View Full Version : JVC Loudspeakers
BTH K10A
26-12-2014, 23:20
Not sure if they were sold over here but I like the look of these
Bass driver cones are a blatant copy of RCA's LC1-A
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/emttsd15/speakers-in-area-51-boomcase-jvc-5345-rare-web_zpsc8c2fc35.jpg (http://s46.photobucket.com/user/emttsd15/media/speakers-in-area-51-boomcase-jvc-5345-rare-web_zpsc8c2fc35.jpg.html)
walpurgis
26-12-2014, 23:24
That looks like a 15", but I definitely saw the speakers with the 12" on sale here years ago (many years actually).
BTH K10A
26-12-2014, 23:31
I remember a version without the segmental horn on top with 12" cones but I never saw any of these. They are configured for tri amping as well.
walpurgis
26-12-2014, 23:33
I remember a version without the segmental horn on top with 12" cones but I never saw any of these. They are configured for tri amping as well.
That particular range was on sale around 1973 if I'm right (about the time the first KEF 104 was about).
The Technics range of speakers and turntable back then was fabulous to look at. Probably sounded great too. I was buying Ferrograph, Tannoys and Thorens/Decca myself.
BTH K10A
26-12-2014, 23:47
They don't feature i any of the HiFi Year books. in fact JVC speakers appear in 1974 and 1975 only
Model numbers are on this site http://www.vintage-audio.com.ua/en/cat/215.htm
The 5331 & GB-1E/Ed are listed in the year books but thats about all
There is a bloke near me has the Zero 10, not been round for a listen though. Very rare speakers in this country, anyway. I'd guess JVC did not sell many outside USA/Japan.
Check out the blue front baffle. No doubt who they were competing with...
http://www.vintage-audio.com.ua/en/cat/215/1272.html?begin=21
BTH K10A
27-12-2014, 10:24
No doubt at all. I think at some stage most of the mainstream Japanese manufacturers produced JBLesque products.
I like JBL's, still have one pair plus various drivers etc and over the years I've quite owned a few. I recently refurbed a pair of 4341's which I would have kept if I did'nt already have 3 sets of great speakers.
There is a lot of misinformation regarding JBL in the UK, usually generated by people who have never heard them. I found a thread on another forum about JBL not long ago where there was speculation regarding the purpose of the slant lens plate. I gave them the data I had on it and would have contributed more but it seems the forum owner Richard Cranium runs the HiFi verion of Animal Farm. Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball & the Old Major are all there and only Napoleons version of the truth is allowed, so I left them to wallow in their small minded delusions.
StanleyB
27-12-2014, 10:36
Bass driver cones are a blatant copy of RCA's LC1-A
RCA and JVC were part of the same group of companies. The group now includes Kenwood as well.
I hankered after a pair of Realistic Mach 1's when I was a teenager (Tandy/Radio Shack), which look somewhat similar. My goal was unrealisable though as I lived in a mobile home not much bigger than a pair at the time... :D
.
There is a lot of misinformation regarding JBL in the UK, usually generated by people who have never heard them. .
Very true, certainly by people who have not heard any of the classic models, anyway, since they are very different to the slim floorstanding efforts that they do for the mass-market.
The problem is of course that so few of these design type of speakers (by whatever manufacturer) were sold here, so exposure to them is limited even amongst enthusiasts. I can recall a few letters to magazines in the 1980s from owners of classic JBLs asking for general upgrade advice and they would always recommend swapping the speakers out for JPW Minims or some other tiny piece of budget junk that was the flavour of the month back then.
Not sure if they were sold over here but I like the look of these
Bass driver cones are a blatant copy of RCA's LC1-A
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/emttsd15/speakers-in-area-51-boomcase-jvc-5345-rare-web_zpsc8c2fc35.jpg (http://s46.photobucket.com/user/emttsd15/media/speakers-in-area-51-boomcase-jvc-5345-rare-web_zpsc8c2fc35.jpg.html)
Bloody hell, that looks ‘proper’!! :stalks:
Marco.
