Post by Owen Y on Sept 10, 2019 20:48:16 GMT 12
There's quite a bit of interest in the vintage classic 1970s JBL L100 loudspeaker, as JBL have 're-issued' it recently. One of the better all-round reviews I've seen is this one by DARKO Audio (Sept 2019): How does JBL's biggest seller of all time compare with the similarly-priced Klipsch Forte III & other loudpspeakers? " Non-audiophiles will love them ...a high-end loudspeaker for mainstream listeners (but I suspect quite a few die-hard audiophiles will also fall for their charms). "  WHAT HI-FI? (Apr 2019)... " If you judge hi-fi on the ability to entertain rather than the ability to analyse, these are one of the most appealing pairs of speakers at the price. "
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Pundit
Post by belbo on Sept 11, 2019 9:07:26 GMT 12
I have auditioned them and I wasn’t terribly impressed but I know they have their following.
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 11, 2019 9:53:24 GMT 12
belbo - can you describe your impression of their sound a little more?
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Post by michaelw on Sept 11, 2019 11:53:45 GMT 12
i'd have to leave the grilles on, the non-mirror image pairing would do my head in  i've heard originals and like belbo wasn't sold. a friend was auditioning new speakers back in the 80s and demo'd the jbl and yamaha ns-1000m, with a detour to my sony ss-g5. the jbl were big and muffled, yamaha tight and bright, the sony somewhere in between, albeit closer to the jbl than yamaha. he bought the yamahas.
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Pundit
Post by belbo on Sept 11, 2019 19:58:29 GMT 12
Not an expert in any way but I have listened to a lot of systems by now. I’ve auditioned the reissues: relatively dynamic with good bottom end (although a bit bloated), they lacked refinement however and maybe detail, all in all ok but not great at least for my taste. I haven’t listened to a lot of JBLs so don’t have a view on the “house sound” (I have been impressed by the mighty K2 however but that’s a totally different speaker all together). belbo - can you describe your impression of their sound a little more?
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Pundit
Post by beeman on Sept 12, 2019 8:20:31 GMT 12
Lived with them for 6 months. Really liked them not the last word in resolution but do most things well. I am a JBL man though. Would happily live with them in a bedroom or second system.
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Post by Owen Y on Apr 6, 2020 22:14:43 GMT 12
More in-depth info from John DARKO": The new JBL L100 Classic look exactly like the iconic 1970s JBL L100, but actually is: " The same skin, but with all-new skeleton & guts. " " Internally, it's completely different. " DARKO compares them largely to the similarly-priced Klipsch Forte II (US$4000): Both of which he owns. More detailed, more bass 'heft',less coloured, better soundstaging & imaging....(than the Klipsch) However.... " I don't think these are going to be well-suited to smaller rooms. "
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Pundit
Post by cartridge on Apr 7, 2020 8:42:48 GMT 12
Interesting - "No collar grab, presence region, excitement just doesn't show up in the JBL's".
Not quite as fast as the Klipsch.
(JBL are) more transparent / revealing in the mid-range than the Klipsch.
Then in the summary he says "the Klipsch have more mid-range presence".
A much more balanced speaker than the Klipsch, top to bottom.
You have to be more careful with amplifier matching than the Klipsch... (he actually listened with different power amps).
Interestingly, he had the Forte's directly against the wall -
With a 15" rear firing passive radiator... he thought it sounded better that way?
Really?
No wonder he struggled with the bass.
And then, when he pushes the volumes on the JBL's the bass becomes boomy.
I'm guessing he's got ALL sorts of issues with bass in his room - or he's just outright riffing and making up stuff as he goes.
It's all over the place.
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Post by Owen Y on Apr 7, 2020 11:19:10 GMT 12
Difficult to put things in audio in words sometimes perhaps. eg. A spkr can have more 'presence' (in the midrange), at the same time as a being less 'revealing'. Do you think?
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Post by michaelw on Apr 7, 2020 15:43:36 GMT 12
i get where he's coming from...
technical excellence doesn't always mean musical enjoyment.
image how much better the jbl would be with mirror imaged drivers.
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Pundit
Post by cartridge on Apr 8, 2020 11:46:20 GMT 12
Difficult to put things in audio in words sometimes perhaps. eg. A spkr can have more 'presence' (in the midrange), at the same time as a being less 'revealing'. Do you think? I agree. And even though he constantly says "to my ears" and "go out and listen for yourself if you can". I believe most people on his channel aren't necessarily there for entertainment, more for buying advice.
As an aside, I'm yet to see those JBL's in NZ. Does anyone retail them? Or are Samsung / Harman not going to do anything that isn't 'lifestyle' in this country?
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