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View Full Version : L40 vs L96 vs L112



Zekeman
01-31-2005, 08:55 PM
I have had L40's for 22 years (Sansui 9090DB) and they sound just beautiful. I recently bought L100's, hooked them up, and the bass was much boomier and not nearly as nice and punchy as the L40's so I sold them on Ebay.

I am now thinking of the L96 or L112 which were developed after the L40 but I have never heard these either.

I would be greatly appreciative of anyone who can compare how these three compare from a bass-tighness / PUNCH standpoint.

Thank You,

Zekeman

4313B
01-31-2005, 09:04 PM
Gals liked the L96 and guys liked the L112. How's that for a synopsis?

The L96 had the snappiest bass. The L112 was fuller and handled more juice.

The L40 and L50 were one category lower than the L96 or L112. Their 2-inch voice coiled 125A/127A bass driver couldn't compete directly against the 3-inch voice coiled bass drivers in the L96 (10") or L112 (12"), though they were not bad for JBL's cheapest drivers of the time.

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/catalogs/1979-home.htm

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/catalogs/1982-home.htm

Zekeman
01-31-2005, 09:23 PM
Thanks for the info...Do you agree with my comment about the L100's muddy bass? How did JBL change the woofer from the L100 to the L96 or L112 for instance?

4313B
01-31-2005, 10:24 PM
Do you agree with my comment about the L100's muddy bass?No. The L100 is the finest loudspeaker ever made. ;) I'm utterly perplexed that anything else even exists at this point. :dont-know

Steve Gonzales
01-31-2005, 10:40 PM
I was just talking about how I liked the difference in bass quality in my L110's over the L100 (NO OFFENSE-REALLY, they're still great). The LE 111A's in the L110 seem to have a tighter, punchy bass quality opposed to the L100. I've owned 2 pairs of L100's and 3 pairs of 4311's (2pr-B's, 1pr-WX-A's) and just got ahold of my first pair of L110's and love the sound!. From all the feedback about L96's, L110's and 4313 's I've read or heard, it seems to be mostly the same, the LE10 or other 10" LE series equipped speakers seem have a more desirable bass quality. I too have always thought that the L40 is a smooth sounding speaker, very liveable. Still it's like saying:" I like red Corvettes over Black ones".

John
01-31-2005, 10:50 PM
I have to agree about the L40,for such a low budget 2 way it has a very smooth sound and punchy low end at the same time. If you ever see a pair going for a low price,jump on them. You will be suprisedhttp://audioheritage.csdco.com/vbulletin/images/smilies/bouncy.gif

Viking
02-01-2005, 05:26 AM
Anybody know why the L100 has this "muddy" bass ?

Is it the cabinet?
Is it the port ?
Is it the driver ?
Is it the xover ?
Is it a combination of all/some?
or is it just the way it is ;)

Is the L112 less "muddy" ?
Is the L150A less "muddy" ?

4313B
02-01-2005, 05:57 AM
Anybody know why the L100 has this "muddy" bass ?
Which model L100 does he have? Early (e.g. HF with round frame) or late (e.g. HF with square frame)?

Is the L112 less "muddy" ?
Is the L150A less "muddy" ?Both can be a bit less so depending on boundary loading.

Viking
02-01-2005, 06:27 AM
Mine is L100A "late" w. square HF, I think they made a change in the woofer from the earlier models ?

But Im not even shure mine have a "muddy bass" what is white and what is black ? Is it the other speakers that have less bass or mine that have a bit more ?

4313B
02-01-2005, 06:40 AM
Seriously, I don't recall the late L100 having "muddy" bass. I recall stacking it up against several other brands towards the end of it's production run and the bass response was NOT a problem. Could have been the room I was in...

I've revisited quite a few systems over the years and have come away with "That's not as bad as I remember" and "That's not as good as I remember". Different rooms, different source/electronics. When someone makes a remark like "I had some 4315's...and IMHO the 2203's are the floppiest, ill defined woofer JBL has made....at least in that box (3.2 ft, 28 hertz Fb...)" my first thought is they were having a bad LSD experience or the crack they picked up on the corner was bad. My first thought should instead probably be "bad source", "bad room", or "bad back end". ;)

Viking
02-01-2005, 07:14 AM
That fits well with my sentiment :bouncy:

bolitasboy2
02-11-2005, 01:15 PM
My JBL L-112 its amazing speaker, i"ve1 pair using for main home theather
and, for music, the bass ,thight,midrange,blend,,high,sweet highend sound
no hickup for h/t used,

Titanium Dome
02-11-2005, 01:40 PM
The L100 (I have the original model purchased in 1970) was a great entry point into more or less serious hi-fi for many in my generation. It still holds up well today, despite the fact that I've had a succession of JBLs since then that improved in one way or another on the L100's sound.

