JBL L100 Reissue - $4000

[ROOSKIE]

Not sure why people have issues with the L100's price.

I have still not heard the speaker and want to. I couldn't justify buying them during the sale as I have so many speakers here now. After I sell some gear I will likely grab them next sale if it comes.

I have the L52 and have owned the L82(which I parted with begrudgingly due to shifting money toward trying a few additional speakers as that is my main goal right now, trying).
Both the L52 and L82 are fantastic.
The L82 is refined enough and extremely fun. Absolutely worth full price in todays market.
The L52 is shockingly good. I keep testing it with other models such as the L50meta and the Sonus Faber Lumina II and the L52 is just plain out more my taste and quite frankly better. It is more refined than the Sonus which is a bit rough, gives the LS50meta a hard time in overall SQ and has very clear & natural mids that just beg for another track to be played and is far more fun than anything this small should be.

I think both the L52 and L82 are worth full retail, though of course work out a deal.

Looks are personal but I like the retro look of the whole line and the Piano Black versions are going to really appeal to many others.

 

[mhardy6647]

They weren't bad as capacitors. The PCBs were a problem if it got out....

Indeed, they're not bad at all as capacitors.

 

[Sal1950]

Indeed, they're not bad at all as capacitors.

Your not supposed to eat em.

 

[pinpoint_oxford]

That's one complaint I haven't seen much of. I've only read one bad review on cabinet build but the reviewer was only complaing about the grills, saying the old L100's had wood around the foam & the new ones have plastic. It seems a lot of the L100 reviews I've read they get compared to the older ones & most of those reviewers seem like there from people who never actually heard the new ones.

I have the L100 classic 75. The cabinet quality is top notch. The wood veneer is applied really well and is seamless on all sides. The grills are easily removed and attached too. The only thing that some nicer speakers have are magnetic attachments to the grills so you don't see holes when removed. Personally, I like the grills so it doesn't bother me.

 

[mhardy6647]

The only thing that some nicer speakers have are magnetic attachments to the grills so you don't see holes when removed.

Umm. Polk.
Just sayin'.




A tenth of the price. Darned good sounding, as well.

 

[LouB]

Umm. Polk.
Just sayin'.




A tenth of the price. Darned good sounding, as well.

But aren't those 2 way speakers with much smaller woofers ? I don't think anybody in the market for a 3 way JBL speaker would consider those even at a tenth of the price. I guess you saying for 400 bucks you can get a pair of good sounding speakers, no argument there at all.

 

[mhardy6647]

... with magnetic grille holder-onners. (apropos of @pinpoint_oxford's lament)

I.e., absolutely no excuse for the JBL, I mean Harman, umm, Samsung box not to have 'em -- other than retro-fashion.

 

[Sal1950]

... with magnetic grille holder-onners. (apropos of @pinpoint_oxford's lament)

I.e., absolutely no excuse for the JBL, I mean Harman, umm, Samsung box not to have 'em -- other than retro-fashion.

My JBL HDI3600/4500 are magnetic.

 

[mhardy6647]

My JBL HDI3600/4500 are magnetic.

Well, there you go, then!
Must've been a retro thing for the L100.
Or maybe the price point?

 

[pinpoint_oxford]

... with magnetic grille holder-onners. (apropos of @pinpoint_oxford's lament)

I.e., absolutely no excuse for the JBL, I mean Harman, umm, Samsung box not to have 'em -- other than retro-fashion.

Yeah, I don't have an excuse for JBL here. It's not ideal, but it doesn't really bother me as I love the grills and only remove them at the request of friends who want to ogle the drivers.

 

[ROOSKIE]

Yeah, I don't have an excuse for JBL here. It's not ideal, but it doesn't really bother me as I love the grills and only remove them at the request of friends who want to ogle the drivers.

... with magnetic grille holder-onners. (apropos of @pinpoint_oxford's lament)

I.e., absolutely no excuse for the JBL, I mean Harman, umm, Samsung box not to have 'em -- other than retro-fashion.

Umm. Polk.
Just sayin'.




A tenth of the price. Darned good sounding, as well.

I owned the L82s and have L52's
Magnets would probably work on those but might need to be large for at least the L82s and maybe huge for the L100s.
The grill is heavy, most magnet based grills are thin and light and flimsy.
The other factor is if they are not strongly held in place cabinet movement with big bass notes can vibrate magnet based grills.
Since the L100s grills are huge and the speaker is designed to rip at high SPL I would not want a chance of vibration.

