"Temporary" mod of my JVC 550JW

[milosancho]

Love my JVC 550JW!! The looks of this monster is classic. The sound, not so much. So I decided to trade the wimpy 10" speaker for a hefty 10" Cerwin Vega woofer. The fit was almost perfect. Had to make a cut on the speaker, see pic below, which should not affect the sound. For having such a HUGE magnet (by comparison to the tiny magnet on the JVC speaker) the speaker had enough room in the back. I'll take it for a test run tomorrow and let you'all know.

Top view of both speakers. Reminds me of a Crutchfield advertisement, why you should upgrade your stock speakers for new high performing speakers!

Back view. See the magnet difference! The Cerwin Vega I'm sure weighs 3x's as much as the JVC. This added some nice weight to the finished boombox. The box now feels nice and heavy, as a good box should.

In this pic you can see the part of the speaker I had to cut out. It was hitting the tuner board, see pic below.

Back view - old speaker.

Back view - new speaker.

Almost done

Done

Like the title says, this I think will be temporary. This box is in too good shape (and possibly too valuable) to leave it like this forever. Or perhaps, when I'm ready to sell (wink) it will add value? I guess I was bored and needed a Friday project.

P.S. love the tinypic upload!

 

[Superduper]

Wow. I say leave it and be done with it. It's not a museum piece so I can't imagine anyone not wanting improved performance.

 

[redbenjoe]

anxious to read your 'how does it sound' report

 

[Fatdog]

anxious to read your 'how does it sound' report

 

[eldorado]

looks stronger but i dig the old speaker too

 

[milosancho]

The sound is much, much beter now. Has a decent amount of bass and the sound is not as tight as with the original speaker. And it is loud!

I have to say that that overall the sound out of this box is still missing something. Maybe stereo sound? I'm sure you will agree that after you've heard one you tend to compare other boxes against the M90. And so far, in my humble opinion, no other box (from those that I've heard) compares.

Overall the mod turned out ok. Glad i did it, and I think I'll keep it this way. Not about to get rid of the old speaker though. Only problem is now I have a home speaker that's missing the woofer.

 

[floyd]

i have 2 10 inch cerwin vega woofers they both need new foams ,they are the ones with the orange surrounds and they have the cast aluminum frames ,they work great i just have no time or use for them ,if you need them they are worth repairing and going cheap.

 

[redbenjoe]

I have to say that that overall the sound out of this box is still missing something. Maybe stereo sound? I'm sure you will agree that after you've heard one you tend to compare other boxes against the M90. And so far, in my humble opinion, no other box (from those that I've heard) compares.
-----------------------------------

aside from a select handful of one-piece boxes--
its very discouraging -- :'-(
to just receive a nice box --and then - right away-
make the m90 comparo

so --for those who wish to enjoy the sounds of their 'other' boxes..

the slick trick is DONT

 

[Superduper]

If we only compared against and used the M90 as the "standard" and we already know that most other boxes will fall short, then there is no reason to have any other boombox in your collections other than the M90 (and maybe a select few others.)

The fact of the matter is that collecting is a hobby and if all you cared about was performance, then your focus is very narrow and you should have a small collection. On the other hand, if you are a fan of BOOMBOXES and not just a fan of THE LOUDEST BOOMBOX, etc, etc. then you should judge each boombox on its' own merits. Each and every boombox that I collect, I collect for a reason, whether it is for looks, size, performance, price, build quality, reputation, allure, convenience, features, radio reception, etc etc. And each has their own redeeming value. So the all too frequent question of "how does it compare to the M90" only serves to (1) continue hyping the M90 and (2) discount and not give proper credit the the other boombox's other redeeming values.

The little Sanyo Mini that I purchased at the thrift store for $5 has a look that the M90 can't match, has battery life that the M90 can't touch, has portability that the M90 isn't even in the same class with, can be carried around without attracting attention which is imposible with the M90, has a wider stereo effect than the M90 if that is what you want, is cheaper to repair than the M90, can fit into places where the M90 can't, has detachable speakers which is way cool if you want maximum stereo seperation on your workbench -- no deal with the M90, can ride along with me on my bicycle excercise trips -- hahaha on the M90, AND has a built in equalizer -- no go on the M90. Ok Ok, the M90 is louder. WHICH IS BETTER?????

