Are new JBL 100 Classics cancelled?

teashea

Active Member
There has been no word or explanation from JBL regarding why they did not release the new JBL 100 Classics last spring. I wonder if this means that they decided to cancel them.
 
Not sure. Their website says "Coming Soon" which may mean "We're waiting to see how many orders we'll get from JBL Synthesis dealers to stock and then show customers." Considering that larger bookshelf size speakers weighing almost 60 pounds is maybe quite different from what the mainstream 18-40 year old is currently looking for in a speaker, plus only the older crowd has any knowledge of the original L100, there may be obstacles to creating demand. Also, the transition from Harman to Samsung ownership may affect JBL's marketing plans, although this speaker may do well in the Japanese and APAC (Asian Pacific) markets.

Hopefully, the speaker sounds very good to excellent, although the quoted frequency range of 40hz-40khz +/- 6db is pretty non-descript. Surely, they could have tightened that down with good crossover design and listening tests, a specialty of Greg Timbers, FORMER JBL Chief engineer and system designer. The weight suggests use of heavy ferrite magnets instead of more exotic neodynium or resurgent alnico so its not clear to me aside from cast frames, how much work went into the drivers. They seem to have the look and details right, let's hope they get a very good sounding speaker, not necessarily following the old L100 response curve. Interesting they are using a soft surround suspended titanium diaphragm tweeter and a honking-big flared port.

Here's some info on them:
https://www.jblsynthesis.com/tl_files/catalog//jblsynthesis/L100/JBL_L100Classic_OM.pdf
https://www.jblsynthesis.com/productdetail/l100-classic.html
ImageHelper.php
Harman-JBL-L100_ONG_Pair_Stand_RT-fb006d08.jpg
Harman-JBL-L100_Detail_B_RT-a26dcba8.jpg
Harman-JBL-L100_Drama_RT-80a19ae9.jpg
ImageHelper.php
ImageHelper.php
Harman-JBL-L100_Stand_Side_RT-f56e87fa.jpg
Harman-JBL-L100_Stand_Front_RT-44eeced1.jpg
 
Yeah - they look great - will have to see about the performance ----- $4,000 is a lot but they could be worth it.
 
So, are the new owners going to get a letter from JBL down the road offering a replacement cloth grille?

thY7JSQNZR.jpg
.
 
Nice photos you found, Bart! Interestingly, the grill foams appear to be made of colored foam, as compared to the painted originals.

And here's a size comparison (I assume with the grilles on):

Original: 23.5" (h) x 14.5” (w) x 13.625" (d)

Reissue: 25.06" x 15.34" x 14.625"

So the proportions are pretty close but the box is larger. (In fact, it may be the biggest "bookshelf" JBL that I can think of; about the size of my 4425s but deeper.)

ImageHelper.php
 
Last edited:
If the crossover frequencies are correct this speaker will not sound anything like the classic 100 as the midrange driver as opposed to the woofer will be doing a lot more of the work!
 
Agree. They should sound dramatically better than the originals in all respects, unless the engineers set out deliberately to emulate the old West Coast sound.
 
Nice photos you found, Bart! Interestingly, the grill foams appear to be made of colored foam, as compared to the painted originals.

And here's a size comparison (I assume with the grilles on):

Original: 23.5" (h) x 14.5” (w) x 13.625" (d)

Reissue: 25.06" x 15.34" x 14.625"

So the proportions are pretty close but the box is larger.

ImageHelper.php

That's interesting. I never realized back when I was nineteen that the foam was painted. I picked the brown ones.
The letter I received from JBL stated you could go to an authorized JBL shop or (if I recall correctly order a 'kit' and do it yourself.) I still have that letter, but it's in one of the speaker boxes, buried at the bottom of a dozen more audio equipment boxes, and I ain't digging now.

At the time, considering I spent $600 bucks for those speakers (lots of money for a middle class nineteen year old, at least at that time.) I wasn't to thrilled to start pulling them apart, so I let a JBL shop do them. Never got to see them apart. Maybe then I would have realized they were painted.
I guess mine weren't old enough to have paint issues or foam rot yet. They were in good shape.

I recall getting another letter from JBL in the early 1980's. Telling us not to worry, your L100's are digital ready!
 
Why not just get the 4312E. Same drivers and only 1500 a piece, available now. I'm sure they sound the same as the new L100s. I also heard, just like the 4312E, the L100 will only be sold in Japan.
 
Last edited:
Per JBL:

4312SE (see https://jblsynthesis.com/productdetail/id_4312se.html):
  • Woofer: 1200FE-8
  • Midrange: 105H-1
  • Tweeter: 054ALMg-1
L100 Classic (https://www.jblsynthesis.com/productdetail/l100-classic.html):
  • Woofer: JW300PW-8
  • Midrange: 105H-1
  • Tweeter: JT025TI1-4
The L100 Classic also has a larger enclosure (23 1/2" x 14-1/4" x 12" versus 25 1/16" x 15.3/4" x 14 5/8"), albeit with a thicker grille, and a vertical driver configuration. (All of which leads me to believe the crossovers and port tuning are different, too.)

what the heck, why not? ;) ... all the details

"4312SE"
upload_2018-8-13_17-6-29.png

"L100 Classic"
upload_2018-8-13_17-7-54.png
 

Attachments

  • upload_2018-8-13_17-5-28.png
    upload_2018-8-13_17-5-28.png
    275.8 KB · Views: 2
The 4312SE monitors have the old L-100 style woofer surrounds.The new L-100 Classics have foam woofer surrounds. Just an observation based on above pics.
 
Not the foam they used back in the day, looked more to me like the heat-formed stuff that we used on a lot of high performance car woofers (Santoprene maybe?)... tougher and more durable than polyfoam, but with more tunable as far as compliance than a straight rubber surround would be. Bigger roll than a vintage JBL 12" would use also.

John
 
Interesting. Now that you point that out, using the 4312SE drivers, size and port, in the old (later-model) L100 offset layout would have resulted in a model that resembled the old L100s a lot more than these Classics do. Oh, well. I suspect they sound better this way.
 
Back
Top Bottom