Laugh all you want, those little speakers sound great. Will I trade in my Altec A5 for them? No. 
But for a little desktop speaker, I've never heard better.
A few years back we had a room at RMAF. I showed up a couple of days early to set up and a case of the JB3 was in the room. I had never seen or heard of them - thought my partners were playing a joke on me. I laugh at the little speaker "these will sound like a clock radio" until I hooked up a pair. Could not believe my ears.
Almost everyone who visited the room had the same reaction. "What?? That sound is coming from those little things?"
I highly doubt the wires and the gold do anything special (see my thread on mud, banana and wine interconnects). It's just a good combo of driver, box and port. It works. Really wish I still had a pair of the JB3.
But for a little desktop speaker, I've never heard better.A few years back we had a room at RMAF. I showed up a couple of days early to set up and a case of the JB3 was in the room. I had never seen or heard of them - thought my partners were playing a joke on me. I laugh at the little speaker "these will sound like a clock radio" until I hooked up a pair. Could not believe my ears.
Almost everyone who visited the room had the same reaction. "What?? That sound is coming from those little things?"
I highly doubt the wires and the gold do anything special (see my thread on mud, banana and wine interconnects). It's just a good combo of driver, box and port. It works. Really wish I still had a pair of the JB3.
I never compensate for the baffle-step in my own designs, but it doesn't really matter. The point is about BSC vs. "listening fatigue", and as every baffle (well... most of them) includes BSC, there is a lot of oportunities to get an unconfortable reverberant field.
Laugh all you want, those little speakers sound great. Will I trade in my Altec A5 for them? No.
A few years back we had a room at RMAF. I showed up a couple of days early to set up and a case of the JB3 was in the room. I had never seen or heard of them - thought my partners were playing a joke on me. I laugh at the little speaker "these will sound like a clock radio" until I hooked up a pair. Could not believe my ears.
Almost everyone who visited the room had the same reaction.
What?? That sound is coming from those little things?"
I highly doubt the wires and the gold do anything special (see my thread on mud, banana and wine interconnects). It's just a good combo of driver, box and port. It works. Really wish I still had a pair of the JB3.
He could change the wires and would sound the same. I'm not saying they don't sound good.
If the baffle width is incorrect, no correction for and improper phase alignment/time alignment will cause fatigue.
From The Treaty Of No Reason:
In penance for this fatiguing thread on the subject of fatigue, each district shall offer up one speaker as tribute for a public "reaping"
The chosen speakers must be delivered to the custody of Floyd Toole where they will battle to the death playing 35 to 55 Hz warble tones in an anechoic chamber to destruction till there is but one victor.
Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as
"The Thunder Games"
.........No one thought that the coonass from the poorest district, district 12 had a chance with his 40 year old klipschorn.
In penance for this fatiguing thread on the subject of fatigue, each district shall offer up one speaker as tribute for a public "reaping"
The chosen speakers must be delivered to the custody of Floyd Toole where they will battle to the death playing 35 to 55 Hz warble tones in an anechoic chamber to destruction till there is but one victor.
Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as
"The Thunder Games"
.........No one thought that the coonass from the poorest district, district 12 had a chance with his 40 year old klipschorn.
Last edited:
Designer Tommy Wu says
"Internal wiring is multi-strand gold-plated virgin copper with ABS insulation. I personally like this wiring for its emotional appeal."
Puke, just puke. And puke for self serving marketing bs in general. Something is either good or it's not on merit. Those may be great speakers, the bs is puke. A friend once told me her father said. "if you have to say you are, then are you are not"
Like when a guy gives you a card that says "John Doe" Singer Songwriter.
A human Bose
JohnBlue Audio[/QUOTE]
"Internal wiring is multi-strand gold-plated virgin copper with ABS insulation. I personally like this wiring for its emotional appeal."
Puke, just puke. And puke for self serving marketing bs in general. Something is either good or it's not on merit. Those may be great speakers, the bs is puke. A friend once told me her father said. "if you have to say you are, then are you are not"
Like when a guy gives you a card that says "John Doe" Singer Songwriter.
A human Bose
JohnBlue Audio[/QUOTE]
This is where the "big secret" is. Well set up small speakers can do a remarkable job, and what I've been talking about is a very straighforward, perfectly linear extension of that behaviour.
Take that sound, conceive of the full bass spectrum accompanying that with complete clarity, and any treble sag compensated for, so that the FR is dead right. Then, simply add in the ability to be able to raise the volume, subjectively as if there is no limit, at no point does the sound quality start to collapse, it retains its integrity at all times - to the point of becoming deafening, if that's your mood at the time ...
That's the type of sound reproduction that one is chasing ...
Yes, but it's not about the compensation either...this only changes the levels.
What do you mean about "the baffle width is incorrect"????
As far as I know, there isn't any relationship between baffle-step and phase aligment/time aligment....
So I always assumed you built a lets say a...... 2 way speaker like this: Find suitable drivers with as flat fr as possible, yeah this might get pricey, using thiel/small put them in the right volume box/port/sealed etc desired for woofer/s chosen. Find the narrowest front plate you can use, adjust the box parameters to suit front plate, find best crossover point and slope using active, noting limits of drivers match spl of drivers using noise, measure for smooth and flat maybe flip phase to verify crossover dip. Baffle step loss? probably accounted for somewhere in there. Seems to me the quality of your speakers is going to be largely the quality of your drivers.
Well that and the fact that you almost always have to choose between a 1" tweeter and a 1" tweeter. (-:
So really, (and this is a horror), but I have seen some research to indicate it would work, crossover point (within limits) and tweeter level (within limits) chosen by end user in situ.
Bam, no fatigue.
So really, (and this is a horror), but I have seen some research to indicate it would work, crossover point (within limits) and tweeter level (within limits) chosen by end user in situ.
Bam, no fatigue.
One more thing. If your speakers require complicated crossovers, you need to change drivers. Check the evolution of the classic B&W 801 802 and for that matter the khorns. With the right drivers simple crossovers sound great.
A few months ago I was playing with some Matrix 3's that were probably quite fatiguing right from the factory even after we laboriously get them back to spec. You guys gave me quite an education on xovers quick, especially planet7. It was also an education on listening fatigue.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/236806-could-kind-soul-please-break-down-horrid-xover.html
A few months ago I was playing with some Matrix 3's that were probably quite fatiguing right from the factory even after we laboriously get them back to spec. You guys gave me quite an education on xovers quick, especially planet7. It was also an education on listening fatigue.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/236806-could-kind-soul-please-break-down-horrid-xover.html
Last edited:
I would think so too, but here is the deal, They sound great and seem very accurate. The only issues I can find at all with B&W series 3 801s is a slightly loose very low end, way down there, which can be physically verified by pushing and watching the very loose woofer settle. This is no big deal for pop mastering. What would be a big deal is is they screwed up the crossover to mid and hi. They did not, this model like all 801s, is right on the money. Even if they did bend over for the tweaky cheeks a bit, they did not mess up this speaker
(other than the fact that all direct radiating speakers are messed up)
These are perfectly representative of all sucky non horn loaded speakers, in other words the average fine speaker.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.