I'm just saying.....

 

[redbenjoe]

totally agree with you --
and thats why --nobody i have ever heard of..... .

bought an m90
and suddenly QUIT collecting


its the infinite variety -
that makes this hobby so expansive and so fascinating

 

[Superduper]

:judge: :judge: Hear hear.

Ain't that the truth.

 

[monchito]

wow thats great i did the same thing to mine but i was lucky to find some nice sony bookshelf speakers that fit right in with a nice deep greenish color to match and it sounds wonderful the original speaker just left it asking for something better plus mine was no good it had the coil stuck so i desided a new better speaker was the way to go

 

[redbenjoe]

my 550....???

was lent out for a FOUR day halloween party ..
8 (eight) !!!!!!
days ago

havnt seen it since :'-(

but --as a rumor -
i heard that everybody loved it

 

[monchito]

you have not seen it ira how many boombox attacks have you had already???

 

[milosancho]

Its only natural to compare one box to another. But you're completely right, you should not stop collecting because you found "the one". There are plenty on my want list and for the most part I want to add them to my collection because they look cool and I want to hear them play. And also I like fixing stuff, I look forward to getting inside them to see how they work and what I can do to improve them.

As I type this the 550 is playing loud in the garage - the fam's away so this give me an opportunity to turn it up loud.

 

[milosancho]

i have 2 10 inch cerwin vega woofers they both need new foams ,they are the ones with the orange surrounds and they have the cast aluminum frames ,they work great i just have no time or use for them ,if you need them they are worth repairing and going cheap.

JVC Floyd, thanks for the offer. Truth is I don't much use the CV home speakers. So they just sit in the garage. So far I put the tweeters and one woofer to good use. So if anyone is interested in mod'ing their 550 I have an extra 10" speaker for you.

 

[Radio raheem]

If we only compared against and used the M90 as the "standard" and we already know that most other boxes will fall short, then there is no reason to have any other boombox in your collections other than the M90 (and maybe a select few others.)

The fact of the matter is that collecting is a hobby and if all you cared about was performance, then your focus is very narrow and you should have a small collection. On the other hand, if you are a fan of BOOMBOXES and not just a fan of THE LOUDEST BOOMBOX, etc, etc. then you should judge each boombox on its' own merits. Each and every boombox that I collect, I collect for a reason, whether it is for looks, size, performance, price, build quality, reputation, allure, convenience, features, radio reception, etc etc. And each has their own redeeming value. So the all too frequent question of "how does it compare to the M90" only serves to (1) continue hyping the M90 and (2) discount and not give proper credit the the other boombox's other redeeming values.

The little Sanyo Mini that I purchased at the thrift store for $5 has a look that the M90 can't match, has battery life that the M90 can't touch, has portability that the M90 isn't even in the same class with, can be carried around without attracting attention which is imposible with the M90, has a wider stereo effect than the M90 if that is what you want, is cheaper to repair than the M90, can fit into places where the M90 can't, has detachable speakers which is way cool if you want maximum stereo seperation on your workbench -- no deal with the M90, can ride along with me on my bicycle excercise trips -- hahaha on the M90, AND has a built in equalizer -- no go on the M90. Ok Ok, the M90 is louder. WHICH IS BETTER?????

I'm just saying.....

It's not only louder it sounds the best in your face lol

Norm i know it wasn't meant to but that second paragraph of your's had me in stiches, for all the above reasons YOU DONT NEED AN M90 ill send you my adress

 

[Superduper]

Tim. I'll send you my M90 since that is your KING and you can send me the rest of your collection. Heck, I'll even send you TWO M90's. You get what you want, and I'll get what I want.... what do you think?

 

[monchito]

ok m90 for sale

 

[Radio raheem]

Tim. I'll send you my M90 since that is your KING and you can send me the rest of your collection. Heck, I'll even send you TWO M90's. You get what you want, and I'll get what I want.... what do you think?

If only