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JBL L-96 or new equivalent speakers?

D

dedero

Member
Hey there!,

I actually own a pair of L-50s which I love but since a while I'm searching L-96s but here in Germany are pretty difficult to find.. I found an ad where they are being sold for 850eur, with a small hole in one of the mid-tone cones, they seems to be in good shape they seem to have the original drivers and also the grills are included which is a big deal for me..

I was wondering whether it makes sense to pay that money for the L-96s or should I go for some new pair of speakers around 1000eur

I saw even the newly released L-52s for that money but I cannot find a proper comparison online.. I understand that the L-52s are 2-way and the woofer is smaller than the L-96s so that means the bass will be a bit less, but they are new..

What do you think guys should I do here?

PS: I'm actually have a Sansui AU-717 with a NAD M10 V2 using my actual L-50s
 
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The L96 is a fantastic speaker. The 044 tweeter is wonderful. It's much more revealing and accurate than the paper-cone tweeters that came before (such as the LE26 tweeter in the L50), while also not being susceptible to the issues that later titanium-dome tweeters have with foam underneath the dome disintegrating (which can make the sound more harsh). It's the same tweeter that was used in the L112 and L150A. The LE5-12 midrange in the L96 is acoustically equivalent to the LE5-10 in the L50 so they should sound familiar, however the midrange is responsible for a slightly higher frequency range in the L96 vs the L50 (crossover frequencies are higher). The LE10H-1 woofer in the L96 is better than the 127A woofer in the L50 in just about every way possible. The LE10H-1 is also a ferrite woofer (127A is Alnico), so there is no risk of alnico demagnetization with the LE10H-1 woofer if you play the speakers too loud (especially with bass-heavy content).

So the L96 is clearly a very good JBL, and one of the better examples from that era. I'm sure that you would not be disappointed in the speaker itself. Whether it's worth the cost or not is a more difficult question to answer. Value is in the eye of the beholder. 850 eur is not cheap.

The L52 seems like a silly speaker and comically overpriced for what you get. An 8" woofer is what I would consider small. A 6" woofer is what I would consider tiny. The L52 has 5.25" woofers... barely larger than the midrange driver in your L50. These seem more like toy speakers, or something you would use on the sides of your computer monitor in an office.

If you are interested in a new JBL as opposed to a vintage JBL, you should check out the JBL 590. You can regularly find them for about $800 usd (pair), although I don't know what availability is like in Europe. That is actually cheaper than what I see the L52 being sold for, which is crazy. The 590 is an amazing speaker and was designed by Greg Timbers, a long-time JBL veteran engineer who designed some of the best vintage JBLs (L250, etc), and may have also designed your L50 speakers. So the 590, despite being a new speaker, still has a direct connection to JBL's golden era that goes far beyond simply having the same logo on the speaker. The same can't be said for the L52...
 
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Thanks for the hints guys

Great explanation Chris, really appreciate the time you took to write!, I didn't know the existance of the JBL Studio 590 but unfortunately here in Europe are not available, just few users selling them on ebay in US with the shipping costing the same as the speaker price.. on the other hand I'm not a big fan of such floorstanding speakers (columns), I rather prefer the shape of the L-series, which unfortunately are not that common anymore.. maybe because the columns are usually used in multi channel systems, no idea..

I think I'll wait until a cheaper L96 comes up because 850eur seems quite a lot for them.. I'm really tempted though :D
 
dedero said:
I think I'll wait until a cheaper L96 comes up because 850eur seems quite a lot for them.. I'm really tempted though :D
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You only live once.

With this mindset, by the time everything is said and done you will have spent the bulk of your life waiting around. Not good. The wait for a good pair of L96 to pop up, in need of no repairs, at the price you want to pay, could be a long wait.
 
So I got the L96s for 700eur.. I could fight the price a bit due to the mid-cone hole and so far I'm very happy with the upgrade!, I couldn't find (so far, it still remains a lot of tests) soo much difference with the L50s but still, there are so many better things I can hear now..

I'm waiting an OEM replacement for the mid-driver, so far there's nothing on ebay besides the chinese copy.. here is the hole I'm talking about:

View media item 28317
Next steps will be to upgrade the connectors to high quality bananas and eventually a recap of the crossovers, but I'm not sure yet about the latter.. do you think it worth recapping it or might change the sound a lot doing that?

Cheers
 
Your link above doesn't seem to be working.
What I was going to add, prior to seeing that you've already made your purchase, is that the 4410 and 4410A are very similar to the L96 but with the later titanium tweeters. I own the L96 and they are one of my favorites. I also own L112 and 4412A. In theory the L80T should be similar but I have two pair of those and never warmed up to their sound, even after many modifications.

I'm always compelled to add that even owning L96, L112, and 4412A, what I listen to in my secondary system is the L5 which plays with (or above) the three-way 10s and 12-inch legacy systems. Both my pairs of L5 were found for $200/pair. Don't know how available the L-series (L1, L3, L5, L7) is in Europe but you did get a 90-series there that we never got here that has a great looking set of drivers.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=48666&stc=1&d=1290460328
 
dedero said:
So I got the L96s for 700eur.. I could fight the price a bit due to the mid-cone hole and so far I'm very happy with the upgrade!, I couldn't find (so far, it still remains a lot of tests) soo much difference with the L50s but still, there are so many better things I can hear now..

