JBL HP-520 speaker thread. Fun.

[Mark E. Long]

The way I read Kew's post is more along the lines of the older you get, the more experience you have so you shouldn't be hitting your thumb with a hammer. So when you do, you feel even dumber because you should know better.

I survived 30 years working underground in a coal mine and very rarely got a bump but about every nasty injury I’ve ever had was caused buy this dummy thinking or mabey not thinking this should work just fine and then oops lol and dam I hate pain lol !

 

[afterlife2]

You guys are a riot! That's why I said fun! Kew thanks dude. It looks like my speaker searching is over for a long while. DCMs, JBLs and props to those $10 Polk decent white speakers at my desktop.

 

[lovinthehd]

FWIW if that's a carpeted room I'd put something underneath the receiver, like placing it on a board to ensure carpeting isn't interfering with ventilation....

 

[afterlife2]

FWIW if that's a carpeted room I'd put something underneath the receiver, like placing it on a board to ensure carpeting isn't interfering with ventilation....

No carpet just tiles. The receiver is there only temporarily till I get wires. Thanks for the reminder LTHD. I forgot to ask Mark if I should put a carpet underneath cause of the tiles?

 

[lovinthehd]

I generally prefer carpeted floors myself but with a bed absorbing a bunch....may not be necessary...

 

[Mark E. Long]

No carpet just tiles. The receiver is there only temporarily till I get wires. Thanks for the reminder LTHD. I forgot to ask Mark if I should put a carpet underneath cause of the tiles?

If you had carpet down I’d put spikes on them all day but if there on smooth tyle I’d take the factory rubber feet of and replace them with Dayton Audio cabinet feet there way better and are a little taller there a metric thread I think 6 mm and give you a little more room underneath them . I’ve got tons of 6 mm thread spikes for these and if you ever switch let me know I’ll shoot some your way .in my humble opinion mass loading these big boys to the floor tightens up the soundstage even more I hate I can’t use them anymore .

 

[Pogre]

Thanks for the reminder LTHD.

I can hear Forrest Gump in my head calling HD "Lieutenant HD".

 

[afterlife2]

If you had carpet down I’d put spikes on them all day but if there on smooth tyle I’d take the factory rubber feet of and replace them with Dayton Audio cabinet feet there way better and are a little taller there a metric thread I think 6 mm and give you a little more room underneath them . I’ve got tons of 6 mm thread spikes for these and if you ever switch let me know I’ll shoot some your way .in my humble opinion mass loading these big boys to the floor tightens up the soundstage even more I hate I can’t use them anymore .

Sorry Mark I was trying to write quickly. I meant a mat rug under the speaker not carpet. I have tile floors.

 

[Mark E. Long]

Sorry Mark I was trying to write quickly. I meant a mat rug under the speaker not carpet. I have tile floors.

I’d take the mat rug out unless necessary the way these are bass loaded the waves exit from the top vent 360 degrees, now you could lay them in front of the cabs for some absorbing effect a little .

 

[afterlife2]

I’d take the mat rug out unless necessary the way these are bass loaded the waves exit from the top vent 360 degrees, now you could lay them in front of the cabs for some absorbing effect a little .

Will do thanks alot, Mark. I'll keep those spikes in mind. Thank you.

 

[Mark E. Long]

Will do thanks alot, Mark. I'll keep those spikes in mind. Thank you.

If you can see these they may be of interest if you need drivers or crossover work done .

 

[afterlife2]

If you can see these they may be of interest if you need drivers or crossover work done .

Whoa thanks alot Mark those are very useful. Hopefully I won't need to on them, but I'd take the chance if I hear something odd. Have you had to replace parts?

 

[Jerkface]

Whoa thanks alot Mark those are very useful. Hopefully I won't need to on them, but I'd take the chance if I hear something odd. Have you had to replace parts?

I made the mistake of using a pair of S38's as vocal monitors and blew the tweeters up. So yeah, it's a thing. Just not typically a "normal use" thing.

 

[Mark E. Long]

Whoa thanks alot Mark those are very useful. Hopefully I won't need to on them, but I'd take the chance if I hear something odd. Have you had to replace parts?

I replaced a crossover on one that the switch on the bottom would cut out if turned. I called jbl and they give me a number of a parts warehouse in CT. He sent me the whole crossover free and there quite large . Mainly if you need driver part numbers are there right next to the driver and if you would need one you can find them on eBay and sometimes jbl will do a short run .

 

[Mark E. Long]

I made the mistake of using a pair of S38's as vocal monitors and blew the tweeters up. So yeah, it's a thing. Just not typically a "normal use" thing.

I use a pair of s-38’s as my front heights speakers in my main system there great speakers and I use 6 of them mounted in my garage setup . There a typical jbl monitor they sound good and image better than the towers that went with them back in the day .They still bring good money.

 

[Jerkface]

I use a pair of s-38’s as my front heights speakers in my main system there great speakers and I use 6 of them mounted in my garage setup . There a typical jbl monitor they sound good and image better than the towers that went with them back in the day .They still bring good money.

They're friggin' great speakers. When I worked at Best Buy back in the day, they were closing them out, no one was buying them, and I scored a pair for $200 still in box. Water damage got them when my basement flooded, else I'd still have them.

 

[Mark E. Long]

They're friggin' great speakers. When I worked at Best Buy back in the day, they were closing them out, no one was buying them, and I scored a pair for $200 still in box. Water damage got them when my basement flooded, else I'd still have them.

That sucks on the water damage I see them on eBay a lot for 300 plus for a pair still I’ve never really understood why guys don’t give them a look still . Geez I think I paid close to 550 for the first pair I got .

 

[Jerkface]

That sucks on the water damage I see them on eBay a lot for 300 plus for a pair still I’ve never really understood why guys don’t give them a look still . Geez I think I paid close to 550 for the first pair I got .

Well, they listed for 500 new at BB. I've seen them on Ebay and elsewhere in the mid-200 range pretty consistently throughout the 10 years or so since mine got ruined. In fact, I think I linked someone in another thread to a pair that was selling for like 220. But if you want max bang for buck in a bookshelf package, that is definitely a go-to as far as I'm concerned. I even used those as my primary monitors to mix a record back in '05, and the results were spot on.

 

[Jerkface]

PS: I actually set up a surround system for a friend back then which consisted of a Yammy HTR-5740, a pair of S38's as mains, and two pairs of S36's as center, center back, and surrounds, with a 12" JBL sub from same era (hell if I remember the model). Sounded absolutely killer once I got the system installed and set up properly in his (really awkward) room.

 

[Mark E. Long]

Well, they listed for 500 new at BB. I've seen them on Ebay and elsewhere in the mid-200 range pretty consistently throughout the 10 years or so since mine got ruined. In fact, I think I linked someone in another thread to a pair that was selling for like 220. But if you want max bang for buck in a bookshelf package, that is definitely a go-to as far as I'm concerned. I even used those as my primary monitors to mix a record back in '05, and the results were spot on.

There’s a dude on eBay has 2 pair of S-38 2’s in black maple on there for like 800 for all four now that’s way over they are eye catching I could see mabey 500 for all four . But they sure are pretty lol .I agree on there performance bad thing is I want every pair I see as I know of there performance lol !