Diffusion foam around tweeters of l-100s

[mirkee]

I own a set of these, which I bought new in 1975. My girlfriend's uncle managed Henry's radio in LA and he gave me a super deal on them. $220 a piece. They listed for $397 at the time.

In any event, they still sound great. the tweeters have a thing foam sorround which is stuck to the steel plate. This material is a little rotted and disintegrating with time. I always read that it is easy to replace.

My question: Is it worth replacing? If so, with what and how?

Thanks in advance.

[Mr. Widget]

Search does occasionally work: http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?30776-LE25-Foam-Surround-whats-the-scoop&highlight=l100+foam


Widget

[grumpy]

There's often a person selling 'replacements' on ebay if JBLpro doesn't give you satisfaction.
Just be careful not to break or damage the very thin wires running under the adhesive under the foam.
You'll feel better if you replace them (and they'll look nicer).

[Old curmudgeon]

I own a set of these, which I bought new in 1975. My girlfriend's uncle managed Henry's radio in LA and he gave me a super deal on them. $220 a piece. They listed for $397 at the time.



Not to be nit-picky, but I would like to correct some wrong information here.

In 1975, L-100s listed for $318.00

In 1976 they listed for $333.00

In 1977 they listed for $489.00

I purchased my first pair in 1973 when they listed for $273. Dealer cost was $172 at the time.

They later raised the list price to $297, then to $318 in 1975.

I did not want anyone to think that a JBL L-100 listed for $397 and costs only $220 to the dealer, the markup was never that high.

At the same markup that existed in 1973, a L-100 that listed for $318 in 1975 would have a dealer cost of about $200. Add 10% for the typical markup for an "employee sale" and that would result in a price of $220 for the fortunate boyfriend of the niece!

[mirkee]

First of all, it's a shame that we don't have hi-fi emporiums like Henry's in LA any more. They were also an enormous store for camera gear. We had several different stores in Orange County CA where yould go and listen to a lot of premium hi-fi gear.

In any event, it's been a long time. My guess is that I bought them in 1975. The $220 price I am sure about. The list price, I guess not so much.

Now that we've straightened that out, do I buy the difussion rings for the tweeters? If so, how hard are they to remove and replace. The tweeters that I see online without the foam look like there is a lot of hard glue left after you take off the foam.

I'm not a JBL historian, but I do love the sound. I went to see Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture last week and listened to a couple of recordings of it before we went. The cannons on the JBL's were spectacular. I am thinking of getting a sub but still undecided. I listen to an eclectic mix of 60-s - 80's folk and rock. Some classical as well, but not much. I never acquired a taste for Jazz but I keep saying I'm going to work on it. Also some blue-ray movies. Love the JBL's !!!

[Don C]

I bought some of the rings on ebay, and found that they fit poorly. The inside diameter of the foam is too small. So buy them directly from JBL instead.

[Old curmudgeon]

I'm not a JBL historian, but I do love the sound. I went to see Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture last week and listened to a couple of recordings of it before we went. The cannons on the JBL's were spectacular. I am thinking of getting a sub but still undecided. I listen to an eclectic mix of 60-s - 80's folk and rock. Some classical as well, but not much. I never acquired a taste for Jazz but I keep saying I'm going to work on it. Also some blue-ray movies. Love the JBL's !!!


As do I!

It didn't take me long to "fall in love" with the L-100s either. I have been very fond of the L-100 and the professional variants (4310, 4311 and 4312) ever since.

[cooky1257]

You can rub the rotted foam off with a finger, take care though, work inside-out and look out for the wires that are flush with the tweeter plate.
I've found my eBay sourced foams fitted perfectly(US supplier but could be different bloke).

[mech986]

Hi Mirkee,

First off, Welcome to Lansing Heritage! We're all JBL and a lot of other interesting stuff. I'm in La Habra so probably not too far away from you.

Contact Dave Wheeler (assuming he's still there) at JBL Professional in Northridge and see if he has got stock of the foam rings for the 4311 Studio Monitor (L100 professional model). They are pretty inexpensive.

Also, if you can, please post some pics of your speakers, always love to see what a pair of one-owner, hopefully well care for L100's look like today.

If your original colored sculpted foam grilles have perished, you can get replacements although they are not inexpensive. I've dealt personally with www.foamtrends.com and their replacement grilles are superb. If you want to see mine, let me know, I've got them in Ultra Blue.

EDIT: sorry to just find out FoamTrends has ceased producing their products, a shame. There are, I believe at least 2 other suppliers currently out there that make replica grille foams.