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JBL l100 speaker impressions? (original)

T

TrevorBarten

Well-Known Member
I am going to be buying a bunch of audio stuff soon if all goes well and included is a pair of jbl l100 speakers. From the price this pair of speakers seems to command I get the impression that these are quite iconic. However I was surprised at how little I could find in terms of actual praise or even discussion regarding the 70s l100s. I could find some reviews for a modern re-release? Not entirely sure. Regardless since I couldn't find too much online regarding these I figured I'd just ask. What makes these so expensive? Do they do anything particularly well or is it similar to the rogers ls3/5a where the actual speakers themselves aren't particularly good for the money but it's just that they have becomes collector's items? And what where these even made for, studio use or home listening? Also when going to pick these up is there anything specific I should be looking out for besides the standard speaker stuff.
 
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JBL made very high quality components (woofers, mids & tweeters) in the 1950's, 60's & 70's (and still do) and would come up with creative ways of combining them into nice looking cabinetry during those decades.

The L100, among others in the JBL lineup, are basically 1970's era furniture that happen to make sound when hooked up to a stereo system. If you look at them that way, they sound pretty good. The main drawback of the L100 is the size of the cabinet, it is too small for the 123A woofer.
 
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There’s a ton of info on these speakers. They started out as the 4310 monitors, which were voiced purposely to match the Altec monitors of the time. Very successful, short version is that they launched the JBL L100 Century home version with the drivers in-line like the 4310, slightly modified crossover, walnut veneer cabinets, and the iconic Quadrex II grilles.

Later came the new driver layout and other changes, the L100A and L100A “late”.

They were extremely popular rock speakers and speakers in general in their time, their later model speakers were much better at HF and at bass, and flatter response, the L166 pushed the L100A to the curb for me.

Today there are many fans of the original look, and yes the original sound of the L100 series. To be clear though, much of the music of the time was mixed using the 4310 (studio version of the L100 Century) and 4311 (studio version of the L100A) so if you are listening to music mastered and mixed with these monitors, you’re hearing it as the Mixing Engineer and Musician heard it when they said “that’s a wrap” and sent it to print.

The real value however is as a collectible in my opinion. When I found that I could get close to $4,000 for mine (like-new with boxes) and buy new L100 speakers from JBL for that, mine went away, but the vintage system has never looked quite as period-perfect. Those speakers were recognized by many visitors here.

If they’re really nice, original parts and pieces, they are very collectible.
 
Downsides of the L100 include:

Paper-cone tweeters that produce veiled and overall mediocre upper-treble. This is why JBL had already been using compression-driver+horns on their higher-end speakers even during the L100 era, and dome tweeters completely replaced paper-cone tweeters on their other models only a few years after the L100 was released.

Woofer is run full-range, meaning it also contributes to the mid-range and treble. This contributes to it's unique sound signature, and allows for it's simple crossover, but the problem is, when a driver contributes to frequencies so far above it's ideal range, you end up with directivity issues where everything sounds fine when you are right in front of the speaker but certain frequencies seem to drop off as you move to either side.

Mediocre deep bass due to cabinet being too small and limited power handling of Alnico woofers in earlier models.

But, if you want a more positive take; some actually prefer veiled treble as it is far less likely to produce listening fatigue and is more forgiving with bad source material. Some like the L100's unique sound signature and the directivity issues caused by the woofer aren't a big deal if you are listening in the sweet spot. The LE5 midrange is competent, and you can always augment the deep bass by using a subwoofer.

My recommendation is usually that people sell them, since they can be sold for quite a bit, and then buy either a better vintage JBL or even something newer (JBL 580 or 590 for example). But you should listen to them first and see what you think.
 
As one who never cared for them for the longest time. No idea of how many pairs acquired and sold. Yet always kept a minty pair back subconsciously it seems.
Finally tried them on tube amplifiers and can now see why they have such a loyal following.

Listing to them now as a matter of fact.
 
TrevorBarten said:
..a pair of jbl l100 speakers... I was surprised at how little I could find in terms of actual praise or even discussion regarding the 70s l100s.
Click to expand...

Huh?

Not to be a jerk but how hard did you try?

