That's cool. Yes, those are good. I have heard the K2s but it was a while ago. |
Dave_72, yeah, I was just checking out that new model to the JBL line up, the affordable S3900 speakers, very big bang for the money, these will out compete much more exspensive speakers by well known brands out there, seems JBL recently revamped there cost no object line of speakers, Dave, have you ever had the chance to listen to the K29900 speakers? |
Check out the current Synthesis line...1400 Array, S3900 & 4700, K29900, and Everests. You'll be pleasantly surprised! |
My home speakers are JBL Professional PA speakers. Harbeth killers? With rock music, they will play without strain at levels that would send Harbeths (and most other high end speakers)into hiding. Not the lowest lows or the highest highs but well balanced overall and not fatiguing. |
I remember back in the I think 80's, when they were about to put out the last of the l100t's....I drove all over town trying to get a pair. I already had a really good receiver to match it with...(carver) that went well with it. any one who had one was over pricing them knowing about the lansing take over. the sound at the time was awesome, I quess due to them using the earlier (like celestion) alnico magnets... I eventually settle for the P50 some time later and eventually moved up to the alon/Conrad Johnson combination.....but no not to me, like bose and other of that price range, we have just moved on or up... |
Back in the 70's, I bought a pair of JBL 001s in the Olympus enclosures (with the wooden fretwork grilles). I loved the sound but each one was the size of an entertainment center. I sold them in the 80's for half of what I paid for them and the buyer bought them without even hearing them. I still regret ever letting them go. |
mattmiller, I do not know if you are aware of the new JBL Everest DD-67000 speakers, research them please, they are considered one of the BEST speakers in the world for home audio, go and listen to them too, you will have a total new out look on JBL, These speakers retail for $75,000.00! |
Similiar to planar speakers..."they have no bass!"...once a speaker gets a bad reputation, its hard to shake...and the same applies to JBL...ironically they supply most of movie house sound systems....and nobody has complaints with that!...On the budget side...I feel JBL became noticeablely smoother and refined in the 90s era...possibly Harmons deep pockets, the dawn of computer analysis, or both...but this somewhat forgotten era produced some gems...on par or better than highly touted value driven products from psb, paradigm, or even the current best buy Pioneer speakers...FWIW...jbl continued to make speakers in the Usa well into the end of the decade |
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 |
I wanted 4311's ....WHEN I WAS THIRTEEN! Back in 1979. I'm not sold on old vintage JBL's, Save your breath for some one worthy. I think they are on a lower plateau than many speakers out there today including my Dynaudios. They don't compare when it comes to placing people with instruments in my listening room. The midrange alone in one of my speakers would blow away the sound of a classic JBL. Having said all this JBL's were some of my favorite speakers when I first started into HIFI some 35 years ago when I was just thirteen. So I am not a JBL hater. I just think its funny how some people will hang on to a $900 pair of speakers and play $8000 worth of electronics thru them....I guess they WOULD sound pretty dam good. (this is my brother, lol) |
Mattmiller, That's exactly what hi-end dealas tellin' ya at their stores about it. Their job is to make you believe and most do that A+ if not better. When you go through your OWN research it's quite different.
If you listen JBL models with studio mastering equipment, I'm more than sure that if speaker such as you've mentioned HARBETH wouldn't sound good there, than JBLs are INDEED HARBETH killers and that's exactly the reason why studio mastering engineers would pickup JBL instead of boutique Harbeth.
Try 4312, 4311 or newest of 43 series 4319 and you'll realize why... Try L800 tower speaker as well. |
My Brother has a pair of Century 100's that he loves, according to him he "couldnt justify spending $4500 on a pair of Harbeth SL5's" and the sales guys in the store agreed! IMO All you JBL lovers need to move on.... LOL. That's IF you have good electronics and your not still using some old Japanese receiver from the 70's. JBL the HARBETH KILLERS!! ROFL...Seriously if I were working at HARBETH I would jump ship to JBL!! I cant take it...LOLOLOLOLOL. |
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I have some JBL L-7 vintage 1992 speakers that retailed for $2,000.00, I first bought them in 2012 to flip for more money because they were in brand new condition when I got them, which was unbelievable for the age of them, I hooked them up to a fricken walmart RCA small all in one unit, I could not believe what I heard and the huge sound stage presatation, today, I removed the stock bi-amp plate and inserted Tara labs Omega jumper cables and the speakers are now hooked to a modded krell 700cx amp with Tara labs zero gold interconnects and omega gold speaker cables untill I get my hands on the discontinued JBL Everest DD-66000 or the new top of the line JBL Everest DD-67000 speakers, however, I will be keeping the vintage JBL-L7 speakers, BTW, they have the titanium laminate tweeters, the bass is none boomy period, rather for 30hz, the best I have ever heard considering what my cables do for them, these JBL-L7 speakers have a natural open well balanced tone, I am still scratching my head as to why these speakers are that good, cheers |
Having cut my musical (recording) teeth in early 70s recording studios I can testify to why JBL got a bad rap...extreme treble and boomy bass was what people thought they needed and that's what JBL gave 'em. Amazingly, engineers were able to work around this (mini single speaker monitors as additional reference points) and make some great recordings. A recent Hifi mag just gave a rave review to the latest Everest flagship horn speaker, so one can assume they're doing fine now. |
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 |
JBL has been in business for over sixty years. They must be doing something right. |
I agree with you 100%! Lots of the vintage JBL models (4312, 4310, L800 and surely more others as well) will challenge today's desings with open natural and well tonal balanced sound, with incredible soundstaging abilities and also ease to drive as well. I'm definitely a fan of JB Lansing!
There are lot more 'sleepers' in JB's huge array of speakers so far made, so other posters will chip-in as well with list of great vintage models. |
