JBL L36 v L80t

[Charliewards]

I have a chance to buy some L80t speakers in vg condition. I currently have some L36 (and L26), and am curious to know how the 80ts compare. Anyone?

Charlie

 

[Chris Brown]

The L80T will be a LOT better.

Every driver in the L80T is better than every driver in the L36.

L80T uses the 127H-1 whereas the L36 uses the 125a. 125a isn't exactly a terrible woofer, but no contest here.

L80T is going to use the 104H-2, same as many other very well respected speakers such as the 4412 Studio Monitors. Very nice mid-range. The L36 uses the LE5-6, which is actually very good also and probably the best component in the L36 system (Actually the equivalent of the LE5-10 in my L150s), but still slightly behind the 104H-2 IMO.

The L80T uses the 035Ti titanium dome tweeter, again same as used in many other well respected JBLs, such as the 4412 Studio monitors, the L5 & L7, etc. The L36 uses the LE25-4. This is the biggest difference between the two systems. Bigger than the difference between the midrange or between the woofer. The paper-cone LE25 tweeters are absolutely horrible and holds back the entire speaker. Yuck

I had a pair of L36 speakers and sold them. I don't miss them. I currently have a pair of JBL L100T speakers, and JBL 4412 Studio Monitors, both of which share a midrange and tweeter with the L80T, and I love them both quite a bit!

 

[Charliewards]

Thanks. I was worried about buying another set of JBLs because I find the L36s are way too bright for my ears.

 

[89grand]

I see you have Boston A150's. Just a side note but I had a pair too, and I also have JBL L80t's. Noticed I had A150's and still have the L80t's.:scratch2:

I really like the L80t's, but I like my DCM TW3's even more.

 

[Isotonic]

Are your L-36s recapped? I have a pair that I like very much. They were recapped with Sonicaps polypropylene caps.

I have also heard L-80ts. They sound fine, but I like the L-36 better. They are very coherent and musical. They have great midrange and sound very natural to me. I also find that they soundstage and image nicely.

I can't argue with the quality of the parts. I find the titanium driver on the L-80T to be a bit fatiguing. Keep in mind that they are very different sounding speakers and you may simply like one more than the other.

 

[89grand]

I found the L80t tweeters a bit bright too, until I got them placed better in the room, and then they sounded great. I even tried the L80t3 crossovers and ended up reinstalling the originals as I thought they sounded better.

 

[Charliewards]

I recapped them with Daytons, but my listening room is large and the Bostons work better in it, probably because I can't crank the JBLs too high without upsetting the neighbors.

Are your L-36s recapped? I have a pair that I like very much. They were recapped with Sonicaps polypropylene caps.

I have also heard L-80ts. They sound fine, but I like the L-36 better. They are very coherent and musical. They have great midrange and sound very natural to me. I also find that they soundstage and image nicely.

I can't argue with the quality of the parts. I find the titanium driver on the L-80T to be a bit fatiguing. Keep in mind that they are very different sounding speakers and you may simply like one more than the other.

 

[Mystery]

In my experience, almost all vintage JBL's I listen are/were brighter/forward sounding than other speakers like Polk, Boston etc...

 

[Zonker92]

The L36 uses the LE25-4. This is the biggest difference between the two systems. Bigger than the difference between the midrange or between the woofer. The paper-cone LE25 tweeters are absolutely horrible and holds back the entire speaker. Yuck

I used to have that same impression, but Troels Gravesen argues that it is actually a good driver. See http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/JBL-L26-3way.htm

My expectations from the LE25 tweeter had been so and so. This tweeter is much better than measured performance would suggest. Sibilance is handled gracefully and there's an overall ease in presentation. Hmm... a large, rigid paper cone... It takes a minor equalisation to get the balance right and there's not much we can do about the 12 kHz notch - except for lowering the response in the 10-15 kHz range a little. You can increase tweeter level by 1-2 dB and yes, there's too much treble, but it doesn't become bothersome in the way most dome tweeters do. Strange. Does this tweeter really have such low distortion? Whatever it does, it points to the fact that we should take great care with what a tweeter does at 3-10 kHz and what's beyond may be less interesting. Oh yes, the 10-20 kHz provides the airiness to the overall sound, but whether it has to be ruler flat is a good question. Supertweeters? Honestly, forget about supertweeters and let's talk about the things that matter.