Those are considered an iconic speaker and sold like hotcakes back in the day. They are still praised to this very day by many folks who have owned them or recently acquired a pair.

I'm not sure what you used to search for them but you should easily be able to find a LOT of info on them especially here on AK

I don't normally like holding hands but just to show you what I'm talking about and this is just for "JBL L100" in thread title only, see below


SaturationPt said:
There’s a ton of info on these speakers.
Click to expand...

Exactly!!!!
 
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I liked them well enough, but sold them off when I got an offer I couldn't refuse. Any fan of vintage audio should hear a pair just to be able to judge for themselves.

As a rock'n'roll/funk/disco speaker, they're ok. For other types of music it will depend on personal taste.

Let us know what you think.
 
Dswankey said:
Huh?

Not to be a jerk but how hard did you try?

Those are considered an iconic speaker and sold like hotcakes back in the day. They are still praised to this very day by many folks who have owned them or recently acquired a pair.

I'm not sure what you used to search for them but you should easily be able to find a LOT of info on them especially here on AK

I don't normally like holding hands but just to show you what I'm talking about and this is just for "JBL L100" in thread title only, see below




Exactly!!!!
Click to expand...
The main thing I was looking for was sound impressions not questions about compatibility or restoration. I couldn't and still really can't find too much regarding that.
 
You're welcome!

Any reference to "L100 Classic," is the new reissue speaker. A totally different beast. ;)
 
Impressions? Punchy and fun, but also honky and dull with one-note bass. It just depends on what you’re used to, and what you like.

A better place to discuss would be the Lansing Legacy (JBL et al) forum.
 
I have the very first pair I ever heard back in 1971. I keep them as a reference to their iconic status—not because of their sound quality.
I have over a dozen JBLs and these, though pretty to look at, hardly ever get any play. The underdog L5 is a far better speaker for sometimes a tenth of the L100 price.

52563910644_354c5eb602_k.jpg
 
BMWCCA said:
I have the very first pair I ever heard back in 1971. I keep them as a reference to their iconic status—not because of their sound quality.
I have over a dozen JBLs and these, though pretty to look at, hardly ever get any play. The underdog L5 is a far better speaker for sometimes a tenth of the L100 price.

52563910644_354c5eb602_k.jpg
Click to expand...
I have a pair from the 1970s, too. I like playing the thing loud, for long stretches of time. Need good amplification.

JBL L-100 grilles (1) small.jpg


L166 with grille (small).jpg
I like the L166 better. Low volume to loud. :thumbsup:
 
SaturationPt said:
There’s a ton of info on these speakers. They started out as the 4310 monitors, which were voiced purposely to match the Altec monitors of the time. Very successful, short version is that they launched the JBL L100 Century home version with the drivers in-line like the 4310, slightly modified crossover, walnut veneer cabinets, and the iconic Quadrex II grilles.

Later came the new driver layout and other changes, the L100A and L100A “late”.

They were extremely popular rock speakers and speakers in general in their time, their later model speakers were much better at HF and at bass, and flatter response, the L166 pushed the L100A to the curb for me.

Today there are many fans of the original look, and yes the original sound of the L100 series. To be clear though, much of the music of the time was mixed using the 4310 (studio version of the L100 Century) and 4311 (studio version of the L100A) so if you are listening to music mastered and mixed with these monitors, you’re hearing it as the Mixing Engineer and Musician heard it when they said “that’s a wrap” and sent it to print.

The real value however is as a collectible in my opinion. When I found that I could get close to $4,000 for mine (like-new with boxes) and buy new L100 speakers from JBL for that, mine went away, but the vintage system has never looked quite as period-perfect. Those speakers were recognized by many visitors here.

If they’re really nice, original parts and pieces, they are very collectible.
Click to expand...

yes, I echo @SaturationPt comments. I bought a pair of L100s new back in the day. They were very good, even though their response was not the flattest. I also later bought a pair of the L166s and was surprised at how much more natural they sounded. Both the L100s and L100As were great for rock, but a bit much for jazz or classical. The L166s were much better for the latter music types. but many folks really liked the L100s. JBL sold tons and tons of them.
 
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