NCD: Pawn Shop JBL D130 find

TheCruelSea

Joined: Feb 25, 2012
Posts: 128
2 Map Pins

Posted on Mar 16 2019 06:15 PM

Went to my local Music Go Round today to see if they had anything interesting and saw they had a 15" cab sealed up. They didn't have any information on it but it worked, sounded decent and was cheap and light.

I got it home and opened up and was surprised to find a JBL D130 inside. Not bad for $80 plus tax!

I was hoping someone could help with the dating, the serial number is 68xxx. The cab also had someones social security number drawn on the inside. All in all an interesting find!

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Redfeather

Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 854
3 Download Pins

Posted on Mar 17 2019 12:29 AM

That's a good score. 16 ohm versions seem fairly rare. But that means now you probably have to find another one to pair it with!

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stratdancer

Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 2532
Akron, Ohio
United States

Posted on Mar 17 2019 06:24 AM

I had found a 16 ohm a while back and got excited until I read it was 16 ohm.

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abdul_tom

Joined: Dec 04, 2006
Posts: 251
United Kingdom

Posted on Mar 17 2019 08:59 AM

16Ω sounds better. I'm not even joking!

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TheCruelSea

Joined: Feb 25, 2012
Posts: 128
2 Map Pins

Posted on Mar 17 2019 11:38 AM

After taking everything apart I found that the input jack needed to be reworked. The IN and ground were shorted. While I was working on that I tested the speaker and it came in at about 8.4 ohms.

From what I can tell it has never been reconed, so it must have been incorrectly labeled as 16 ohms?

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Squid

Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1013
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
18 News Pins

Posted on Mar 17 2019 11:44 AM

Did you test it with an ohm meter (for simple resistance) or with something more complex for impedance? There can be a meaningful difference.

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Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com

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Sonichris

Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1873
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
United States

Posted on Mar 18 2019 02:57 PM

It's probably not mis-labeled. From the web:
"Generally, the reading given by an ohmmeter will be about 2/3 to 3/4 of the impedance of the speaker. So, a 4 ohm speaker will typically measure about 2.5 - 3 ohms, and an 8 ohm speaker will typically read about 5-6 ohms, while a 16 ohm speaker will measure around 12 ohms"

Have you played thru it yet? That low of a reading on a 16 ohm could indicate problems. Or your meter could have read it wrong.

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"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

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Redfeather

Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 854
3 Download Pins

Posted on Mar 18 2019 03:36 PM

Harvey Gerst, who designed them, has also stated that JBL simply mislabeled their speakers at different impedances because the market demanded it.

I suspect that speaker impedance matching isn't as crucial as it's made out to be. Traynor seemed to feel the same way, as they freely paired their amps with whatever they felt like pairing them with.

That said, an 8 ohm JBL shouldn't read 8 ohms with a DC multimeter and your reading seems too low for a proper 16. Maybe they did something with the 16s that raised the impedance a bit and then just called it 16. I guess the best way to analyze the situation is to just play through it and see how it sounds...

Last edited: Mar 18, 2019 15:39:28

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TheCruelSea

Joined: Feb 25, 2012
Posts: 128
2 Map Pins

Posted on Mar 18 2019 04:19 PM

I retested it this morning with a Fluke and it read 7.3 ohms. Seems my old multimeter is acting up.

I got a chance to play through it and it sounds great. No rattling, rubbing or any other strange sounds.

Cheers!

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Redfeather

Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 854
3 Download Pins

Posted on Mar 18 2019 04:56 PM

I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier but I just tested the 16 ohm K130 I have and it reads 12.9 ohms DC.

But good to hear yours sounds great. That's really all that matters!

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TheCruelSea Joined: Feb 25, 2012 Posts: 128	Posted on Mar 16 2019 06:15 PM Went to my local Music Go Round today to see if they had anything interesting and saw they had a 15" cab sealed up. They didn't have any information on it but it worked, sounded decent and was cheap and light. I got it home and opened up and was surprised to find a JBL D130 inside. Not bad for $80 plus tax! I was hoping someone could help with the dating, the serial number is 68xxx. The cab also had someones social security number drawn on the inside. All in all an interesting find! Top
Redfeather Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 854	Posted on Mar 17 2019 12:29 AM That's a good score. 16 ohm versions seem fairly rare. But that means now you probably have to find another one to pair it with! Top
stratdancer Joined: Dec 11, 2013 Posts: 2532 Akron, Ohio	Posted on Mar 17 2019 06:24 AM I had found a 16 ohm a while back and got excited until I read it was 16 ohm. — The Kahuna Kings https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447 https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases Top
abdul_tom Joined: Dec 04, 2006 Posts: 251	Posted on Mar 17 2019 08:59 AM 16Ω sounds better. I'm not even joking! Top
TheCruelSea Joined: Feb 25, 2012 Posts: 128	Posted on Mar 17 2019 11:38 AM After taking everything apart I found that the input jack needed to be reworked. The IN and ground were shorted. While I was working on that I tested the speaker and it came in at about 8.4 ohms. From what I can tell it has never been reconed, so it must have been incorrectly labeled as 16 ohms? Top
Squid Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1013 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers	Posted on Mar 17 2019 11:44 AM Did you test it with an ohm meter (for simple resistance) or with something more complex for impedance? There can be a meaningful difference. — Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com Top
Sonichris Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1873 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies	Posted on Mar 18 2019 02:57 PM It's probably not mis-labeled. From the web: "Generally, the reading given by an ohmmeter will be about 2/3 to 3/4 of the impedance of the speaker. So, a 4 ohm speaker will typically measure about 2.5 - 3 ohms, and an 8 ohm speaker will typically read about 5-6 ohms, while a 16 ohm speaker will measure around 12 ohms" Have you played thru it yet? That low of a reading on a 16 ohm could indicate problems. Or your meter could have read it wrong. — "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been" Top
Redfeather Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 854	Posted on Mar 18 2019 03:36 PM Harvey Gerst, who designed them, has also stated that JBL simply mislabeled their speakers at different impedances because the market demanded it. I suspect that speaker impedance matching isn't as crucial as it's made out to be. Traynor seemed to feel the same way, as they freely paired their amps with whatever they felt like pairing them with. That said, an 8 ohm JBL shouldn't read 8 ohms with a DC multimeter and your reading seems too low for a proper 16. Maybe they did something with the 16s that raised the impedance a bit and then just called it 16. I guess the best way to analyze the situation is to just play through it and see how it sounds... Last edited: Mar 18, 2019 15:39:28 Top
TheCruelSea Joined: Feb 25, 2012 Posts: 128	Posted on Mar 18 2019 04:19 PM I retested it this morning with a Fluke and it read 7.3 ohms. Seems my old multimeter is acting up. I got a chance to play through it and it sounds great. No rattling, rubbing or any other strange sounds. Cheers! Top
Redfeather Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 854	Posted on Mar 18 2019 04:56 PM I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier but I just tested the 16 ohm K130 I have and it reads 12.9 ohms DC. But good to hear yours sounds great. That's really all that matters! Top

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NCD: Pawn Shop JBL D130 find