I found a thread on another forum about JBL not long ago where there was speculation regarding the purpose of the slant lens plate. I gave them the data I had on it and would have contributed more but it seems the forum owner Richard Cranium runs the HiFi verion of Animal Farm. Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball & the Old Major are all there and only Napoleons version of the truth is allowed, so I left them to wallow in their small minded delusions.
Name and shame, Andy, I say! Which forum are you referring to? :)
Oh, and yes, big JBLs rock! Quite a few of the vintage ones are utterly drool-worthy….
Marco.
Name and shame, Andy, I say! Which forum are you referring to? :)
.
you can't guess....?
It’s not *THAT ONE* is it?
Marco.
BTH K10A
27-12-2014, 11:29
RCA and JVC were part of the same group of companies. The group now includes Kenwood as well.
Yes, I forgot that RCA had retained a minority shareholding after selling JVC to Matsushita
BTH K10A
27-12-2014, 12:17
Name and shame, Andy, I say! Which forum are you referring to? :)
Oh, and yes, big JBLs rock! Quite a few of the vintage ones are utterly drool-worthy….
Marco.
It's the one where the owner practices biassed moderation of the worst kind, deleting posts to alter the history of threads to suit his own agenda while allowing his acolytes Squealer, Snowball & the Old Major free reign. Bizzarely these are the very traits he campaigns against.
What happened was: One of his acolytes I now call squealer wrote "Dont fall for it Dave Dont whatever you do ask him" which I took as humour and responded in jest with an analogy to the alegory of the cave and Napoleon took offence and told me not to play games. Now if I had started "the games" I would have left it at that, but his modus operandi of of not applying his forum rules on a fair and just basis brought his true character to the surface and posts started to be deleted, and and after it became obvious I was dealing with a closed mind and ridgid dogma I posted no more.
No loss to me as I've never before come across such an unwelcoming paranoid, clueless bunch of idiots who clearly did not appreciate my input.
istari_knight
27-12-2014, 12:31
A chap over on wigwam has or at least had a pair of those JVC's a few years back... His were branded Victor though. IIRC they replaced a pair of keilidh in an all Linn system.
walpurgis
27-12-2014, 12:43
A chap over on wigwam has or at least had a pair of those JVC's a few years back... His were branded Victor though. IIRC they replaced a pair of keilidh in an all Linn system.
Many JVC products were branded Victor. As I'm sure you know the JVC stands for Japanese Victor Company.
This is a Victor speaker:
http://i57.tinypic.com/2eoa41v.jpg
(incidentally, Rotel were Roland Electronics. There seems little reference to that anywhere)
walpurgis
27-12-2014, 13:02
These whopping great horns are Victor FB-5 speakers. Interesting.
http://i59.tinypic.com/15e8mrr.jpg
(they look rather like a pair of big horns I built using Japanese Coral Beta 10 drivers)
These are also Victors, don't know the model, impressive though. Huge mid domes and an array of slot lens horn tweeters.
http://i61.tinypic.com/2v0bjwm.jpg
istari_knight
27-12-2014, 13:10
Many JVC products were branded Victor. As I'm sure you know the JVC stands for Japanese Victor Company.
Aye, they made some lovely kit.
I was wrong, they aren't the same but do use a similar bass driver: http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?65629-Swap-my-Victor-SX7s-for-something-Interesting
It's the one where the owner practices biassed moderation of the worst kind, deleting posts to alter the history of threads to suit his own agenda while allowing his acolytes Squealer, Snowball & the Old Major free reign. Bizzarely these are the very traits he campaigns against.
What happened was: One of his acolytes I now call squealer wrote "Dont fall for it Dave Dont whatever you do ask him which I took as humour and responded in jest with an analogy to the alegory of the cave and Napoleon took offence and told me not to play games. Now if I had started "the games" I would have left it at that but his modus operandi of of not applying his forum rules on a fair and just basis brought his true character to the surface and post started to be deleted and and after it became obvious I was dealing with a closed mind and ridgid dogma I posted no more.
No loss to me as I've never before come across such an unwelcoming paranoid, clueless bunch of idiots who clearly did not appreciate my input.
:lolsign:
Say no more. Needless to say, in terms of that place, we’re on the same page! ;)
Marco.
