Why is vintage/new JBL so expensive?
- Thread starter nick parkin
- Start date
L166 also known as Horizons are an excellent classic JBL. Fix them up, and keep them original, and they are very desirable. Most examples I see have had the tweeter domes pushed in, and unfortunately they are hard to replace.
The gold ones (pro/2405) are (last I checked) available from JBL parts dealers, blue ones (077) have been NLA for a long time.
Hint Hint . . . sold my Altec 19's to one person in B.C. and my JBL C40 Harkness to a guy in L.A. both Asian gents. But don't fret . . . still have plenty of JBL's in house for ole' cactus.
Nyjblbob
Hooked on Horn's and Tubes. Go big or go home
Yes but any with the 15”s and Horns?
turnitdown
Well-worn member
JBL made some of the most admired/coveted monitors the world (no stretch here) has known. I can get everything I want from a JBL that anyone else offers at multiples of the price. To get from 98% of the best to 100% is a lot of money and very little return.
z-adamson
Addicted Member
My thoughts exactly.
Compare Vintage JBL to some Magico speakers.
If the JBL speakers are “expensive” then you must be dirt poor.
I will go on a limb and say that the guy looking for vintage JBL or Altec speakers to restore is not looking to buy $750K "jewelry speakers." And vice-versa.
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And of course, you need to start with your OWN drivers - can't just grab a buncha used drivers and plan for new design success!
malden
Lunatic Member
right, there is a lineage to JBL drivers which they designed and manufactured
I would say from 85%-100% returns a much, much smaller improvement in sound quality. IMO, for many things, a graph of cost versus reaching perfection is logarithmic.
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markd51
Nyuk Nyuk
It can be done. Take a peek at Kenrick. They've done some one-offs that never existed.
Of course JBL-Altec Lansing went through many shakedown listening sessions to further perfect and tune-modify what was on design papers.
BMWCCA
Addicted Member
They also don't invent anything. They use JBL drivers. Sometimes shuffling the arrangement. But that's about it. At some point we'd heard about some sort of leather speaker surround, but that could have been snake-oil or hallucination. The fact is that most of their repro cabinets were made right here in USA by the "Rick" part of KenRick. It's not rocket science when you faithfully follow the original, and the skilled craftsmen involved won't make it cheaper, either. Have you checked Kenrick's prices?
Sad state of today.
But we all vividly remember what sounded sweet and what didn't.
I build some DIY stuff based on reviving those memories.
malden
Lunatic Member
I'm being realistic. The OP started this thread with his brain-fart post that he can do what JBL did, but where is he?
He started this thread 4 years ago, I'd like to see how far he got replicating a pair of JBL studio monitors
malden
Lunatic Member
But are you using Eminence drivers as the OP suggested?
I go to audio stores where I can listen to several makes and models, they still exist. Then there is AXPONA, CES, ... it's not on every streetcorner but you can find them.