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JBL L110 vs. L112 / L96

jbjsr

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I'm looking for a matched set of L112's or possibly L96's as my preference. I've heard the L112's but not L110's. Located a set of L110's in original / fair condition. How does the L110 compare to L112 / L96? I listen mostly to 60's / 70's classic rock. Will be using in my home office (approx 16x14) with good quality vintage solid state equipment and vinyl as the primary source.
 
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My preference is toward the woofer that is used in the L96 and L110, which are very similar. The woofer has a large voice coil and handles high power with ease. It has a punch and mid response that makes it a nice compromise for a system in a small enclosure. The L112 will ultimately go louder but not so much a difference in your room. The high end of the L112 and L96 might be livelier in the overall spatial response that makes it a better system for some. The 044 tweeter does have issues after so many years due to flaking aluminum so they can be a tricky investment.

So, I would go for the L110 as it is there for the taking if everything is working and is a fine speaker in its own right.
 
I've owned the L110 which I really liked, I'm sure you wouldn't regret them.(L110's have their followers), But ultimately I prefferred the punch of the 12" woofer for 70's rock in my 4311's I assume the L112's will provide similar benefit.. I've not heard the L96 or the L112 but I've generally read much more positive things about the L112's. I'm sure you'll have to pay much more for L112's than L110's as well. What I and many others do is just get what's available, listen to it, when the other one you're interested in comes up get them too then sell the one you like least. Of course in reality it doesn't work like that and you just end up hording a sh*t load of speakers cause you like em for different reasons:)
 
But ultimately I prefferred the punch of the 12" woofer for 70's rock in my 4311's I assume the L112's will provide similar benefit.. I've not heard the L96 or the L112 but I've generally read much more positive things about the L112's.
If you like the "punch" of the L100 you'll love the extended bass of the L112. The 128H is a much better woofer than the 123 which runs full-range in most of the L100 variants. But some of that "punch" might be the "fake but fun" aspect of the L100. They're not accurate but they do enhance the mid-frequencies, on purpose. For that matter, the L96 is a far more accurate speaker than the L100 and even reaches lower into real bass ranges. The L96 never does any wrong. The L112/4412 can over-emphasize LF range though barrier reinforcement caused by poor placement. The L96 seems less influenced by placement issues. If you like that kind of emphasis then you can get much more LF from the 12-inch 128H and H-1 than the 123 was ever capable of. I have L96, L112, and 4412A and they're all fantastic speakers. I still say you get more for your money in the L5 (or L7 which I also have) but many just prefer the classic look of the L112/L96, and I can't blame them. Stick the L5 anywhere and the array works perfectly. No placement issues with the stacked drivers and stand-up form factor. Even the rear port seems unaffected as long at it's not jammed against a wall.
 
I've owned the L110 which I really liked, I'm sure you wouldn't regret them.(L110's have their followers), But ultimately I prefferred the punch of the 12" woofer for 70's rock in my 4311's I assume the L112's will provide similar benefit.. I've not heard the L96 or the L112 but I've generally read much more positive things about the L112's. I'm sure you'll have to pay much more for L112's than L110's as well. What I and many others do is just get what's available, listen to it, when the other one you're interested in comes up get them too then sell the one you like least. Of course in reality it doesn't work like that and you just end up hording a sh*t load of speakers cause you like em for different reasons:)

Thanks Goldjazz and welcome to AK. Your suggestion is a good one and I agree most of us end up with more speakers than we need...
 
If you like the "punch" of the L100 you'll love the extended bass of the L112. The 128H is a much better woofer than the 123 which runs full-range in most of the L100 variants. But some of that "punch" might be the "fake but fun" aspect of the L100. They're not accurate but they do enhance the mid-frequencies, on purpose. For that matter, the L96 is a far more accurate speaker than the L100 and even reaches lower into real bass ranges. The L96 never does any wrong. The L112/4412 can over-emphasize LF range though barrier reinforcement caused by poor placement. The L96 seems less influenced by placement issues. If you like that kind of emphasis then you can get much more LF from the 12-inch 128H and H-1 than the 123 was ever capable of. I have L96, L112, and 4412A and they're all fantastic speakers. I still say you get more for your money in the L5 (or L7 which I also have) but many just prefer the classic look of the L112/L96, and I can't blame them. Stick the L5 anywhere and the array works perfectly. No placement issues with the stacked drivers and stand-up form factor. Even the rear port seems unaffected as long at it's not jammed against a wall.

Greetings BMWCCA- I agree on the 128H in the L112 and their classic looks. Do you have any experience or opinion in regards to the L110? I know it is an older series than the L112/96 and the set I'm looking need new surrounds and most likely the crossovers checked / recapped.
 
I've never owned L110s but they should be similar to the L96 in how they sound. Close to the 4313 pro-monitor as I recall and those have a good rep, particularly the B version. Personally I think re-capping JBLs is over-rated and often unnecessary. :dunno:
 
I've never owned L110s but they should be similar to the L96 in how they sound. Close to the 4313 pro-monitor as I recall and those have a good rep, particularly the B version. Personally I think re-capping JBLs is over-rated and often unnecessary. :dunno:

I can't say I agree, I heard a noticeable improvement when I recapped my L110s.

That's a bit off topic, though. I can definitely say that the L110 is a nice sounding speaker and if you have the chance to get a set for a decent price, I would get them. I like mine even though one has an L96 woofer.
 
If you like the "punch" of the L100 you'll love the extended bass of the L112. The 128H is a much better woofer than the 123 which runs full-range in most of the L100 variants. But some of that "punch" might be the "fake but fun" aspect of the L100. They're not accurate but they do enhance the mid-frequencies, on purpose. For that matter, the L96 is a far more accurate speaker than the L100 and even reaches lower into real bass ranges. The L96 never does any wrong. The L112/4412 can over-emphasize LF range though barrier reinforcement caused by poor placement. The L96 seems less influenced by placement issues. If you like that kind of emphasis then you can get much more LF from the 12-inch 128H and H-1 than the 123 was ever capable of. I have L96, L112, and 4412A and they're all fantastic speakers. I still say you get more for your money in the L5 (or L7 which I also have) but many just prefer the classic look of the L112/L96, and I can't blame them. Stick the L5 anywhere and the array works perfectly. No placement issues with the stacked drivers and stand-up form factor. Even the rear port seems unaffected as long at it's not jammed against a wall.

Cheers BMWCCA. Yeah agree with you're comments on the L100 (4311 in mys case) being probably inaccurate but fun. I really enjoyed 70's rock through them. The 4311's aren't in use now. I do have a little side project fixing up a pair of L166 so I'll be interested to see how they go.
 
I can't say I agree, I heard a noticeable improvement when I recapped my L110s.
Well, did you measure the original caps to see how they were performing with respect to their specification before the re-cap? Or did you perhaps just change their voicing with your substitution decisions? Did you do one then compare it with the other original, or do both at once and then play them to determine improvements had been made? Just curious.
 
Well, did you measure the original caps to see how they were performing with respect to their specification before the re-cap? Or did you perhaps just change their voicing with your substitution decisions? Did you do one then compare it with the other original, or do both at once and then play them to determine improvements had been made? Just curious.

Hey BMW, sorry I didn't mean to turn this into a discussion about recapping. Let's end the discussion here since I don't want to derail the thread and be respectful to the OP. There are plenty of threads on the topic so let's just leave it at that. :) I am sure you hold your opinion for valid reasons, as I do.
 
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