These are also Victors, don't know the model, impressive though. Huge mid domes and an array of slot lens horn tweeters.
http://i61.tinypic.com/2v0bjwm.jpg
Love the looks… Gosh, I can imagine that on the end of a good valve amp, the results with those would be stunning! :eek:
They’re from the wide-baffle school, too!! ;)
Marco.
No doubt at all. I think at some stage most of the mainstream Japanese manufacturers produced JBLesque products.
I like JBL's, still have one pair plus various drivers etc and over the years I've quite owned a few. I recently refurbed a pair of 4341's which I would have kept if I did'nt already have 3 sets of great speakers.
There is a lot of misinformation regarding JBL in the UK, usually generated by people who have never heard them. I found a thread on another forum about JBL not long ago where there was speculation regarding the purpose of the slant lens plate. I gave them the data I had on it and would have contributed more but it seems the forum owner Richard Cranium runs the HiFi verion of Animal Farm. Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball & the Old Major are all there and only Napoleons version of the truth is allowed, so I left them to wallow in their small minded delusions.
I come on audio forums to share my knowledge of UK based vintage gear, together with my decades in the retail side of the UK audio industry. I also come here to LEARN and have pre-conceived ideas challenged (Marco and I have a 'history' of this now ;)) with fresh insights. Big early 70's JBL's and others of their ilk were not seriously represented in the UK since Tannoy still had this market all but sewn up I think, as well as IMF I recall, but by the early to mid 70's and for a short while before the Linn/Naim thing all but killed the variety in the UK industry, big JBL's and Altec's were shown in the bigger dealers in London and elsewhere (there was a dedicated room at Totty Ct Road's Lion House basement I remember fondly).
So PLEASE, leave the other forum alone if you don't want attention drawn to yourself. Stay here and share your knowledge. I for one would love to know more about some of the bigger Japanese and US speakers we rarely if ever saw :)
Dave, if you wish to debate issues that have occurred on other forums with Andy, please take it up via PM.
Marco.
No need for PM discussions about it. I want to learn about these speakers, as do other contributors on this thread. No need for nastiness on any 'side' as we're all in this together I thought - the reproduction of music in different ways. THIS way is a novel one we here in the UK rarely saw (smaller rooms, insular attitude towards 'foreign' loudspeakers?).
Apologies all, I'll not say more I promise!
Ok, fine, and so that’s now an end to the matter. I should state that any further input of that nature (from anyone involved in the discussion ‘over there’) will be deleted without further warning.
Marco.
walpurgis
27-12-2014, 15:21
I for one would love to know more about some of the bigger Japanese and US speakers we rarely if ever saw :)
If you want US speakers.
How about a pair of ESS AMT1b speakers with the fabulous Heil pleated ribbon mid/tweeter unit. I've heard a few ESS speakers and always been stunned by the abilities of that driver.
http://i57.tinypic.com/10f9urp.jpg
Or some nice Infinity speakers.
http://i62.tinypic.com/2ng8obt.jpg
And of course I love big Altecs.
http://i61.tinypic.com/v7fcsh.jpg
Big altecs on castors. You could sit on one and row yourself around with a broom
walpurgis
27-12-2014, 18:44
JBL C51 Apollo. Very nice!
http://i62.tinypic.com/2gtrj8o.jpg
15" bass driver. The odd looking round thing centre top is a mid/high compression horn with diffuser lens. The silver unit is a ring horn tweeter/super tweeter.
PaulStewart
28-12-2014, 15:50
Way back in the mists of time, when I was JVC(UK)'s first ever technical liason officer one of the bits of my empire was the trade only showroom in Staples Corner. Japan would send over kit for evaluation for the UK market, one of the best things was the huge collection of really esoteric speakers in the place. This included thing like the FB-5 horns, which, purely for reasons of space you understand, I stored in my living room at home forvtwo years :lol: One of the items I worked on was the Zero series of speakers and I specified the final version of the ribbon in the horn tweeter. With slight mods to the crossover we replaced the cone tweeter in the FB-5s with a Zero horn and the sound was amazing. Really wish I hadn't had to give them back when I left to run the Recording Studio in the Rainbow Theatre.
