Grateful Dead Music Forum

I know e120 & d120 equivalents have been discussed, but anyone have thoughts on k120s?

Looking for something to pair with a deluxe reverb head. My e120 seems like it would be overkill.

The K120 is the successor to the D120. Same alnico magnet, but a tougher cone material replacing the D's paper. The E120 is a higher wattage ceramic mag version of that speaker. The E and the K have the same cone material. Tonally, the D and K are much closer than either to the E. Personally, I like the tone of the Alnico mag on D's and K's. I really don't need a 200 (or whatever the E is) watt speaker since I don't play stadiums.

For some reason I thought the Ks were less watts than the Ds.

vwjodyme wrote:For some reason I thought the Ks were less watts than the Ds.

The progression from D to K to E was all about handling more wattage. Consider the era... no refined PA technology until the wall of sound, and the trend towards booking bands to play stadiums and festivals. The old voice-of-the-theatre speakers weren't enough, so 2-300 watt 12's (E series) were developed.

You might consider a D123 JBL. They survive pretty well bc of the doping and can be had for far less than K120's. They handle like 30 watts or so I think. I like the d123's I have for lower volume stuff...I have only used them at home so not sure about pushing them. Some old guys prefer them to D120's though.

I moved my K120 from my Deluxe Reverb to my 2x12 cab and replaced it with a Emminence Commonwealth......like it for some Jerry tones.......... .....

I picked up a D123 a couple years ago. They're nice sounding speakers for sure, but I've mostly used it in my deluxe reverb at home and have fears of pushing it too hard. They sound good cranked up in the deluxe, but I don't know well they'd hold up pumping 50 or 100 watts through them for extended periods. There's tons of them out there to be had and most with original cones. An they're usually reasonably priced. They seem to have withstood the test of time, but I suspect that's because they've mostly been used in home audio applications.
If you were always playing mic'd they'd definitely do the job, but not with the "stage thump" most of us like.

tatittle wrote:You might consider a D123 JBL. They survive pretty well bc of the doping and can be had for far less than K120's. They handle like 30 watts or so I think. I like the d123's I have for lower volume stuff...I have only used them at home so not sure about pushing them. Some old guys prefer them to D120's though.

They are really nice speakers... with that ribbed cone and low watt (small magnet) they tend to break up early and nicely... and they won't handle much more than 15-20 watts. They also have a 3 inch cone (like the D110) and don't have that characteristic tone of the 4 inch used in the 12's and 15's.

Just picked up a D 123 on the eeebay. Gonna put it in my Deluxe Reverb RI.

They definitely give a nice early break up. Good match for a deluxe.