TDL Electronics Owners Thread

When it comes to using acoustic foam the layout of the foam placement is completely different with the TDL designs compared to the Fried designs.
I would stick with using acoustic foam in the TDL models that were designed with it.

The TDL designs have the foam placed up against the wood.
It's easier to secure and glue acoustic foam against the wood compared to securing it in the line between the wood.
Fried had the foam placed between the wood.which is how I have used in all my DIY T-line builds.
 
Some bad news and some good news.

The bad news is that the speakers do not sound the same at all! One is terrible and the other is decent...

The good news is that this finally made me take a look inside and even though they don't look the same, both mid range drivers are in fact stamped "130NS11". So it would seem that all drivers are in fact the originals models.

- Since the mid range drivers are the same model it begins to seem unlikely that the difference in sound character is due to different drivers and/or the dented tweeter. Could this be a capacitor issue? (Ive tried multiple connection combinations and have ruled out amplifier or cables).

As I mentioned the sound in one speaker is decent, though lacks a bit of dynamic and depth. The other has a thin and somewhat harsh sound. It plays lower than the other too. Capacitor seems more likely than blown drivers too me, as the blown speakers Ive heard in the past were even more muffled and had obvious coil rub.

How would a speaker with bad caps sound? Does anyone have experience with changing the caps in these models? Thanks again.
 
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Thanks for the info JimPA, though there's not much I can do about the damping. It is what it is :) As shown in my previous link though it does seem like the way the speakers are damped fit with the materials used in the official TDL DIY kit for the RSTL.
 
I've joined the TDL club, not yet in the house, but on the way home. Reference Standards, not sure if the M variety, fills the back of a Kia Sedona nicely. I do know one of the 6x9's is not functional, not certain why, and some of the metal dooms are dented but do function. More to come, but think I've fully used all goodwill my spouse may have for me in one shot.

The other known issue, all the foam inserts in the bottom vents is missing, does this foam affect dampening?

Thanks
 

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I've joined the TDL club, not yet in the house, but on the way home. Reference Standards, not sure if the M variety, fills the back of a Kia Sedona nicely. I do know one of the 6x9's is not functional, not certain why, and some of the metal dooms are dented but do function. More to come, but think I've fully used all goodwill my spouse may have for me in one shot.

The other known issue, all the foam inserts in the bottom vents is missing, does this foam affect dampening?

Thanks

I would replace the foam in the enclosure where it is missing to mirror the enclosure that has it.

Without the correct amount of foam that is required in the design the response will not be flat.
Too much foam and the Fs response will be raised.
Not having enough foam will cause peaks in the bass response.
 
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Oddly all bottom foam is gone, wonder if the previous owner was attempting to adjust the output. In my case my biggest fear is they are going to be too much for my space which already has a bass trap issue, will put this on my supplies list when I call falcon back, and will take it as an opportunity to attempt to tune them to my space, starting with foam that is as close to spec as posible. Falcon will have replacement woofers at some point in the future, so that is positive. I'm uncertain if the super tweeters are working too, but if they are, it's subtle. Falcon does not have replacments for the dented metal domes, I'll figure out a way to repair as best as possible, they still sound good though.
 
He's talking about the foam that covers the ports on the bottom. I don't think it'll affect the sound much if you don't bother with them.

GREAT find, you lucky dog! I expect listening impressions for these very rare beasts!
 
He's talking about the foam that covers the ports on the bottom. I don't think it'll affect the sound much if you don't bother with them.

GREAT find, you lucky dog! I expect listening impressions for these very rare beasts!

I'll play around with the foam and find out, have some around. I feel very lucky. Rare and I got them from Goodwill of all places, via auction, I mean who drops these things off at Goodwill?
 
I'll play around with the foam and find out, have some around. I feel very lucky. Rare and I got them from Goodwill of all places, via auction, I mean who drops these things off at Goodwill?

Yeah, no kidding! That's an odd place to see those crop up.

I'm glad you ended up snagging them, at least now I can share in your find :D

Oh, for the dented dome. You should be able to disassemble the tweeter and push the dome out. 'least I think so.

And it likely goes without saying, but make sure you replace the capacitors. They are beyond their shelf life at this point.
 
Good to know I can disassemble those tweeters, was going to get weird and use a marble and role it around inside the dome to smooth it out.. Have to confirm the serial numbers for production date, any idea number of years they produced these?
 
