Go find out.
Either buy from a place with easy return policy or go find places to listen.
44 responses Add your response
(1) Your quest for a speaker brand and model is for a receiver upstream. Any choice instead for an Integrated amp, with clearly superior audio performance capability and bespoke sonic signature, might drum up a potential contender versus a pretender. With receivers, their poor output power supplies by design limitation warts of packing everything in a cramped unibox, comparatively limits their audio performance, and thus minimizes speaker synergy maximization choices. Hence, any forum reader now suggesting one speaker over the other in a totally binary choice blind bakeoff with a receiver, is thus closer to “ just pick one of ‘em” exercise with a low risk of making a “wrong” choice. (2) This crazy hobby is a journey and not a destination, There is NO “best” option and certainly never in a binary choice blind option. TAKEAWAY IMO
There is no silver bullet nor likely clearly “better” choice of your two options. with a receiver. Each has its strengths and warts. For those who are unwilling or unable to audition the speakers, then I would refer them back to Point (1) immediately above, Happy hunting, |
@akg_ca has your answer. |
First, has your receiver been renovated? All the caps replaced and reostates cleaned, etc? I have a 1970’s Marantz integrated amplifier… it is fun to look at, but sounds terrible, honestly I could buy a Schiit Amp for $500 that sounds much better. Are you interested in sound quality? If so, what kind. Or is this nostalgia? |
i am sorry but our hobby is not systematic frustration, dissatisfaction and ignorance combined with money throwing in the bin... There is a destination defined by acoustic vocabulary, terms, and experiments... There is a destination when we learn how to embed rightfully any system at any price , mechanically, electrically and acoustically.. Why? Because a minimal S.Q. threshold of satisfaction can be reach with almost any system at any price with a method using these three dimensions controls possibilities in an economical manner...When this threshold is reached, upgrading has no more forceful appeal: we like all our music for the first time and we listen to it... Sound is no more a priority.... This hobby is not a journey without end, upgrading, there is an acoustically very definable destination...Learn basic acoustic... All the contrary saying is only conditioned marketing deceiving repetition in a gear fetichism induced hypnotism ... I apologize for saying this incovenient truth....
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Why dont you read about everything that has been written about these two speakers first, and not asking in the wind about an answer from someone you dont even know about these 2 speakers he dont probably even know by comparison ? I chose all my gear this way...Studying for weeks all there is to read... And i am more than happy... And i will remind you that nevermind the speaker you choose, what you will do acoustically in your room will improve way more than almost any upgrade at the same cost... I admit to be crabby and i apologize for my lack of manner... Dont thank me for the best advice nobody never told me in the past and which i discovered myself for 2 years long experiments...Think about it.... But this is my experience... I wish you the best from my heart, being crabby dont exclude a heart in one chest too.... 😁😊
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I'm sorry to tell you this but I think you already have. Good luck to you just the same. |
mike--i empathize with your frustration--the above responses are singularly unhelpful. i've owned both the hpm 100 and the original jbl l100 (i assume the 120ti is a late 80s update of the l100) and i liked the hpm better--bassier, louder and bigger sounding; also very easy to drive. i tend to think that speakers match better with receivers from the same era, so the pioneer should work well for you. |
You are right... I discovered that a small room like mine is 13 feet square, is the easier to acoustically control, because of the reverberation time and reflection.... In a more rectangualr room and way larger i will be obliged to recreate all i know... Acoustic is an ART based science like medecine... Those who claim it is a science only are sellers not scientists... |
"well I got 8 replies thanks for your time however nobody said anything I didn't already know the only thing I learned is that there is a bunch of crabby old guys on this site. Oh yes I myself am 65 but I hope I don't wind up like you guys " You asked a question and people spent their time trying to answer it in the most helpful way possible and the best you can do is complain because they didn't give you a definitive answer to what was, at best, a purely subjective question. To me, it seems like you don't really care much about sound anyway. More like an old crabby guy trying to recreate his dream stereo from the 1970's. Perhaps you should find a website that specializes in vintage equipment. It would be a much better place to get an answer to your question. And don't let the door hit you on the way out. |
