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Do JBL speakers live up to their hype?

Duffinator said:
I pair I've been very happy with are JBL 4425 Studio Monitors.
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+1

:thmbsp: for the 44xx series

4425005.jpg
 
Hype is just that. It's like expecting the beautiful blonde you picked up in a bar to look just as beautiful the following morning, with her make-up off and false teeth removed(trust me on this one). Every speaker has its faults and JBL's are no exception. But as with any other speaker, JBL's have their devotees, because to them, the perceived faults are far outweighed by the benefits.

My wife and I saw Avatar recently. The theater sound system was by JBL. The sound was exceptional, with a clarity and immediacy of attack that was startling. For that purpose, I doubt any other speaker could have done as well.
 
Yep JBL fan here!!

Lots of good JBL's out there vintage and new. As others have said you will need to listen to them to decide.

You will be hard pressed to find a build quality in an older speaker as good as JBL. They are out there but harder to find. JMO :yes:

( careful not to step on the worms )
 
I love my Klipsch, Bozaks, JBLs, Normans, Epis, Universities, Advents, Normans, M&K. However, my JBL 4410 Studio Monitors were my first real speakers and will be with me always. They just do everything so well, in a relatively small package.
 
70salesguy said:
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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This has nothing to do with what I said. The markup on JBL was astronomical compared to the actual cost of the components used. You paid for marketing. I had several friends who worked there.. they all said the same thing: "If I had to pay retail there's no way I would buy JBL knowing what they really cost."
 
Another vote for 4313b, *much* better than the 4311bs I had. I also like my C51 Apollos with the 15" D130 woofer and 075 ring radiator tweeter, they have a gorgeous midrange and big house filling sound while not quite reaching the highest high or lowest low of other speakers. But between 50 hz and 15,000 very nice. Great mid range with string and voices. Great for Jazz as well.

Of course they aren't the only good speakers out there I had Klipsch Herseys with more detail and perhaps more of a dynamic live sound at the cost of fatigue. I also like my NHT Super Ones as they have more extended highs than any of my JBLs and are very full sounding for 12 inch bookshelves but at the expense of the dynamics and room filling sound of my JBLs. You makes your choice and lives with your compromises as Popeye the audio fiend might say. :)
 
My first pair of speakers a couple years ago were L-77's and I love them, so much so that I jumped on a pair that came up a few months later......then a pair of Bolivars.....so JBL's sound good enough to be addictive........I am very happy thus far.(I have over 20 sets of various brands and the JBLs are still hooked up) Sure, there are better sounding speakers out there, but my JBLs will always be powered up somewhere in my house.....I would love to get another model JBL down the road, but they don't show up too often, the vintage ones anyway......so that in itself should tell you something.....
 
James Lansing and Co. invented many of the principles of sound we take for granted.

do i like every jbl speaker ?(their 'guitar' speakers are the worst...too hi-fi ), hell,no.

but i enjoy my l-112s , and l-60t speakers very much . they're dynamic in ways that
my other speakers can't match. i never paid much for my used ,refoamed jbls ,
so i suppose i can't answer the OP's question properly. other than

YES THEY DO.
 
It's all personal and subjective. I own L65's (raised on them) and L112's (LOVE them!). Just bought the Cornwalls by Klipsch and I love them too. I won't be selling the JBL's. JBL's are not over-hyped IMHO and are the real deal, just do your research.
 
SpeakerLabFan said:
+1

:thmbsp: for the 44xx series

4425005.jpg
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:thmbsp:

Would love to happen upon a set of 4425s or 4430s. :drool:
Currently listening to my 4412s as I type this. Absolutely and unequivocally love them for critical listening. I'll own them until the day I die.

Some of the older JBLs are less "accurate" - but are outstanding for home theater use IMO.
 
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JBL L96.....fantastic! Three-way 10" weigh 50 pounds each...kind-of rare
 

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Ah!

Technical reinforcement of why I like them.

It just so happens my hearing curve is the exact inverse of that curve!
 
Do they live up to their hype?Absolutely.Try to lift a L100 or L112 and you can tell by the weight and build quality that these are top drawer speakers.I like other speaker sounds but my JBLs will always have a place in my setups.
 
I own two pairs of JBL speakers, one modern and one vintage, and all I can say is yes! Aside from their new-fangled, low-end plastic stuff, JBLs are keepers.
 
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