JBL Hartsfield - THE Most Wanted Vintage Speaker EVER - For SALE!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 26 июл 2024
- The incredible JBL Hartsfield is what put JBL on the road to become the world class speaker manufacturer we know today. Released in 1954, it quickly became the DREAM speaker of the 50's and was sought after by the rich and famous.
The speakers are on consignment and are currently for sale. Feel free to reach out via email below if interested.
Price: $25,000
Video: • JBL Hartsfield - THE M...
Email: stereoniche@gmail.com
Potted Crossover Rebuild Video: • JBL crossover removing...
It's always exciting to open up a speaker that hasn't been touched in 50 or 60 years and seeing a pristine driver practically dust free.
It NEVER gets dull.
That one has been touched . Definitely.
Maybe not much component work. But definitely been cleaned & kept up well.
They look awesome on the inside of what I seen.
I am surprised how thin the backside wood panels were. I would have thought they would have needed to be thicker to reflect the sound inward without vibrating on their own. In 1953, my father took my family to a hi-fi show in San Francisco where I saw the Paragon speaker system. It was awesome looking. I do not recall hearing it. Later my father built his own small corner-horn speaker for my older brother, who still has it.
Those panels are not part of the folded horn, they are above that chamber. The woofer chamber is VERY well braced.
Nice! Theres a semi defunct hotel in my area with an old school style dinner theater. Rigged above the stage is what I can only assume is the pro version of this speaker. Just slightly slimmer than these. I want so badly to have the extra bux to go in there and make an offer for them! There was nothing better than what you got from Altec & JBL as far as this era goes IMHO.
Dude just go in there and talk to them. Sometimes people just want to get rid of stuff. It doesn't hurt at all. I'd even go with you to help, if I lived nearby, lol.
Don't wait another day! Stop by and ask if they need any free labor to move out any old stuff. :-)
Yeh, I'd talk to them and offer to help with any projects. Painting, carpentry, etc. You never know what may happen. I'd rather take a chance and get shot down than to spend the rest of my life wondering, "What if" I ended up with a basically free set of KHorns that way. Good luck!!
Act before it gets destroyed or scrapped.
All your efforts are greatly appreciated. Great video Brother!
Thanks very much for the feedback and compliments. Greatly appreciated!
Another great piece of audio history. I have never heard of these speakers before so this was a real treat. Thank you for all the work you do and never let anybody know your address! LOL
Glad you enjoyed it! You NEED to know about these speakers! :-) And, I am in a type of witness protection program, I don't really exist. LOL
Hey, a Great video and you showed the inner workings of the Hartfields now that was cool, thank you I will have to give u a thumbs up. 😁
Glad you enjoyed it!
Scott, you are the "History Channel" of vintage Hi-Fi‼️ Great Video‼️
I try! So much great history to cover.
Get out your check books morons and get the model T of speakers.
I love the lens on the horns. I used the pro sound reinforcement version of the horn with a 2” driver. JBL’s have always been efficient. I would love to see more awesome speakers from JBL that do not cost a zillion dollars.
Love your channel!
I had one several years ago I picked up at a thrift store for $75. Just needed some cleaning up and looked new. Amazing that I could drive it to pretty loud output using a pocket sized transistor radio. JBL used the same components as in the Hartsfield for many other speaker enclosures. A few years ago when the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was demolished all the hotel's equipment was auctioned off. A local audio collector was able to buy much of the sound systems used in the showrooms. As I recall those systems had those same components but without the benefits of the exponential horn loading (made up with amplifier power). Later saw those same systems on Craigslist for big $$
Wow, you found a Hartsfield for $75? I bet there were some crazy good old gear that came out of the early Vegas casinos.
Another great video! Well done
Thanks!
Great video, much appreciated.
Very welcome
Wonderful!
My first time finding your channel. Soon as I saw these in the opening moments, I thought.....,it all goes back to Paul W. Klipsch in 1946 which the Klipschorn began life. And soon you mentioned it with a nod and photo.
