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Bolivar/JBL info please

tubeampking

tubeampking

Chronic dabbler
I was checking out a pair of Bolivar 3 way speakers on CL and had a couple questions. The pair I saw had 10" woofers and I'd swear the CNES look exactly like my L26s. Were these the same woofers? The mids look nondescript and the tweeters look like the CTS with the Masonite rings. Woofers are refoamed and if they're the same as the L26s its worth the asking price. Anyone help me out on this?
 
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Seems like they are very close relatives if not the exact same. I love my L26s too - I'd buy Bolivars if I ran across a pair in the wild.

KentTeffeteller said:
Hi,

Bolivar Speaker Works was a related division to JBL. Their intention was to be a less expensive version of the JBL line. These speakers were very high quality, well made but less fancy, and good value for the money back in the day. Made in Bolivar, TN and named after the highways which ran through Bolivar. Excellent by any standard. If you like the JBL house sound, you'll love Bolivar too. :tresbon:
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http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/bolivar-speakers.98012/

Also, http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/can-anyone-identify-these.212166/
 
Similar concept, similar sound. Cheaper drivers (as price point was crucial) and generally nice. Not the same, similar but done on a budget. Likeable when working well. I liked them in the day, a restored pair, I'd still enjoy. And Tennessee built, I'd own a pair with pride.
 
The only commonality of the woofers are that they both have inverted dust caps, which made the L26 look very modern, but the bolivars have ceramic magnets, where the JBL's had alnicos which will make them behave differently. The baskets are stamped steel, and the L26 have cast aluminum baskets.

I'm not knocking them, they might actually sound pretty good, but they aren't L26 woofers.

As for the mid and tweet, the cts mids I've heard plenty of good things about. The cts phenolic tweeters are okay, not really barn burners in the treble department but totally decent little performers.

Then again, the JBL tweeters that the L26 used were much the same story for me. Not great at being a midrange or a tweeter, but competent and listenable for the compromises they have.
 
The JBL dealer in my home town (Grand Junction, CO) carried Bolivar speakers back in the late 70's. They were very good sounding speakers. I don't remember a great deal about them, but I do remember strongly considering buying a pair back then.
 
I have the 3 way Bolivar 64s. Good sounding speakers, west coasty. Like JBLs, after whom they were modeled to a certain degree. By biggest beef with the "west coast sound" is my perception that while extremely pleasant sounding, they lack a certain definition that you would find in say a Rectiliniar Highboy. Let the bomb throwing begin.
 
Moon_Man said:
I have the 3 way Bolivar 64s. Good sounding speakers, west coasty. Like JBLs, after whom they were modeled to a certain degree. By biggest beef with the "west coast sound" is my perception that while extremely pleasant sounding, they lack a certain definition that you would find in say a Rectiliniar Highboy. Let the bomb throwing begin.
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No bombs here. I like JBL's but most of them were not know for their finesse.
 
Gazdatronik said:
No bombs here. I like JBL's but most of them were not know for their finesse.
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Right? And I guess I just don't get that. I have the little JBL L15's so I could always blame the lack of definition on their size and inherent limitations. But if I can't hear a finger plucking a guitar string, or the resonance of the hammer hitting a piano wire, etc., what's the point? This is why I'm so enamored with the Rectiliniar Highboys - such amazing definition and separation. Listen to Leo Kottke on a pair versus something with less definition and you'll be shocked at what you've been missing.
 
Moon_Man said:
Right? And I guess I just don't get that. I have the little JBL L15's so I could always blame the lack of definition on their size and inherent limitations. But if I can't hear a finger plucking a guitar string, or the resonance of the hammer hitting a piano wire, etc., what's the point? This is why I'm so enamored with the Rectiliniar Highboys - such amazing definition and separation. Listen to Leo Kottke on a pair versus something with less definition and you'll be shocked at what you've been missing.
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Some JBL are very good, but rectilinear prized themselves on their linearity. I like my recs a lot, but my DCM's much better.

Most of JBL's issues came from the cabinet design and crossover network.
The drivers themselves are, for the most part, excellent.

The L250 is a good example of them getting it right.
 
Funny you mentioned DCMs. Tonight I planned on moving my recently rehabbed TW1s to my main system from my seldom-used basement tube system to replace the CX-17s that have been in there a while. The TWs have a low WAF, but she lived with TF-2000's for a year so I should be able to get away with these. My Highboys are stuck in a recap and refinish project that I never seem to be able to get back to.

Personally, I like the sound of the Highboys better, but haven't really given the recapped and rehabbed Time Windows a shot at serious listening in a while. I've got some new live recordings of Leo Kottke that are particularly fond of, so I think I'll try them out with those.
 
Moon_Man said:
Funny you mentioned DCMs. Tonight I planned on moving my recently rehabbed TW1s to my main system from my seldom-used basement tube system to replace the CX-17s that have been in there a while. The TWs have a low WAF, but she lived with TF-2000's for a year so I should be able to get away with these. My Highboys are stuck in a recap and refinish project that I never seem to be able to get back to.

Personally, I like the sound of the Highboys better, but haven't really given the recapped and rehabbed Time Windows a shot at serious listening in a while. I've got some new live recordings of Leo Kottke that are particularly fond of, so I think I'll try them out with those.
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I'd love some TF 2000's, at least to listen to. The timewindows are interesting but I have found I'm not a huge fan of reflected sound. To that effect, I'm sorta in the process of neutering the rear tweeters of my Timeframe 600's, but after a little room treatment, the imaging went from good to phenomenal.

My rectilinears are the xi's, the budget ones, but they sound nice and flat, and I've upgraded the tweeters for more hf extension. They are in the garage, the bass is thunderous in there, they don't sound quite as good in the house.

I'd like to hear what some of the "major" rectilinears are capable of, come to think of it.
 
The Heil AMT type mid--tweeter speakers have a lot of definition and sound pretty flat to my ears. I listened to a pair a couple of months ago and many years ago. Still sound really good. Wish I had had the time take my live Ahmad Jamal recording over to listen to that great percussion in their performance. Sounds good on my HighBoys too.
 
Gazdatronik said:
I'd love some TF 2000's, at least to listen to.
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They sounded great, but I didn't have the room for them, so I really don't know how they would have sounded in the proper environment. I think you'd need an really big area to completely appreciate them. They wore out their welcome in the living room so I traded them for a complete rehab/mod/update on an untouched original ST-70 and PAS III. Fred - if you've seen the TF 2000's at HiOnFi, those were mine.

The TW1s are sounding great on my main system. Very nice soundstage. Again, not really the proper placement, but they are getting the job done. Outstandingly accurate, so now I have to finish the Highboy project to do a side-by-side.
 
Hi,

Bolivars were imported into the UK for a short while as budget versions
of JBL models. I can't speak for all models but some of them were very
remarkably British balanced, with relatively very flat even responses.
(Whilst still being able to kick butt regarding how loud they go.)

If you come across a pair, they are worth taking a risk on, they are
not crap at all compared to other similar loudspeakers which are.*
Ignore the drivers, I think they just had very decent crossovers.

rgds, sreten.

* Assuming speakers sell on what they look like, not quality.
 
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