I own the HPM’s, bought a pair new in about 1977, drove them with a Pioneer SX-750. They’re easy to drive and have a classic sound. That being said, it’s hard to say which speaker will be better, after nearly 50 years, either will probably need some restorative work. Same with your Marantz .I still have the Pioneer, as well. This stuff is like owning a classic car. Endless fiddling, and almost anything new will perform better. And yet, sometimes you can’t help yourself, lol. Good luck. For room treatments, it's hard to go wrong with a couple of macrame' hangings, and a poster of Farrah. |
If those speakers (and receiver) aren’t updated then ir doesn’t matter what you buy. Assuming they are no one can seriously recommend anything with any logic. You have your tastes, your ears. That said, with so little power pick whatever is most efficient. Also, your response only makes you look crabby and rigid. If you don't like honest, helpful advice ..stop asking. |
About 10 years ago while temporarily living in Dallas, I discovered a great vintage audio store in Bedford, TX chocked full of all the great audio gear from the 70’s that I yearned for back then but could not afford. I heard all “the (mid-fi) good stuff” from that era at this store. I listened to several JBL models, some of which were their most upper-line models that had very high asking prices due to their notoriety “back in the day”. To me, they all sound very upper-midrange forward and shouty when played with a wide variety of vintage gear from many brands. I eventually heard the Pioneer HPM 100s and bought them on the spot. Still have them for my second system (all 70s vintage gear) and always will. For me, they get the 70’s sound right. Another great speaker from that time was the Watkins Stereo WS-1a which I also own. The HPM 100s are probably the better sounding speaker overall IMO. One of the great things about this gear is that it is not “high end” and doesn’t pretend to be. Accuracy of timbre and other esoteric high-end concerns are not a priority. It is squarely aimed at rowdy reproduction of 60s/70s/80s rock (think lots of distorted electric guitars and amplified drum kits) and that it does superbly. The real trick to making these systems sound fantastic is to add a vintage parametric equalizer, like the Pioneer SG9500, to freely and unabashedly shape the character of the sound to your preference, which I would never ever do in my high-end system. Enjoy your journey @mike317! |
Brilliant all guys on here. Not one recommendation of a speaker model or even a reference to any save OP's present speakers. OP picks two speaker models out of thousands and asks which is better. He tells us nothing about his room, his tastes and only identifies his Marantz. Only @dicockrum attempts an answer. .We are finally learning that silly questions cannot usefully be answered. |
Not a fan of either. Pioneers had a nice tweeter, but that's about it. JBLs were built better, but boomy and hardh. Find a pair of JBL L-110s ca. 1980. Those are killer, will be very happy driven by a 2265B. JBL got all the pieces right - it was the first ported speaker I ever heard with extended, tight bass. The soft dome tweeter was a vast improvement, and everything could keep up with the LE-5a midrange. Add to that mid and tweet level controls and impeccable build quality and you have a classic. As for the 2265, Marantz always had ballsier receivers because they had better power supplies and discrete transistor high current output stages. This was why they also tended to cost a bit more than the Pioneers and Kenwood's of the day. I worked in a shop that sold tons of Advents, a speaker known to blow tweeters when pushed. The high watts/dollar receivers were heavily current limited to protect their wimpy output stages that only performed well into an 8 Ohms resistor. Rather than damage the output stage, current limiting essentially clipped the amp at a level low enough to not hurt the outputs and dumped the resulting trash into the speakers. This was marketed as a feature that protected the amp. We rarely saw blown speakers driven by Marantz and HK, blown tweeters were common with Pioneer and Kenwood receivers. |
I am not familiar with the equipment but based on comments above that it is designed for rowdy reproduction of rock I would recommend Zu Audio. You don't mention what your budget is but they have extremely reasonable offerings for every budget. You can also find them used online at times. I do not own a pair but have read many, many positive reviews. They offer 60 day in home trial which addresses some of the recommendations of others. |