Corner horn, many use that term, but it is actually a trade name model for a completely different speaker company not mentioned here.
Thanks for your presentation, much enjoyed (O:
wow, these are a piece of art 🤩
That they are.
I used to, rarely but, sometimes, have to replace a shorted capacitor in Altec VOTT speaker crossovers. Like the vintage JBL’s in this excellent video Altec’s crossovers had the components potted in, basically, tar. To get at the capacitors I would put the whole metal enclosure on the stove on low heat. After a while the tar would melt and I could withdraw the goopy but, free capacitor and solder in a new one. A really messy and, somewhat smelly job but, it kept the crossover going for another 30 years or so. Both companies made quality products that lasted a long time.
So much great gear from this era. Indeed, I've look at those boxes many times and thought about how messy/smelly it will be doing a recap. Makes the purchase of a hotplate all worthwhile so you can get it outside. 🙂
I’m just new to your channel and enjoy it very much. It would be awesome to hear those JBL’s. Btw have you done or are going to do a video on the Concept you have to your right? Thank you so much.
Welcome aboard! Yes, I will do a review of the Concept fairly soon. They are a bit rare and are such a cool receiver line.
Great video. I think that back then it was about quality at all levels. Being quality of components, cabinets, and sound. We are missing that mindset today everywhere. I agree about the sound clips as it would be a waste of time. You are very fortunate. Just awesome
They were top notch everything at this time, but you also paid dearly for that quality as well.
Hivi in China has that attitude and quality. Listen to a pair of M5As DSP corrected powered speakers. At a much lower price.
I never owned JBLs… but always marveled at the “serviceable” of their drivers.
I personally like hearing audio test even though I’m hearing my speakers.
Fortunately for me I’m listening through Altec Lansing Model 14’s .
I love them and will never sell them.
Oh Yes... Wonderful
Even today these alnico jbl 2"drivers are of the best, i enjoy the pro version lenses ofHartsfield with rare 2480 drivers....so musical in set up with amt's for topsparkl or faital pro 1" ....❤❤❤
I was wondering about the HF response of that era that you addressed. Altec came out with the “tangerine” phase plug in the 70’s to improve response. Every JBL and EV that I had started using the same technology. Some other companies didn’t until early 2000’s. Maybe a patent issue. But what an improvement!
Heard a single one ca 1966 driven by an MC30/C8 mono setup; loved it. Nice seeing the 150-4C and the bubbleback (early version) 375. I have a descendant, the C60 Sovereign I S8$ with the LE15A/PR15/375/075 drivers, will experiment with the 2405 instead of the 075.
S8R, not S8$
The 150-4C has a shape designed to handle the high pressure of a horn-loaded driver which is why there is a metal ring making the speaker wider than the similar 130A/D130. The 375 with its original diaphragm rolls off above 10Khz; I've seen a JBL 075 added to a few Hartsfields for that reason, and why the S8R build uses the 075 also. The JBL 2441 went higher with a different material and edge design. ; I have a pair of the 375/2440 drivers with 2441 diaphgrams and I like them a lot. One interesting thing about the 375/2440/2441 is that the magnet holds the driver together, no bolts.
Damn dude, you know your stuff. I'm an audio buff and I never knew these existed :)
@@keytrackmusicreviews I'm 79. Hearing things like the Hartsfield or the Paragon, Sovereign I, 4 KLH Nines, and the AR3a in one room was easier (1963, LA).
@@michaelsquires1218 More power to you! Was the audio hobby/quest better back then? Sometimes younger people like myself romanticize the classic times you're talking about without fully understanding how things really were.
It's a west coast sound baby!
Oh yeah!
Loa này ghép với đầu băng cối thì tuyệt vời 👏👏❤❤
James Bullough Lansing. The one and only!
The Everest DD55OOO, Paragon, S8R system, 4435, 4355, etc....