Trying to think of the best way to say this, totally cliche, but has more detail, seems like your approaching the level of coughs in the audience, and say the sound of the wood on wood snap of the drumsticks, subtle sounds seem more detailed and developed. Piano stikes sound like a clear even tone with texture. Haha, would be fun to have a thread of the most cheesy way to describe music, I was read restaurant reviews in Vegas today and could not believe some of the choice descriptive gems shared with us. Anyway, wanted to post those thoughts of my initial impressions in exhaustion.

Overall, very good, feel like I've jump more than a few rungs on the lader. Although I noticed when my gain is set to 11, quite a bit of static noise originates from my preamp (c26 McIntosh on a 2105 amp) old gear got to put up or sell out on that stuff.
 
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Can you post some pics of the baffles with the grilles off? IIRC, this has one or multiple woofer's on the angled panels and mid and tweeters on the top central baffle?
 
Here are a few. Unfortunately one of my LO got fascinated by the silver behind the grill and buggered the domes more, they were OK before. Also the super tweeter cover fell off, was already loose and I gave it a poke, it appears to be glued on, the other side seems fine, any tips on how to repair?

The crushed domes are certainly affecting the sound, more so being on the left side and I drop off around 8k and have tinitus in that ear, and I really am aware of the tinitus with these speakers, werid. Bass is also different, at times it seems less than my smaller IMF's THE STUDIO, but I think this is due to the size of the speakers acting as a baffle against the corners they occupy. These were pretty amazing to listen to a Jack Straw productions show last week with a good amount of ambiant electronic music with some really low dips in the bass, that these guys just nailed.

WAF? Forget about it. I'm in tolerated territory right now with these, even I think the size is a bit too large.

Thanks


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Ahh that's too bad about the tweeters!! That's definitely destroying the treble response. I measured a pair of Celestion HF2000 tweeters with the domes pushed in and they dropped off at 10kHz, so no doubt you are experiencing the same thing there. The tweeters you can definitely just pop the fronts off and the dome will then be exposed so you can just push it back out. Not sure about the super tweeter.

I wish I was closer, I'd love to come hear those!
 
With JBL 033 plastic domes, one can literally suck the domes back out from the outside with your mouth and lips, no kidding. Requires taking the tweeter off the baffle. So you could lightly clean with alcohol around the frame before trying, easier to vary the suction personally than using a vacuum which for some have worked. It these are metal domes, still might leave wrinkles or dimples but worth trying before disassembling for digital dome reforming.

The supertweeter is a more delicate proposition.
 
You may be in luck. Search this thread for the IMF / TDL drivers cross reference link from Falcon Acoustics or check their website. The drivers cross reference tells which drivers go with which speaker for many of the parts. Pull your tweeters and see what ID markings are on them. If you're lucky, they may be the 25TD48 or similar. Then check the voice coil DC resistance to be sure of what ohm value they are.

Check out this ebay seller's recently posted listing for apparently TDL aluminum metal dome tweeter OEM replacements, item #262609758678. These appear to be 4 ohm replacement dome / voicecoil and front faceplate assemblies. he apparently came into much of the old stock that IMF America had (they were based in Saginaw, Michigan, and that is where the seller is also). He also mentions he has 8 ohm versions as well as poly dome types too. Might be a good chance to get some new ones or spares, and install them in the magnet structures, then work on pushing the domes out on the dented ones.

Importantly, he has a best offer or make offer, so you might be able to negotiate a discounted price, especially for multiples.

He has advertised various IMF and TDL drivers in the past. I have no affiliation with the seller except for tracking his past listings. Good luck!
 
Thanks Mech, great lead, might just order a quad for good measure. I'm still not even sure the super tweeter is producing sound it crosses over at 13khz i've I read the documentation correctly, I did the paper towel role test, but can't be certain.

And another musical observation, I thought Led Zeppelin II on my old BMG disc sounded horrible, the highs seemed all over the place, nothing like the remastered version via headphones. Could have been fatigue but man, was not a good listening session at all.
 
Any luck repairing the tweeters on your Reference Standards. I own a pair I bought when new in the early 1990's. Unfortunately my grandchildren are too curious and now the tweeters are dented. Did you disassemble and push the tweeter domes out or buy replacements?
 
Nothing yet, one of those weeks, I'm likely going to order 4 new ones since all of mine have dents now, but it may be some time before I do the repair. First order of business is to put some re-inforced fabric behind the standard screen to make this less likely to happen again. I'm just hoping to listen to some music tonight.
 
Any luck repairing the tweeters on your Reference Standards. I own a pair I bought when new in the early 1990's. Unfortunately my grandchildren are too curious and now the tweeters are dented. Did you disassemble and push the tweeter domes out or buy replacements?


What are you running yours with? What kind of space setup?
 
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