On the fact that all the Jap companies made JBL type speakers in those days, we were going to the same manufacturers as JBL for the pulp for the speaker cones. It was agreat job then along came the flat earthers and killed it.... Despite the fact that the top DDs with good Japanese MC carts could blow the LP12 etc out of yhe water :(
BTH K10A
28-12-2014, 17:05
JBL C51 Apollo. Very nice!
http://i62.tinypic.com/2gtrj8o.jpg
15" bass driver. The odd looking round thing centre top is a mid/high compression horn with diffuser lens. The silver unit is a ring horn tweeter/super tweeter.
Looks to be the S6 option with the LE15B woofer and LE75 Mid/Hi compression driver as that unit came with the potato masher. The 075 bullet tweeter is possibly a later addition as the LE75 was deemed to go high enough.
S7 option would have had the LE85 with Slant plate lens and the S8 option would have the 375 2" exit driver on a shorter horn with the slant plate lens.
I had a pair of the light grey 4502 pro cabinets with the S8 system including the 2402 (pro 075) bullet tweeter. Over time the 2215b's (LE15B) were replaced with 2231a's reconed to 2235 spec giving fantastic low end performance, the bullet tweeters gave way to 2405 slot tweeters along with a change from N7000 to N8000 crossover increasing the frequency range slightly and reducing beaming,and the short horns on the 2440's (375's) were replaced with Martin H1 horns which suited the N500 crossover point better. Prior to the advent of the 4333, if you wanted a three way JBL you had to series link low and high frequency crossovers. Great fun and I preferred them over the 4333's I had at the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JliNBxdJIQ
walpurgis
28-12-2014, 17:39
And that looks rather like a JBL Paragon horn 'sideboard' behind them.
Incredible place Kenrick Sound. If only it was in England:(
BTH K10A
28-12-2014, 17:55
These are the best sounding of all the Vintage JBL speakers and can still better many a current high end blingy speaker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTi2EBn_Q8g
Incredible place Kenrick Sound. If only it was in England:(
No-one's rich enough here to justify such a dealer I fear :scratch: ........... Instead, we have the likes of KJ, who are the London mouthpiece for the expensive Absolute Sounds portfolio, where appearance is as important as the reputation - big old boxes like the ones pictured above just wouldn't cut it in a very wealthy audiophile home, even if the sound they get is little more than a bigger, louder B&O, which has come back to proper high fidelity standard in recent years I understand (forget the tat from the 80's please...)
walpurgis
28-12-2014, 21:24
Technics deserve a mention.
http://i57.tinypic.com/2iu2n3n.jpg
These are their equivalents to the Yamaha NS-1000 I suppose.
http://i60.tinypic.com/2a8nk28.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/23hljdu.jpg
How about something from the Pioneer Exclusive range.
http://i57.tinypic.com/ofo6xl.jpg
Some of the Sansui speakers are rather nice.
http://i61.tinypic.com/30hy3cp.jpg
Ali Tait
28-12-2014, 21:34
Nice. I had some SB-7000's at one time.
The JBL C51 video - did anyone listen far enough to hear that guy sing? He can't:D Shame as an instrumental it would have been OK.
BTH K10A
29-12-2014, 03:22
The Pioneer Exclusive range is based on their TAD professional drivers which can trace their ancestry back to JBL as in the mid 70's Pioneer hired in ex JBL man Bart Locanthi.
The Fostex Laboratory Series probably never reached these shores but the stats are quie impressive for the LS/4 @ 19Hz to 20kH although it is a bit of a monster.
The LS/3 looks to be the most practical size wise and not unreasonably heavy
http://www.preservationsound.com/?p=7156
Instead, we have the likes of KJ, who are the London mouthpiece for the expensive Absolute Sounds portfolio, where appearance is as important as the reputation - big old boxes like the ones pictured above just wouldn't cut it in a very wealthy audiophile home...
That very much depends, Dave, on the mindset of the ‘very wealthy audiophile’. Not all of them are superficial, pretentious badge snobs, you know, who can’t think for themselves and need idiots like AS to choose their hi-fi system for them! ;)
Marco.
