JBL Decade L26

[Markw]

The L-16, 26 and 36 came at the right time.

You are correct sir. The big deal for the L16 was an exceptionally compact enclosure for a 8 inch 2-way. The L36 was the L26 with a mid-range added.

But the star of the show was the L-26, at least in my store. We could NOT keep them in stock when they were at $126. They also have a nice natural oak enclosure that looks great. :yes:

These were JBL's first attempt at a popularly priced line of speakers. Before that, all JBL's were priced above the mass market competition.

As 70Salesguy says, they did a pretty good job of mopping up the competition now that price was no longer an objection and they had a playa in the mid priced arena. Everyone could own the JBL sound. Well, almost everyone. I still couldn't afford 'em then.

The comparison to Advents is quite interesting since while both are priced similarly their personalities were totally different. JBL was pure west coast rock while the Advent leaned towards the more polite east coast sound. I don't see either as "better", but moreso as catering to different tastes. But, where before one with a set budget was more less inclined to go with the Advent, now another alternative existed from a well known name.

 

[humber]

They are home and they DO need work. One woofer surround is beginning to fall apart, the foam covering the tweeters is starting to disintergrate, a JBL badge is missing and 3 of the 4 connectors for the speaker cables have broken. So, where do I buy a good quality refoam kit that includes those large flat dust caps and any suggestions about replacing the speaker cable connectors? I will post pictures soon. I have not connected them to an amp so there could be more problems. And the cabinets are structurally sound but nasty looking.

 

[Clmrt]

Parts Express stocks the kit for the 125A surrounds, JBL still stocks the foam rings, and any binding post from PE will work, just drill out the hole slightly to fit.

I did, worked great.

 

[cary]

You might want to replace the cap in the crossover, since it is over twenty plus years old. I did it to my L26's and difference is very audible. The bass had more definition, better midrange and smoother highs. I used a Clarity cap, replaced the internal wires and replaced the stock binding posts with 5 ways. Powering them with an EL84 Magnavox amp and Bottlehead Foreplay preamp.

Cary Chin

 

[bigstereo]

For speaker wire binding posts, Parts Express is your friend.

For the tweeter foam rings:

Foam Ring LE25-2 JBL part #53363
Foam Ring LE25-4 JBL part #54279

As I recall, they are US $1.99 each. You can get them by calling the international JBL Pro distributor nearest you, listed here:

http://www.jblpro.com/pages/contacts/intlpacf.htm

Have fun fixing up your L26's.:yes: :thmbsp:

Rj

 

[humber]

I have finally worked out how to post photos. I hope I am smarter at restoring the JBL's.

 

[humber]

A couple more photos.

 

[PioneerGuy75]

I used to have a pair of those a few years back....Loved 'em!

But then I moved and sold 'em to a neighbor for $50:nono:
They were PERFECT!

Before I really knew what they were ity:

Oh well. Enjoyed 'em while I had 'em!

 

[Markw]

Well, it LOOKS like the woofers see to be in pretty good shape.

I can't tell frwe sure from the pics but aside from the surrounds around the tweets, they don't appear bad either. That's all good news.

The cabinets do appear to have suffered at least a little water damage fron what appears to be separation of the panels.

but, ultimately, how do they sound?

And, I'd watch out for birds, or is that an aftermarket tweeter you added?

 

[packrat]

I have a set of these too. They are nice sounding - my wife really likes them because we can play it as loud as we want and hear music anywhere in the house.

The foam surrounds are standard 10 inch foams. These woofers do not have the same very tight voice coil gap as some other JBL woofers so refoaming without taking the dust cap off is possible (search here for how to do that). Replace the binding posts with anything you can find locally - try a car audio shop and buy just the bare binding posts - the originals really do not work well. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy a complete rear hookup 'cup' with binding posts installed and then take the binding posts out. I'd look for typical black grill cloth from any pro-sound shop in Sydney. You shouldn't have to get anything from the US except maybe the grill badges if you really wanted them, and even then I bet there is a JBL Pro shop somewhere in AUS that'll sell you (or perhaps give you?) a set of badges.

Good luck with them!

 

[humber]

Thanks everyone for your help. I will post further photos after I have worked on the cabinets. I tried the one speaker with the ok surround. It sounded pretty good. The only problem was a scratchy pot on the front top panel. In Australia, to clean these pots we use either WD 40 or CRC. I may even consider some serious work on the crossover network.

 

[packrat]

Please don't use WD40 - on anything. Find some Deoxit. Those controls also clean themselves pretty well if you turn them full stop about 50 times.

 

[MidwestMan]

New Advent vs JBL L26

This is a really good speaker! :yes:

BITD when I was a salesman, we called it the "The Advent Killer".

