Big boom boxes.
JBL everest?
At us in Russia are very popular speakers JBL Everest 66000 and 67000. (at whom the budget allows, certainly). In North America, judging by the forums, they are not so popular. Why? Who heard the JBL Everest with a boulder amplifier of 2060 or 2050? Your impressions? Введите текст ...
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They’re in the ‘old school’ JBL camp, designed by Greg Timbers who did a number of iconic big JBL designs over the years. I havent had a chance to hear them, but I’d like to. From on my understanding the ‘new school’ JBL pro designs measure and perform better on all of the quantitative data, with the JBL M2s having all of the SPL capability of the Everest but with smoother on and off-axis response and deeper bass extension, all for considerably less money (even including the required Crown DSP amps). The Everests sure look pretty though. |
Horn speakers, like some JBL's, are a good match with valve amps because of their higher sensitivity, however for smaller rooms, horns can sound harsch when you'r sitting close to them. So my opinion: those big JBL's only if you have a living room the size of a ballroom. Horns are mostly applied in PA speakers, where sensitivity is more important. |
I have a preference for American speakers...I love their big, wide soundstages & the full-presence sound typically associated with them. Because of this, the vintage JBL sound is something I’ve always appreciated. Having said that, I always wanted to experience what JBL’s very best, the Everest DD67000, would sound like. Luckily enough for me, I was in NYC this past December & stopped in the Harman Kardon flagship store on Madison Ave. to listen to some AKG headphones. Walking around the store, they had plenty of headphones, BT speakers & other “lifestyle” products, but no sign of any true audio gear. I asked the salesperson & she told me that the home theater & audio gear was downstairs & that someone there could show me around. As soon as I went down the steps, I saw a gloss-white pair of Everest’s sitting in a open display. As I admired their beautiful fit & finish, a sales rep asked me if I would like to hear them. Having said yes before he could finish asking, he led me to a listening area (three walls, open in the back), where a pair finished in rosewood were set-up in, driven with JBL Synthesis electronics. I have to echo what others here have said...you need a large room to get what the Everest’s can do. Not just because of there physical size (which is massive), but because they just don’t do low volumes well. The JBL rep (who was very knowledgeable) played from a streamer several orchestral pieces as well as DSD-versions of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” & most of Kenny Burrell’s “Midnight Blue” (my selections). At lower listening levels, the Everest’s sounded nice, but were decidedly underwhelming for what I was expecting. But, once we were by ourselves & he felt comfortable turning the wick up...boy, did those big beauties start to sing! Very airy, detailed highs sure, thanks to that horn, but...those mids & that bass! It was in this range, in the fleshy part of each track, where the Everest’s really captivated. There was a soundstage that not only extended wide, but had a depth with a sense of incredible dimensional space. For as big a speaker as they are, they truly disappear...leaving you to listen to the music as a performance, to experience it as an event. Taken as a whole, they were fantastic. I wouldn’t describe them as more “musical” nor “revealing” than say the best I’ve heard from Magico, Wilson, etc. But for sheer presence & the ability to let you experience a performance...the Everest’s were extremely, extremely good. I couldn’t help but think that, during the whole time I spent listening to them, that the Everest’s are indeed worthy of being considered a reference speaker. You would definitely need to have a space built for them, especially one where you could play them loud. Both visually & sonically, they make a serious statement. I came away wishing I had the space for them... Just my $0.02 worth... Arvin |
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@chrisr Music Direct had the new L100 Classics set up in their room at AXPONA. They have a warm tonality, aren't incredibly detail-focused, throw a wide if somewhat indefinite soundstage, and have fat punchy midbass. They sounded pleasant, but not my cup of tea. They're be excellent classic rock speakers though, good for making bad old recordings sound good and not exposing their faults. That's probably the demo they're going for, Boomers with nostalgia who like to crank the Led Zeppelin and Stones. |
2-3 years ago I began the search for my own "best ever" speaker. I listened to a god selection, including Wilson (various models), b&w, etc. I flew to Colorado to listen back to back m2, revel salon 2, jbl k2, Everest 6700 and 6600 at one of the few dealers that stocks the range (I live on the east coast). Bottom line....I thought the Everest 6700 were the greatest sound I had ever heard - and bought a set (maple finish, black grills). In retrospect, after listening for a considerable period of time, and dialing them in at my home..... I still think they are my " best ever " speaker. I thought the revel salons were good...but as my non-audiophile girlfriend said (she flew to Denver with me), the revels are great.....but the sound seems to just "fall out" of the Everest instead of being forced out. Hands down she picked the Everest. Would buy them all over again |