I'm waiting an OEM replacement for the mid-driver, so far there's nothing on ebay besides the chinese copy.
Click to expand...

When searching for your midrange replacement, keep in mind that the LE5-6, LE5-8, LE5-10, and LE5-12 are all acoustically equivalent and interchangeable. Cosmetically, the LE5-6 and LE5-10 have a black front frame and the LE5-8 and LE5-12 have a silver front frame, but that has nothing to do with the sound. You might consider simply swapping the LE5-10 midrange drivers from your L50 into your L96 speakers (which use LE5-12), either permanently or while you wait for the replacement.

I would not worry too much about recapping. Enjoy them for a while and then potentially work on that later. My L150 still has original caps and is doing fine for now.
 
dedero said:
So I got the L96s for 700eur.. I could fight the price a bit due to the mid-cone hole and so far I'm very happy with the upgrade!, I couldn't find (so far, it still remains a lot of tests) soo much difference with the L50s but still, there are so many better things I can hear now..

I'm waiting an OEM replacement for the mid-driver, so far there's nothing on ebay besides the chinese copy.. here is the hole I'm talking about:

View media item 28317
Next steps will be to upgrade the connectors to high quality bananas and eventually a recap of the crossovers, but I'm not sure yet about the latter.. do you think it worth recapping it or might change the sound a lot doing that?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Congratulations on getting a beautiful speaker! They've been on my wish list for a while. Almost had a pair, but not quite. Just out of curiosity, I didn't note it anywhere in the thread. What are you using to drive them?

Ooops! Nevermind! I just saw that you have a Sansui and an NAD to choose from. Have you tried both of them yet? I would be very interested in the results.
 
@BilboBaggins thanks a lot!, I just saw your message.. for some reason I never got the notification email..

So far I'm very happy with the configuration I'm having now. From first sight comparing the Sansui and the NAD M10 I realized that the M10 is designed to have a subwoofer.. it doesn't have the power to drive the speakers like the Sansui has.. even though there's a difference of 15 watts between them (M10 100w and Sansui 85w), I've tried to find everywhere without success why newer devices has no punch like the Sansui has.. I've tried several of them but none of them are like the Sansui.. maybe with old speakers newer devices works different.. no idea..

So far I'm using the M10 for TV and background listening and the Sansui when I want to chill and listen music, I find the latter way superior in many things, not only in punch, but that's just my opinion..
 
dedero said:
@BilboBaggins thanks a lot!, I just saw your message.. for some reason I never got the notification email..

So far I'm very happy with the configuration I'm having now. From first sight comparing the Sansui and the NAD M10 I realized that the M10 is designed to have a subwoofer.. it doesn't have the power to drive the speakers like the Sansui has.. even though there's a difference of 15 watts between them (M10 100w and Sansui 85w), I've tried to find everywhere without success why newer devices has no punch like the Sansui has.. I've tried several of them but none of them are like the Sansui.. maybe with old speakers newer devices works different.. no idea..

So far I'm using the M10 for TV and background listening and the Sansui when I want to chill and listen music, I find the latter way superior in many things, not only in punch, but that's just my opinion..
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I have experienced this quite a bit. I think it is cheaper for companies to design with a sub woofer in mind. Think about it. A separate unit with its own amp will drive the lows and leave the rest to the amp. Older amps were designed to drive the whole spectrum.
 
I bought my L-96's in 1982 from a college roommate for $400. It was a steal then and now anything under $850 dollars will be gone in a heart-beat. I wouldn't sell mine for anything less than $1000, because they would be impossible to replace. I just had a college student re-foam the woofers for $120 for the pair, which is a great price, because I was quoted over $140 to have an audio shop re-foam them 20 years ago. The student did a great job. Considering the original 044 tweeters are selling on eBay for $495, if you can find a pair for $850 euros, buy them.
 
dedero said:
So I got the L96s for 700eur.. I could fight the price a bit due to the mid-cone hole and so far I'm very happy with the upgrade!, I couldn't find (so far, it still remains a lot of tests) soo much difference with the L50s but still, there are so many better things I can hear now..

I'm waiting an OEM replacement for the mid-driver, so far there's nothing on ebay besides the chinese copy.. here is the hole I'm talking about:

View media item 28317
Next steps will be to upgrade the connectors to high quality bananas and eventually a recap of the crossovers, but I'm not sure yet about the latter.. do you think it worth recapping it or might change the sound a lot doing that?

Cheers
Click to expand...
There's a listing on eBay for the mid-range speaker for one at $54.95, and they have a pair available: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1661336962...hyM6fTitw06Pom2c8RxZQmR7+p|tkp:Bk9SR4zBh7q5Yg
 
PhilPerri1 said:
Considering the original 044 tweeters are selling on eBay for $495
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An unsold listing on eBay doesn't mean that is what that item is worth. Many of the items on eBay are listed with prices that represent "wishful thinking" on the part of the seller. Worth is what buyers are willing to pay. I could put a pair of dirty socks up on eBay for $2000 if I wanted to.

To be clear, I think the 044 is a great tweeter, but $495 is rather absurd. You can get a brand new pair of JBL 580 speakers for $600.
 
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