If I am not mistaken, when they first came out they listed for $126 or $129 each. JBL was fair trade and no discounts were allowed. $126 was around the price for a large Advent at the time (corrections welcomed if needed).

I NEVER had a customer who told me that he was looking at Large Advents and then listened to the L26 end up buying the Advent. NEVER.

Now in all fairness. I'm sure that plenty of people bought the Advent that would never had considered the JBL. But it is fact that every customer that came into my store and told me that that were looking to buy a pair of speakers in the $125 per speaker price range and liked the large Advent ended up buying the L26.

My biggest problem was that I couldn't always keep them in stock!

THIS IS NOT A CRITICISM OF THE ADVENT - JUST A HISTORICAL FACT.

I have a pair of L26s and they perform very well with mid powered amps or receivers. They seem to really like Pioneer gear too. :thmbsp:

Let us know what YOU think after you get them and play them for a while.

I own both speakers and both are great. The L-26 sounds good if you like boomy base typical of recordings in the 70's. The Advents however go much deeper. When you get below 60 Hz, the L26 rolls off rapidly but the Advents rattle the windows and can reproduce the lowest notes of a pipe organ or bass guitar. My friend sold both speakers and his experience was that the Advents were almost always selected if the volume levels were equalized. The L26 was more efficient and sounded louder when fed with the same power. When the 40Hz heartbeat in the Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon recording played, the Advents would rattle the ceiling tiles while the L26 barely responded. That was also true of the L36 and L100. If you like the west coast style of sound, the JBL's are great but they lack the deep bass.

 

[MJ Clemmer]

LOVE them lil guys....

I have owned 3-4 pair of these at one time or another, matter of fact I HAVE a pair STILL in the boxes (NOS) and love the lil guys... A sweet sweet lil speaker that sounds like a big guy... sort of like a poodle thinks its a German Shepard, The L-26 Has a BIG BARK as most have stated here. I didnt see how much you got them for, but Im sure you will enjoy them a ton. good luck..... MJ:thmbsp:

 

[MJ Clemmer]

I got them for $38. Pickup is tomorrow. I will post photos. These speakers are definitely a project. Cabinets are scruffy. Does anyone have ideas how to replace speaker grills on these 70's JBL's?

GREAT price, Do the woofers need "refoamed"? if so, not a big deal, the foams may LOOK GREAT, but press a bit on the to see if the foam just falls apart (its a normal thing for this speaker, just ask ANYONE who has owned a pair, they were refoamed, or need to be) BUT again, NOT a big deal.... Good luck again, and thats a SWEET score...:thmbsp:

 

[VOT]

These were in my sights when I was a young lad. I bought Advent vinyls instead. I think the appeal was the loudness (efficiency) of the JBLs over the Advents. But now I own a pair of "scruffy" Decade 36, myself. Nice find.

 

[tarior]

. If you like the west coast style of sound, the JBL's are great but they lack the deep bass.

I dunno, I have L150s out in my garage, and they will rattle stuff off the shelves with ease. Apples and oranges, I know.
I have L26s, too. Great little speakers, I have to admit that Midwestman is right about them not being as deep, smoothly anyhow, as large Advents, but alot more fun to rock out with.

 

[djnagle]

When I was in the Navy, I bought 4 of them through the PX. I had them for years and really like them. Good speakers.

 

[MidwestMan]

I dunno, I have L150s out in my garage, and they will rattle stuff off the shelves with ease. Apples and oranges, I know.
I have L26s, too. Great little speakers, I have to admit that Midwestman is right about them not being as deep, smoothly anyhow, as large Advents, but alot more fun to rock out with.

You are right about the JBL's being fun to listen to with music above 60Hz. When listening to music like KC and the Sunshine Band, Alan Parsons Project, Beatles and Boston, the JBL's are great. On the other hand, the Advents do greater justice to music with pipe organs and bass guitars. I liken the JBL's to a Ford Mustang in that it's fun to drive. The Advents, however are less fatiguing to listen to over an extended period and could be compared to a Lincoln for a long drive.

 

[MidwestMan]

Advents vs JBL

These were in my sights when I was a young lad. I bought Advent vinyls instead. I think the appeal was the loudness (efficiency) of the JBLs over the Advents. But now I own a pair of "scruffy" Decade 36, myself. Nice find.

I knew several stereo dealers in the 70's. If the dealer carried JBL's and compared them with Advents, music with boomy mid-bass would be selected and the volume level would not be equalized. To an inexperienced listener, the JBL's would almost always "sound" better because they were merely louder. On the other hand, an Advent dealer would equalize the volume levels so that you were hearing the differences in the speakers and not the differences in efficiency. Listeners opinions could also be influenced by the placement of the speakers.