JBL L7's = worth picking up?

[Akustic]

They image really nicely compared to my other speakers, and the soundstage is huge, vast, and expansive. I think the L5 is probably what people who can't make the L7 work in their room should try out. I love my L5 and honestly they aren't missing a whole lot compared to the L7. The bass is very punchy and focused with great midbass, and they also throw out a huge soundstage (it's almost more magical and impressive due to their size, they would do things I couldn't believe especially with Nirvana Unplugged). The L7 feels bigger, more balanced, and more coherent compared to the L5. There is a rawness and sense of detail in the midrange/vocals.. I think source is important with the Ti tweeters.

My Pioneer TZ-7 are more listenable speakers and sound great with any source but they are missing the vastness of the soundstage and the detail/presence of the L7. I also much prefer the bass in the JBL L series compared to the Pioneer TZ-7 (twin drive system 2 woofers connected by a metal rod). The L7 bass is very well balanced, has lots of detail, slam, and fills the room easily. Not exactly a fair comparison as the TZ-9 would have better bass than the TZ-7. Pioneers are great everyday speaker for listening to anything, whereas L7 are more of a reference system with higher potential but also more fussy with source/power. The L7 are more fun and really excel when you want to party and turn the volume up.

Compared to NS-1000, well the Yamaha's are much more clear and detailed... everything comes through in a way that no other speaker I've listened to can compare... The JBL L7 is not far behind in this regard, but they offer such a huge soundstage compared to the NS-1000. NS-1000 images nicely and great soundstage but does not compare to the vastness of the L7. Yamaha is also very dependent on source and recording material.

I would say the NS-1000 is best for the finest recordings in a smaller room seated closer to the speakers. The JBL L7 is the best of all worlds if you have the space and the soundstage is truly impressive. The Pioneer TZ-7 sounds good no matter what you play for them and is a wonderful all around speaker for everyday listening. I love all 3 of them... but right now I am definitely digging the L7 because they are new to me.

I think that maybe you hit it when you described the L7 as Reference quality ...
It's extended and ruthlessly accurate ...
The source sensitivity that you're describing is quite likely and actually a quality of your amp and the L7 is exposing it .. they're ruthless..

If I run Class A or tube amps on the top end all is good, and the music is delicious ..
A lesser amp and look out .. I don't even like the Aragon running on the top, and as Solid State amps go it a has rep for smoother than many ..

It's truly an amazingly capable speaker ...but it's as finicky as a reference level speaker has a right to be ..
Get all the pieces right and it will make your hair stand up .. it's amazingly capable, especially those articulated, detailed, and extended bass notes ..
And cranked .. and they are truly crankable, they will Rock and Roll the house down ..
Get it wrong, which from what I read, happens most of the time, and they get sent out the door being dissed ... shrill, midrange recessed, boomy . yada. yada.

Mine aren't leaving this house ..

 

[MusicBest]

Could you recommend me a great amp for my L7?
I have Nakamichi AV1, but it stopped working. Other Nakamichi are 8ohm while L7 is 6ohm.

 

[BMWCCA]

Could you recommend me a great amp for my L7?
I have Nakamichi AV1, but it stopped working. Other Nakamichi are 8ohm while L7 is 6ohm.

The more power, the better. Since you don't indicate a budget . . .
Crown Studio Reference-II is a nice choice.

 

[ernieS]

So, I have found a pristine pair of L7's for not crazy money. I currently have a set of 4311's and L112"s (my favorite) in the main system. I would appreciate thoughts concerning the relative performance of the L7's compared with the other JBL's. I am very tempted to pull the trigger just based on the commanding look of the speakers. Thx.

One of the finest JBL speakers made. The 12” woofer’s output can outclass most dedicated subs. Excellent driver and cabinet quality. Can’t go wrong with em. Love mine.

 

[MusicBest]

The L7 are excellent speakers, but beware, they are 6ohm. So, if you have 8ohm amplifier it's not going to work, and the amplifier speaker output's circuit breaker is going to shut it off.

 

[BMWCCA]

One of the finest JBL speakers made. The 12” woofer’s output can outclass most dedicated subs. Excellent driver and cabinet quality. Can’t go wrong with em. Love mine.

I'm too old to remember everything I ever learned but I do believe there were several manufacturers who used the LE120H-1 from the L7 in their subwoofers. I believe Fosgate was one.

 

[SaturationPt]

The L7 are excellent speakers, but beware, they are 6ohm. So, if you have 8ohm amplifier it's not going to work, and the amplifier speaker output's circuit breaker is going to shut it off.

If you’re pushing an amplifier this hard, you’re probably deep into distortion and need a bigger amplifier anyway.

Many speakers are 6 Ohms, and work just fine on amplifiers RATED at 8 Ohms.

 

[hopeless]

Could you recommend me a great amp for my L7?
I have Nakamichi AV1, but it stopped working. Other Nakamichi are 8ohm while L7 is 6ohm.

It's going to have to be beefy. That generation of L Series likes to be fed

 

[Cary marlow]

I see you have them out in the wild where you can hear them.
dare I say image? Always refreshing to see

Wish I could pull mine that far out into the room.

 

[Cary marlow]

So, I have found a pristine pair of L7's for not crazy money. I currently have a set of 4311's and L112"s (my favorite) in the main system. I would appreciate thoughts concerning the relative performance of the L7's compared with the other JBL's. I am very tempted to pull the trigger just based on the commanding look of the speakers. Thx.

