Gellis1, keep in mind that JBL produces (to this day) a professional line and a "consumer line". Many of the older JBL "L" (Listener series) speakers, used their professional drivers in wood veneered cabinetry for home use. JBLs cabinetry, was THE industry standard in quality for many years.Unfortunately, Harmon International purchased the company, and the overall quality suffered.
To this day the most desirable series of JBL speakers designed for the home was the "Listener" series produced in the later 1970s and very early 1980s. One that instantly comes to mind is the JBL L112. This was a 12" 3 way loudspeaker that was derived from the original 4312 studio monitor series used in 70% of the recording studios at that time. The L112 was an incredibly well balanced speaker that threw a huge soundstage and stayed flat (+/- 1.5db) from 20-20,000 with an incredible amount of detail.
They can generally be found at the $350- $500 price point used, and were built like bank vaults. The woofer used a 12 pound magnet in a cast aluminum frame with a 3" hand wound voice coil. The midrange and high frequency drivers were equally well built. You can try the site below for a complete history on all JBLs including the model I am discussing. You may be quite surprised at how incredibly wonderful much of the older gear sounds. The L112s will boogy with almost any speaker out there today inclusive of any "modern designs". Their sound is captivating to say the least.
http://www.audioheritage.org/
Best of Luck, and Happy Listening, Ed.
To this day the most desirable series of JBL speakers designed for the home was the "Listener" series produced in the later 1970s and very early 1980s. One that instantly comes to mind is the JBL L112. This was a 12" 3 way loudspeaker that was derived from the original 4312 studio monitor series used in 70% of the recording studios at that time. The L112 was an incredibly well balanced speaker that threw a huge soundstage and stayed flat (+/- 1.5db) from 20-20,000 with an incredible amount of detail.
They can generally be found at the $350- $500 price point used, and were built like bank vaults. The woofer used a 12 pound magnet in a cast aluminum frame with a 3" hand wound voice coil. The midrange and high frequency drivers were equally well built. You can try the site below for a complete history on all JBLs including the model I am discussing. You may be quite surprised at how incredibly wonderful much of the older gear sounds. The L112s will boogy with almost any speaker out there today inclusive of any "modern designs". Their sound is captivating to say the least.
http://www.audioheritage.org/
Best of Luck, and Happy Listening, Ed.