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Jbl l100s

Enthusiast2 said:
At this point I have no idea what the hell anybody in this thread is talking about. :headscrat
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Guess that thought matches my confusion about which speakers to buy. I have decided to pass on the L100S's for now, both because of price and they are wood simulated vinyl.

I've been trying to figure out the best pair of JBL's for my McIntosh MAC 1700. Trying out several models is probably the best but also potentially the most expensive method.

I'm sure when it is meant to be, I'll stumble upon the perfect pair of speakers. Advice on this thread has been helpful as I am trying to buy a pair of keepers.
 
it would be a simple matter to bring your mac to test the speakers.

I have owned some L100 and sold them without regret. i miss the pair of l100T i had and am activily looking for another pair. I might keep them. I strongly prefer them over the L100. They aren't as iconic looking but (IMO) sound much better
 
Kneedeepinit said:
I have owned some L100 and sold them without regret. I miss the pair of L100T i had and am actively looking for another pair. I might keep them. I strongly prefer them over the L100. They aren't as iconic looking but (IMO) sound much better
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And you know that's really what it should be all about. That's why I suggested the L100S might not be such a bad deal as long as the price takes into consideration that they're veneered in vinyl.

People who don't have as deep a knowledge of JBL always suggest L100 Century-style. Sometimes even those who know will but it's more of a nostalgia thing or, as Zilch said, "fake but fun". There are plenty of later JBLs that will knock the Centuries in the weeds, starting with the L112 Century-II. Read up on the L96, 4410, 4412, L5, L7 L100T, and even the L80T and you'll likely find something nearby for short money that will blow your head off! The ti series will cost you more but you never know what some people will let old speakers go for.
 
I have an original pair of Century L100's stashed away. Last Fall when I got my EV Sentry 500's I dug them out and did an A/B comparison between them. A BGW 7500 was used for the power amp and a Mackie CR 1604 mixer used to select from different audio sources. No matter what I ran through them the EV's were far better for my tastes and are in my production studio today while the L100's are aging gracefully gathering dust. I've pondered taking the crossovers over to Madisound to see what, if anything, they may have for improving the audio quality but that task is low on my list at the moment.

I'm not saying the L100 is in any way a bad speaker but they do have their own unique sound from that era. Being a true control room monitor the Sentry 500's don't look as nice in a living room as the L100's but their audio reproduction qualities are in a totally different class of performance. Since I happen to own both I'm offering a personal opinion based upon experience. I'd try the EV Sentry 500's with that Mac and they can be found in decent condition for half the price or less than a pair of JBL L100's in the same shape. The L100 is an iconic home audio speaker, the Sentry 500 is a professional audio control room speaker that rarely ended up in home audio systems. Whatever your final choice may be good luck and enjoy.
 
BobbyBluz said:
I'm not saying the L100 is in any way a bad speaker but they do have their own unique sound from that era.
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Again, let's not confuse the model L100 with the model L100S. We're not just talking about then in plural, the "S" means a different speaker than the original. I have over a dozen pair of JBLs. I grew up and already owned a pair of JBLs when the L100 came out. I never wanted them or owned a pair. I can say that some of my best friends did and still do own them so I have plenty of ear time to know what I like and don't like.

I don't hear anyone recommending the L100 but several have indicated that the L100S and L100T and L100T3 would be a good buy for the right money. I agree.
 
I have been unable to successfully find a pair of speakers yet, trying to be patient but its hard to wait.

I am currently considering a pair of very clean JBL 4312 Studio Monitors for a fair but not a low price. Should probably wait and look for a deal on L100S, L100T, L100T3's or one of the others recommended in this thread...

I notice from the pictures of the 4312 sent the pair does not have titanium tweeters, but rather cones. I notice from many pictures of 4311 sold on ebay that some appear to have metal twitter and some do not. Are cone twitters a red flag?

Opinions on the potential match of a pair of 4312?
 
My personal experiences with wanting a particular piece of equipment and waiting for it to show up local and then being able to purchase are not good. So expand you options choices, be patient or look somewhere with a greater offerings.



Barney
 
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Hope this helps the confusion. :thmbsp:

L100S
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L100
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SoundOfSound said:
Hope this helps the confusion. :thmbsp:

L100S
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L100
l100a.JPG
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The pair I own are the ones on the bottom. They satisfy me, the orange foam is long gone replaced by black.

I feel one will never find the 100% perfect speaker, just great ones. I quit chasing and just enjoy what I have now.


Barney
 
Oerets said:
I feel one will never find the 100% perfect speaker, just great ones. I quit chasing and just enjoy what I have now.
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Yeah, I know the feeling.

But if I really wanted a great vintage JBL and all I could find were 4311 or L100 Centuries . . . I'd just wait for something else to come along. I can't believe there aren't any L5 or L7s in the OP's area. A visit to Bartertown, $300 and a drive to Kansas City can net you some L5s.

You've been looking, what, for a week now? How old are you? Are you about to die? ;) Just hold on and keep looking. As I said, read and learn. You'll find the right ones for you. If you get a good pair, they probably won't be your last. If you get the wrong ones, you may never want a JBL again. It took me fifty-years of living with JBLs in the house before I got them, but once you get the bug you might end up with something like this:

 
Enthusiast2 said:
I had the ones on the bottom. They were nothing special.
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Exactly!! After hearing folks rave about them (mostly based on their memories from College, i suspect) a few years ago I found a pair locally for a few hundred bucks. I had a pair of new sculpted foam grills made for them, did some minor repairs, but I never figured out what the point was ... fake fun bass, as Zilch used to say about the L100 Centuryl!

I have also had 2 pairs of L100T speakers, had them upgraded with the T3 crossover, and really enjoyed them. A newer design, better drivers and much better sound.
 
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What does it do to the sound quality and monetary value of a pair of L100S's if they are refoamed on the wrong side (front side instead of back side)?
 
corpblues said:
What does it do to the sound quality and monetary value of a pair of L100S's if they are refoamed on the wrong side (front side instead of back side)?
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It pretty much ruins the monetary value because it really isn't reversible. It may not alter the sound at all at normal levels but it will mis-align the voice coil such that the excursion will no longer be symmetrical. If the spider is sagging, it will exacerbate the problem, etc. :dunno:
 
It's an aesthetic issue. Very difficult to remove foam and glue from the face of a pulp cone and make it look like it was never there. And that's without knowing what glue they used. I've seen Gorilla glue used on surrounds!
 
bentpencil said:
I must be missing something. Why can't they be re-foamed properly?
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Most of the time a shadow of the glue line will still be able to be seen. Appearance matters to some.

Some buyers are not comfortable doing a refoam also.

I if keeping, would look at it the same as one needing rotten foam replaced, and by as fixeruppers.


Also to be noted, the foam might now be hiding a bad edge cleanup. Cone edge maybe damaged. Seen this on some redo's!

Barney
 
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