These are considered the "Top Loaders" 1954-1957. In 1958 the internal configuration of the Bass folded horn was completely redesigned. Better Bass was the benefit. Classic Audio Loudspeakers has been reproducing the 1958 design systems since 1985 in the USA. Now featuring Field Coil Powered Components.
Thanks for the details John.
10:31 It's a paraffin wax I believe. Some guitarists would dunk their pickups in small crock pots full of molten paraffin wax. Never over an open flame!
You are probably correct, including the flame warning! :-)
I bought a pair of Nola baby grand last year, had this been for sale at the time I would've bought these instead. I worked as a bartender at a nightclub during rhe disco era and JBL is what they used.
Sell those and buy these? :-)
Great video, but you need to tell us how the vocals and the bass and imaging sounded though ???
I am hoping to do a follow, so will plan to cover more of their sound.
Whatever they sound like, I will never have the necessary space for something so large.
That I will never have the money is secondary.
I agree with you on the demo. I always thought that too as I would be listening to the speakers on my laptop. And if something wasn't so off base I would not know the difference. Also would you tube not take you down for playing music claiming it was a copy write conflict?
Correct. And yes, RUclips can take down any copyrighted material.
If istening to sound on a laptop, in general you're probably right. However for those of us that listen through quality stereo systems expecting to hear individual sounds and nuances of the sets are very disappointed not to hear some of these beautiful speakers that otherwise I would not be exposed to or even have the option of hearing
in about 2009 walked into a thrift store and found a JBL Sovreign set. 1 6" cabinet and 2 speakers. i was lucky that they had a 25% sale that day and i paid 250$. The speakers had 1 LE 15, 1 PR 15, 1 O77 tweeter and 1 375 Horn. the cab had a Mac 110Z. both speakers were driven by a solid state linier amp, dont remember the model. amazing sound, i could touch each speaker they were so big. my wife loved the sound and i ended up trading them to a friend.
thats a 6' cab and 2 separate speakers.
That was SOME thrift shopping!
at another thrift i walked by an area that never had much and i saw a stereo cab with tubed amps sticking out the back. i went around and dug it out. 2 MC 30s, and second level Mac equipment from 1963. my friend said the 30s were the best he had come across. i have found so much, thousands of great records, a 1962 bogen/Lenco L70 that i have modded and pair of Norman Labs Model 7s 20$ and these beat my JBL100s and112 . i still have my JBL150s..love these. @@stereoniche
Nice old stuff there lol, I have JBL 835s and 818 subs and love them. I prefer modern sound with all equipment above 100 db Snr and digital medium which is far superior to analogue.
I wish more speaker companies would sell kits with box build instructions. I know they wont make much $ at all but diysg found a way and product was good. Its embarrassing to spend all that extra cash on a wood box with someone else's idea of what looks good. Skimpy on bracing and material as well.
Did JBL publish DIY kit plans for these?
I'd like to know more about the lens.
I assume they must have since they offered a kit for a short period of time. Try the audioheritage.org site, they may have it somewhere.
Does the lens help soften the sound of the tweeter? I ask because I have a pair of opera M-15 speakers that use a horn tweeter but I feel it is a bit too much, they have no lens like these JBLs, and makes me a bit tired to listen to..
I wouldn't say they really soften it as much as disperse it. There are some tweeters that cause me ear fatigue, most have been from JBL's offerings from the 80's and forward.
In a way the acoustic lens does “soften” the sound unless it’s compensated for. It imparts, what sounds like, a roll off in the HF response. The actual change is because the lens is spreading out or, widening the, the high frequency dispersion. That’s the whole purpose of the lens. However, all compression drivers have a HF roll off; it’s just part of the physics. The old exponential horns, like this one, would progressively beam as it went up in frequency. This would, more or less, compensate for the HF roll off of the driver; ON AXIS ONLY. Off axis, the response would roll off precipitously. The acoustic lens would mostly ameliorate the beaming problem but, then show the HF roll off of the compression driver because you’re not getting the boost from the beaming. You can compensate for this in the crossover but, unless you incorporate it into your design you will get the roll off and a softening of the HF. You do get a better, wider response of the HF with the acoustic lens but, there is a drawback that should be factored into the crossover design.