2-3 years ago I began the search for my own "best ever" speaker. I listened to a god selection, including Wilson (various models), b&w, etc. I flew to Colorado to listen back to back m2, revel salon 2, jbl k2, Everest 6700 and 6600 at one of the few dealers that stocks the range (I live on the east coast). Bottom line....I thought the Everest 6700 were the greatest sound I had ever heard - and bought a set (maple finish, black grills). In retrospect, after listening for a considerable period of time, and dialing them in at my home..... I still think they are my " best ever " speaker. I thought the revel salons were good...but as my non-audiophile girlfriend said (she flew to Denver with me), the revels are great.....but the sound seems to just "fall out" of the Everest instead of being forced out. Hands down she picked the Everest. Would buy them all over again |
@v6517413 -- Obviously there are a bunch of JBL Everest DD65000-67000 owners out there, a significant portion of those being Japanese audio enthusiasts (and, I gather, Russian enthusiasts as well?), but they’re hardly representative of the general audio "gist" here at Audiogon, meaning that large horn hybrids or all-horn speakers seem to be in the minority of preference here compared to the plethora of the less efficient and typically (much) smaller direct radiating alternatives. On top of that the Everests are very expensive, so don’t bet on a queue of owners standing in line to jump at your questions - at least on these forums. The Lansing Heritage Forums may be a better place for you to pursue some answers (I would try out the ’General Audio Discussion’ threads): http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/ So, above paragraph of mine may be at least a partial answer to your first question, in regards to their seeming lack of popularity at the forums in North America. Bear in mind that while Audiogon is most likely the most elaborate forum section on Audio in the US, it’s not the most encompassing, I find; as mentioned earlier horns (and woofers of 15" and above) are not a popular meal around here, and seem to generate the response mainly as something that’s supposed to be attached to the forehead - in pairs. Regarding the sound of the Everests, I haven’t heard their latest iteration (i.e.: the DD67000, nor the DD65000), only the DD66000, but I would hardly be able to add anything worthwhile here apart from what has already been mentioned above by other posters. In particularly I like the description of how the sound of theirs seems to "fall out" of them as opposed to something that has to be forced or pulled out of them, which is a giveaway to their rather uninhibited and effortless presentation. It’s a big sound, and a very dynamic one as well, all of which makes them more desirable to my ears than what most of the direct radiating and smaller speakers can offer. Personally though I find there are other alternatives, certainly all-horns, that sound better all around, and at a much lesser price, but they’re not popular as such - nothing easily branded as the JBL’s, Everests no less. My advice would be to go a bit beyond "popular," also with regard to amps, and dig into solutions that mayn’t be as visible to the, say, reigning monetary elite (to whom status seems more important than pursuing excellent sound per se as a quest in itself), but that are no less capable, and that at more fair prices. If JBL and Boulder is what you’re after though I’m sure you can’t really go wrong with either, but remember to dig a little deeper into those pockets.. |
Everersts are shown routinely in HK rooms at shows where they do not do well, in my opinion. K2s and 4367s have had the same fate. At RMAF Home Sound Audio was able to setup a pair of 4367s in a very shallow room and they were awesome. Again the adjacent Everest room was quite bad sounding. My experience is that the model has a status to them in America, but they are not marketable. This is mainly because of decor reasons. Slim speakers are the rule, and dynamics as priority has been largely shelved. I do wish they would do better in show setups and would love to hear them at the flagship store. mmatty - could you please tell what amplification you use or have experienced? phusis - are you talking about turnkey all-horn alternatives or DIY? Goodsoundclub patrons would certainly agree that better and cheeper are available than retail brands, like Avantgarde. Sounds great to me. |
@ohlala phusis - are you talking about turnkey all-horn alternatives or DIY? Goodsoundclub patrons would certainly agree that better and cheeper are available than retail brands, like Avantgarde. Sounds great to me. I’ve heard mixtures of all-horns that I believe could be rightly categorized as DIY, as well as "turnkey" iterations that are very worthwhile. The JBL’s (i.e.: K2 and Everest’s in particular) had my quite impressed for a while, until I became more familiar with other horn speakers, including my own all-horns (that is, except the sub octaves which are augmented with a direct radiating subwoofer, but I have planned two upcoming DIY horn subs) which I’ve had now for over 2 years. Listening to the K2 S9900’s last fall it struck me how much their sonic imprinting had changed to my ears given that my own frame of reference has changed these last years. My main gripe with the JBL’s, be it both the Everest’s (haven’t heard the DD65000 and DD67000, I must add) and K2’s, is that they lack relative refinement and overall coherency. While the bass and lower mids is indeed very dynamic, agile and with a fine tonality in its upper range, it has a general warmth or roundness (some would call this coloration) that draws too much attention to itself. Moving up through the midrange I find there’s a "splashy," grey-ish and slightly hollow signature that lacks organic presence. This may sound like harsh criticism, but I actually still like the JBL’s quite a lot, with the proviso just mentioned and that I find they’re too expensive. That being said it’s not fair to single out the JBL’s as too expensive in light of most of the direct radiating competition, where I find they have much to offer by comparison. I’m not that familiar with Romy’s sonic preferences or views in general, but have noticed he’s quite open about his dislikes here and there. |
