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Top sounding JBL bookshelf speakers

These make nice bedroom speakers and I would have been happy with them except I won the Mirage pair.
 

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@oneputt those Vandersteen 2ci w/stands & boxes are a much better deal @ 400.00 vs Allison CL ad. Hate when people outside CL location post their wares!!
 
Another speaker to watch for is the L26 Decade. Since you like the L100 and L36, you may like the L26. But, even though they were considered bookshelf when they came out, they are on the larger side of that.

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@oneputt they are great speakers as are the cd-9 seller has for 700.00. Just saying for half the price of those ones I’d take vandys all day long especially with stands & boxes.
 
I loved my L110A, for regular listening perhaps even more than my 4412. For purposes of this thread I'd say worth checking out if available.
 
As the original owner of a pair of L112s for now almost 40-years, I'd suggest you might also consider the L96 or the 4412 and 4410. They are all really too big to be actual "bookshelf" speakers but they are all wonderful speakers with similar voices. Are you hoping to actually set these on an actual bookshelf? I have the L1 also but I'll remind others that they are rear-ported so not really optimal for bookshelf positioning. My recently acquired S38 (series one) would actually be a pretty good choice for a bookshelf, but they may not be what you would consider vintage . . . unless you keep them for another decade!
 
Yes, they are going to be placed on bookshelves. I can sit on these bookshelves and bounce up and down and they don't move. I could put 5 pair of speakers on these with no problem. Thanks to everyone for their input, keep the ideas coming. I checked out the 590's and its very tempting. Still, Have a yen for some 112's. Don't have much time to make up my mind about the 590's. The one drawback to them are, I would have to put them on the floor. great deal though.
 
To avoid the inconsistent directivity of the vintage L1xx or 43xx three ways, I would recommend the LSR6332.

The crossover points for both drivers are a good octave or more lower and eliminate the weird hourglass shaped image behavior.
 
oneputt said:
Yes, they are going to be placed on bookshelves. I can sit on these bookshelves and bounce up and down and they don't move. I could put 5 pair of speakers on these with no problem. Thanks to everyone for their input, keep the ideas coming. I checked out the 590's and its very tempting. Still, Have a yen for some 112's. Don't have much time to make up my mind about the 590's. The one drawback to them are, I would have to put them on the floor. great deal though.
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Despite the bookshelf nomenclature the 112 and similar models of this time period will not work well close to boundaries. There will be too much bass reinforcement and the sound will come off boomy. Better to set them off the floor and out from the back wall.
 
E-Stat said:
To avoid the inconsistent directivity of the vintage L1xx or 43xx three ways, I would recommend the LSR6332.

The crossover points for both drivers are a good octave or more lower and eliminate the weird hourglass shaped image behavior.
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I heard those a couple or so years back, they were much better than the studio 530 that everyone is buying on 'sale'. The 530 sounds great at nearfield, desk etc. out in the room they weren't as good.
 
oneputt said:
Thats true about new speaker value but thats not really a concern, I paid 3 0r 4 hundred dollars for my L100's back in 1974 and they're worth a lot more now but will never sell. My kids will get all my gear. Nolasally, if you know of any 112's in the area let me know as I live fairly close to Raleigh.
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Being a JBL nut, the L100s were always a favorite. For a medium sized room the L-1s were the last of a new breed of the redesigned "L" series from L1 thru L 7. JBLs purchase by HK and now Samsung left a bitter taste on the once iconic brand. The so called "New" L100s are way over priced and to me do not sound as robust as the original. My L100s were paired with the JBL B460 subwoofer and the L1s were used as rear channel speakers. Now they all reside in my den closet, waiting to be of service.
Another Raleighite here
 
BMWCCA said:
As the original owner of a pair of L112s for now almost 40-years, I'd suggest you might also consider the L96 or the 4412 and 4410. They are all really too big to be actual "bookshelf" speakers but they are all wonderful speakers with similar voices. Are you hoping to actually set these on an actual bookshelf? I have the L1 also but I'll remind others that they are rear-ported so not really optimal for bookshelf positioning. My recently acquired S38 (series one) would actually be a pretty good choice for a bookshelf, but they may not be what you would consider vintage . . . unless you keep them for another decade!
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Pull the L1s 1 inch from the rear wall of the cabinet wall..notice the difference!!
 
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Audiohound said:
Pull the L1s 1 inch from the rear wall of the cabinet wall..notice the difference!!
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A lot of that depends on your bookshelf, related to both depth and vertical and horizontal barriers. Why not just use a front-ported model? I've used the L20T and find them so similar to my L1s as to make the choice of one over the other dependent upon where they're being used. For the same price, the S38 really is superior to either. :dunno:
 
oneputt said:
Budget is not an issue. I would've bought the L100 Classics but not even close to being worth 4g's. Just want to try something in the JBL bookshelf line of which there are many. I've always read the L112's are very good sounding speakers but have never heard them. Anything that compares or are better than them I would be interested in. I would appreciate any and all opinions.
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Everything I’ve read about the L100 Classics indicates that they WAY outclass the original L100 by a significant margin.
 
The L110 is another great option. I had a pair and they were quite pleasing. Great detail and sufficient bottom end without being boomy.

That said, I bought a pair of 580s yesterday and I look forward to putting them through their paces.
 
@BMWCCA i know you and Chris brown are the Jbl experts here but I’ve owned those s38’s and while they are not offensive IMO they don’t hold a candle to older L1’s or L20t’s. Cheap cabinets, cheap drivers. Remind me of Jbl LX series.
 
MaxP said:
Everything I’ve read about the L100 Classics indicates that they WAY outclass the original L100 by a significant margin.
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The L100s were originally designed for recording studio playback, for critical listening where as the L100 Classics are supposed to be for the "audiophile". If indeed the Classics were to "outclass" the original L100s, why not introduce them as a new speaker line, instead of a horning in on the reputation of a classic?
 
BMWCCA said:
A lot of that depends on your bookshelf, related to both depth and vertical and horizontal barriers. Why not just use a front-ported model? I've used the L20T and find them so similar to my L1s as to make the choice of one over the other dependent upon where they're being used. For the same price, the S38 really is superior to either. :dunno:
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Regarding the L1
you can't beat the crispness of this speaker
 
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