JBL L110 repeat praise

Those 033 tweeters do a lot of things right. I'm surprised that JBL didn't use them on more speakers, unlike for example the 035Ti which is used on about 100 different models.
 
A friend of mine has a pair. Unlike their more popular sibling, the L100 Century, they are remarkably neutral in tonal response. The tweeter is exceptional as well with great extension.

They do present one challenge that makes for a somewhat distracting image for me: the 5" midrange is pushed almost an octave higher than ideal. Dispersion falls off rapidly at the top end of any direct radiator when called upon to deliver a wavelength smaller than piston size. It's 4 kHz crossover represents roughly three inches. The audible result is pinched width in a pretty critical region. This occurs with larger full range drivers, but allowed to gradually fade as frequency goes up where the effect is less noticeable. Here, however, there is a stark contrast in directivity through the transition to the wonderful dome tweeter which happens to be sitting in the middle of its sweet spot with considerable dispersion. In terms of frequency, visualize an hour glass shaped radiation pattern.

The current JBL LSR6332 uses virtually the same size drivers, but avoids the discontinuity with a 2.2 kHz xover where the midrange driver operates in its optimum range.
 
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I think I've written this a few times, but I'll do it again.
It seems that my L110's are my go to speaker.
I'm always swapping things in and out, but when I land on these again I just say wow.
I really like them.

I have a lot of speakers but these are my faves as well. They image and put the vocals to the center of the room. Their soundstage is very wide. I think it’s due to the tweeters dome. I know my ads 810s with domes don’t sound this good though. They are detailed without being critical and seem to find the most musical tone of the moment and pronounce it beautifully. Almost like they actually tell a story to the music.

I have both the paper le-25 and the 035 & 052 ti tweeters and I’ll say these 033 do it best.

Now on the search for another set to replace some of my other gear.
 
033 tweet is used in the JBL L40 at 1.8KHz with some success so you could change the x/o
to 2.5KHz without any grief.
 
The positive attributes you express for the L110 are similar to how I feel about the L96 Delta. JBL does make great 10-inch-based 3-way systems. The 044 dome tweeter works well and is also used in my L112 and L150A systems with great success. The titanium version is also used in my 250Ti. But in comparison to the ubiquitous 035 versions, the remarkable soundstage of the L5 and L7s makes the "bookshelf" boxes seem "back-in-the-box" compared to the airiness of the towers with the much-maligned 035Ti/A versions—when done right.
 
Finding the Diaphragm for the 033 is a mystery hunt that voice coil must be pure gold apparently when you find them.
I just bought a used 033 Ebay to finish my L-40 project.
 
I really liked the L110 and still do, but IMO the L112 outshines it in every way.
I've never heard the L112. Do they have similar woofers to the 110? The 110's have a unique driver for the bass tones and I wonder if there is a 12 inch version.
 
The positive attributes you express for the L110 are similar to how I feel about the L96 Delta. JBL does make great 10-inch-based 3-way systems. The 044 dome tweeter works well and is also used in my L112 and L150A systems with great success. The titanium version is also used in my 250Ti. But in comparison to the ubiquitous 035 versions, the remarkable soundstage of the L5 and L7s makes the "bookshelf" boxes seem "back-in-the-box" compared to the airiness of the towers with the much-maligned 035Ti/A versions—when done right.

+1 for the L5’s. looking for affordable L7 in my area. maybe some day...
 
I've never heard the L112. Do they have similar woofers to the 110? The 110's have a unique driver for the bass tones and I wonder if there is a 12 inch version.

The only driver that the L110 and L112 have in common is the midrange. At least, the L110 uses the LE5-10 (black faceplate) and the L112 uses the LE5-12 (silver faceplate) which have different colored face-plates but are acoustically identical. The L112 is basically the bookshelf version of the L150A, using all the same drivers as the L150A, but with a smaller cabinet and a port instead of a passive radiator. The L110 is more closely related to the slightly older L150 (non-A), which uses the same mid and tweeter as the L110.

If you don't mind floor-standing speakers, the L150 (non-A) I believe is the closest you are going to get to a "12 inch version" of the L110. If you want to stick with bookshelf speakers, the L112 is probably your best bet, the 044 (L112, L150A) and 033 (L110, L150) tweeters are still pretty similar overall compared to other JBL tweeters.
 
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I've never heard the L112. Do they have similar woofers to the 110? The 110's have a unique driver for the bass tones and I wonder if there is a 12 inch version.
No 12in version

LE111A is a hybrid between Locanthi designed LE10A and a pro audio woofer (I forget the model number). It uses the extremely powerful motor of the pro audio driver and a cone with more moving mass than the LE10A.
 
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Yes, the L110s are a fantastic speaker. IMO, one of the best JBLs ever , "plug and play" at least.
I paid top dollar for pair off the bay back in February since I always wanted pair since 1979 , drooling over the black and white, no nonsense ad they had on them back then.
I was not disappointed with them at all. It's just that I also happen to have paid top dollar for a pair of L7s , three days later, that were some what disappointing. The more costly L7s of coarse took precedence since and required a lot of tweaking to get right.
I'll get the 110s back in rotation soon. Their only glaring weakness is that they're not mirror imaged. The sound stage is shifted to one side. Otherwise they'ed really be preferred over my NS1000s.
 
