[drumphile]

Hi All,

I'm pretty new here, and the reason I'm here is that I recently stumbled onto a pair of AV123 X-LS speakers in pristine condition that I picked up locally for $50. I bought them on a whim because I've been following GR Research and Danny's history long enough to know that these were his design many years ago and are the ancestors to the current GR X-LS Encore which get rave reviews.  I know the tweeter is different, but I think (?) the M-165 woofers are the same (some one please correct me if I'm wrong). Obviously the crossovers are also different.

I finally hooked them up this past weekend and listened a little at low volume, and again just tonight gave them a more spirited "test drive".  Unfortunately, while not a bad speaker, these old X-LS just don't hold a candle to my Audio Concepts Emerald mini-monitors that I built from kits about 20 years ago and are approximately the same vintage.   Don't get me wrong; the bass of the X-LS is MUCH better (6.5" M165 woofer vs 5" Vifa woofer), but the highs of the Emerald still sing and sound incredible (Vifa D27SG0506, I believe) compared to the tweeters of the original X-LS, which just sound much more rolled-off too me.  Could it be that the ferrofluid is dried up?  Or that the original X-LS tweeters really aren't very good?  I read some reviews from the early 2000's that suggested that AV123 X-LS were not known for detailed highs and the overall consensus was it was "good for the price", but much better could be had.  I've heard Danny say more than once that AV123 speakers were built to a price-point, so some compromises were made....

Unfortunately my X-LS aren't the pretty veneered cabinets like others I've seen on the forum, just the basic semi-gloss black.  But still; they are a good quality, solid cabinet and finished nicer than anything I could do if I wanted to go DIY again.  So, I'm wondering - what should I do with these?  I've already read threads where people have upgraded tweeters and crossovers to current GR X-LS Encore spec, but I've also read here that the upgraded tweeter is unobtainable for the foreseeable future.  The woofers really are pretty special and the cabinets are good, so... should I just put these on the shelf and wait for the Peerless tweeter to become available again?  There are actually more than a few other DIY and kit designs out there that wouldn't be very hard to repurpose these cabinets for given they all more or less have the similar front baffle dimensions. Obviously care would need to be taken with port retuning if I went with a different woofer/design and would want to choose something with a tweeter flange that is very close to the same dimensions.   

Anyway, just musing about possibilities and wondering what thoughts are here if you were me.  I found another design with the M165x (different woofer than mine?) with the Vifa XT25 ring dome tweeter, but I suspect the M165x is a different animal than my M-165, correct?

[nlitworld]

So, I'm wondering - what should I do with these? Unfortunately my X-LS aren't the pretty veneered cabinets like others I've seen on the forum, just the basic semi-gloss black. Should I just put these on the shelf and wait for the Peerless tweeter to become available again? 

Since it sounds like you already have a top shelf speaker for your real listening, why not take these as an opportunity to fiddle around with trying to hotrod them yourself? Upgrade the crossover to higher grade parts and give them a nice paint job. They may still not be the quality of what your other set are when you're done, but it'd be a fun project to fiddle with. They'd probably make an excellent 2nd system set of speakers. Or just sell em to me and I will do the same. 

[Skilly]

Sir,

I did your exact build about 2 years ago. Sadly, the truth is one can find the av123 X-ls cheaper than building new boxes. So, yes, I took my original model av123 X-LS and converted it to the encore. To do this, I rebuilt the crossovers and the Tweeters, the internal wiring, replaced the internal fill with No-Rez, however, I did not get the "Danny tubes."
This is not an option for you. the tweeter is no longer in stock and it sounds like the replacement tweeter may not be available for some time. There was a little woodworking involved in the project. The Encore tweeter did not fit in the same hole as the other tweeter. the mod was minor and completely not visible once the tweeter is in. I have to admit that I was not thrilled about them until after I changed the tweeter. After that, I am a happy customer. I reported on the build in here, and it can be found with a little searching.
Interesting side detail, my av123 units had completely different crossover boards, even though the registration numbers were sequential. Since I rebuilt the crossover from scratch, it was not an issue.

[Skilly]

I should point out that the old parts from the crossover are valuable these days. The erse components are might be reused by others so you could probably re-coop some of your expenses by selling the old crossovers in whole or in parts.

[tortoiseman2542]

The black AV123 sold was nice and actually fit in more rooms than the wood veneer looks wise. You could always look into making them piano. I heard classics upgraded back in the day with Skiing Ninja mods (non encore version) and it sounded great.  Not encore level but not as far off as you’d think if you do an upgraded classic XO.

I would say it depends on cost and what you want to do. I paid to have the woodworking done on my classics because I wanted to be careful with the finish. That’s what cost the majority of my money for the work.

Robert