jbl tlx speakers

[delta02]

I'm planning on buying some new speakers for my hi-fi system. At the moment I have 2 sets of speakers. Yamaha NX-E800 and PYE SP1. The Pye speakers sound ok but one of them has a blown tweeter and you have to sit close to them otherwise you won't hear the bass very good. The yamaha's sound nice (much better tweeters) and more clear but lacking in the bass.

I have been looking online and come across a set of JBL TLX 8 and JBL TLX 18 speakers. Does anyone have opinions on these and if one model is any better over the other? I am running a Pioneer SX-221R Amplifier.

Thanks.

 

[swechsler]

Those JBLs are entry-level and not particularly good. I think you'd be better served by keeping the Yamahas and adding a powered subwoofer.

 

[xero-D-hero]

Those TLX 8 are basically a slightly updated (aesthetically) version of the earlier j325 10" 3 way.

The j325 were also available as the JBL Professional "Industrial Series" as the 8325 / 8325A.
The 8325 & 8325A were used in countless movie theaters as surround/foreground sepakers for years & years.
So one should'nt underestimate the amount of attention that those speakers were subjected to.
They were built to meet the standards that movie theaters were expected to achieve (THX et-al).

Now were they JBL's best ? No not by any measure...
But they are far better than most folks give them credit for.
Built to a price point they are what they are,but that does'nt mean they sound like crap.
They sound more than acceptable when used within their stated parameters.
I should know as I currently own a pair of j325 and j350A (also owned a pair of j325A too).

The TLX tweeters in the TLX 8 are the titanium composite models no.s 011 -or- 012.
These are a cloth dome with titanium "vapor deposited" on them.
Woofers are aquaplas coated ~ cloth surround ~ stamped basket no. 310G-x.
And the mids are likely the poly cone ~ stamped basket no. 305G-x.

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/jbl/tlx8.shtml

Now the TLX 18 are another variant,these had a version of their pure titanium dome tweeters in them.
The rest of the drivers were more-or-less the same as the TLX 8 IIRC.

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/jbl/tlx18.shtml

These TLX were a parallel line to the LX series of speakers,with the equivalent of the TLX 18 being the 10" woofer LX-55.
The LX series had revised drivers in all postions,(410G / 405G / 026 Ti) and a bit better overall build quality.

In my research I've gotten the impression that the TLX lines were more intended for overseas distribution.
I say that as stateside they tend to be fairly uncommon vs. the j -and- LX models and the industrial series models.

That and the fact that they were available in the same time frame seems to suggest that there would've been some sorta redundancy between the various (possibly competing) lines of "entry level" speakers.

Me,I have a soft spot for these less popular JBL speaker,so were the prices reasonable,I'd likley buy both pair.
I say that as I find them quite enjoyable with the right companion gear.

JMO ~ FWIW ~ YMMV

Bret P.

 

[swechsler]

I owned a pair of the J325s and then the later J325A (got the latter really cheap). I was not impressed by either, which is why I didn't recommend the TLXes. I also have a pair of LX22s which I like, for whatever that's worth, but I didn't really see anything in common between the two series.

 

[delta02]

Ok might give them a miss then. Did some more looking and found Pioneer CSR-590,Luxman MS-210 and Technics SB-CD301 speakers for sale. Are any of these worth considering?

 

[Gazdatronik]

I had a pair of J220A, the 2 way version of the later TLX named units. I really liked them a lot and wish I still had them to try out in my setup. As for which TLX is better, that is something I can't say as I haven't heard them all.

 

[xero-D-hero]

I also have a pair of LX22s which I like, for whatever that's worth, but I didn't really see anything in common between the two series.

Please reread my comments,I did'nt say there was anything directly in common between them.
As a matter of fact I clearly pointed out that they used completely different drivers.

What I pointed out is that they were parallel model lines,meaning both were sold during the same time frame.
But the TLX are much less common here in the states than over-seas,they seem to be especially common in the far east.

And I also pointed out that both were among JBL's lower tier offerings,which seemed a bit redundant.

Anyhow the original 011 / 012 TLX composite ti tweeter is what eventually evolved into the LX series 026 ti / 027 ti tweeter.
One can see that line of evolution of these tweeters as they evolved from the 011 / 012 into the TLX-1 composite ti tweeter.
From that it evolved into the pure titanium 022 ti tweeters (IIRC what's used in the TLX 18,but I cant confirm it 100% @ the moment).
And then eventually they evolved into the pure titanium 026 / 027 ti tweeters used the LX / LXE / ARC seies speakers.

The only real differences between the woofers in the two lines of speakers are largely aesthetic.
The mounting rims are a bit more refined on the LX series 410G-x vs. the older style of the 310G-x.
But the basic design for the woofers remains the same,stamped basket,aquaplas cones,and the like.