Yes, the L110s are a fantastic speaker. IMO, one of the best JBLs ever , "plug and play" at least.
I paid top dollar for pair off the bay back in February since I always wanted pair since 1979 , drooling over the black and white, no nonsense ad they had on them back then.
I was not disappointed with them at all. It's just that I also happen to have paid top dollar for a pair of L7s , three days later, that were some what disappointing. The more costly L7s of coarse took precedence since and required a lot of tweaking to get right.
I'll get the 110s back in rotation soon. Their only glaring weakness is that they're not mirror imaged. The sound stage is shifted to one side. Otherwise they'ed really be preferred over my NS1000s.
What kind of tweaking did the l7 need and how do the l7 compare to the l110 after the tweaking in your opinion?
 
Looks like the L110 cost around $430/each in their last year of production, 1980.
The L7 cost around $925/each in their first-year listed, 1992. That's pretty close to being a wash when you consider inflation and the fact that the L7 was sold at discount stores like Best Buy back then. I love my L96s, which are quite similar to the L110 though many think the L96 has the better tweeter. They don't do anything wrong and can play just about any music well in just about any system. But for soundstage and dynamics, the L7 will simply blow them away, particularly if you provide enough power and like your music on the loud end of the sound-pressure spectrum. If you have limited space, stick with the rather-large "bookshelf" styles but if your room permits the placement you will be rewarded by the L7 which can stand tall against modern speakers ten-times the cost.

My opinion, of course, but then I have L100, L112, L96, 4412A, and L1, L3, L5, and L7s in the same house for comparison. When I'm playing the L7s upstairs, my family downstairs asks me to turn the music down. They never do that when I'm playing the L96 or L5s! :thumbsup:
 
Looks like the L110 cost around $430/each in their last year of production, 1980.
The L7 cost around $925/each in their first-year listed, 1992. That's pretty close to being a wash when you consider inflation and the fact that the L7 was sold at discount stores like Best Buy back then. I love my L96s, which are quite similar to the L110 though many think the L96 has the better tweeter. They don't do anything wrong and can play just about any music well in just about any system. But for soundstage and dynamics, the L7 will simply blow them away, particularly if you provide enough power and like your music on the loud end of the sound-pressure spectrum. If you have limited space, stick with the rather-large "bookshelf" styles but if your room permits the placement you will be rewarded by the L7 which can stand tall against modern speakers ten-times the cost.

My opinion, of course, but then I have L100, L112, L96, 4412A, and L1, L3, L5, and L7s in the same house for comparison. When I'm playing the L7s upstairs, my family downstairs asks me to turn the music down. They never do that when I'm playing the L96 or L5s! :thumbsup:
$925 in 1992 was quite a bit more than $430 in 1980.....about 25% more.

How much power do you think the l7 needs to shine?
 
I didn't mean my post as a contest between the two. There is no contest, it's just the L7s , being a flagship model and doing the research on them, I expected more. A more fine tuned speaker that is capable, especially with the modern caps , damping material and other components that allow for this now a days.
I did say plug and play wise.
Yeah I'm pleased with my L7s now and yes they can compete with modern speakers many times their cost.
 
$925 in 1992 was quite a bit more than $430 in 1980.....about 25% more.

How much power do you think the l7 needs to shine?
Inflation calculators equate $430 in 1980 with $732 in 1992. When you factor in how JBL marketed their speakers in 1980 versus 1992 ("fair-trade" versus big-box discount stores) that extra 20% discount from Best Buy puts them right in line with each other. Okay, it's actually $740, but I'll chip in the extra eight-bucks for those who buy the L7 and don't think it's that much better than the L110! :thumbsup:

I generally run my L7s on Crown PS400, Soundcraftsmen Pro-Power-Four, or JBL/Urei 6260 amps. All are rated approximately 200WPC into 8-ohms and over 300WPC into 4-ohms. The L7 is rated at 6-ohms and the recommended amplifier power range is listed as 35w to 450w. I've never felt the need for more power at the levels I listen to them but I have often thought about bridging two Crowns or running the L7 in true bi-amp form making the blue-wire swap inside the crossover. My gut tells me they go a bit deeper on the Soundcraftsmen (and I have two of those to bridge, too) but I usually end up with them connected to the Crown. I've not measured room response with instruments. To be fair, I have run the L96s on the PS400, too, but I can't say I hear a difference between that and the half-power-level PS200 which usually power those. I've also run the L7s on the PS200 and that sounds fine, too. It will really depend on your room, type of music, and how much sound-pressure you can take!

That's just my opinion from years of listening to all of these. I will admit that anyone who can actually detect a shifted soundstage from non-mirror-imaged JBL 10-inch 3-ways in a normal-size room is probably far better equipped to answer these questions than I am. But then I find the L7 produces a sound-stage you can actually walk around in!
:beerchug:
 
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