Coloured or Neutral Sound Whats your preference

Have you noticed on the LH speaker - theres a rectangular hole
with a man looking out. whos he then?

Andy

 

Insane!

 

I'm sure out of the box they will sound "huge" but there are signs they need work.

One obvious issue is the woofers have the foam surround attached to the front of the cone and not the back. They have obviously been refoamed at some stage and it's easier to attach it to the front. Not sure how serviceable the 2231's are, i.e. re-cone kit's, etc.

Cooky, will you be using the BSS crossover on them?

 

Yeah I did notice the refoam though not certain how critical it is- assuming it was the right foam in the first place. 2235' are a straight swap are still available AFAIK but I'll give them a good once over to see if there's an issue. They come with the JBL 5234 xover but I'll try them with my XTA226/TDX2 and the BSS360(the latter is possibly for sale soon with 1.5k cards) too.
I don't know where they're going either but with new baffles and the Smiths stripped back to the wood/ some TLC they could end up as my new Biggun's-I do like the big JBL sound as much as the big Tannoy one so.....
Any tips /advice is much appreciated.
F

 

Strip them down and then post details on Lansing Heritage. The lads will have a field day with these

I agree that the foam isn't a real issue. As long as it looks to have some life in it (can last up to 15 years), just live with it. What info does the seller have on their history. I had also though about getting some 2235's in there. Not sure how much cash could be raised selling the 2231A's (maybe they're in demand) but you may have to ship to Germany, USA, etc. to get the max.

Maybe just keep them as they are and don't try to "improve" them.

p.s. I would have paid that price if I was single and had a large spare room to just crank them and play 70's rock (that's what they're all about).

 

Waiting to talk to the seller but will do as you recommend and see what the Lansing lads have to say.
Cheers
F

 

Have you picked them up yet?

Would be intertesed how well the cabinet are actually made. Post some photos of the JBL drivers when you've extracted them.

 

Getting them sat' afternoon.
Will post when I've opened them up.
I'm really looking forward to hearing them/maybe reconditioning them-lots of good and encouraging info as to their 'qualities' over on the Lansing heritage forum.
Even may use my 215 dmt's as speaker stands too

 

Look out for the members "Guido" and "Richluvsound" on the forum. They are the most active members this side of the water. Rich will even give you a listen to his 4345's if you're near London.

Just did a search for 2231A's and I never realised they were used in the early 43xx, etc....and you have four of them which is exactly what was used in the legendary 4350A! They can be remagnetized, etc. Guido is the man in germany. I'm jealous now.



Overall, considering the value of the components alone, that sale price a bargain. Shame about the other bidder or you could have had them for £100. Mad!!

 

Cheers for that Andy-it just gets better the more I find out about them.

 

Do you know which studio they were pulled out of?

Welcome to the world of "coloured" but fun sound.

 

I think it was Plutosound in Stockport.

 

Yeah just checked-some great stuff been recorded on these over the years which is a nice touch Bankrobber the Clash ,The Smiths Hat full of hollow etc;-)Big Ureis have replaced them.
Its Kieth Hopgood's studio (he of Hermans Hermits-the guy has sold 80 million records! F*** me!)

 

Yes, just checked myself. here's another reference for a Clash song from 1980, those monitors would have definitely been in use then (not many people can say they own monitors used by the Clash):

http://domain1085646.sites.fasthosts.com/archive/showartefact.php?aid=2689

I assume those monitors where built by someone who knew what they were doing at the time. Lucky the seller didn't mention that in the eBay auction. You may find some old lyrics stuffed up the bass port...

I know that my JBL's spent most of their life in the United Arab Emirates, they were owned by a General in the army out there. I like stuff with a bit of history.

 

UAE Blimey how'd you get them home?

 

"The General" had come back to the UK and was downsizing.

 

I just had a listen to that Clash song, Bankrobber. I never knew the name of the song but on listening to it it was one of their hits. I'd just keep the monitors "original" as they're a nice piece of history.

You got them for nearly nothing so just get another set of JBL's if you want something more up to date?

 

I wouldn't ... they look ghastly! (no offense cooky)

They are a restoration job waiting to happen.

I use Fox's wonderful looking ATC's as a standpoint, which were originall owned by Johnny Marr. Better now in zebrawood, than bashed up black ash.

 

Must say the more I mull it over the more of a dilemma I'm in
They may well have been modded over the years in any case but they are butt ugly aren't they?
Truth is I can't run to TADs, (2nd hand wisdom here..);the slots only went out of production last year and are well regarded, the bass drivers are supposed a bit special soundwise, the 2397 horn is allegedly the most unhornlike ever made and so long as it's crossed below 9k the 2440 is a very good unit
What I may do is preservation/domestication ;strip the box down to the wood(it looks like 13 layer marine ply), if I can, double up the baffle thickness and neatly remount all the drivers-I'll have to alter the ports tho'.
Strip down the horn if it looks like interesting wood and varnish it or maybe build some Smith/Westlake versions-they do look lovely.Then refinish the rest in that satin smooth black.
There's no way she'll have these as they are-I'm already getting some stick

 

Can't what to see what you find when you open them up. These old monitors can be like a time capsule.

Look out for chalk writing marks/dates on the back of the 2231A's. They have had a refoam but something that old should have had a full recone at least once!