JBL L100t

I am actually going to check out a pair of these soon. Per the seller, the woofers had the surrounds redone and the cones "treated" whatever that means. Saw 1 pick (looked very clean as far as I could tell) but awaiting some high res ones.

Does anyone here have any experiences (good or bad) toward this speaker? With my current electronics (Adcom GFA-5800 amp/GTP-450 preamp combo), I was not at all pleased with the sound presented when I coupled them with a pair of Klipsch Heresy I's (1985 vintage). Also, good price range for pair this clean.

Are these SS friendly? Not ready to get into tube gear at this point:D !

John

The L100T is highly regarded here. What price point are you looking at?

John

Not sure. Have seen this:

JBL
SPK, L-100T L-SERIES (PAIR)

Description: 3-WAY, 12" WOOFER, 5" MIDRANGE, 1" TWEETER
Manufacture Years: 1985 - 1989

Retail
MSRP: $1,200.00

USED: $300.00

I was going in low initially but I am not as comfortable with JBL as I am with vintage electronics in general so was looking for some feed-back here! Also, if I heard that these need the tube amps to truly bring them to "life" so to speak, most likely I won't even bother to check them out.

$300 is a great price. Do you know what condition the foam surrounds on the 12" speakers are in? These commonly need to be replaced by now. The foam kits are inexpensive, (usually about $25/pr), but can be tricky to replace, though there are good directions with pictures if you search here on the forums, or if needed, you could get an expert to do it.

They should sound perfectly fine with SS amps - there's too much voodo in the SS/tube thing for me anyway...a good speaker will sound good with a good amp, whether SS or tube. Your preferred Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc. should sound excellent with an SS amp through these!

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigyank

I am actually going to check out a pair of these soon. Per the seller, the woofers had the surrounds redone and the cones "treated" whatever that means. Saw 1 pick (looked very clean as far as I could tell) but awaiting some high res ones.

Does anyone here have any experiences (good or bad) toward this speaker? With my current electronics (Adcom GFA-5800 amp/GTP-450 preamp combo), I was not at all pleased with the sound presented when I coupled them with a pair of Klipsch Heresy I's (1985 vintage). Also, good price range for pair this clean.

Are these SS friendly? Not ready to get into tube gear at this point:D !

John

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The Heresy I often sounds better with tube equipment because of the tube-typical roll off in the higher frequencies. The Heresy's rising high end tends to compensate for the roll off, even more with vinyl sources. Solid state may sound overly bright, especially with digital recordings with a bright mix.

The L100t is much more balanced but I have still heard others comment on its brightness, or some upper end glare. The balance is definitely not vintage JBL if vintage means a more forward mid and humped mid-bass. The L100t does not have variable attenuation, so if you are looking for a turn-key system, you should give attention to the upper end spectrum of the system. As far as the other end of spectrum, the L100t likes power and will mate with the Adcom very well.

A treated cone? To me treated means some gook applied to the paper cone. This will be evident by a "wet-look" to the cone. The net effect may well be minimal but what benefit it may have is questionable if the treatment adds weight to the cone and effects the intended response.

DavidF

So, got about a dozen shots of the speakers and they look great. Now we talk turkey and I also have to sell this off to the wife as to why I have to have them :barf:

Yank

Here is a shot of them. Looks like weekend of 4/2 at this point but getting closer!:applaud:

'Looks like they were re-foamed with the foam on the outside instead of the inside, or is that just the photo? If on the outside, that could be a good bargaining point, ('should be on the inside). 'Still, I'd consider them a very good deal at $300! It's more of an esthetic difference than sonic difference...

John

I will definitely ask. His price is over 300.00 as well. Never hurts being more informed. Thanks a lot!


John

I picked up a pair of L100T3s last night for $350. They were on Craigs List locally. They are really nice and the surrounds are in fine shape. The seller was the original owner and except for the grill cloth being a little dingy, they are cosmetically perfect.

They certainlly are a step up from the original L100s I have. Fuller sounding bass from the larger cabinet volume and that tweeter is sweet. I think you would really enjoy them.

Is there anything that can be applied to the foam or do we just sit back and watch the rot?

I don't know why some people think they're "improving" on a driver, by adding that wet look coating to the cone. Yes, sometimes, it CAN improve the performance... but ONLY in situations where there is TOO MUCH energy or irregularity in the upper mids, to start with. The additional mass will serve to decrease the upper midrange output, and increase the low bass... BOTH of which will be DETRIMENTAL to an L100T, as its woofer is on the verge of not quite having enough midrange "speed" and output, to blend with the midrange driver well, and the L100T system already verges on "over-bassing" many smaller listening rooms, stock. IMHO, the L80T already has better midrange blend, due to its lighter (10") woofer... the last thing you want to do, is to make an 2214 cone HEAVIER, in a case like this.

