75 years of JBL: 75 years of Loud + Clear!

[Pulkass]

Even today speakers are largely a personal choice, but back then I would submit that loudspeakers had even more character, aka: were not transparent. Therefore the speakers that any one individual might have picked over a pair of L100s would have been dependent on what the listener was looking for.

The JBL 4310, which was the first version of the monitor that was to become the L100 was designed with a very forward midrange to mimic the sound of the Altec 604E monitors that were the de facto industry standard in the US. The goal was not the most accurate speaker, or the speaker with the most extended range, and certainly the polar response was not really considered. This gave the L100 an unusual and characteristic sound.

In no particular order here is a list of speakers that were available in 1972 that were arguably better in one or more ways than L100s. Some cost more than L100s and others cost less.

AR3a
ESS AMT1
Tannoy Monitor Gold
BBC designed LS3/5a
KLH9
Quad ESL 57

A little secret is that you can indeed stuff bass reflex to tame it somewhat:

Volume filling a reflex box

Volume filling a reflex box - tests and measurements showing how correct filling can improve performance

sound-au.com

I was partly saved by Nordost flatline II cable.

 

[fpitas]

I was partly saved by Nordost flatline II cable.

Stuffing is considerably cheaper

 

[Pulkass]

Stuffing is considerably cheaper

Bracing and metallic plates glued with silicon to the inside of the cabinet, silicon gaskets. Woofers were good JBL components, the rest was shameful, in L 100 T.

 

[fpitas]

Bracing and metallic plates glued with silicon to the inside of the cabinet, silicon gaskets. Woofers were good JBL components, the rest was shameful, in L 100 T.

Bracing never hurts. Often wood dowels in strategic places do wonders.

 

[Mr. Widget]

I was partly saved by Nordost flatline II cable.

My marriage may have been saved if I had only installed a pair in my system.

 

[fpitas]

My marriage may have been saved if I had only installed a pair in my system.

A high-end cable will solve pretty much everything.

 

[Pulkass]

Bracing never hurts. Often wood dowels in strategic places do wonders.

Loudspeaker manufacturers are so cheap, c Mon few matrix bracing, treated internal walls, decent x over, a 50 bucks job. Is Capitalism so greedy?

 

[fpitas]

Loudspeaker manufacturers are so cheap, c Mon few matrix bracing, treated internal walls, decent x over, a 50 bucks job. Is Capitalism so greedy?

Yes

 

[fpitas]

Not so very long ago, only the most fanatic speaker designers believed in extensive bracing.

 

[Pulkass]

Talkin bout the devil, went to a demo last Friday, too small the room, no sound absorbing panels, too bright the room, too bright the K2s, very interesting though. Tempting l would say. Only if l had........

 

[fpitas]

The JBL Flagship store in Times Square had a theater room downstairs where I heard K2 S9900s. Wonderful speakers. They had another room with Salon2s. Also wonderful. I think they gave up on those rooms now and just sell plasticky crap, though.