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Post by mysterytrain on Aug 21, 2007 23:31:13 GMT -7
I've heard mention of this "lens" design in Z 2x10 cabs/combos, but I don't quite understand the concept. I just got what I believe is a fairly new 2x10 Z cab (well, not one of the BRAND new, up-to-the-minute optional open/closed cabs), but I cannot tell if it utilizes this lens thing or not. How would I know? When shining a light into the grill, I don't see anything unusual. Just looks like two ten inch speakers to me. Any help?
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Post by dixiechicken on Aug 22, 2007 2:21:31 GMT -7
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Post by billyguitar on Aug 22, 2007 9:37:45 GMT -7
A guitar cab with a lens on the front is really just another piece of baffle board with a larger hole. I would think the hole would be tapered down to the size of the first baffle board but I haven't looked that close at my 2x10 cab to see how Z does it. The idea is the sound coming off of the speaker cone keeps propagating outwords before spreading out in the open air. This makes the speaker sound larger than it is. The Fender tone ring cabs were different. The second baffle was seperated from the first and was actually used more as a bass port
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Aug 22, 2007 15:18:31 GMT -7
Dr. Z explained it in an interview quite a long time ago. Here's an excerpt from that interview, that talks about his lens technology speaker cabs:
So it's not like those JBL lenses, rather it's a full spectrum lens that he builds on to the cab.
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Post by mysterytrain on Aug 27, 2007 13:19:30 GMT -7
Thanks guys. Well, I understand the concept now, and what the principle is behind the lens. However, when I look at my 2x10 cab, I don't see any evidence of a lens of any kind. I have what should be one of the last recent runs of the small sized 2x10 cabs (before the the announcement of these brand new cabs now on the website). In theory this cab should utilize lenses, but I don't see one at all when shining a light into the grill. I see what plainly looks like 2 ten inch speakers with nothing in front of them or attached to them. Are the lenses something I should be able to see or identify? Pardon the crappy pic, but my cab's speakers look something like this pic that I found online: As a matter of fact, I'm unable to even find a pic online of a Z cab that demonstrates photographic evidence of a lens in front of the speaker. Am I missing something here? If my cab is supposed to have a lens, I just want to make sure that it indeed does.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Aug 27, 2007 17:45:05 GMT -7
If you read what the Doc said in that interview, there is nothing in front of the speaker. The lens is a double-thickness baffle board with an expanding throat. Shine a flashlight in there and see if the baffle board is thicker than the usual 3/4" - if it is, that's the lens.
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Post by mysterytrain on Aug 27, 2007 20:56:37 GMT -7
A ha! Benttop you're right. That is indeed the "lens". Had another look with the flashlight, this time with the lights off which helped quite a bit actually. For some reason the tan grill is not very translucent. Anyway, I could definitely make out that the speakers are recessed in the baffle by at least a good inch (if not a little more). You can ALMOST make it out in the pic above. Guess I just didn't know what to look for before. It all makes sense now. Thanks a lot guys.
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Post by mikefleming on Aug 29, 2007 20:08:31 GMT -7
Also I'm pretty sure it doesn't flare, but is simply a cylindrical hole like any normal speaker hole on a baffle, except deeper. That's what I remember seeing when I took a speaker out of my Maz 2x10 a long time ago.
Mike
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Post by dongiesen on Aug 31, 2007 20:42:53 GMT -7
He uses 2- 1/2' baffles to get the thickness.As I had mine all apart one day to replace grill cloth, I added an angle (larger to the outside) of each. Took awhile as after doing the inner you have to get the inside of the outer to slightly larger size of the outise of the inner. Boy is that a tongue twister. I then added the same angle to the outer
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Post by bluzman on Sept 3, 2007 21:16:48 GMT -7
When I was building my own cabinets for a bass rig I tried mounting the speakers to the outside of the baffle... then I tried mounting to the inside. My 1x15 bass cabinet with a J-Bass seemed to have a better J-Bass growl when I mounted the speaker to the inside. It was definitely better sounding from across the room than when mounted to the outside.
I later built a 2x10 cabinet for guitar speakers and I ran into the same thing... across the room it sounded better. It was very "directional" though if you weren't right in front of it when you were close to it, which is how it usually is when I play due to space limitations.
His interview now kind of helps me understand why now!! COOL!!
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