JBL Studio 530 simple external crossover mod.

[ObjectAudio]

I did simple external crossover mod to my JBL Studio 530 and the results looks great.
My JBL studio 530 measured very similar to what Erin measured, so I had elevated tweeter response.
The mod is simple by connecting 50uF and 1 ohm in series with the tweeter plus terminal.
To be clear you connect the positive speaker wire to the capacitor the capacitor is connected to the resistor and the resistor is connected to the tweeter plus terminal after you remove the connection plate connected it to the woofer terminal.
Here are the results on axis 75cm :
Enjoy!
Speaker 1:

Speaker 2:

 

[ObjectAudio]

You need based on my measurements:
The idea is to reduce by little the value of the 5.6uF input capacitor.

 

[ObjectAudio]

Please repeat your measurements driving just the tweeter section and expand your vertical scale so it's much easier to see.

Yeah, I understand your objective. But it's the resistor and DCR of the large capacitor doing the majority of the job.
C is only reduced by about 10 percent with that configuration.

Dave Reite.

Here is it.

 

[ObjectAudio]

Some more playing with this mod it looks like we can improve by increasing the woofer baffle compensation by adding 0.5mH in series with the woofer , and I had also had to change the tweeter network to 2.7 Ohm in series with 22uF.

Here are the on axis tweeter height both speakers before and after the mod:

It is easy to do it externally or better internally by opening the back terminal plate and do it inside but without taking all the speaker apart.

Here is my home made spinorama without the mod that I did few years ago.
I also attach the results from Erin to show how similar my home made spinorama to Erin results.

My Original

Erin Measurements:

And the Modified one I did today.

 

[Scrivs]

Rad!

 

[ObjectAudio]

If you're interested in diving into it at this level, I suggest to bin the original crossover and redesign it yourself.
'A good learning experience.

Dave.

I design a lot of crossovers , the intended mod is to help people that have the speakers to improve them easily without a lot of work taking it apart that it is a real work.

 

[ObjectAudio]

First the internal modification are optional and are easy to do compare for full speaker operation. Take a look at this video to understand how much work needed to do the full operation .

very few will intent to do it.
Second , I did not stated any subjective opinion if it is worth or not, I am only trying to share information based on objective results , and each one will have his on conclusion if these speakers worth the effort. For me these speakers with the changes looks very promising and maybe will be to other people,
Third , I think we already discussed that objectively single resistor will not do the job as the suggested network, and if you think differently , please back up with data.
Forth, what actually is your point ? I am sharing objective information to help people, I am not dictating anything. Why everything need to be argued?

 

[mhardy6647]

I think that the far more interesting question would be why did JBL design and manufacture it the way that they did?
They're part of Harman (Samsung), right? So they're down with that whole preference score stuff that I keep reading about, yes?
I.e., they know what they're doing.
Right?
No?

 

[mhardy6647]

@mhardy6647
I assume those are rhetorical questions. And good ones they are!
There's plenty of opinions in the 25 page long 530 review thread.
Speakers are polarizing, literally and figuratively, in many cases.

Dave.

Some of them are dipolarizing.

I must admit that, if there's a countermelody around the crossover design in that discussion, I must've read through it.
I will go back and look at it again!
I am always amused by loudspeakers that take a chunk of the community by storm and then rapidly fall out of favor -- with lots of second-guessing along the way. It's an audiophile motif!
Loudspeakers are, by far, the most ephemeral of audio components in terms of consumer taste and popularity.