To be fair, as posed your question is difficult to answer meaningfully. What kind of music do you like to listen to, at what volumes and in what size of a room? Are you listening in one position or moving around? Can you describe what kind of sound you like? Without more information, the best anyone could do is look at the specifications for the equipment in question to see if there are any glaring mismatches, especially with regards to impedance and power. There are lots of charts online showing frequency response, impedance (I didn't see any in a quick search but I'm sure they exist), off axis response, etc. Both speakers are 8 ohms, a good load for this receiver. I don't have their respective impedance curves to spot any weirdness, but I would think it unlikely for mass market bookshelf speakers to have crazy impedance dips that could stress a power supply. The Pioneers are 92.5dB efficient with 50W power handling; the JBL are 89dB with 250W power handling. So they are fairly close in output. The Marantz will be able to get more volume from the HPM-100s because it doesn't have the juice to push the JBL to their limits. I have heard the Marantz 2265b and many of its brethren. I grew up with a 2252B but many years later found I preferred the 2270 for it's more euphonic sound. I have heard neither speaker, so can't comment on their respective sound signatures and how those might or might not jibe with the Marantz. But they are both very well known. The Pioneer was designed by Bart Locanthi, I believe, and was very well received. The JBL is from a line with a tremendous pedigree, culminating in the 250ti, which I think is an "audiophile" speaker by today's standards. I will however, echo something a previous poster noted, which is that if your receiver is all original, it will definitely not be sounding up its potential. Electronic components age and, if you love this receiver, investing in an overhaul will keep it running nicely for decades to come. |
It's been said that "you can't blame a compass for pointing north". And, when you make an inquiry to a group of audiophiles you can expect "audiophile" responses from "audiophiles". If the question were posed on a forum for oral surgeons: "What toothpaste should I buy -- Colgate or Crest?" you'd expect a strong critique of mainstream, available at Target/Walmart oral hygiene products as well as some professional recommendations of sensible alternatives. There ARE actual audio experts on this forum. And, the price of admission for that advice is reasonable. Free. My part time "gig" after retirement involves servicing vintage audio equipment. The primary goal is to prevent good gear from going into the dumpster. We are indifferent to brand, price point, overall condition, etc. Our primary prerequisite is that the piece must have a strong emotional attachment to its owner. It cost us about $3 for each $1 we bring in. Not a great return on investment. Being there at times like when a retired eye surgeon breaks out into tears after we fire up his father's stereo that's been in storage for 50+ years, is our reward. Vintage "stuff" brings us back to an era of authenticity, but it's more than that. For some of us, the journey from childhood to adulthood was enhanced by music and the hardware that produced the music. Some of the best of the best memories of our lifetimes involved those knobs, switches, levers, meters, dials, and fret wood grilles. While it might a stretch to call them a literal fountain of youth, our old gear certainly does return us to "feel good" moments that are unique to that equipment. Referencing, again, the service component mentioned above, I'm sure that in 90% of the cases listed above, if the owner(s) were offered 10x the value their equipment in exchange much better sounding modern gear, the answer would be a resounding "NO!" Seeking a "rational decision" involving elements with an emotional attachment is an irrational approach in that it is impossible to place a value on the those elements. That being said, the OP's comments about the group, in general, was a bit heavy handed. I am genuinely impressed with this group's commitment to serving others. These are the kinda guys I'd like to have as neighbors when my riding mower won't start. They'd be there to pull the plug, rebuild the carb, etc. Then, offer ME a cold one after THEY've done all the work. As, yes, the HPM100s are pretty special. Just a note to my A'Gon friends: Mainstream vintage gear can take on real audiophile characteristic with a little attention to parts quality and application of "newer thinking". We do this routinely and are often surprised (stunned!) with the results. |
There are tons of speakers as well as reviews of same. Just decide what you want, stand mount or floor standing, then read lots of reviews about them and narrow the field to a few. Then go listen if possible. If not possible, trust the reviews if many seem to agree, and take a chance on a pair. Most things can be returned in 30 to 60 days..... |
JBL is a speaker manufacturer - Pioneer makes everything, not all of it too well. If it's just between those two I would go JBL. They have what was called back in the day a "west Coast" sound compared to New England based brands. JBL's were, at a time, the number one monitors for Studio applications. I find them a bit in your face and a bit nasal at time BUT speakers are SOO subjective. I would think JBL should be easier to find replacement parts or upgrades if need be. |
