Does JBL get a bad rap?

LOL! Come on guys.

I would say that there's a lack of knowledge rather than a bad rap. The two audiophile rags here chose to ignore JBL in favor of boutique manufacturers, even when they had clearly inferior products. Even the current Everest which is an engineering tour de force with a gorgeous industrial design is ignored by them.

JBL's been making some of the best high end musical speakers for decades while flying under the radar here in the States they enjoyed huge success overseas. As Czarivey mentioned they have a huge catalog, there are some losers there too.

david

Wolf_garcia, don't know which JBL monitors you had in your studio but I remember the shitty 70's solid state electronics well it was all boom & tizz. There's no shortage of crappy recordings from the 70's as a reminder of the period and I've come across so many blown studio speakers poorly re-coned that I've lost count.

Mattmiller, as a long time dealer and distributor of ultra high end audio equipment, speakers and tts my specialty, I can guarantee you that nothing I heard made today at any price can match some of the qualities of vintage JBL! I have and had many JBL models from the Hartsfields to the Paragon to several 43xx models, the first Everest and all the way up to the M9500, they're in a class of their own, imo matched and better only by some very rare WE and Klangfilm horns or early Tannoys and Vitavox corner horns.

david

david

Audiolabyrinth, imo the S9800 and S9900 weren't even as good as the previous generation K2's, specifically the M9500. There were some minor issues with the low frequencies but my main issue with them was the lack of tweeter integration. They always stood out when I heard them. The DD67000 is designed and made to be a K2 and for the best since the M9500. I would have them if I didn't own the M9500 and other horns. They're really good!
david

True!
david

Audilabyrinth, First, 66000 & M9500 have a similar sound and sonic signature. Of course there are differences but sonically I don't see them make or break either speaker. Visually I like both but the DD66000 is a stunner, a real classic beauty. The M9500 is more utilitarian in appearance but still quite pleasant.

The 66000 has a smoother midrange and the addition of the super tweeter adds a feeling of extension and air on top. The M9500 has the better bass, I haven't had a 67000 in my room to comment on. You shouldn't worry about the batteries in xover, just check them and change them every 3-4 years. I have them in the M9500 too.

Here's a link to a brief history of the K2, S9500 & M9500.

http://audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/k2.htm

You can also go to my System link, I have the M9500 in the near field setup.

david

Macrojack, what you're asking if properly answered in detail will fill many pages. Briefly, I'm familiar enough with 3 of the 4 brands to confidently tell you that bar the S9800 which I don't like, they don't even come close to a JBL K2!

david

Disclaimer, I'm a dealer but don't sell any of these brands and I have no horse in this race.

Happy you liked the links Audiolabyrinth, no debts here to share. I have heard the 67000 several times just not in my own system and room. It's very difficult to accurately judge components in unfamiliar surroundings but given Timber's track record and the speaker's heritage it has to great!
david

You know my position Dev, its Lamm or nothing! As far as bad matches go, there are plenty but the Levinsons and Proceed Harman uses for the shows are at the top of the horrible heap.

david

Good luck with that Audiolabyrinth!

I was wishing you luck with your quest and purchase of the 66000, why?
david

Enjoy them my friend, they're really wonderful speakers.
david

Never heard them Dave but I assume given their S9900 pedigree they'd be killers in their class.
david