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My way (DIY JBL)

Biblob

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I do not get what you mean.
The design of these speakers is not reverse engineered from something else. I designed it with a blank paper as a start.
There were several alternative designs I did. From the start I wanted a rounded backside, but that was too expensive to build. I also wanted to have the option of placing the horn vertically (like JBL 1400 Array).

I have told my carpenter that he can build this boxes and sell to others if someone should want them. But this design is so specific to the JBL H4365 horn I think, and those horns are totally unavailable for anyone to source, so I am not expecting it to happen.

Oh, I get it now! I thought the parts where from a JBL speaker that was named the 5685. But I now understand the speaker box is completeley designed by yourself. Sorry, misread it. But even more impressive on your part!
 

cjfrbw

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stunta

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But this design is so specific to the JBL H4365 horn I think, and those horns are totally unavailable for anyone to source
So how did you source them?

Amazing DIY build. I especially like how such large speakers blend in nicely into what looks like a relatively small space.
 
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rajapruk

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So how did you source them?

The story is like this.

I heard JBL K2 S4700 on a hifi-show in my hometown, and fell in love. I must have this. I never heard that kind of "live" sound before. I then did my usual Ph.D dissertation on the subject before buying something. The conclusion I got was that JBL 4365 Studio Monitor had better internal parts, and a much lower price than S4700, at that moment.
So I bought 4365 unheard. I took a chance.
When I got them, I did not like the sound :oops::eek: Too bright and missing bass. Anemic.
So I started experimenting with active crossover to see if I could make it better. @pos entered the scene, and helped me. The results were stunning. The best sound I ever had heard was suddenly in my living room.
Then some time went. Life with 2 newborn kids, and some severe illnesses in the family. I lost the fun of hifi. I sold the 4365. They were too large and too much money bound in them for not using them. The currency rates had during the same time changed dramatically, so I sold them used for the same price I bought them new for :cool:
Sadly, I also sold my DIY Hypex nCore amps at this moment.
Shortly after, I started missing them. I started planning for building JBL M2 clones.
Then an add appeared on the JBL-forum where a guy in Iceland sells a kit of 4365 parts, horn, woofers, drivers. I could not resist it in the long run. But I think that add was out for half a year or something. M2 clones would have been the "easy way out". But I choosed my way, with the vision of speakers not so intrusive visually. I also got interested in corner speakers, with the dream of getting the same dispersion into the room for all registers. My theoretical holy grail of sound.
Then it took me a year to get them in boxes. During that time Speakerexchange started selling new 4365 woofers, so I bought a pair more. I like bass. And I was a bit scared of getting a bass-reflex construction "right", so I bought myself out of that problem. There are pros and cons with everything. That is the lesson I learned. There are many many tradeoffs to do when designing a loudspeaker. Balancing them right is the art.
 
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jhaider

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That is fantastic!

How well do your corner-horns convey soundstage depth? I've been looking for an arm-twisting to experiment with corner mounted speakers at home, if only to free up all that floor space in our living room.
 
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rajapruk

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I have never thought about or experienced ”soundstage depth” in any system I have ever listened to. I am maybe not that advanced listener. Can you explain what I should try to hear?

If I should try to describe how it sounds to me: the soundstage is very large vertically and horisontally. Larger than the room, I think. But not larger than life. The focus is knife sharp in the middle between the speakers. Sharp in a way I have not heard in any other system. The singer stands right between the speakers and sings to me (i.e not standing more out in the room, depth-wise).

Take this with some grains of salt (and lemon and Tequila). I am not the golden ear boy.
 
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rajapruk

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I sold my headphones today, finally! Sennheiser HD800.
I will take a shower and feel clean and whole again. Headphones sucks!
It was buying the THX789 amps that put me in a temporary disarray of confusion. Now I can go on with my life.
 

Sal1950

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That is fantastic!

How well do your corner-horns convey soundstage depth? I've been looking for an arm-twisting to experiment with corner mounted speakers at home, if only to free up all that floor space in our living room.
I have never thought about or experienced ”soundstage depth” in any system I have ever listened to. I am maybe not that advanced listener. Can you explain what I should try to hear?
I've never heard any speaker that wasn't mounted in a free standing manner, with quite a bit of distance between them and the front/side walls, to be able to convey a good illusion of depth.. It may be totally a delusion that is ruined by the visual aspect, I don't know. My Klipsch La Scala's in a free standing arrangement could produce a fantastic soundstage with both width and depth outside the boxes, where I found the classic Kornerhorns unable to do the same.
YMMV
 
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rajapruk

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I have done a volume control iPad-app for my wife.
It is called ”Lazy hotdog”.
Implemented in my BSS processor using ”HiQNet Motion Control” and ”HiQNet Audio Architect” softwares.

The ketchup and the mustard bars moves in runtime!
 

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rajapruk

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I will replace the Crown-amps driving my woofers with Hypex nCore DIY-amps.
It will be 4 monoblocks with Hypex nc400, Hypex SMPS600, xlr-input, speakon-output, in Ghent Audio cases.
Some special care of the heat from the SMPS will be taken. @pos is working on a solution of that for me :cool:
The Hypex-parts arrives tomorrow according to UPS.
 

jhaider

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How loud are the BLU-160 fans? Have you taken any steps to limit fan noise?
 
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rajapruk

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How loud are the BLU-160 fans? Have you taken any steps to limit fan noise?
Yes they are too loud for domestic use.
I have modded mine with Noctua fans and cpu-heatsinks on some hot parts. I can get you more details and pic later.
Mine is still noisy, but much more silent than stock unit.
I have seen larger mods done, with a large silent fan on top of the unit in an added hole in the top cover. I think that kind of large mod is needed to get it completely silent.
 
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Sal1950

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I have modded mine with Noctua fans
In my PC I also used the little line resistors that come with them to lower fan speeds thruout.
 
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rajapruk

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The fans I have were some special model due to some special voltage, and they had no resistors in the package.
But yes that could be a next step. But the noise is ok for me. I have added some damping inside the media bench.
 

Sal1950

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jhaider

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Yes they are too loud for domestic use.
I have modded mine with Noctua fans and cpu-heatsinks on some hot parts. I can get you more details and pic later.
Mine is still noisy, but much more silent than stock unit.
I have seen larger mods done, with a large silent fan on top of the unit in an added hole in the top cover. I think that kind of large mod is needed to get it completely silent.

Thanks for giving me what I need to avoid being tempted by the current spate of cheap BLU-160s on eBay right now!
 

Sal1950

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A little change done. Crown amps sold.
4 x Hypex nc400 DIY monoblocks parts sourced.
Good move

"People writing songs that voices never share
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence"
 
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