JBL re-introducing the L-100

You do have to take into account that back then, almost everything was done with manual labor. Today, most of the speaker building process is automated, so comparing yesterdays dollars to today's dollars may not add up. Cost of the "per unit" also depends on how many units are being built.
But JBL does not have to take that into account when the marketing team decides on MSRP of the new L100.

Pretty sure overall demand will be the big factor, not the fact that things are automated.
 
MSRP is just that. $2000 per speaker seems like a plucked from thin air price to me, and OF COURSE they are going to want to get as much for them as they can! That's business, and they probably won't sell that well within a certain vocal core of AK members who only care about Craigslist scores, but they are not targeted at those of us who like old used vintage because that is mostly all we can afford.

There hopefully will be some great sound accompanied by beautifully constructed cab's and drivers for the price. They (being Harmon and Samsung) own the iconic speaker design, and it has value in itself. So why shouldn't they want to capitalize with that too? It is easy for the uninvolved to look at wages in the last 50 years, the prices of F150's, minimum wages etc, but from JBL's viewpoint, that's all immaterial. It is simply what they hope they will sell for in quantities enough to make a good profit from.

By starting out at the high price there is room to let the street price fall,30%, 40% or more and still likely make plenty. If those on here who believe they are overpriced turn out to be right, they will likely be able to buy them on sale for much less in a year or two.. My guess is that some on here wouldn't buy them for even $500 each.
 
It is both vexing and perplexing to me that this thread so quickly became so focused on the MSRP of these loudspeakers -- If they were $40k, I might understand that.
$4k in 2018 is relatively short money for a quality hifi product.
It's also at the low end of the serious JBL loudspeaker line right now today (see screenshots above).
 
I don’t know who first said it but I like a saying I’ve seen applied to the French Bourbons, the Romanovs and the Hapsburgs—that they forgot nothing and learned nothing.
Why would anybody pay $50 for a bottle of Knob Creek single barrel when they can get Evan Williams for $12?:rolleyes:

I don't think that Knob Creek is one of those French Bourbons.:king:
 
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This may offend many of you hardcore JBL fans but here goes.....lol...... Take a similar size Cerwin Vega speaker from the same 1970s era and look at the cost then of the JBL product versus the Cerwin Vega product of that day and compare production costs in total from inception through the engineers to obtaining material and machinery and employees to manufacture the products.
And then take a product from today that is comparable in size and performance from any other manufacturer producing from anywhere in the world and compare the new JBL product with it, whether it be by Cerwin Vega or Klipsch as long as it's made in factories overseas..... And then even compared to Klipsch speakers made here still... I would like to do an A vs B direct comparison between several JBL models from the 1970s 80s and 90s against similar Cerwin Vega products, just to see what my ears would like better and what I would be most impressed with.
Heck I'd venture to guess my Cerwin Vega 300 SE and 380se would perform better then any of the Box speaker JBL equivalent sizes!.....
Now I'm going to go get some popcorn LOL...
 
I don't think that Knob Creek is one of those French Bourbons.

The quote of TB was accidental. My point was more towards everyone who is snivelling over the MSRP, which is almost guaranteed to be roughly 30% higher than street price.
 
I'd like to see a comparison of the Mighty little KEF LS50 to the new jbl, l100 and the LS are (were) 1400 new three years ago.

http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/lsr6300-series/lsr6332
the above previously posted JBL's are a LOT cheaper, and look to be the beans. I'd love a comparison between these and the new L100 also.
lsr6332_front_r.jpg
 
The answer is simple. If you do not like (the yet to actually be publsihed) actual sell price of the new L100s, then I'm sure you wont buy them. For those that have fond memories of the Ls, new certainly is now going to be an option. I ran L100s for nearly 2 decades, finally replacing them with a set of Polk SDA-SRS 2.3s. Its not fair to compare either speaker to each other, different times, different technologies (and philosophies), and of course different prices.