Unfortunately, that pair of woofers will need to be reconed now, to sound like they should. That's something in the order of $150 each, or you could try to find a pair of unmodified 2214s for sale somewhere (difficult, apparently), which might be a slightly cheaper option. I'd keep that up-front in your mind and in your discussions, about the price of these speakers...

Trust me, as someone who has TRIED doing this stuff in the past, and has learned, the hard way, of its effects. It's part of the learning curve of becoming a speaker-builder and repairer/reconer... but unless you're willing to put in the hours to learn when it IS and IS NOT appropriate and are willing to "take the hits" of destroying a good driver cone assembly here and there in the learning process, it's not a good idea to mess around with a good design...

Regards,
Gordon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Don Mascali

Is there anything that can be applied to the foam or do we just sit back and watch the rot?

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Not really... nothing that won't impair the sound.

Besides, it's relatively cheap and easy to replace those surrounds... think of it as routine maintenence, just like replacing the hoses and belts on a car. Same materials (polymer compounds), same cause-and-effect relationships...

Also, most of the newer surrounds are made of polyether now (instead of polyurethane). Once they're replaced, they should last significantly longer than the originals...

Regards,
Gordon.

Thanks! Here is a close up of the mid-range/tweeter areas.Owner was/is reluctant to sell them actually. We talked at work today (me from PA him from NY) and will do so again next week (I am off until Monday now:bouncy: ). You have all been so supportive and insightful (warts and all!) you have my thanks and gratitude!

John

Gordon W said:
"Besides, it's relatively cheap and easy to replace those surrounds... think of it as routine maintenence, just like replacing the hoses and belts on a car. Same materials (polymer compounds), same cause-and-effect relationships..."

Yeah, I've watched you guys talk about it here. I'm a pretty handy kind of guy but I'm reluctant to wade in and do surrounds or diaphrams. I guess it's a learning curve I'll have to climb at some point.
Thanks, Don M

There's a set of L100T's for sale currently on the San Francisco craigslist for $300, but I believe they may be the L100TBQ, (black lacquer), because the seller says they're black with gray grills and in perfect condition.

I'm also wondering if they're actually that set I looked at last year that were actually L100T's painted black with rotting foam...

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigyank

I am actually going to check out a pair of these soon. Per the seller, the woofers had the surrounds redone and the cones "treated" whatever that means. Saw 1 pick (looked very clean as far as I could tell) but awaiting some high res ones.

Does anyone here have any experiences (good or bad) toward this speaker? With my current electronics (Adcom GFA-5800 amp/GTP-450 preamp combo), I was not at all pleased with the sound presented when I coupled them with a pair of Klipsch Heresy I's (1985 vintage). Also, good price range for pair this clean.

Are these SS friendly? Not ready to get into tube gear at this point:D !

John

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John:

I've said it here before, and I'll say it again: In their price range, the JBL L100T is the most underrated speaker ever produced by JBL. It blows me away how cheap you can pick these up on Ebay. I bought a set from CMC Stereo in St. Louis when they were going out of business in 1988 ($560 new for the "demo" pair... everyday price was $499 each). The only bad thing I can say about them is the quality of the veneer used is horrible. It will bubble and peel off. I got the large format monitor bug (4343, 4430) a while back and something had to go. Because the cabs looked so bad, I gutted it and sold the components. A few pieces went to fellow LH members. The cabinets went to the dumpster.

At an average of $300 used, there's nothing on the market that will even come close to the performance of the L100T.... GO FOR IT!!

This message comes from JBL Dog :dj-party:

One issue is I cannot figure out dimensions of the cabs! Downloaded owners, etc from JBL but nadda! Anyone got the HxWxD on these speakers?

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigyank

One issue is I cannot figure out dimensions of the cabs! Downloaded owners, etc from JBL but nadda! Anyone got the HxWxD on these speakers?

John

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The dimensions for the L100T3 are on this site. There shouldn't be any difference between that and an original L100T.

http://www.lansingheritage.org/image...ies/page07.jpg

Dimensions: 36.5" x 16" x 13.25 ( H x W x D )

:)

Earl K thanks a lot!