i have a set of 5 jbl 67000 powered by 5 denon s1 monoblocks in a room about 20 by 24 with high ceilings for movies and music i think they are definitely fine products, the soundstage is wide and deep the volume is not limiting the horns are smooth and in my opinion really seem to bring the band into the room and the room disappears there are likely better combos for less money though these are quite good |
I have heard the JBL Everest speakers at RMAF years ago...Large room.. I can't remember the amplifiction....They sounded transparent but not very musical to me...I love JBLs from the 1960s and the Everest had some of that same sound flavor, just didn't move me. At the same or lower price point, there are so many great choices ...heck, in the $1000-$15,000 range there are so many good choices of speakers that may have kept the big JBLs from getting much play in the US/EU...At the over 50K price point there are many other contenders.... Such a cool thing about hifi....truly something for everyone at most any price point.. |
I own a pair of JBL Studio 590s - which on looks and brand reputation alone one might be forgiven for thinking they belong in a frat house or most suitable for younger people only interested in slam and in-your-face sound. However, that would be a mistake - and like the Everest and K2 they were designed by Greg Timbers, with a horn loaded compression driver taking all frequencies north of 1.5kHz. I also believe they, again like the Everests, are part of the Synthesis line. https://www.jblsynthesis.com/productdetail/studio_590.html (really wish the wood grain finish was available in the U.S.). I’m not the biggest fan of the form factor or the build quality (tho it’s not bad), but in the right system these things are simply unequaled for the price and probably for a few grand more. Disclosure: I only bought them because Harman reduced the price to $474 each on their ebay store last December. I’m glad I did. All the glowing YouTube and written reviews are true - the Studio 5XX series compression/horn setup is unreal and offers a level of ’intimacy’ and detail that you really will be surprised to hear. Voices - and certain instruments like saxophone (think Stan Getz) or trumpet (Lee Morgan) are rendered as though they are in the room with you. These are the largest in the series so they need a relatively large room, but with proper placement (and use of the ’bungs’ they provide) bass response can be anything from understated to overwhelming. Off-axis listening is hardly a compromise with the horn treatment as well. There is ZERO compression (used in the audible sense, not referring to the driver) at insanely high volumes and they have between 91db and 93db sensitivity, so they are also very pleasant at lower volumes. They do have the tendency to be very revealing at any frequency above the crossover point at 1.5kHz, but with the right system feeding them, they have become my ’reference’ large room speaker, as silly as that might sound for a guy in his 40s who’s been tinkering with hi-fi since the mid 1980s. There is a very slight dropoff in lower midrange frequencies befitting the fact that it's a 2.5 way design and that it's 8" woofers being asked to move lots of air for bass, but also to handle baritone frequencies. Someone above me made a similar comment about the Everests or K2s, so it made sense to me. I imagine the Everests sound awesome, especially with the right system, but they are way too damn expensive strictly on the basis of the main technologies and types of drivers utilized. Direct radiating loudspeakers with compression drivers simply don't need to cost $44,000 a pair to engineer or manufacture. I’m sure the cabinets are rock solid and made of the best materials, as they weigh a ton, but still no matter how much disposable income I had anything over $10K for a speaker system strikes me as conspicuous excess and a status symbol rather than a means of enjoying your music. Plus, if you’re going to spend that much on speakers, what are you going to drive them with? You’d almost be compelled to buy a $5K power cable for your amp, LOL - and the amp itself would probably cost $20K. In summary the reason that the Everest is not that "popular" in the U.S. is because they aren’t practical speakers for anyone but obscenely wealthy hedge fund managers. That’s not intended to be a hateful or mean comment, nor does it convey any jealousy, but again I think that it’s very unlikely there are no speakers that cost less than half the cost of Everests which would be just as suitable to even the richest person’s listening preferences, and I say once again that they’re more a status symbol than an audio component. I still wouldn't hesitate to give them a listen if I got the chance and even better compare them in an A/B situation with equally expensive LS or even "budget" models. |