One thing I'm pretty sure of is that the new L100 will not sound the same as the old L100. My (new to me) Studio 530s sound way, way better then my L100s ever did, and that is with a 5.25" woofer.

530 2.jpg


'ner
 
I'd like to see a comparison of the Mighty little KEF LS50 to the new jbl, l100 and the LS are (were) 1400 new three years ago.

http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/lsr6300-series/lsr6332
the above previously posted JBL's are a LOT cheaper, and look to be the beans. I'd love a comparison between these and the new L100 also.
lsr6332_front_r.jpg
The KEF LS50's and the JBL L100's (new or old) are completely different animals, any attempt at comparisons is ridiculous.
 
I don't buy into $4,000 being the same price they were back then, if they were $666 in 1975, then we have to look at other items as well. In 1975, we bought a brand new Ford F100 truck, for $2,600, in today's money, that's about $12,100 or so, try and find a new truck for anywhere close to that now. If we're going to believe one of those inflation calculators for one item, then it needs to hold true for all items.
One could argue that a lot more goes into a modern truck or set of speakers, or anything built today then in 1975 but the same would hold true if you looked at items made 40 years prior to 1975.
What we have to look at is the buying public and how much spending cash they have today vs. 1975 or any year prior. In 1975, we bought that truck cash, along with a new car that year. The likely hood of buying a new F150 for cash these days is slim. If it were say $12,100, then maybe, but the last time I priced a new F150 here it was well over $30,000 with a base price of $28K.
So either inflation is far greater than the 3.73% that those calculators figure on, or manufacturers are just price gouging these days.

I've been a long time fan of JBL, but the likely hood of me ever spending $4K on a set of small speakers is nil. For a set of Ti250's or similar, maybe, but again, there's plenty of vintage originals to be had.
Besides, when was the last time a reproduction model turned out to be as good as the original?
The original, although popular, was not all that good. :rolleyes:
 
The KEF LS50's and the JBL L100's (new or old) are completely different animals, any attempt at comparisons is ridiculous.
Have you heard the LS-50s? Have you heard the new L100's?

Reason being, the little LS-50 are far, FAR better speakers then they have any right to be, and output simply stunning amounts of midbass, I have no idea how they do what they do. In many ways, they hold up against my big Infinity and big Magnepan speakers. I know they aren't going to leave my main room anytime soon.





The answer is simple. If you do not like (the yet to actually be publsihed) actual sell price of the new L100s, then I'm sure you wont buy them. For those that have fond memories of the Ls, new certainly is now going to be an option. I ran L100s for nearly 2 decades, finally replacing them with a set of Polk SDA-SRS 2.3s. Its not fair to compare either speaker to each other, different times, different technologies (and philosophies), and of course different prices.

One thing I'm pretty sure of is that the new L100 will not sound the same as the old L100. My (new to me) Studio 530s sound way, way better then my L100s ever did, and that is with a 5.25" woofer.

View attachment 1085689



'ner
I personally love the look of the studio series, and would love to demo them.
 
Why would anybody pay $50 for a bottle of Knob Creek single barrel when they can get Evan Williams for $12?:rolleyes:
You seem to think you are comparing like for like bourbons. Not so. The Knob Creek is 60% alcohol, the Evan Williams is 43%. Knob Creek is a 12 year old bourbon, the Evan Williams is a Non Age Statement bourbon thought to be 5-7 years old. Those are large differences that mean something to those in the know.
 
Have you heard the LS-50s? Have you heard the new L100's?

Reason being, the little LS-50 are far, FAR better speakers then they have any right to be, and output simply stunning amounts of midbass, I have no idea how they do what they do. In many ways, they hold up against my big Infinity and big Magnepan speakers. I know they aren't going to leave my main room anytime soon.






I personally love the look of the studio series, and would love to demo them.
I have spent a few hours listening to the KEF LS50's and would have bought them if I wasn't so in love with low wattage tube amps. I have not listened to the new edition L100's nor do I have plans to.
 
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