When JBL was JBL...Your first Encounter
You know I can still remember opening the carton of our first ever JBL drivers..the 2231A.
That was way back in the late 1970's. The JBL 2231A was the latest soa woofer from JBL...medium efficiency extended bass driver. Aside from the sound quality and power, it was way above anything else at the time.
This all came about in the quest to find a speaker with the big sound that really went down low and loud. I had looked at everything incl Tannoys but they just did not cut it.
Does anyone know who designed the 2231A?
My interest in JBL soon evolved into the purchase of all the drivers for the 4343..The magic still lives.
I think it woud be fun to hear about other members first experience with JBL drivers?
Ian
Inside a Fender Twin Reverb
In the mid-1960's when I was in high school, I worked at a music store after school. I remember uncrating a Twin Reverb and almost dislocating my shoulder when I tried to pick it up. Inside were two D120's that looked like they had been built by a Swiss watchmaker. Not everybody back then liked the clear-as-a-bell sound that JBL speakers brought to the party, but I fell in love with them.
I went on to work in the sound reinforcement business during the 1970's and early 80's, working almost exclusively with JBL gear. Although I left the sound business, I've almost always used JBL studio monitors in my home, including:
4310
4311
4330
4350 (almost cost me a marriage)
4315
4425
4410
LSR28P/LSR12P (current)
It's amazing that JBL has managed to maintain as much brand identity and loyalty as it has, despite Harman's attempts to water it down.
My entry is not so glamorous as some of you...
D130A's with 075's in a small JBL enclosure.
Actually, one system was D130A only full range, and the other w/crossover and 075 tweeter. I was not into audio like I am today and was totally blown away at the volume I could get with just 12 wpc SS receiver I had.
Ron
There ain't nothing like the sound of classic JBL
We loaded a Dual Showman cab with 2 15 " JBL E130F drivers, when the prior speakers were some knock off crap, and the difference in sound was cleaner, louder and much more dynamic than anyone ever imagined would happen...It's still right here in my basement many years later...
Regards,
Charley
It's De ja vu' all over again
Back in 1973, I was in high school and I spent my entire life's saving on a pair of JBL 030 system kits - D130's and 075 bullets. And after several months in a high school wood shop class building a pair of C-38 enclosures. I felt that I was set for life. And, for the last 32 years I have lived in bliss, with a reverently held belief that the 030 system was all that I would ever need. There is something about D-130s that screams “Rock ‘N’ Roll!”
But, sadly my old D-130 speaker cones have finally worn out and I have been forced to make a change. But, fortunately, I found this web site and after reading, Drew Daniel's "The ancient audiophile's quest for the ultimate home system". I am now embarking on an all new speaker system building project. So, it looks like I will be spending my entire life's savings all over again.:hmm:
Quality Always Rises To the Top
JBL Rolex Ducati Aston Martin Revox etc The list is not endless because very few companies care to go the extra mile in favour of manufactured quality against commercial expediency.
1968 Supertramp live at glagow university Bass player had a dual showman Jbl rig wow. A few years later I was working in stereo and L16 26 36 etc were on the menu. Even those little 16's showed most of the competition the door. 26's were as I remember about £350 a pair though that would be about 6-7 weeks gross wages. Tannoy was the only company that had anything to compare........ Cheviot 12" concentric was xlnt Other than that not a lot shone. Then I heard L 300's and the rest is history. I'm building my own now:D
When Fender started using JBL speakers
I think it was 1959 or 1960 when Fender started using JBL.
I got the Hi-Fi bug from my dad, at the time we had a big console that had 15" coaxial speaker in it.
1964 during Christmas holidays I went to An Allied Radio store in Oak Park, The sales person was busy so I just went into the Hi-Fi demo room and listened to ever speaker there. They had all the big brands of the day, after 3 hours of listening I was completely sold on JBL.
I play bass, my first JBL was a D140F that I put in an Ampeg bass cabinet. After I stopped playing in bands at my wife's request I sold the Ampeg amp, but kept the D140F. I bought another D140F added LE175 drivers, horns and lens. I got the prints for the JBL Harkness rear loading bass horn and built a pair of them and put my D140F speakers in. Over the years I have acquired many other JBL speakers, but I still have my first ones that are now 41 years old and still sound great!
I have done a lot of Pro Sound work over the years and installed a lot sound systems, I always use JBL when the client has the budget for them.
At the radio station the remote dept wanted get a bigger PA system and the remote guy wanted to use Bo$e speakers! I said NO WAY IN HELL! I got some JBL SRX115 not the best of the JBL pro line but I had a budget.
After the JBLs arrived I did shoot out Bo$e vs JBL. We have one pair of Bo$e 801s here so I used one of them and one JBL, I played the Bo$e first then the JBL. When I switch from the Bo$e to the JBL everyone's jaws dropped they were just blown away by the difference.
In the Pro sound community we have a saying "No highs, no lows, must be Bo$e" OK I know, I have strong dislike for Bo$e but I was able to get 4 JBL speakers for the price of two Bo$e.
Anyway the remote guy like the JBLs so much that we got two 18" JBL subs to complete the system. There is so much FUD out there about speakers over the years I have felt like a lone ranger fighting for the truth about JBL speakers
I'm so glad I found this forum! John:D
yeahh, it's an old thread, so what ?
.
my formative years (hs & above) were in Santa Barbara, I remember it as an audio desert. Not an audio store to be had , that I ever found (1964-8).
Tho Dad was a respected doctor, he had a tube Sherwood receiver, dual TT , Uher R2R, and no name speakers. Not fine, but got me started.
When I first had real money (in the USN) , the exchange offered good deals on gear that was new to me. Bought a big Pioneer receiver, Pioneer CS-77a speakers, Teac R2R and a Garrard (:eek:) TT.
Kinda outgrew that system quickly, tho it stuck around for a while. After my time with The Canoe Club, family had moved to Oregon and I relocated here (as nowhere else to go) . Many more audio stores . Hawthorne Stereo was the biggie JBL retailer. So it would have been late '72 that I heard my first L100's. Dealer even gave me a free JBL record (Sessions) to reward my demo.
They were such a fuller sound than the Pioneers. WOW. I also had a demo at a different store for Ohm Walsh F's. Retraining and new job in the mids 70's put both those outstanding speakers out of reach.
Grabbed some used AR-3's and they sufficed for a while.
Finally, early 80's, scored my first JBL L100's :D , then later the F's.
Many JBL's later (20,30 ??), the Centurys are gone* , but replaced with a better 3 way-12 incher (IMHO) .. 120Ti's. I like the "Ti" series and also have 18's & 250's. Besides the sound, I admire the engineering and cabinetry. Pure class.
*L100's are in Chicago with my son and wowing his friends.
still have L15,L19, projects to work on.