John

Saturday is the day! I have to drive 2+ hours each way Saturday to get them but I am excited!!!:applaud:

John

I got them! 375 miles round trip! :applaud:


Cleaned up the veneer with some lemon oil, man were they dry. Actually got a tremendous amount of dirt off and now they look sweet! Hooked them up to my Adcom rig (GFA-5800 & GTP-450) and all right! I love the sound. WAF okay since the walnut finish matches the decor as well.
Yank

Congrats! I think the L100T's are definitely one of the best sounding smaller JBL's!

John

Been living with them now for the better part of a week. Have them in a 10 foot wide 16 foot deep room (carpeted) about 2.5 feet forward from the back wall and 8 feet apart.

I like them, my wife actually said she likes them and since I listen to mainly live recordings (some store bought, some are amateur audience), they rock:rockon1:

Yank

Only problem now is I had to part with these:

http://home.comcast.net/~jklorenzon/images/P4120080.JPG

Hopefully will be meeting the buyer this weekend!

Nice picture, what are they?
BTW, I have L100T's too and like them a lot.
Bob

[QUOTE=Boss96]Nice picture, what are they?
Bob[/QUOTE

Klipsch, I believe.

I have had a pair of these speakers for 20 years now and still love them. Might sell them though and purchase something a little more compact for a smaller room. I hate to give up sound quality though. What price do you think I would have to pay for like quality in a more modern compact speaker system? I have a good sub woofer(JBL12PB)...so I can afford to focus on mid and higher frequencies.

Also, my JBL L100Ts are in like new condition. Never had a problem with the light teak or walnut finish...humidity of room must have been just right year round. WHat do you think I could sell them for and where?

Thanks in advance.

I just joined this forum and had to chime in.
I bought a pair of L100t's back in the 80's. Still have them. Love them to death. I power them with a Kenwood M2A amp. The combo is clean and strong.
Gotta agree about the veneer on them. Definitely not the best materials.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thorzdad

I just joined this forum and had to chime in.
I bought a pair of L100t's back in the 80's. Still have them. Love them to death. I power them with a Kenwood M2A amp. The combo is clean and strong.
Gotta agree about the veneer on them. Definitely not the best materials.

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:wave:

Welcome to the forum. Nice amp for the L100T's.

Since this thread popped up again I will add that I bought a second pair of L100t3's last weekend. Only $200 from the original owner. I could swear that He had tears in his eyes. He knew what he was loosing, but the wife was "tired of those big eye sores". :screwy:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Don Mascali

Since this thread popped up again I will add that I bought a second pair of L100t3's last weekend. Only $200 from the original owner. I could swear that He had tears in his eyes. He knew what he was loosing, but the wife was "tired of those big eye sores". :screwy:

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I have owned a pair of L100t3's since 1990 or 1991 and they are still sitting in the family room working great after 16 years of daily service. They still have the original surrounds that are in like new condition. They are working great as the front left and right hand speakers in a multimedia setup.

My wife will complain about them on occasion but I remind her that I have known those speakers longer than her and she shouldn't force me to choose between the two of them. Every time I think about getting new speakers I really can't justify it. They sound great and, for me, they still fill me needs and then some.

One last thing I will add is that the t3 variants of the L100/80/20 series are a definite improvement over the T versions. This was driven home for me after owning a pair of L80T's and then buying a pair of L80t3's and directly comparing them. The L80t3's cross overs seem to provide a much smoother blending between the speakers which make for a big improvement in the overall sound, IMHO.

Anyone that can pickup a t3 version of the L100/80s definitely won't be disappointed.

Vintage JBL Said:
"Anyone that can pickup a t3 version of the L100/80s definitely won't be disappointed."

I agree.
Now if I could stop building speakers for my HT Room I will try bypassing or charge coupling the X overs. The various threads make it sound like an effective mod.

Don, I just noticed that you live in, or near, Haymarket. I live in Peidmont just on the other side of I-66. It is a small world after all.

PM sent as I don't want to High Jack the mans thread,:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JBL Dog

:wave:

Welcome to the forum. Nice amp for the L100T's.

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Thank you.

So, am I correct in thinking that one could simply swap-in the crossover from an L100t3 into an L100t and radically improve the sound?

Agree on the enclosure veneers. Over time if you oiled your cabinets as we have been 'told' we should :) the veneer will pull away. But, who cares as long as the enclosures are airtight. For almost 20 years my L100ts have been bringing a smile to my face.

