How did you find out about JBL Pro Series?

[boputnam]

Originally posted by JBLnsince1959
forgot to mention that the C35's are upside down so the horns are"in yer face"

I love the look of those E130's peekin' though the grill cloth - I'll bet they really howl...

[JBLnsince1959]

Bo

thanks for the kind words...

So, you noticed the E130, look at little below ( they're upside down ya know) and you can see the 2425 also ( left hand side)


I've been wanting to build new center speakers ( two of course). Heck what am saying, I'm always wanting to put MORE together.

been thinking about using ( for center speakers)
2226
2227 ( does anyone know if any of these are around - would be a great replacement for the E130's)
2020
2445
2404

rick

[JBLnsince1959]

Bo

yes, they howl... I spend a lot of time at the "high-end" speaker businesses here in KC and they all know me by name. Anyway, sometimes I'll meet someone there and they'll brag about their $40,000 Ht they just bought and then I'll say..well all I have are some left-over JBL parts, wanta hear? Of course you know what's in their minds.

If you could only see the look on their faces when I play the first part of the matrix ( upto when the truck hits the phone booth))

Somehow their BS $40,000 HT doesn't sound so good ( I hate myseld when I do that)

well got to go

rick

[LotsOJBL]

I got to pro through the home route. I started w/ KLH speakers (KLH 6), Dynaco kit SCA 35, Garrard Lab 80, etc. Worked my way up to a real HiFi store instead of Allied mail order, and saw some heavy iron - Marantz 9s driving KLH 9, JBL Paragon, etc. Wow.

I got a pair JBL Lancer 101, some of my favorites of all time (love the marble top!) with McInstosh, I just was loyal to Mac. Eventually, ordered a pair of S8Rs in Olympus driven by a Crown DC-300. The speakers were great, but I was bowled over by the Owners Manual for the Crown. I began to look into pro stuff. One day, Cat Stevens was to play at my university, and the sound guy didn't show. Some buddies came up to try to borrow my Olympus, I agreed. Along with a pair of A-7s from a fraternity, we lit up the indoor concert for 2500 people. I was thrilled.

Along the way, I found out a Marantz 8B sounds better than a Mac 240 (I had both), Crown was better than Phase Linear (I melted a 700 driving a pair of Maggies, and JBL pro was the genuine article. I now use a tube pre-amp (CJ PV12) and Mac 2500 driving my Cabaret 4699Bs, the 18 inch woofer, great midrange and classic top end horn making the classic JBL big sound. (My indoor everyday speakers are Wilsons, they too are the genuine article.)

BTW, my favorite high-end system from the old days belonged to an engineer who retired to Winter Park, FL, my home town. He had Marantz tube electronics (7C, 9s, 10B) Thorens TTs (a 124 and a 224, the changer), Crown and Magnecord tapes, a pair of Klipsch corner horns and TWO pair of Bose 2201 configured as 1/4 spheres, located 1/3 and 2/3 between the corner horns. Too cool.

[soundhd]

I first became aware of JBL Pro back in the early 70's when I started to get seroius about "live" sound and studio monitoring.
Being a musician I became exposed to JBL's pro audio products in the studio and on the the stage. They had always been the best, not the cheapest but the best sounding in the 70, 80's and most of the early 90's till some of the other companies like Meyer, EAW, ShowCo, ect.....started to design and come out with their own designs of live or concert sound speaker systems.......JBL is still in there and holding thier own in a very tough product field but I think not best of them all, but now up there with the best top 10.
I still firmly believe that their studio monitor lines from the 70's through the late 90's are still unsurpassed. With the right souce equipment nothing sounds better.
My goal to listening to music is to try and re-create what the Engineer/ Producer/Artist hear in the studio at final mixdown.
Thus the use of the "studio Monitor" is so very important, at least to me anyway. Alot of time, effort, creativity, talent, know-how,
and of course money goes into the making of and album/CD to get it just "right", so I believe that you should at least be able to hear it that way and if you so desire I guess changing the way it sounds by adding more of whatever you think it should have is OK as long as you can bring it back to its original "sound".
I know alot of folks out their will disagree with my views and will say that the new hi-fi speaker designs that have and are still coming out are better but I guess my answer to that is to ask.....
why don't you see those products on the studios? But this is an argument that can and probably will go on for decades.....
But this is just my history and reasons for using JBL Pro.....