At http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/JBL_LE26.htm he discussed the LE26, which is basically the same except for its bezel:

"Why do you buy all these old JBL tweeters?", one of my friends asked, having noticed quite a few LE26 tweeters on my speaker shelves. "Well, hmm....I just like to have a lot of them...", I replied. "OK, fair enough", he said. I like that attitude. Anyway, there's a good reason I've bought all the LE26 tweeters I can find on eBay at sometimes 50 US$/pair, sometimes 80 US$/pair. I now have 5 pairs and that'll be it - I think - and maybe I'll sell two pairs again, once tested and fitted with waveguides.

1. The LE26 is quite sensitive; average SPL/2.8V is around 94 dB. From 6-15 kHz sometimes up to 96-97 dB/2.8V.

2. It has a large membrane area, almost twice that of a standard 1" dome, so it doesn't have to move much.

3. Membrane material is paper and I've found it integrating well with e.g. Supravox drivers. Paper + paper....

4. A waveguide can relatively easy be made to raise the 2-6 kHz region further, thus reducing distortion towards point of crossover.

5. The LE26 is better than the LE25 - for some reason. Only difference appears to be the colour of the paper pulp used and coating of the surround fabric, extending the frequency range from 13 kHz to 17 kHz and getting rid of the 12-13 kHz peak of the LE25.

6. Last but not least, high-efficiency paper cone tweeters are becoming rare as hen's teeth these days.

Initially these LE26 tweeters were meant for the JA8008 high-efficiency 8" driver while seeking for a modern alternative, eventually being the Audax TW034 dome. The LE26 tweeters are obviously no longer available but quite often for sale at eBay. By coincident, the waveguide for the LE26 will also fit the TW034 dome. However, having ten LE26 tweeters at hand made a rare opportunity to report the spread in performance of these tweeters. The JA8008 driver has a midrange sensitivity of around 95-96 dB/2.8 V and tuned to a system sensitivity of around 94 dB I needed more than average sensitive tweeters to match this driver. I'd rather have a large dome with an upper limit of 15 kHz compared to most modern 1" domes doing well up to 20 kHz, but not particularly well below 3 kHz. Yes, I know some domes go below even 1 kHz, but they don't sound good - to my ears. The LE26 does well up to 15-17 kHz, more than enough. The current trend of claiming 30-40 kHz is ridiculous. We should rather worry about what our tweeters do between 3 and 12 kHz where "treble" is. Serious resonances between 15 and 20 kHz may disturb lower registers, as the terrible alu dome introduced in replacement of the LE 25 and 26. Actually this dome was removed again due to complaints about performance. Later on, a titanium dome was introduced doing better than the alu dome, but they could have stayed with the paper cone tweeter, which became very much out of fashion during the late Seventies and Eighties.

 

[Copa1934]

In my experience, almost all vintage JBL's I listen are/were brighter/forward sounding than other speakers like Polk, Boston etc...

Just picked up a set of L26 this AM. At least one cabinet is splitting in the corners, need foams, etc. Haven't check them out yet, but I too have found JBL speakers to be on the bright side. For some people this sounds like a problem, but honestly it's a matter of personal preference and of course hearing. If one's hearing is not strong in the highs then a bright speaker will likely sound just fine. If the room acoustics absorb too much of the highs, then bright can make up for this.

Bright should never be thought of as a bad trait, IMHO.

 

[billysam1]

I have had both speakers I still have the L 80 T,s .