@@Obsfucation That's a lot of explanation. Thanks
No need to demo the sound, there are quite a few out there already on YT.
After listening I have to agree with you. I wasn't expecting that sound. And I couldn't find much to fault. It's surprising how open they sound, the speakers really seem to disappear. The highs were wonderful, and very natural sounding. The only nitpick might be the low bass output, but the bass that is there is very fast and clean. I don't really miss the lows too much although it might give the midrange a bit more warmth. I also had a quick listen to a Paragon demo and it seemed to have a bit more low end and a slightly warmer sound.
In short, they both sounded amazing and I can appreciate the reputation they have. Unbelievable for mid 50's technology. Almost makes me think twice about vintage gear. Almost, lol! I imagine they will sell for a pretty penny.
Yes, they are quite satisfying. The low end is all there, just not exaggerating like modern music often demands.
Thank you for making this point. You single-handedly proven one can easily pick out different nuances and individual sounds inherent to each other speakers through our own hifi/stereo systems
@@incredifunk Yes, I agree. I think we all agree that listening to a speaker through other speakers colours the sound. But the individual characteristics of a speaker such a soundstage, and tonal qualities are discernable. Demo's give good insight into whether a speaker has the qualities you like, IMO. Listening to the Hartsfield demo's, I personally like its qualities a lot. If it sounds good in a demo, you can bet it will sound pretty good in a live listen.
Original Hartsfields are almost impossible to find as collectors are hanging on to them... but you can buy reproductions which are pretty damned good from what I've read and reasonably priced.
I've never understood the "Acoustic Lense" that JBL used.
The longer path length of the further out fins helped widen the coverage of the higher frequencies. Short answer.
How do you find out price?
It is captured in the additional information area under the video.
today im with 47 years old i cant move this speakers in my house
I saw some Paragons in real life once
Were they bigger/smaller than what you imagined?
I thought they were a console stereo at first. They belonged to the dad, that was an opera lover. They were definitely different.
The N 500 was not the correct crossover ever installed into a Hartsfield. It was only the N500 H , "H" meaning "horn" Plus that unit with the N 500 has been somewhat altered. Wiring is not standard. I've had over 30 Hartsfields as previous empirical experience. Also its a 150-4C speaker , not a 150 as mentioned.The 150 was a 32 OHM driver.Good luck with the sale.I still have a pair.
Thanks for the detail John. 30+ Hartsfields? I would say it would be hard to find anyone having seen more than you other than a JBL employee. Are you located in California with a shop? What is the spec difference between the N500H and N500?
Simply said - there are component differences between the two mentioned crossovers as well as the obvious attenuation configurations. I could offer you the schematics on both units for you to see the engineering differences. The 500 H is the same component configuration as the N 400 crossover used in the early Paragons. I'm just a JBL junkie that has an authorized JBL Service Center with many JBL systems that I have acquired. For bragging rites I have the only version known to exist of the " Industrial Variant " Paragon. @@stereoniche
@@JohnHarding-zl4jz Very nice! If you wouldn't mind, I would greatly appreciate the schematics. If you get a moment: stereoniche@gmail.com
@@JohnHarding-zl4jz My lands, You certainly are experienced with the different JBL models What a treat that you have any able to experience all those quality systems in your time. I never even heard of the industrial variant. Would be great to have some exposure
All of you guys are always talking about “the best vintage speakers” in “MY TOP 5” and it’s only half the time because of thy are actually good speakers. And the other half is for the same reason the Tulip market in Amsterdam happened! Lol
And that’s all.
