Jordan JK92S/AC G2si/G2i Mini Monitor - Modified

[JVA]

If anyone is curious about the sound of these speakers and why I built them, it was that i was missing certain sounds in my other speakers, especially good tight bass. Many times, speakers that are built, have limited sounds due to the configuration of the drivers and closures.

A good example is, I've built the Jordan TL's (which I now use as sourrounds). After building them I found that voice and imaging was excellant but orchestra and heavy rock, not so good. I also made some Jordan Line Arrays, which were four driver arrays, 2" models including Jordan 125 for the bottom end. They were more powerful in voice and excellent in imaging but still did not have the slam that I really wanted.

One day I read about the quality of JIm's mini monitors and got some parts from CSS including the bass drivers and amps for the bottom end. I took me about a month to build and I used a honey colored stain and 3 coats of laquer.

When I first tested these speakers, they sounded bland and I found a fault in one of the caps and I eplaced it. After that they still sounded shrill and dull but I realized that break in would probably change that. Sure enough, within a couple of weeks, they were sounding great.

It's amazing how speakers breaking in can make all the difference. In this case it was a difference between day and night.

These will probably be the last speakers I will build for myself. They are that good. They play everything with accuracy and slam. The highs are sharp, pristine but not overwhelming. The mids are for those that have Jordan 92's, dead on especially with voice. I do not have a vent on the top end as suggested by Jim which makes them go down to about 60 hertz.

The bottom sub then takes over. I purposely wanted small powerful sub woofers instead of large diameter woofers mainly because of the speed of the top end. I found that the Extremis 6.8's were perfect for the task. With the amps for each sub built in, it all seems to blend in well with the top.

What more can I say. These speakers give me the sound that I've always longed for and couldn't quite find. Now, any kind of music is enjoyable to me.

[Jim Griffin]

JVA,

I'm pleased to hear that your speakers sound so great. I'm pleased to have played a minor part in their realization.

Enjoy them!

Jim

[hep]

JVA,

I noticed your not-necessarily-so-orthodox construction of MDF and solid wood. The wood can in principal shrink several percentages when the air dries, whereas the MDF stays pretty much the same regardless the moisture level in your room. What is the clue you have used to in attaching the MDF and solid wood together? The shearing tension in the construction can become quite significant.

The reason why I am curious about this is that I would love to use similar kind of construction. The real wood gives unique real wood feeling and appearance, which cannot be reached with veneering. On the other hand, MDF is good material for the cabinet, and even if the wood would crack, the cabinet would remain air tight.

Have you noticed any cracks on the wooden surface?

hep

[JVA]

Hep
Your right I didn't even think of shrinkage .The fact that the pine is glued in 2 inch sections at the factory may prevent this. Also the sides were clamped with a little extra width against the front and rear panels, making for a very tight fit. They have been in my house for 3 weeks near a woodburning stove ,so far no cracks.

Joe

[hep]

JVC,

good to hear that you have not experienced any unpleasant surprises. Being close to stove/oven is definitely a harsh environment for the cabins. Wood burning stove is less damaging, since it maintains the healthy level of moisture; electric heaters dry the air quite efficiently.

Gluing the wood from sections does not prevent the shrinkage (or swelling for that matter) and the tension it brings about. However, the section-glued wood is probably more uniform and has less internal tension to start with.

I will probably take my changes as well, and use similar kind of construction. I have usually been a bit paranoid about wood shrinkage/swelling and doing the construction accordingly.

hep

[JVA]

Hep,

One important aspect of this kind of construction is that the speakers are solid as a rock (and heavy). Give them the knuckle test and you will not hear the usual bonk, just a dull thud. I did brace some parts of the speaker, espetially the sub part, but being so thick, heavy bracing is not really needed. I also used rug underlay as sound deadening for the sub part of the speaker and polyfill for the top end. So basically the speaker cabinet is dead quiet; the music is comming from the speakers and vents.


Good luck on your project and keep us informed!

Joe.