Just remember we were doing the LP thing back then, and we had lots of other things to focus on like turntable rumble, dust, grit, scratches, hiss, tone arm vibration, etc. If I remember that time and all the concerts I attended in an altered state, the bass was pretty frickin' muddy by intention. So it's no wonder that we found our L100s the perfect concert-in-a-dorm-room companions.

I mean really, come on, listen to Led Zep, The Who, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, the Rolling Stones, or even The Beatles on those old LPs. The bass is muddy. That's the way it was made and played. :rockon1:

Admittedly, today I can get a digitally remastered copy on CD or even DVD of some of that stuff and play it through a $3k pre/pro, a few thousand watts of separate amps, and a super JBL Performance Series set up, and it's a technically superior recreation, but it doesn't sound right.

It's not as good as those old LPs turning on a Dual 1219 running through a Kenwood KR6160 and two L100s. :band:

jblnut
02-11-2005, 02:01 PM
It's not as good as those old LPs turning on a Dual 1219 running through a Kenwood KR6160 and two L100s. :band:

Which is exactly why you need to have two separate systems in your house - a state of the art multi-channel, megawatt system for video and concert DVD's, and a 2-channel system with vintage JBL's, "made in japan" electronics and of course a nice turntable. And thanks to ebay it doesn't even have to cost that much....

Well maybe "need to have" is too strong, but I'd highly recommend it...


;)

jblnut

Steve Gonzales
02-11-2005, 02:04 PM
JBLnut, Amen to that!!! That is EXACTLY what I have and what I tell my friends to do:applaud:

Zilch
02-11-2005, 02:06 PM
Like this?

Steve Gonzales
02-11-2005, 02:09 PM
Stop showing off! :)

jblnut
02-11-2005, 02:21 PM
Like this?

More like this (just got it a few days ago and I'm still working on the restoration....)

Steve Gonzales
02-11-2005, 02:27 PM
My bro has a 80's vintage Yammy that cost big $$$$ and only used it a couple of times... Still has it too

PS. although LP's have there own cool sound, I could never isolate the TT enough or get it far enough from my monsters to keep it from rumble and feedback:(

jblnut
02-11-2005, 02:41 PM
My bro has a 80's vintage Yammy that cost big $$$$ and only used it a couple of times... Still has it too

PS. although LP's have there own cool sound, I could never isolate the TT enough or get it far enough from my monsters to keep it from rumble and feedback:(

Do you know which one he has ? The two top dogs are this one (PX-2) and the PF-800. As far as feedback goes, I had the same problem until a year ago. I bought a rubber "record clamp" and some crazy sorbothane "gel" feet to go under the turntable. Bingo - problem solved, and my turntable is about 10" away from one of the L250's. My old Luxman didn't have a very good suspension and this absolutely cured it.

Try it - it works...

jblnut

Steve Gonzales
02-11-2005, 02:45 PM
Thanks for the tip. Funny, he has L250's also and 2 B380 knock-off SUMO Sampsons. What ever the top of the line was in say 81'-82' , that's the Yammy TT he has and it is MINT!

jblnut
02-11-2005, 02:47 PM
Thanks for the tip. Funny, he has L250's also and 2 B380 knock-off SUMO Sampsons. What ever the top of the line was in say 81'-82' , that's the Yammy TT he has and it is MINT!

Here's the place to get the feet and clamp if anyone is interested - MUCH cheaper than the Audioquest sorbothane feet and supposedly just as good....

http://www.kabusa.com/index_ac.htm

jblnut

4313B
02-11-2005, 03:01 PM
he has L250's also and 2 B380 knock-off SUMO Sampsons.Can we please get some pictures of those Sampsons? Does he have the Delilah too?

Steve Gonzales
02-11-2005, 03:12 PM
Right now all I have are pic's of them from across the room. If you want some close ups, I can take them when I go over there this weekend . He does have the Delilah crossover and all the original paper work if you would like me to scan and send them. BTW, did you get that sample yet? What do you think?

4313B
02-11-2005, 03:20 PM
If you want some close ups, I can take them when I go over there this weekend. He does have the Delilah crossover and all the original paper work if you would like me to scan and send them.That would be very nice.

Titanium Dome
02-11-2005, 03:22 PM
Wow! Rereading my post, I sound just like my grandpa. "Why, sonny, in my day, we had real music!" Oh well, if the shoe fits...

One of the great things about that time was the integration at the consumer level of great traditions and modern craftsmanship. JBL, Dual, and Kenwood: USA, Germany, and Japan all at important junctures in their corporate/industrial life cycles.

Steve Gonzales
02-11-2005, 03:22 PM
No problem Mr.Giskard, no sample huh?