BECAUSE THE ADS /BRAUN is even more rarely mentioned by those who KNOWS when they are mentioned,they are ranked above JBL .
Because these 3 big known companies only had 1/3 the actual SOUND ENGINEERING as ADS had.
Because two of them engineers went to work for companies like JBL & B&W.
Funny how it’s when the top 3 companies was who they were & when ,ALL 3 OF THOSE HEAD ENGINEERS FOR THESE BEST TOP SPEAKERS WAS ONLY TOGETHER AT ONE COMPANY & that was at ADS /ANALOGUE DIGITAL SYSTEMS, but not mentioned by many people. Lol. But are always in the top 3 speakers when the person does know about them. lol.
I’ve owned stuff from every company.
And many different models .
After 40 yrs of that ,I’ve only kept my ADS system. (1590’s. 400’s & 507’s )
These drivers in this “hearts field” lol.
Looks like stamped steel compared to the 2030 ads cages & drivers. Lol.
Just because they knew they were no need to make 15 cabinet speakers . Lol. Americans always thinks bigger is always better. lol. “WHEN ITS ABOUT MORE” not bigger.
I’d rather have the 2030’s than these JBL.
I I’ve auditioned them in person. They aren’t really that good. Especially by today’s standards.
Ads sounds great even by today’s standards.
They were the firsts in a lot of areas in the American markets. For example,NOBODY DID POWERED SPEAKERS before ADS. lol and this was 50 yrs ago. Yet. Not mentioned.
All of these old speakers like this are bright . And not clear. When he mentioned “THE 70’s speakers got better “ ? It’s because of ADS. lol.
Again . But I know. JBL IS POPULAR.
@@high-endvintagelover5779😂You must be really big in the tulip market ? 😂😂.
I'm going to have to say I'd honestly be scared to purchase those speakers from you now. After seeing you fiddle with the screws with both the drill/driver and then the screwdriver as well I'm afraid that most of the screws heads are stripped
Well, you would be mistaken. I take great care in working on any and all of the gear and speakers within my collection. I didn't wear gloves out of gross incompetence. If you notice, the drill speed is rather slow in the sped up video. As well, upon returning the screws, every screw is hand tightened only. Not a worry for you, the eventual buyer will get to see and check out each speaker fully before purchasing.
Vacuuming out dirt and reattaching 60+ year old oxidized connections with care and skill is a good thing.
They are JBL designed Klipsch K - Horns. A copy of Paul Klipsch design. Paul did k - horns in 1947. Look at the expensive JBL speakers and you’ll notice a La Scalla’s Klipsch speakers and you’ll see how close they all are. All are Great speakers !
The Hartsfield and the Khorn are both folded horns, but the way the horn is folded is different. Most speaker makers in the 1950's had some form of corner folded horn for sale; I had a pair of EV Centurions with 15" JBL (130A) drivers and EV MF/HF. Dr. K didn't worry a whole lot about the midrange/tweeter and I've found the Khorns I've heard too harsh, although one setup of 2 Khorns and a center channel La Scala (?) driven entirely by McIntosh (C22, something like a MC 275 and an another mono tube amp plus custom EQ) and installed as a gift from Dr. K to a former employee had the best imaging I've ever heard - the bass viols in a symphonic performance stayed in the same place no mater where you went in the rather large room.
Not a copy, but inspired by the Khorn. They were apparently different enough they were awarded a patent.
@@stereoniche I didn’t know. I do know how Great they sound and the Altec, Lansing. The old speakers from the 30’s ,
Motorola ? All sound fantastic ! I don’t think new speakers have anything on the old ones especially for the money. Everything has became so expensive. Keep up the great work ! 🇺🇸👍
Important comment (🥹): why the gloves when dealing with clean indoor equipment?
I just prefer to work in gloves when I am handling gear/speakers. Things don't slip, I have a more firm grip, etc..
Ask the Japanese. A spiritual ritual.