I had both 2214s re-coned in Indy about two years ago. It cost me 350. (as much as what you guys are buying used pairs for) but I had to do it.
Boy did the local guys do a superb job! The speakers perform as new. Love the old school JBL sound with my Yamaha old school C-70/M-70 combo. Gotta love Ebay for the vintage audio bargains!!

I did some upgrades in 1990 with Van Den Hul: rewired them (internal crossovers) with Mono Crystal Silver (silver clad copper) and upgraded the binding posts, and it honestly livened them up.

Have you guys ever noticed these JBLs are phase (absolute) inverting?
oh yes... as they would not cooperate with my Velodyne ULD15 II. If you are unsure about yours, just hook up a AA 1.5 volt battery to the terminals... cone should move out, not in. Simple solution is to switch your speaker wire leads.

Just some random trivia.
regards.

I have a pair of these speakers that I bought in 1978, and they are BULLETPROOF! They still sound as good today (they're playing upstairs as I type this) as they did when I bought them. I paid $240 each -- 508 bucks including tax for the pair. Along with my Sansui G5700 (purchased in 1980 and still going strong), the best audio investments I've ever made. I like the wording in the L100 brochure: "the volume level generated by a JBL loudspeaker will become noticeably discomforting to the ear before the loudspeaker can be damaged". In other words, you'll hurt your ears before you hurt these speakers. The veneer on the cabinets isn't the best, but who cares -- they still look pretty damn good for 30-year old speakers. I love these things!

Where's the best place to get replacement grille foam for the JBL L100?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JBL Mike

Where's the best place to get replacement grille foam for the JBL L100?

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The best ones I've seen are from Foamtrends - http://www.foamtrends.com/

I opted for a grey pair for an L100 set I sold this summer ...
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...ad.php?t=20921

But they sell all the original colors and some new stuff as well!
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...00+foam&page=2

If you need the grill frames to support the foam, they have them as well.

JBL L100s speakers - $250 (Cannon Beach)

Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-03-04, 7:22AM PST


Nice set of JBL 100s speakers. Good condition, Bass cone surrounds need to be replaced. sound great. Circ 1985 or so. Cabinets and grills in excellent shape. I can bring in to Portland as well.

Please help. My JBL L100 T was damaged by flood. the whole cabinets have to be replaced. I can have it made of wood or gypsum board. However, I do not know the exact size of the cabinet, as it has bloated, and the exact placement of the speakers, crossover, port, tweeters, midranges, etc.

Calling all JBL 100 T users - If you can send me the exact measurements I would be eternally grateful. Thank you so much!

pdf for the JBL L100T including dimensions

http://www.jbl.com/resources/Brands/...L100t%20ts.pdf

Quote:

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Originally Posted by natsup5548

Please help. My JBL L100 T was damaged by flood. the whole cabinets have to be replaced. I can have it made of wood or gypsum board. However, I do not know the exact size of the cabinet, as it has bloated, and the exact placement of the speakers, crossover, port, tweeters, mid-ranges, etc.

Calling all JBL 100 T users - If you can send me the exact measurements I would be eternally grateful. Thank you so much!

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I'm listening to my L100T with T3 crossovers right now! i think you should find some cabs in decent condition and go from there. If you do take the time to build your own, try mirror imaging them. If your house got that flooded that it destroyed the cabs beyond measurement, I would worry that the drivers (which are paper) got damaged too, might just want to find a new pair of T3's:)

Ok, ok, I'll bite. here's the exterior dimensions (3/4" wall thickness)...

Height 35 1/2 inches tall (box without the base)
width 16" (baffle)
depth 13.25"

From side to side..
the tweeter and mid-range are offset..9" from one side, 7" from the other..on center, exactly

The woofer sits exactly in the center at 8" on center.

From the top of the box down, the speaker centers are..

Tweeter 5"
Mid-Range 10 1/2"
woofer 19 3/4"

You will have to router out the ledge for the tweeter per the tweeter plate circumference, and thickness, and make the circumference of the holes per the driver circumference dimensions, I'm not taking mine apart tonight to give them to you!

The terminal can go just about anywhere, and your plastic vent port should be in tact enough to instruct you on how big it's hole needs to be. There is a post around here somewhere which suggests that the port can go in front if you want, it helps if you need to place your speakers up against the wall.

As I am a huge fan of these speakers, don't disappoint me, post the pics of your end result. And.. don't revive 6 year old posts anymore, it makes me feel silly for replying to them!;)

Thank you so much for the specs. I'm from the Philippines and there are no cabinet makers here with the specs. We have to provide the specs. Will post a pic in a month or two. Thanks again!

Thanks for the manual!