Now the 405G-x mid in the LX series was indeed a bit different from the 305G-x.
The LX mid was also a coated cellulose cone vs. poly cone for the j & TLX mids.

Yeah I have some LX series around here too,two pair LX-22 & two pair LX-44 and a pair of LXE-330.
So I'm pretty familiar with those as well.

Ok might give them a miss then. Did some more looking and found Pioneer CSR-590,Luxman MS-210 and Technics SB-CD301 speakers for sale. Are any of these worth considering?

Me,I'd take either of the JBL's over any of those three speakers...

JMO ~ FWIW

Bret P.

 

[xero-D-hero]

Oh yeah,before I go do note that the j325 woofers & mids used thick rubber surrounds that some say would harden over time.
Those were no.s 310G-2 & 305G-2,so then the j325A got updated/superceded woofers & mids no.s 310G-3 & 305G-3.
The surrounds on the -3 woofers were impregnated cloth that holds up MUCH better over time.

So that can affect the SQ on those orignal series of j speakers.
Anyhow it's a direct replacement to use the superseded -3 drivers in place of the -2 drivers.
Just be sure to replace 'em in pairs for intended results.

And those -3 drivers (woofers & mids) are super common as JBL used them in those 8325 & 8325A industrial series speakers.
Thus there are literally thousands of them out there,as JBL had to be able to supply replacements to theaters when any failed in use.

FWIW

Bret P.

 

[swechsler]

Earlier I recommended adding a subwoofer to the Yamahas. Is there a reason you don't want to go that route?

 

[delta02]

Earlier I recommended adding a subwoofer to the Yamahas. Is there a reason you don't want to go that route?

I have a subwoofer system for my PC (Logitech z623) and I'm not really impressed with the sound quality. The two satellite speakers sound tinny on their own and with the subwoofer, the bass gets all muddy and overpowering and it just sounds unbalanced. I understand this would be different as the Yamaha's are full range speakers, but I would prefer a more balanced 2.0 system. Really just trying to avoid muddying up the bass.

 

[Gazdatronik]

I have a subwoofer system for my PC (Logitech z623) and I'm not really impressed with the sound quality. The two satellite speakers sound tinny on their own and with the subwoofer, the bass gets all muddy and overpowering and it just sounds unbalanced. I understand this would be different as the Yamaha's are full range speakers, but I would prefer a more balanced 2.0 system. Really just trying to avoid muddying up the bass.

That is a poor subwoofer to judge them all by, but getting a proper subwoofer to cover the 10-50 hz range is not an inexpensive endeavor as I later learned.

 

[swechsler]

That is a poor subwoofer to judge them all by, but getting a proper subwoofer to cover the 10-50 hz range is not an inexpensive endeavor as I later learned.

True, but it would be even more expensive to get a new pair of speakers to cover the same range. A good used subwoofer can be gotten for well less than the OP could expect to pay for speakers. And you don't need to go down to 10hz. Flat down to 40hz should suffice for most music.

 

[Gazdatronik]

True, but it would be even more expensive to get a new pair of speakers to cover the same range. A good used subwoofer can be gotten for well less than the OP could expect to pay for speakers. And you don't need to go down to 10hz. Flat down to 40hz should suffice for most music.

40 hz doesnt cover the bottom note on a bass guitar let alone a piano or pipe organ.
It would be a lot more $ for sure to get mains that'll get down to lets say 20hz.
You are correct, 40 hz is probably enough, It was for me for several years, until I heard what 16hz sounded like on a home stereo. I just couln't go back after that.

 

[transduceren]

Oh yeah,before I go do note that the j325 woofers & mids used thick rubber surrounds that some say would harden over time.
Those were no.s 310G-2 & 305G-2,so then the j325A got updated/superceded woofers & mids no.s 310G-3 & 305G-3.
The surrounds on the -3 woofers were impregnated cloth that holds up MUCH better over time.

So that can affect the SQ on those orignal series of j speakers.
Anyhow it's a direct replacement to use the superseded -3 drivers in place of the -2 drivers.
Just be sure to replace 'em in pairs for intended results.

And those -3 drivers (woofers & mids) are super common as JBL used them in those 8325 & 8325A industrial series speakers.
Thus there are literally thousands of them out there,as JBL had to be able to supply replacements to theaters when any failed in use.

FWIW

Bret P.

Hi Bret ..Thanks .. great info between Lx and tlx JBL models.these lx series models are pretty popular in South East Asia but very little technical info about them.have you heard of the JBL Xe series? I have a XE 3 model a 3 way medium bookshelf.Also JBL lx66 ,tlx 8, 325mk2 and lx600 with very little info about them..do you any info on these?
I find the earlier midrange on lx66 noisy compared to lx600..these latter models was made in France and sound really good