JBL L26 - what do they sound like?

[Philip moses]

Hi,

I have a marantz 2215b and 1060.

I am contemplating pairing these amps with some jbl L26.

What do vintage jbl l26 sound like?
What sort of sonic character do tney have?

Are tney good for all types of music?

Thanks for any info.

 

[Chris Brown]

There is a lot of preference and opinion involved regarding what sounds "good". If you like the stereotypical 70's JBL sound, similar to the L100, these do that well enough. I would say that they are actually more balanced than the L36, which essentially has the same woofer and tweeter in addition to a midrange. Don't expect anything amazing out of that 10" alnico woofer though. If you like bass, look elsewhere. I am generally not a fan of the paper-cone tweeters either, but in this case, that design of tweeter helps it perform remarkably well all the way down to the 2500hz crossover point, at the expense of some power handling.

What is your goal in terms of music? What are you looking for from your speakers?

 

[galactus2]

This is so subjective, but let me try.

I have a vintage pair of the L-26's, bought from a friend a couple years ago. He bought them from the original owner, who had them re-foamed. In my listening room, the JBL's are the back speaker, while the front speakers are Klipsch KG 3.2's. Both are 2-way speakers, and often (but not always) can be found in similar price ranges on the used market.

They are powered by a modern Denon AVR, so that might not be a good comparison to your Marantz. Mostly I listen to classic rock, alt and some jazz. The system is also part of a 5.1 surround, for the occasional movie. But they're mostly for music, and movies/TV are an after thought.

I have no complaints about the JBL's, and one of the few things I'd consider replacing them with are other JBL's, such as the L-36 or higher. Some say JBL's are geared for rock, but I"m not sure if that's just a cliche or not. Even though they're currently my back speakers, I had them as the fronts for a long time. Just recently picked up the Klipsch, so I'm still experimenting on which I want up front.

One of the nice features on the JBL L-26 and L-36 (and many others) is the ability to adjust the high frequencies. You can dial them up or back, as your preference dictates. The bass response is very good.

To compare them to my Klipsch KG 3.2's, the Klipsch seem to hit 'brighter' highs, an attribute to their horn tweeters. I haven't decided yet on which I like better, as they both handle rock, alt and jazz quite well for my ears and budget.

Hope all this rambling helps.

 

[Philip moses]

Thanks for the replies.

I guess i just wanted to try something vintage with character.

I listen to a little of most types of music.

Always liked snells.

I don’t want anything fatiguing.

I read somewhere that the jbl l26 sounded very nice with the marantz 2215b, which leads me to want to try them.
But not if they are bright or fatiguing.

I don’t need every last detail or extreme highs or liws.
I want something that is easy to listen to.

I don’t really k ow the jbl sound.

At the moment i have mordant short pageant 2 from the 70s.

 

[Zonker92]

IMHO (I have a pair) they are pleasant, well-balanced speakers; very listenable with no real bad attributes. Not fatiguing.

 

[Fairlane]

They will be a great match with your Marantz gear. They are pretty efficient as well.
That woofer is a little dynamo in these and the L-36.

 

[MCM_Fan]

Compared to the very popular, but also controversial, L100 Centurys, the L36 and L26 Decades are less "forward". Most find them more balanced and less fatiguing than the more expensive, more collectible L100s. I believe the late Zilch described the L100s as fun, but not accurate speakers.

As mentioned, the L26 and L36 Decades have L-pads for taming the highs and mids (in the case of the L36 Decades) if you find them too forward. In my case, after recapping and refoaming my L36 Decades, I dialed back the midrange significantly and the tweeter just a touch. The result is a very natural, well balanced, non-fatiguing sound. I listen to mostly classical rock and alternative rock, but within those genres, I especially like acoustic and recorded live performances. To me, my L36 Decades capture the energy of a live performance without destroying the intimate ambiance of a smaller venue or the delicacy of an acoustic guitar.

In addition to the L26 and L36 Decades, if you are looking for a pair of smaller JBLs to pair with your Marantz 2215, I highly recommend the 4301Bs and their fraternal twins the L19/L19As. I am currently running a pair of 4301Bs with a Sherwood S-7100A receiver (similar vintage and power to your Marantz) and they sound great together - truly amazing, actually. Although the L25 tweeters sound quite nice in the L26/L36 Decades, the L26 tweeter in the 4301B/L19/L19A is even better, and that little 116H puts out an astonishing amount of tight, accurate, but forceful bass. There is good reason the 4301B/L19/L19A are favorites both here and on the Lansing Heritage site. Get them while you can, before the prices go up.

 

[Philip moses]

Over here in europe, the l26 are around $400 for a mint pair.
I will have to import from Italy to tne uk, as there are so few here.
Hence wanting to reduce tne chance of hating them.

The 4301b are signicantly more.

 

[Jayrosc]

Over here in europe, the l26 are around $400 for a mint pair.
I will have to import from Italy to tne uk, as there are so few here.
Hence wanting to reduce tne chance of hating them.

The 4301b are signicantly more.

Hey, I've had two pair of L26's and they ROCK. Really solid performers if you are going to put on stuff like Led Zep, Purple, pretty much any strong rock music. They do well with other types too, but they were made by JBL rock your socks off and they will. I don't know what you are gonna pay, but here in the states I sold both my pairs for $300 American. They are highly sensitive too, so they should be great with your other stuff.

