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kenjit
1,619 posts
There is no such thing as a studio monitor. All speakers are just wooden boxes. The question is how the damn thing has been tuned. Studio monitors are tuned FLAT. Audiophile speakers have a downward tilt. End of story. As a result of this, so called studio monitors sound harsh.….
ummmm …, wrong again,
The JBL L100 Century are the consumer version of the legendary JBL 4310 studio monitors. In the late 60s JBL already had a great reputation for making very accurate, full size monitors for studios. Growing demand for more compact control room monitor, forced JBL to start working on the 4310 model. The requirements were: high power handling, high acoustic output without distortion and smooth frequency response thought entire audio spectrum – all of that from a 45l enclosure. Two years after the work begun, JBL Professional Division introduced the 4310 studio monitors. These speakers quickly became first choice for many well known studios, including Capitol, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, London/Decca, RCA, etc. In fact, these monitors became so popular, that many musicians and engineers started purchasing these for home use. This in turn, encouraged JBL to produce the consumer version of these monitors – JBL L100. JBL claimed for these to be acoustically identical to the studio equivalents, but finished in more provocative style, appropriate for home environment. And this provocative style is one of the most characteristic features of the JBL L100 speakers – the open cell foam grilles with truncated pyramids. I dare to say that these are one of the most iconic speak grills ever made.
There are different version of both studio monitors as well as consumer speakers:
- 4310 – fist set of studio monitors featuring distinctive oval baffle for medium and high frequency units. Drivers HF: LE20, MF: LE5-2 LF: 123A-1.
- L100 – consumer version of the above studio monitor featuring all transducers in the centre line of front baffle. Drivers HF: LE20, MF: LE5-2 LF: 123A-1.
- 4311 – upgraded version of studio monitors, now featuring all drivers closer to each other on a reassessed baffle to accommodate flush fitting fabric grille. Drivers HF: LE25, MF: LE5-2 LF: 2213.
- L100A – consumer version of the above studio monitor featuring non-linear drivers layout. Drivers HF: LE25, MF: LE5-2 LF: 123A-1.
The version I am reviewing is the L100A. So what do we have here? Well, these are relatively large by modern standards, 3 way bookshelf speakers with a very basic crossover network and all driver diaphragms made of paper. What a mixture!