Words by Rafe Arnott, photos courtesy of Iwan Arjanto
There are certain marques in high fidelity which elicit a more impassioned reaction when mentioned. Most are flush with rich and storied histories; Western Electric, McIntosh, Klipsch, Garrard, Lenco, Shindo, EMT, Tannoy, Altec and JBL to name a few. Designed and built in service to a particular aesthetic of sonic reproduction, these brands connect with listeners in a straightforward, yet complicated, emotional and tactile manner. Synapse fire in harmony creating a cascade of chemical reactions in brains unable to ignore their effect on one’s well being. This is what high fidelity is about for those deep down the rabbit hole of music worship. One such individual who has paid particular heed to this siren song is Iwan Arjanto. A master craftsman who has taken it upon himself to not only rescue damaged, or aging JBL studio monitors (as well as Altec, and other vintage brands), but to also build new cabinets and crossovers from salvaged parts or from scratch in service of continuing a brand that has long since stopped manufacturing this hugely popular and legendary line of professional loudspeakers.
Arjanto was kind enough to talk with Resistor recently and share the story of how his name became synonymous with JBL monitors such as the 4355, 4312, and 4320 over the past several years with vintage hi-fi aficionados, DJs and collectors in Southeast Asia and around the globe. I would like to thank Arjanto personally for taking time out of his busy schedule to facilitate this interview.
“I use to really be into DIY speaker building, focusing on designs using full-range drivers. The first time I heard an Altec horn was at my friend’s house – he used to play around with full range drivers too – after hearing that horn I couldn’t forget its sound. That’s when the journey began, I began hunting many horns."
–Iwan Arjanto
Resistor Mag: You’re in Indonesia, what’s the hi-fi scene like there? Does vintage gear have a strong following?
Iwan Arjanto: “I live in small town in Indonesia, the hi-fi scene here is incredibly varied: from super high-end and vintage gear addicts to DIY. With 270 million people the market holds big promise. Vintage audio here has a strong following with many diehards coming from the high-end customer base. The change in audio gear alignment usually happens after someone hears high quality vintage speakers. The next thing that happens is they switch to vintage speakers. Vintage prices here are relatively cheap compared to what you’d pay on eBay, but even that is starting to change. For example, a used pair of JBL L100 used to go for around $400 USD, now they’re almost $1,000 USD – and that’s just for ones in decent condition.”
Resistor Mag: When you were a kid, did your family have a record player? A radio? Was music part of everyday life?
Iwan Arjanto: “My father played the violin. He was always listening to the radio, some pop music, some news, but I remember mostly BBC news everyday.”
Photo above: Iwan Arjanto letting loose and maintining life balance with his other passion – extreme terrain mountain biking with friends.
Resistor Mag: Do you play a musical instrument?
Iwan Arjanto: “No. I can play guitar a bit… hahaha.”
Resistor Magazine: How did you get turned on to big horn sound systems? When did you first hear one?
Iwan Arjanto: “I use to really be into DIY speaker building, focusing on designs using full-range drivers. The first time I heard an Altec horn was at my friend’s house – he used to play around with full range drivers too – after hearing that horn I couldn’t forget its sound. That’s when the journey began, I began hunting many horns. The Google became my guru as I would read many old articles about the history involving Western Electric, Altec Lansing, and JBL”
Photos below: Left – Arjanto's staff move an JBL 4320 Control Studio Monitor into its new home. Right – An JBL 4355 in production.
Resistor Magazine: What was the first horn-loaded speaker you bought? First amp/turntable, CD player or cassette player?
Iwan Arjanto: “The first horn-type speaker I bought was a Fostex FD600 because it was cheap. Then come opportunity to buy an Altec 511 horn, then I learned to make Altec A7 – I’ve made four pair so far for customers. I enjoy the process and spend a lot of time testing before sending them to customers. The first serious speaker was a pair of JBL L100. When I was in college I was gifted a set of the JBL L100 Century, a Pioneer SA8500II amplifier, Sony TCK8B tape deck and a Dual 1219 turntable. At that time my music ranged from pop, jazz and rock to thrash metal and grindcore.”
Resistor Mag: How did you get into building and repairing vintage JBL studio monitors?
Iwan Arjanto: “I saw so many JBL here with damaged enclosures, I started cannibalizing the ones I could to make working pairs. The old JBL used particle board, so over time – because of the extreme humidity here – the particle board breaks down, the veneer peels off, and since JBL parts here are hard to find, many that I refurbish use other original parts/enclosures taken from units still in good shape. Vintage studio monitor speakers are more solid than JBL L100, but the horn and tweeter assemblies are unbreakable (JBL 2420 and 2405). Many also have issues with the network crossover and Lpad. Old JBL, like the Paragon in particular, have capacitors which are 50 years old and are usually not precise any longer, but for some it’s OK to use the original crossover. You have to test to find out what works.”
Photo below: Various JBL equipment, drivers and crossovers in need of testing/replacement/restoration at Arjanto's shop.
Resistor Mag: How much is being an artist, and how much is being a craftsman when building/restoring vintage studio monitors or equipment?
Iwan Arjanto: “Building JBL 4355 from scratch for first time was challenging, but there’s an Lansing heritage forum which is full of information about vintage JBL and Altec Lansing and I get help from online friends because some JBL enclosure plans have practically no useable information available online. I started talking with people on Facebook groups who have the speakers I’m dealing with and they help by supplying me with accurate measurements. So, it’s a combination of carpentry know-how and Internet investigation, not much art.”