 

[MCM_Fan]

Over here in europe, the l26 are around $400 for a mint pair.
I will have to import from Italy to tne uk, as there are so few here.
Hence wanting to reduce tne chance of hating them.

The 4301b are signicantly more.

A rising tide lifts all boats.

Prices for JBL L100s have gone nuts over here in the US, and that seems to be causing a significant increase in the prices of "lesser" JBL vintage speakers, too. If the 4301Bs are out of your price range, try looking for a pair of L19/L19As - they are essentially the same thing, but without the blue baffles and the Control Monitor pedigree. I always refer to them and the 4301Bs as fraternal twins.

I won't mention the price, but I recently picked up a pair of L19As locally (craigslist) at a ridiculously low price (given the quality and the condition). The 116H woofers need refoamed, but that's a cheap and relatively easy DIY project, and I'll recap the crossovers (because I enjoy doing it and it may even make them sound better). The grills look like new (just a little dusty) and the cabinets just need a light sanding and re-oiling to look like new.

My new, smaller living quarters have necessitated downsizing. Gone are the Electro Voice Interface Ds, but these little JBLs are a godsend. They make it possible to still have great sound, while taking up considerably less space.

And, since I'm willing to put in the work to restore them, the cost has also been very modest. Once the L19As are done, I'll have three sets of classic JBLs (L36 Decades, 4301Bs and L19As) that all total will have cost me less than the going rate for a single pair of L100 Centuries.

Best of luck in your search. If you get a pair of L26 Decades and decide they just aren't for you, given the rising prices, you shouldn't have any trouble recouping your investment. In the current market, vintage JBL speakers are a pretty low risk investment.

 

[kermit z]

I agree with what has been said about the L26. I run a pair in my bedroom system with a Realistic STA-2280 at 60wpc. There is nice bass and my fiance likes to crank it. The key is having a listen, but I see you need to buy them from a-far. But as has been said, you should get your money back for them if you need to resell if you don't like them.

 

[SoundOfSound]

I have some L26s hooked up to a Sansui AU 217 and they sound really nice.

The speakers look big and beefy but they are only rated for 35 watts so be careful

 

[malden]

Hi,

I have a marantz 2215b and 1060.

I am contemplating pairing these amps with some jbl L26.

What do vintage jbl l26 sound like?
What sort of sonic character do tney have?

Are tney good for all types of music?

Thanks for any info.

What speakers are you currently using with the Marantz gear?

 

[Philip moses]

I`m using mordaunt short pageant 2, which sound very good.
They are keepers.
I`d liek to try JBL L26 and larger vintage mordaunt shorts from the 60s/70s.

 

[Tim Morgan]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm keeping my eye open for another pair of L26 or a pair of 36's and I couldn't hold back when I came across this post. I scored mine cheap 3-4 years ago when I was buying a receiver, so I wasn't expecting much. They are all original and in pretty good shape. I hooked them up and was pretty impressed. I run mine back and forth through a lot of gear. Mostly my Marantz 2250B, Realistic STA 225, Sansui QRX 6001 and a Yamaha CR800. They don't need a ton of power and they produce good sound at every level. I currently have them hooked up as the B speakers on my 2250b paired with Marantz Imperial 7's as the A's. Those pair favorably when I'm running all 4 and want to rattle the house. In my house they perform best when they are 8-10' apart, 18-24" from the wall. I know a lot has to do with the room setup, but I drag these things all over the house to use for weeks/months at a time in different arrangements. I often find I can get them a little farther apart or angled slightly to improve the bass. I don't have a lot of high end gear, but these are overall better than my Large Advents, and many other similarly designed speakers.

 

[djnagle]

I bought 4 of them and a Sansui AU7700 and TU7700 coming back from Vietnam and loved the sound. The only issue I had was lack of low bass. It may have been a room issue but I didnt know about that back then. Not saying that was THE issue but it could have been.

 

[Van_Isle]

Resurrect an old thread yet again. I picked up a pair of L26 today. Cabinets need some love. Foams are only a couple years old. I also have a pair of L19s I acquired a few years ago. They were refoamed some time before I got them. But whoever did it atached to the outside of the cones rather than the back. I expect that would result in a big mess if I redid them. Cabinets in better condition than the L26s.

Which to keep? Thoughts?

For amps / receivers I have a Sansui AU-7700 and I'm fixing up a 7070. I also have a Harmon Kardon 730 and a 930 .... might keep one of those.

 

[mech986]

VI, consider keeping both, they are relatively small speakers so wouldn't take up much room deployed in two systems in the house. Redoing refoams that were done on the wrong side depends a lot on whether the glue they used holds really hard or not. The cosmetic issues of removing old foam on the front cone edge is sometimes visible, sometimes not. A few have suggested finding a very compatible grayish spray paint that could be used to mist the cone to present a uniform color again and hide the edge damage. But not always easy to address with the relatively large dustcap. Also, important to check to see if the foam they used was the correct size roll and thickness, the foam should be softly springy, not stiff.

If you aren't into the speakers for much, finding a new pair of 116H ferrite drivers to refoam and use instead would be useful, they have a bit less distortion when the ferrite motor was designed compared to the original alnico magnet design.