I have owned the Polk(which had a tweeter issue but I can comment on SPL capability) and the ELAC B6.2 that was the copy tested here.
No, just no. Great for the price speakers, not L100 cross-shoppers.
My L82 blew them away in effortless, clean SPL/output ability and quite honestly so would the diminutive L52 above 65hrz or so. The L100 should be able to fill a huge space with very high quality high SPL.
Absolute perceived sound quality is subjective but I found the L82 and L52 to be superb. Expensive though.

Reality is the diminished returns will throw someone off if the budget really is $400, if the budget is $4000 then I think the buyer will understand of course it isn't 10xbetter, or some other immature calculation like that. It is however notably better.

 

[pinpoint_oxford]

Reality is the diminished returns will throw someone off if the budget really is $400, if the budget is $4000 then I think the buyer will understand of course it isn't 10xbetter, or some other immature calculation like that. It is however notably better.

I couldn't agree more. The L100s are not 10x better than something $400, but they are better. There are also some non-audio benefits I was looking for such as appearence (the grills especially), weight, craftsmanship, included stands, etc. I think it should be more acceptable to consider some audio equipment as jewerly in addition to performance, and that is okay.

 

[tomlang]

JBL L100 Classic Speaker "Look Alike" Build Need Info and Pics Please​

I decided to post this request here as it will be seen by a majority of L100 Classic owners.

Like many of you, I am smitten by the looks of the new (as well as the originals, of course) JBL "L100 Classic", especially in orange.

As most of you know, replacement foam for the front covers can be purchased. For the original "L100 Century", new foam is available on ebay and other places. For the new "L100 Classic", JBL sells new frames and foam in 3 colors - orange, blue, and black.

I want to build a L100 "look alike" speaker using the new "L100 Classic" foam and frames from JBL since the slightly larger size lends itself to a speaker design I am familiar with and like the sound of. It will, of course, not look at all like a L100 with the grille removed.

However, I have looked at countless pictures and videos online and I only can catch a glimpse of what the JBL foam/frame covers look like on the back. This is important since the cutout must be compatible with the drivers I plan on using and arranging on the front baffle.

I would be most appreciative if any member that owns the new "L100 Classic" could take a photo (and even a few measurements if I may be so bold) so that I can ascertain the fit before I purchase these.

Photo attached of the best view of the rear of the front grille of a "L100 Classic" I can find on the internet (screen shot from a youtube).

Finally, it was mentioned above that the walnut veneer surrounding the frame of the grilles is plastic and not real wood veneer? I'm trying to confirm this, thanks.

 

[LouB]

JBL L100 Classic Speaker "Look Alike" Build Need Info and Pics Please​

I decided to post this request here as it will be seen by a majority of L100 Classic owners.

Like many of you, I am smitten by the looks of the new (as well as the originals, of course) JBL "L100 Classic", especially in orange.

As most of you know, replacement foam for the front covers can be purchased. For the original "L100 Century", new foam is available on ebay and other places. For the new "L100 Classic", JBL sells new frames and foam in 3 colors - orange, blue, and black.

I want to build a L100 "look alike" speaker using the new "L100 Classic" foam and frames from JBL since the slightly larger size lends itself to a speaker design I am familiar with and like the sound of. It will, of course, not look at all like a L100 with the grille removed.

However, I have looked at countless pictures and videos online and I only can catch a glimpse of what the JBL foam/frame covers look like on the back. This is important since the cutout must be compatible with the drivers I plan on using and arranging on the front baffle.

I would be most appreciative if any member that owns the new "L100 Classic" could take a photo (and even a few measurements if I may be so bold) so that I can ascertain the fit before I purchase these.

Photo attached of the best view of the rear of the front grille of a "L100 Classic" I can find on the internet (screen shot from a youtube).

Finally, it was mentioned above that the walnut veneer surrounding the frame of the grilles is plastic and not real wood veneer? I'm trying to confirm this, thanks.

Why not just buy the foam covers before you start anything ?

 

[tomlang]

Why not just buy the foam covers before you start anything ?

That's the point. I want to see if there is a *chance* my drivers will fit inside the cutout at the rear of the covers before buying. I have a 12 inch woofer, check. But my design is a two way so I want to be sure my waveguide for the tweeter will fit the top area. It appears the margin of wood is too thick on the one side. I could machine this away I suppose but I'd like to know more details prior to purchase, if at all possible.

 

[ROOSKIE]

L100BG is available for pre-order
$2600ea/$5200pr.
Not typically a glossy black person but these look pretty nice in Piano Black. Supposed to have minor woofer and xover updates. Worth the extra $, who knows...