Resistor Mag: Are you source agnostic? Or do you prefer analogue to a digital source?
Iwan Arjanto: “I grew up with cassette, tape, vinyl and then CD. Now my digital file collection has reached almost 24 terabytes. Analog sources such as a turntable or good reel-to-reel is best for me, the digital domain sounds like a more sterile form of analog to me. I play mostly digital to break-in speaker cones and network capacitors. New JBL cones and networks need a lot of running-in to sound best; break-in times of around 50-100 hours are normal.”
Photos above: Left – JBL 4320 cabinets in production. Right – Some of Arjanto's varied vintage sources.
Resistor Mag: If you’re into vinyl, what’s your record collection like? What’s in heavy rotation now?
Iwan Arjanto: “I still have a collection, but I’m not stuck on it, i just sold some stuff, including my Mobile Fidelity Pink Floyd Dark Side of The Moon, it went to a collector for $300 USD.”
Resistor Mag: Do you remember the first LP/CD/cassette you bought yourself? That someone bought for you?
Iwan Arjanto: “Scorpion cassette… I bought it myself when I was a kid.”
Resistor Mag: Favourite speaker to build? To listen to?
Iwan Arjanto: “JBL 4320. It’s not too big and not too small and the woofer is 15-inches. I’ve done three pairs and still have two pairs for parts if I need them.”
Resistor Mag: What’s the most difficult aspect of constructing and repairing vintage JBL studio monitors (or other vintage speaker systems)?
Iwan Arjanto: “Repairing a badly damaged or rotted enclosure takes more time than to make a new one .. Reconstructing the JBL 4355 port is difficult. The original JBL mid-chamber port is made from paper, so I use paper too. JBL used ALPS Lpad, so I scour around and hoard the ALPS Lpad from many scrapped old speaker networks, like JVC, Pioneer and many others.”
Resistor Mag: Where do you source bass drivers, compression drivers, horns, crossovers, etc.?
Iwan Arjanto: “Many I source locally and some from eBay. I have some guys who are always looking and hunting JBL/Altec parts for me. Actually many parts come from a pro audio place here, but the original JBL paper I use only comes from one source.”
Photo Right: Salvaged vintage JBL horns and drivers.
"The change in audio gear alignment usually happens after someone hears high quality vintage speakers. The next thing that happens is they switch to vintage speakers."
–Iwan Arjanto
Photos above: Left – A client checking out his newly-delivered JBL 4312 studio monitors. Right – Altec horns and custom JBL bass driver cabinet.
Resistor Mag: Who are your clients, predominantly audiophiles? Music lovers discovering the power of big drivers and horns? DJs?
Iwan Arjanto: “Some clients are audiophiles with fancy rooms, they like to use expensive crossover parts and cables – even the USB cable is expensive. And some are just music lovers or vintage lovers, or for audio cafes and some DJs who love big bass and horn sound.”
Resistor Mag: We touched on legendary preamplifiers in a previous conversation, you mentioned the Marantz 7, the JBL SG520 and the McIntosh MC22. Why are these three so important? Do you have a favourite?
Iwan Arjanto: “I’ve been following and immersing myself in the history of many legendary hi-fi products by reading several vintage Japanese print magazines. To me, there are three legendary preamps of note; the JBL SG520, the Marantz 7 and the McIntosh MC22. Hearing these pieces of electronic history in good condition has been an education. I use the SG520 – germanium sound is nice, it has warm bass and is incredibly dynamic. I’ve found it best to pair with a tube amp and overall it is very good. The Marantz 7 in the mid-highs is very good when using Telefunken EE83, it produces a lush, and dynamic tube sound – same with the MC22.”
Photo below: A pair of JBL 4355 Studio Monitors paired with vintage McIntosh and Marantz amplification.
Photo left: Restored JBL 4315 monitors and a restored Garrard 301 broadcast turntable with SME tonearm.
Resistor Magazine: Describe your current sound system in detail.
Iwan Arjanto: My current system consists of old JBL Olympus speakers, JBL SG520 preamp and an upgraded Luxman M120A. I’ve got an old DAC that I’ve been using a long time and an old turntable; an NEC AUP-80003E. I refurbish many turntables including Thorens, Garrard and Lenco. An ongoing project of mine is refurbishing a Garrard 301 with dual SME 3012 tonearms.”
Resistor Magazine: You’re an avid mountain biker, how long have you been riding? Were you into BMX or road bikes as a kid?
Iwan Arjanto: “I’ve been riding since I was a kid on everything from BMX for freestyle, street bikes, then in the ’90s I moved to mountain bikes and cross country, and now since I have a Trek we tackle a lot of obstacle courses, we free ride, and now that I eMTB (electric Mountain Bike) things have gotten crazy fun.”
Resistor Magazine: Is life split into two main pursuits for you? Vintage audio/riding bikes?
Iwan Arjanto: “Vintage audio for business and bikes as a hobby to keep me fit.”
Resistor Magazine: Favourite beer?
Iwan Arjanto: “Beer Bintang. It’s local, cheap and good… hahahaha!”
If this article has been of interest to you, take the time to follow Iwan Arjanto's JBL restoration journey on his Instagram account.
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