They are outstanding speakers. As good as anything today at 5 grand even more. Just a fantastic sounding speaker.

 

[Crash15]

How convenient this thread gets bumped when I'm poised to purchase a pair of L7s here soon. Had been considering an upgrade from the cheapie Klipsch towers in my home theatre and had been trying to find a deal on a pair of Studio 590s (I have a Studio 520C for the center channel) but L7s were also a thought in the back of my head due to the 4-way, full-range design. Sat on the upgrade idea for a while and only recently decided to keep an eye out locally for some deals and sure enough a pair of L7s came up.

I would use the L7s in my Hi-Fi and put the L100Ts in the home theatre (my 4408s are the rear channels!) but everyone who owns or owned L7s from what I've read on Lansing Heritage and elsewhere said they really shine in a larger room, which unfortunately my Hi-Fi is not

 

[OldJBL]

@Crash15
You might be a candidate for a pair of L5s. They are one step down from the L7 and are also a four way design. The main difference is they have all the drivers placed in a vertical alignment on the speaker's front face and the woofer is 8". They can go down to 35hz and with a little EQ applied can dip to 32hz-33hz. They are very versatile regarding placement into listening spaces. They sound great with detail, imaging, flat frequency response, etc. I own two pairs that are used as front speakers in a 5.1 system and the other pair are used in a 2.0 system. The pair in the home theater system have been used there for around fifteen years and I have not found a reason to change them. The second pair came up for sale locally earlier this year and I snatched them up immediately. They replaced a pair of L100t3 speakers in my 2.0 system.

 

[JohnnieO]

I have a set of L5s and they are ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I wouldn’t sell them for 1K even though I paid $400 on FB in nearly mint condition. They do need a bit of power to come alive. 50wpc. There 6ohm speakers if that’s of any help

 

[Crash15]

@Crash15
You might be a candidate for a pair of L5s. They are one step down from the L7 and are also a four way design.

I had considered those as well but the L7 gave me the "go big or go home" feeling. I did see two pairs of L5s on the Bay of Es but they were both "local pickup only" and I'm paying about the same price for one of those pairs for the pair of L7s I'm getting this weekend

The second pair came up for sale locally earlier this year and I snatched them up immediately. They replaced a pair of L100t3 speakers in my 2.0 system.

This is very enticing to me, though, I'm definitely interested in a pair if this was your experience. Very helpful that you traded the same speaker I have (albeit the T3) for them. Maybe not at this time as I consider myself very satisfied with my L100Ts but that's not to say a good deal won't change my mind. My big concern would be first of all, where am I gonna put the L100Ts when I upgrade lol

 

[OldJBL]

I had considered those as well but the L7 gave me the "go big or go home" feeling. I did see two pairs of L5s on the Bay of Es but they were both "local pickup only" and I'm paying about the same price for one of those pairs for the pair of L7s I'm getting this weekend


This is very enticing to me, though, I'm definitely interested in a pair if this was your experience. Very helpful that you traded the same speaker I have (albeit the T3) for them. Maybe not at this time as I consider myself very satisfied with my L100Ts but that's not to say a good deal won't change my mind. My big concern would be first of all, where am I gonna put the L100Ts when I upgrade lol

I knew the L5s would be one speaker that would best the t3s since I have been using a pair of them for fifteen years. Also, I am the original owner of the L100t3s and they will be with me for as long as possible. They are fantastic speaks but the imaging, soundstage, detail and seamless frequency response due to the four drivers of the L5 just make them the better speaker of the two. The L7s are a fantastic speaker but you need to feed them a lot of power to get the most from them and the side firing woofer might be problematic depending on room size and configuration. The L5s fit in just about anywhere.

 

[Crash15]

L7s are home and situated in the home theatre.



As expected of their age, the surrounds of the LE120 have partially come undone so I'm going to look into refoaming them. Third deal on a pair of JBLs, third driver repair. I did, however, talk him down to $450 for the pair (down from $600) due to the lack of stands and the woofers being deteriorated. Bought from the son of the original owner.

In the meantime, I've bypassed the LF

 

[OldJBL]

Getting those for $450 is a good deal even with the woofers needing surrounds. Especially if you repair them yourself. A pristine pair in my area have been listed for 2-3 years for $1,000.

 

[Crash15]

The surrounds look and feel great but it's the glue that connects the surround to the outer gasket that's deteriorated on some areas of the woofer. At best I'd like to do a spot repair job but I know the rest will eventually follow with use. I'll be researching on LHF to see what's the best course of action

 

[OldJBL]

The surrounds look and feel great but it's the glue that connects the surround to the outer gasket that's deteriorated on some areas of the woofer. At best I'd like to do a spot repair job but I know the rest will eventually follow with use. I'll be researching on LHF to see what's the best course of action

If it were me, I would replace the surrounds and be done with them. It wouldn't be much harder than a re-gluing, IMO.

 

[Crash15]

If it were me, I would replace the surrounds and be done with them. It wouldn't be much harder than a re-gluing, IMO.

Definitely not much harder. Wasn't bad on the 4408s, I'm merely just curious because the surrounds feel perfectly flexible. I'm looking at this kit from Springfield Speaker Repair for the job