JBL - L100BG Classic Black Edition Bookshelf Speaker (Each)

The world's largest online retailer of high-end audio, audiophile music, and accessories. We specialize in vinyl records and turntables.

www.musicdirect.com

 

[sarumbear]

Totally agree, I was gobsmacked when I first heard the full range of JBL speakers at my local dealer as a teenager. I was even lucky enough to see a brand new Paragon (in its massive crate) unpacked and heard it.

I have no JBL in my speaker collection anymore except a few powered subwoofers for the boys.

And agree, KEF was putrid to my ears- dull, boring and very little at each end of the spectrum.

I disagree vehemently. The 70s flagship, 104B was an excellent speaker. Your teenager hormones has a lot to explain why you liked the JBLs.

 

[GXAlan]

L100BG is available for pre-order
$2600ea/$5200pr.
Not typically a glossy black person but these look pretty nice in Piano Black. Supposed to have minor woofer and xover updates. Worth the extra $, who knows...

JBL - L100BG Classic Black Edition Bookshelf Speaker (Each)

The world's largest online retailer of high-end audio, audiophile music, and accessories. We specialize in vinyl records and turntables.

www.musicdirect.com

The marketing hypes up the improvements a lot!
“Retaining fundamental elements of the original L100 – and subsequent L100A and L100 Century evolutions – L100BG Classic touts significant improvements to the transducers, enclosure tuning, and crossover network design.”

 

[pinpoint_oxford]

JBL L100 Classic Speaker "Look Alike" Build Need Info and Pics Please​

I decided to post this request here as it will be seen by a majority of L100 Classic owners.

Like many of you, I am smitten by the looks of the new (as well as the originals, of course) JBL "L100 Classic", especially in orange.

As most of you know, replacement foam for the front covers can be purchased. For the original "L100 Century", new foam is available on ebay and other places. For the new "L100 Classic", JBL sells new frames and foam in 3 colors - orange, blue, and black.

I want to build a L100 "look alike" speaker using the new "L100 Classic" foam and frames from JBL since the slightly larger size lends itself to a speaker design I am familiar with and like the sound of. It will, of course, not look at all like a L100 with the grille removed.

However, I have looked at countless pictures and videos online and I only can catch a glimpse of what the JBL foam/frame covers look like on the back. This is important since the cutout must be compatible with the drivers I plan on using and arranging on the front baffle.

I would be most appreciative if any member that owns the new "L100 Classic" could take a photo (and even a few measurements if I may be so bold) so that I can ascertain the fit before I purchase these.

Photo attached of the best view of the rear of the front grille of a "L100 Classic" I can find on the internet (screen shot from a youtube).

Finally, it was mentioned above that the walnut veneer surrounding the frame of the grilles is plastic and not real wood veneer? I'm trying to confirm this, thanks.

Looks like they measure 15.25" x 25.25" (Please excuse my frame shadow in the last photo).

 

[ROOSKIE]

The marketing hypes up the improvements a lot!
“Retaining fundamental elements of the original L100 – and subsequent L100A and L100 Century evolutions – L100BG Classic touts significant improvements to the transducers, enclosure tuning, and crossover network design.”

I believe that section of the marketing is for the whole current classic line regardless of color and is in reference to the various old originals from the 80's and 90's.

The marketing hype for just the Piano Gloss black vs the current L100 Classic walnut is tamer.

"The JBL L100BG Classic Black Edition bookshelf lousdspeaker updates the retro-modern appeance of the acclaimed JBL L100 Classic model with a special Black Edition overhaul that extends to a high-gloss black-painted cabinet finish; gold labels on the front and rear; and a black Quadrex foam grille with a gold JBL logo accent. L100BG Classic also benefits from a Black Edition Performance Package consisting of acoustic refinements to the drivers and an upgraded crossover network with a premium bi-wire input terminal cup."-Music Direct

"For the larger L100 and L82 passive hi-fi models, the Black Edition Performance Package includes an upgraded woofer design that benefits from improvements to its linearity, which helps reduce distortion. The tweeter and midrange drivers have also been treated to refinements that deliver higher levels of performance. Additional upgrades include a change to the crossover design to provide dual inputs for use in bi-wiring applications, while a new input terminal cup includes dual sets of premium gold-plated binding post terminals for a secure connection to a variety of loudspeaker cable and connector types."-Harman Press Release

I think we have a minimal performance increase here with a couple tweaks and the ability to bi-amp/bi-wire which is pointless but what many audiophiles want That said it will be cool to find out & they look great.

Probabily similar to the small tweaks they made to the L100 Classic 75th aniversary sku.