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.

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.

Iwan Arjanto

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.”

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”

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.”

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.”

Source : https://www.resistormag.com/features/returning-vintage-jbl-studio-monitors-to-life-with-iwan-arjanto/

Words by Rafe Arnott, photos courtesy of Iwan Arjanto