLUS. ole ss i s = ze |° a a , = . E ss - ed a a on = ay |e ome 2 r 1 hone tata oe tata ee Er Fo in el = q a = = i = fa ome +2 cs t x Remove old terminals including the thin masonite panel. ‘Above the wiring incase you want to manta the attenuators | suggest then plckng the lowest lve of fkedattnation fr midrange an tweeta, leaving some Neaaroom for both For the midrange A201 is reduces To 1.0 Ohm and fr tweeter RIOBI increased to 10 ON Installing the new crossover ‘Scrape off residual glue and sand the rear cabinet panel to make a smooth surface. worm troslegravesen.dk/JAL_L100.ntm maJBL.L100 Century —— The Kit The complete kit (a pair) includes: 3. Solder tag strips. 4. Allerossover components: Baked non-resonant 5 ta instructon containing crossover schematles, polypropylene capacitors, MoX/superes resistors and cables for connecting divers, age and large sharp photos of the assembled crossover boat ‘The kt does not cor . ‘Make # crossover boerd from eg, 10-12 mm MOF oF plywood, 180 x 290 mm. ‘The kit price is set st a level where you cannot buy similar quality components ata lower price from any supplier. wou troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim4.022024 17:19 JBLL100 Century Please clearly state what speaker you have and what the drivers are before contacting Jantzen # ‘Contact Jantzen Aualo Ine! your 2p code for kit price inc. shipping and payment instructions: contact@Jantzen-audle.com ‘The Up-Grade Kit is availabe in two quality grades ‘To give you an overview of optone avalible I've mage this presentation superesnonind resistor ) ‘AIRCORECOML(LEmm wire) level 1 level 2 ‘contact Jantzen Audio for kit price inc! st All technical questions to me at troels.gravesen@hotmail.com jing and payment instructions: contactjantzen-audio.com Crossover layout wou troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim gna4.022024 17.19 board 290x180 mm wou troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim JBL L100 Century Crossover board sone4.022024 17.19 JBLL100 Century ‘board 290x180 mm Speaker wiring ‘to midrange MINUS (red) to tweeter female recept: to tweeter male receptor tobass PLUS (red) to-base MINUS (black) wou troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim nna4.022024 17:19 JBLL100 Century JBL 4310 Go to 4310 page “The LE2O tweeter it quite literent from the E25 and L<26 tweeters, thus neds 8 ilferent crossover Performance of new crossover NIC Left: L100 frequency respons from new cossover The dip at 1.3 kr eaused by the small front panel. Some ofthe LF2S tweeters eply a at 12 kez. Some do not. Nowaver, I must say the Leble fom the renovated L1OO Is remarkably smooth. 1" your L2S weeters are Intec, cc ‘dacard Theyre excelent tweeters only needa proper crossover Rights Summed Irequency response, red, ond response of individual divers trom new crostover. All drivers now sleplay smosth ro ea PALAIS [I Leftsthe emus tes: Sementat depend on placement af fitoprene. In my own feereaton af the L100, teeter sigh offset Reverse mid polarty. Reading taken 2 1 m distance a middrver height. Due to placement of drivers, tis reading have a standard vertesl placement of vers with mid Right: System impedance from vented cabinet. Tiss an overall easy lsd an our amplifers. 5 ohms minimum impedence and the negative angle at 70 Hels where Impedance Is igh Final remarks to the L100: 1 dare say W's quite a diferent spesker compares to the previous “wo-cope” set-up. Classical music is 0 delight, vocal are handled very tl Shou you tow a Saturday evening party, pve K 2150 wpe amp ane let rock It runs well rom my 20 woe PSE valve amos, trough not at hgh eves Thanks to Svan for lending me his speakers fortis up-grade. 1's been quite a journey and only thing remaining is this: Should I make « {aaleal naw cabs Yor my own ervers ana what shouls be? The hgh-Qs ass crver ght ft well nfo a TL cab proving 2 smoother balance I So-tea range. Ths could be done witout changlng tha crossover ab al. An approx. 80 Iter TL loor-tander, nm. ‘One last thing: The L100s need stands, at last 45 cm in height to bring the 1238 drivers of the floor Remember the 123A is handing most © rmisrangs and 5 deg ‘ee doing even better {uses the stands I mage forthe L26-3W. scement: The new crossover Is tuned to a placement tke most mader speakers and due to the high ‘we srescy have some +3 48 in he 50-100 Wa range. Ifthe fst eption below s the only way You can pace Your speakers, dow Upgrade. We ‘he oes crver up and out. From the new crossover the 123A bas driver sil mondes most ofthe mange, the #0 cm from floor level {00d tea, I recall stusios using the #311 and 4312 upside-down to got the 123A at e9r-AOgRE wor troelsgravesen dk/JBL_L100.Aim ana4.022024 17:19 JBLL100 Century is [sa no-no wih regara te placeTent “a0 close tothe tlaor and front wal and too close to the comer (for right speak). ed an simulation you wil have +9 dB at 60-70 Ha, Way too boomy. —— This German uporader gor Ie rght. Free of nearby boundaries ana a much smoatYer response Enjoy! ‘ck heazing to go to Bulders! response worm troslegravesen.dk/JAL_L100.ntm sana