These are the best sounding of all the Vintage JBL speakers and can still better many a current high end blingy speaker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTi2EBn_Q8g
Indeed, and that’s what I’d go for if I ever got shot of my Lockies, or moved to a bigger house, where I could build a totally vintage system in another room :)
Marco.
The JBL C51 video - did anyone listen far enough to hear that guy sing? He can't:D Shame as an instrumental it would have been OK.
I know it's difficult to tell from a video but I didn't really like the sound of them :eek:
walpurgis
29-12-2014, 11:58
Does anybody remember Coral of Japan? They made beautiful quality drive units, many looking like JBL clones (but even better finished).
http://i58.tinypic.com/35jxezk.jpg http://i61.tinypic.com/2i9mhqr.jpg http://i60.tinypic.com/669et5.jpg http://i60.tinypic.com/2eyjecy.jpg http://i59.tinypic.com/2m4tz44.jpg http://i57.tinypic.com/25ibtyq.jpg http://i57.tinypic.com/m76zk8.jpg
I've owned a few Coral speaker units and found them excellent. I believe they stopped manufacturing around 1980.
BTH K10A
29-12-2014, 12:09
Indeed, and that’s what I’d go for if I ever got shot of my Lockies, or moved to a bigger house, where I could build a totally vintage system in another room :)
Marco.
Rich in South London Built his of pair of clones, the progress of which I followed on Audioheritage. Kenrick are doing the same thing as they are rare as hens teeth. One lucky guy in Bulgaria of all places lucked into 3 pairs from a radio station that was closed down. Quite how they ended up with 4345's is anyones guess
Here's a link to Rich's build http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?15255-Another-4345-pair-is-coming-to-UK&highlight=4345%20london
I think he has since sold them as he was looking to build some Everest D66000 clones
BTH K10A
29-12-2014, 12:22
Does anybody remember Coral of Japan? They made beautiful quality drive units, many looking like JBL clones (but even better finished).
.
Yes I bought a pair of Coral X-15's when picking up some other eqipment in Germany. They were a sort of JBL L300 clone and sounded very good.
I only had them for a month or so when I was offered more than three times what I paid for them ,and used the proceeds to buy some Klangfim amplifiers
I know it's difficult to tell from a video but I didn't really like the sound of them :eek:
That room is shite, though. Half a ton of other speakers all singing along and a hard floor? They do use a good camera and microphone for those vids, though.
Decided I'll check a few of those videos out on the main system tonight.
The C51s have been modified - only the bass unit looks original.
Half a ton? That's probably weigh under.
See what I did there?:D
walpurgis
29-12-2014, 12:55
Yes I bought a pair of Coral X-15's when picking up some other eqipment in Germany. They were a sort of JBL L300 clone and sounded very good.
I only had them for a month or so when I was offered more than three times what I paid for them ,and used the proceeds to buy some Klangfim amplifiers
http://i61.tinypic.com/8zec7a.jpg
I did see a pair at the importer's place down near Biggin Hill back in the late seventies. They were handled by Videoton back then. I bought quite a few bits from them. The bass driver is the 15-L100 shown in one of the photos I posted earlier.
(I also used to drop by Harman when they were in Beaconsfield and poke around for interesting odds and ends. I got some nice Isophon and Denon stuff there. Still got a pair of rather nice DKT-10 Isophon horn tweeters)
BTH K10A
29-12-2014, 15:53
http://i61.tinypic.com/8zec7a.jpg
I did see a pair at the importer's place down near Biggin Hill back in the late seventies. They were handled by Videoton back then. I bought quite a few bits from them. The bass driver is the 15-L100 shown in one of the photos I posted earlier.
That's nice to know, I didn't think any X-15's made it to these shores.
SQ wise I would rate them better that the L200's I had but not quite as good as the 4333's. My home brew 4 ways (similar to a 4343) and the 4341's I recently had were better still as the additional driver between the bass and the mid drivers allows the crossover point to be raised to a point the mid horns are more comfortable with.
The Westrex Acoustilens horn and the horn used in the JBL Hartsfield were much better solutions to crossing over a 15" bass driver to a mid horn in the 500 to 800Hz range.
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