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Do JBL speakers live up to their hype?

Wooferman93

Wooferman93

My systems louder
I hear alot about the JBL speakers and I was wondering if they live up to thier hype. Also, would you guys post pics of what is good and what is worth staying away from. I am thinking of picking a pair up for myself someday.

Thanks, Patrick.
 
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My actions should tell you my opinion. I always buy vintage JBL and have picked up quite a few. However, I've kept only one and that is the 4313B. I might keep the L-300 or L-65, should I ever luck into a pair.
 
The only way to know is to listen. Google is your friend. :yes: Craig's list is a great audio shop. :thmbsp:

More creamed angle worms on toast...please. :)
 
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i can give you just a taste.

L100's were very popular and still are in the used market - that's why they show up on a lot of the "best speaker" threads. in that sense there is some hype about them. an important speaker no doubt, used to monitor a lot of albums in the 70s and perhaps 80s too, but just a good speaker at the end of the day. (there, the can of worms is fully open!)

L250Ti's are the JBL i'd like to own someday - probably top-to-bottom the most accurate and flat high-end-ish speaker they made (not the most valuable, incidentally). supposedly it's the speaker the head JBL engineer chose to take home, FWIW.
 
Like most things audio related, the answer to your question is subject to personal preference and taste. That being said, IMO, buying a pair of properly functioning JBL speakers can hedge your bet that they will sound good for the price and quality range of a given speaker. Also, IMO, JBL earned its reputation by producing overall good speakers that represented good to very good value for the money spent where brands such as Bose got their reputation through marketing hype. As long as you don't overpay for a pair of properly working JBLs then you should generally be satisfied. Lastly, just remember, you get what you pay for.
 
Like all speaker co,, They all design to a price point...But JBL always gave the best in every level,, Vintage are new,, Take the early JBL Hartsfield and the new Everest II,, Or the 4312 and the new 6332,,, all sonicly different but all very good.
 
Some is and some ain't. Avoid the Radiance series unless you can get them virtually free to reuse the cabinets.

mike
 
JBL spent a lot of money on advertising, marketing and staff. Unfortunately that was reflected in the price. They are fine speakers. Some of the best ever I've used on stage. Their support department in Northridge was unsurpassed.. they even had a drive-up window at their fabulous facility in the North SF Valley. I drove up once.. handed them a blown woofer.. a few minutes later they handed me back a brand new woofer.. no receipts.. no paperwork. All that cost money and we sure paid for it on the retail end. Were they great speakers? Yes. Were they actually worth the money they were charging for them? No.
 
Like any speaker manufacturer some do and some don't. Many buy the L100's or their cousins and as Zilch likes to say they are "fun but fake". There are many JBL speakers that are better than the ever popular L100's. I pair I've been very happy with are JBL 4425 Studio Monitors. Here's a photo before I refinished the cabinets.

44251.jpg
 
Duffinator said:
Like any speaker manufacturer some do and some don't. Many buy the L100's or their cousins and as Zilch likes to say they are "fun but fake". There are many JBL speakers that are better than the ever popular L100's. I pair I've been very happy with are JBL 4425 Studio Monitors. Here's a photo before I refinished the cabinets.

44251.jpg
Click to expand...


Nice set-up!! :drool: What are those vintage JBL's in the back?
 
A speaker is the sum of its parts, combined to produce sound. You look at typical JBL components-especially their older products- and you can clearly see, feel & hear how quality components came to play in their famous sound! Others did this as well, namely ElectroVoice, Altec and others. The flix density in a typical JBL (older) driver is astounding- among many other attributes. All this is fine and well, but they also had the engineers that knew how to apply & use these components together very well.

A good ear mark of a great speaker (to me)- look at what the better recording studios are using as studio monitors, mixing monitors, etc. You get a speaker from that "family" them you probably have something very worth while!

At the end of the day a great speaker is finally about its comprimises- all speakers will have them- were they the right ones....for you!
DC
 
Duffinator said:
Like any speaker manufacturer some do and some don't. Many buy the L100's or their cousins and as Zilch likes to say they are "fun but fake". There are many JBL speakers that are better than the ever popular L100's. I pair I've been very happy with are JBL 4425 Studio Monitors. Here's a photo before I refinished the cabinets.

44251.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah and where's the CA-3000 preamp?:D
 
FredC said:
All that cost money and we sure paid for it on the retail end. Were they great speakers? Yes. Were they actually worth the money they were charging for them? No.
Click to expand...

I have to disagree with your last opinion.

All my L-100s, 4310s, 4311s and 4312s still perform as well as they did when new. No "refoaming" required.

My original L-100s. 35 years old. Other than the grille issue,resolved in the 80's, no problems.

Look at the quality of construction of JBL drivers. Compare the construction of a vintage JBL driver to most of the competition from the same era.

Literally no comparison.

Opinions vary. Always will. But in my opinion, they were well worth what they charged for them.

I have a pair of NLAs that were given to me by a lady having a yard sale. She told me that her son said they needed to be "reglued". When a fellow AKer (a fine fellow indeed) refoamed them for me, it appeared that it had already been done once before!

Look at this comparison from the Lansing Heritage website :

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/reference/general/1975-sum.htm

The sonic characteristics of a JBL speaker are clearly a matter of personal taste. There's dissention in the ranks even, as to which JBLs are preferred.

But there is little room to argue the quality of a vintage JBL speaker. :no:
 
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