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Just Obtained a pair of JBL L100T3 Speakers

richiem46

richiem46

Retired and enjoying life and music!
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I recently posted a thread on a pair of JBL L36 speakers I purchased but found out the woofers had been replaced.

I saw a pair of LBL L100T3 speakers for sale for a very reasonable price but I learned my lesson (partially) in that the photos showed that the woofers had beem replaced in this pair also. The speakers were in otherwise excellent condition and so being a glutton for punishment I purchased the JBL L100T3's.

Here is a picture of them on my bench in the garage.

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I removed one of the woofers to determine who manufactured them. Turns out they are from Goldwood sound Inc. and have die-cast frames and look substantial. The specs on the goldwood website sound good but who knows.

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I asked the seller if he had the original woofers but he said he had bought them with the substitute woofers already installed. I'll bet the originals need to be re-foamed and were discarded.......sniff sniff........

I have played the L100T3's for several days now with several different amplifiers, tube and solid-state and I have to say that they really sound great, the bass is full but not overwhelming, they really capture the sublty in the acoustic bass on some of the jazz pieces I listed to. For the $800 I paid for them I am very pleased.

I have seen several pairs of the original JBL woofers on the auction site, the going rate seems to be $700 for a pair. I will leave things as they are or I may purchase the original woofers for the L36's to see how the originals sound in them and if they substantially improne their sound punder splurging for the originals for the L100T3's....
 
Definitely work on acquiring the original woofers for these upgraded L100 speakers!

You'll want the 2214h woofer. Here's a thread about them:

JBL L100T3 woofers

hi all, just picked up a pair of jbl l100t3 with no woofers, i believe the original replacement is a 2214h, these seem a little difficult to find, does anyone recommend another jbl replacement that is similar in specification that would suit? any advice welcome, thanks!
audiokarma.org

...and another over on Lansing Heritage:

L100T vs L100T3

Picked up a pair of L100T speakers from Big Yank ( thanks a million! ) and I was wondering if anyone knew what the difference was supposed to be between the T and the T3. Both systems use the 104H-2 midrange. The T crosses the mid to the HF a bit lower and the woofer to mid is a bit higher...
www.audioheritage.org

Also, congrats on the acquisition.
 
An additional warning, be careful lifting the speaker using the rear port, it is made of fragile plastic and is prone to breaking!
 
wiredbecker said:
An additional warning, be careful lifting the speaker using the rear port, it is made of fragile plastic and is prone to breaking!
Click to expand...

Funny you should say that, noticed on one of the speakers the port tube is in fact broken. I ordered a replacement for it today.
 
richiem46 said:
I have to say, they sound absolutely Great!!!
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If they sound good to you then that is all that matters. I bought a pair of L100t3s new in 1989 and still use them today.

Here is what ChatGPT says about this speaker:

Key Specifications​


Thiele–Small Parameters (from speakerboxlite)​



Design & Use​

This driver is part of Goldwood’s Delmar series—affordable, full‑range 12″ woofers aimed at applications like PA systems, DJ speakers, karaoke, studio monitors, and even low-end car/home audio setups Walmart.com+14goldwood.com+14goldwood.com+14.


It’s a woofer, not a deep-subwoofer—while it extends down to ~33 Hz, it's better suited for mid-bass and midrange. Reddit reports confirm it’s a generic PA-style driver, efficient but lacking deep low-end extension, and better used with a separate dedicated subwoofer if heavy bass is desired Reddit.




Summary Table​


FeatureDetail
Size & Mounting12″, ~11.14″ cutout, ~4.8″ depth
Power225 W RMS, 450 W max
Impedance8 Ω
Sensitivity~89–93 dB
Frequency Range~20–3,500 Hz (but practical bass ≥ 33 Hz)
BuildPoly‑mica / rubber / cast aluminum
Recommended UsePA systems, DJ, live sound



Fit & Suitability​

  • Ideal for: Budget PA / DJ systems, karaoke rigs, studio monitoring where clarity and mid-range output matter more than deep bass.
  • Less ideal for: Dedicated subwoofer applications or car audio use without moisture protection.
  • When using in home or studio setups, pairing it with a sealed or vented enclosure optimally tuned can maximize its output and efficiency.


Final Thoughts​

The Goldwood GW‑12PC/8 (or GQ‑12PC/8) is a no‑frills, inexpensive 12″ woofer offering decent output for its price. It’s efficient, somewhat rugged, and suitable for general-purpose PA or mid‑bass use—but don’t expect tight, deep bass like a purpose‑built subwoofer. If you need low-end performance or plan to use it in a car environment, you’ll likely want supplemental drivers or a different class of speaker.
 
Thanks to everyone for their responses. Just one fore question, can anyone suggest a more capable woofer to replace the Goldwood units that are currently installed besides the the original JBL's that are available? I see all sorts of units available, a lot of them 4-ohms or 4 ohms with dual voice coils which I assume can be connected in series to yield 8 Ohms. Thanks in advance for any suggestions offered.

Thanks,
Rich
 
An update, I received the replacement for the rear port tube and installed it. I also made an offer on two OEM replacements for the woofers but it was not accepted, Oh well........

Here is a picture of the old port tube and it's replacement.

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You could have the ports 3D printed. You have the measurements. I did my own and even flared the ends.

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OldJBL said:
From the looks of that speaker's specifications, it might be a decent replacement for the OEM woofer. It probably wouldn't take the pounding the OEM speaker can take.
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Truth be told, those Goldwoods are probably better woofers. At least if they get blown up, they won't be $$$$$ to replace/recone. Pricing on vintage JBL woofers has gone completely retarded. I have a pair of 4311s that need woofers, and I'm lucky to find reconable baskets for less than $250/pr. They might end up with Goldwood woofers or the like also.
 
I had a friend given a pair of JBL speakers. I cant remember the model but one of the tweeters was not working, just a loose wire,fixed. Anyway I said someone put Pyle drivers in for the original woofers. He said should I look for the originals? I said how do they sound? He said fantastic and I thought so too. Im thinking,not as much resale value but probably as good a sound if not better. The pyle is for pro use and is probably built better than the original.
 
cronie said:
I had a friend given a pair of JBL speakers. I cant remember the model but one of the tweeters was not working, just a loose wire,fixed. Anyway I said someone put Pyle drivers in for the original woofers. He said should I look for the originals? I said how do they sound? He said fantastic and I thought so too. Im thinking,not as much resale value but probably as good a sound if not better. The pyle is for pro use and is probably built better than the original.
Click to expand...
If they sound good, and you're not trying to sell them, the Pyle woofers are probably fine. If nothing else, you can be patient in your search for originals. Naturally, resale value will take a huge hit with non original woofers.
 
An update to my JBL L100T3 situation. We are back in Florida for the winter and I looked online at local speakers for sale and A fellow nearby had a pair of T3's for sale. They had water damage on the base so the plastic stands were gone and you can see some seams split on the bottom and no grills but the drivers were original and woofers were re-foamed. The seller said they worked and they did. He was asking $375 for the pair and so how coiuld I resist? I bought them and hooked them up on my bench and despite the seam leakage they sound absolutely Great! I figure I will put the proginal woofers in the pair I have in Michigan that have great cosmetics and put the replacements in the one's in Florida with the water damage. I am quite pleased.

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Full View of one of the T3's. Pardon my benchtop clutter!

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Close-up of the water damaged seam.
 
I can tell you this owning a pair of L-100t's, if your looking for the ultimate JBL sound, nothing will be able to substitute it but the original JBL 2214-h's
 

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