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What Is The Secret To The JBL Sound?

SoundOfSound

SoundOfSound

Super Member
What is the secret to the JBL sound?

JBL speakers always seem to sound a little bit different from other speakers.

Some people like it, some don't. I happen to like it.

So what do you think, is there a secret ingredient or is it a combination of factors?

A) Is it the drivers?, especially the woofers with their edge wound voice coils.

B) Is it how they marry the woofers to the cabinets?

C) Is it the crossover parts?

D) Is it how they blend the drivers with the crossover?

I personally think A and B are a big part of it.

I was wondering what other JBL fans thought about this.

Has anybody drastically changed the balance of their JBL speakers by replacing a driver or crossover part?
 
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All JBLs definitely do not sound the same tho' the original and "classic" models defined what was known as the West Coast Sound, which suited electric rock well. I loved the care and craftsmanship tho' found the signature JBL system sound not for me.
 
An M2 sounds nothing like an L300 sounds nothing like an L100T sounds nothing like an L100 sounds nothing like some old combo in a C36, so I'm not really sure what you're talking about. L26 / 36 / 100, maybe?
 
I'd say the secret to the JBL sound is the listener.

Also likely: a consistent engineering approach that overlaps to some degree as engineers retire and are replaced with new. People tend to promote those with similar beliefs/approaches and engineering types are not immune to this.

Another possibility is confirmation bias- people that heard a set of JBL's they really liked and didn't have the opportunity to compare the set they're thinking about buying against the initial pair they heard. They tend to seem a bit forward so it's easy to develop an opinion, versus a more refined sounding speaker.
 
dumptruck said:
An M2 sounds nothing like an L300 sounds nothing like an L100T sounds nothing like an L100 sounds nothing like some old combo in a C36, so I'm not really sure what you're talking about. L26 / 36 / 100, maybe?
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There is something about the bass register. How they bring out drums and bass guitar especially. I go to see a lot of live shows and to me it seems like a lot of JBL speakers can reproduce the warmth and tone of a well produced show very accurately.
 
Well, you still didn't say which models you are referring to, but I nonetheless feel pretty confident telling you that's nothing more complicated than frequency response (or the on-axis frequency response + power response combination, if you wanna get technical about it).
 
JBL has many models of classic speakers.

I heard the 250 ti model at a local dealer many years ago and thought they were good speakers.

Some of the models people get excited about don't satisfy my listening taste.
 
Can't that question be asked of many brands of loudspeakers? JBL just as many other speakers companies were founded by individuals who thought they could build a better loudspeaker and bring recorded, or live amplified sound to the listeners, some did a better job than others, and no doubt JBL has had a long track record of providing a product that their customer liked. The same can be said of many others to some degree or another but considering their long track record and popularity amoung both homeowners, studios, and touring bands, JBL has to rank near the top.
 
dumptruck said:
Well, you still didn't say which models you are referring to, but I nonetheless feel pretty confident telling you that's nothing more complicated than frequency response (or the on-axis frequency response + power response combination, if you wanna get technical about it).
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What I'm really talking about is how JBL speakers sound different from other speaker brands as opposed to differences inside the JBL line.

I've never heard the super high end JBL speakers so I don't mean to compare a Ford Mustang to a Ferrari or anything like that.

The JBLs that I have had the most exposure to are the L36, L100T, L5 and 2800.

What got me thinking about this?, I bought a pair of 2800s as a bedroom speaker because they looked nice and I got them cheap on CL.

I know there are a lot of people that like to dish on the lower end JBL line but these little 2800s have a bottom end that nicely matches the tone of the larger speakers. Yes it is on a smaller scale of course but the resemblance is there. The low end tone is completely distinct from other small Paradigm and Boston Acoustic speakers that I have.

The 2800 speakers are so simple it made me wonder how they pulled that off.

Hope all that rambling makes sense. :D
 
Shooting from the hip here, but I'd say more than anything else you're probably talking about more forward 500-1000 and also 3000-5000Hz response, rather than a bottom end difference, aside from perhaps a mild bass peak. Maybe also a relatively lively, i.e. resonant, lower midrange. I might be totally wrong.

Have you ever tried using an EQ with a lot of bands to try to make one of your JBL sound like some other brand (that you have running A/B next to them)? It doesn't "work", strictly speaking, but the ways in which it does and doesn't work can tell you a lot about what you're liking if you care enough to dig into it.

P.S. "to dish" means to reveal information about, while "to dis/diss" means to speak disrespectfully of.
 
dumptruck said:
Shooting from the hip here, but I'd say more than anything else you're probably talking about more forward 500-1000 and also 3000-5000Hz response, rather than a bottom end difference, aside from perhaps a mild bass peak. Maybe also a relatively lively, i.e. resonant, lower midrange. I might be totally wrong.

Have you ever tried using an EQ with a lot of bands to try to make one of your JBL sound like some other brand (that you have running A/B next to them)? It doesn't "work", strictly speaking, but the ways in which it does and doesn't work can tell you a lot about what you're liking if you care enough to dig into it.

P.S. "to dish" means to reveal information about, while "to dis/diss" means to speak disrespectfully of.
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Yes, in the disrespectful sense, to gossip about or slander someone. But you know how people can be. I have seen people put down a lot of equipment that I would love to get my hands on.

That is a good idea about the EQ. I have an old 12 band that I can resurrect to do experiments with. I used to use it before I got my L100Ts if that tells you anything. :D

I forgot to mention one speaker I also had. It was a JBL 545 car speaker hooked up to a 20 WPC alpine power amp. It was back in the early 80s when JBL made some serious car speakers. The 545 also had this low end tone that I'm talking about.

I'm going to try to dig up some literature on these different speakers. If I remember correctly, the motor structures have a lot in common. :scratch2:

I believe I had the first version of these.

JBL-DECADE-T-545__38066604_0.jpg
 
JBL is very hi-end now. ...Check their avant-garde JBL Synthesis audio systems. ...Google. :)

Some of the very best Home Theaters systems employ the JBL Synthesis audio system, of various echelons.

They (JBL & team) are at the forefront, cutting edge of the technological audio room's implementation (acoustic) of today's world we live in.
 
When I think 'classic' JBL I think whomp-y midbass combined with a projected midrange, the "West Coast Sound".
 
SoundOfSound said:
I wonder if that was meant to bring out the guitar driven sound of late 60s and 70s Rock-N-Roll. :guitar:
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Actually, they were meant to mimic the response of the ubiquitous Altec studio monitors of the day, but in a more manageable size and price. It is not indicative of the sound of other great JBLs before or after the Control Monitors.
 
Well mine are 120Tis, which don't sound quite like typical "west coast" JBL of 4311 and the likes. However, when tested with a NAD C326BEE (50 wpc) belongs to the store owner, the bass is pleasantly strong compared to most other speakers I've listened.
 
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