[speakerdave]

I heard some custom JBL speakers in the late 60's. I had never heard anything like it. I didn't think it was particularly accurate, but I liked the big dynamic sound and was always interested in larger speakers afterward. Several years later I was building some three-way speakers. I had some 15" Cerwin-Vega woofers and a pair of EV T350 tweeters (sorry I ever sold 'em) and needed a midrange. I went into Eber Electronics in San Francisco to ask them about it and was given a JBL Loudspeaker Components catalogue. (Robert G. used the cover graphic as an avatar.) The salesman put a big check mark by the LE5-2 midrange and wrote in some prices on a few other things. I never bought it because I wanted a lower crossover point and settled on a Stephens 6" full range, which was quite good.

I heard the L100's in a lot of places in those years and never liked them. The coloration was so obvious. I favored what was called the New England sound in those days. I think I let my experience with the L100 cause me to prejudge the rest of JBL and I never seriously considered getting into it, although I kept the catalogue and still have it.

I got into some Altecs and accepted the coloration because I thought it was the necessary price of efficiency. I had a single Jensen G610 which I played around with for while. I thought the coloration of that was actually offensive, but the coaxial design and the bounce of that big efficient sound I really liked.

I set this hobby aside for many years and did other things. Only recently has it occured to me that I could semanticize this world of JBL speakers into experience, and so that 's what I'm doing.

[Alex Lancaster]

Almost 30 years ago, I was 20 and already a poor Hi Fi nut, I bought a pair of L19´s, forget what Pioneer receiver and TT, added an Akai 760 cassete deck and I was in Heaven!; about a year later, I sold the L19´s to some friends that had a small electronic mfg. business, life being quirky, I bought into the business, and later on contacted JBL and was 1 of the 2 pro dealers/importers in Mexico, later the only one; right on the middle of the Disco craze, which fizzled out after some great Years, never liked Disco, but just loved the gear, the addiction is still going, I have gone thru a lot of JBL´s, mostly custom cabinets.

Anyway, I still have a working set of cabinets with 4301/L19 components, and last night just for the heck of it, bought L19´s for $31 off eBay that deffinetely need surrounds and?

Alex.

[hosee]

I became aware of the "JBL" sound through friend who owned a pair of Sovereign S8Rs. He bought a pair of gray cabinet 4350s to add to his system and the sound was VERY impressive. We went to a home & Gardens show where some audio dealers were profiling the 4350 and it was a very popular demonstration in that large building. I went to Broadway music and they had a pair of woodgrain 4350s which I purchased for $2400 for the pair. I still own them and have added a couple of 4312s bought in early 80s, 3 pair of L166s and built two speakers using a 2202, 2405 and 375, a pair of L300s bought in 1982, and a pair of Sovereign S7Rs to which I added a 2404 and N700. I have always liked the Pro JBLs and high end home models for their life like sound reproduction. JBL is great for support as well. Some of my 15" speakers had the old yellowish surround which hardened and started to crack. JBL refoamed 8 15" speakers at no charge to me and sent me a leather "JBL" belt buckle. If there was anything that I liked better, I would get it but have not found anything sounding better to me for the last 40 or so years.

[dgorshe]

Lets see what turned me on to JBL's? My dad had 4 L-100's in the living room when i was growing up, and i had 2 in my room and my dad had L-166's in his room, so basically i have never liked any other sound cause it just wasnt the JBL sound I love it

[Donald]

Late 60's I went to some kind of Dick Clark rock and roll show at the stockyards in Chicago. The PA system was JBL. Wrote a letter to JBL asking what the system was. They actually answered me. I was sold. Bought my still functional Dorian S12 pair shortly after. Bought my L222 Disco pair around 1982. Had to borrow my friends Blazer to get them home.

I still get goosebumps thinking about the Paragon. Wish I had actually heard one.

[JonathanKeehn]

In 1968 while in college I purchased a pair of C60 Soveriegn I S8R's with JBL Energizer and Graphic Controller Preamp. After over 35 years 99% of the rest of the audio world has still failed to catch up to JBL quality, sevice and performance. I sold the system in 1973 and have regretted it ever-since. I am thinking of building a pair of monitors using 2235, 2441,2380, and 2405 components with electronic crossovers and bi-amping sometime later this year. I am a member of the Chicago Audio Society and have had the opportunity to audition several ultra high end systems recently, including Martin Logan Statements, SounLab U-1, Wilson Grand Slamms. These are six-figure systems. I have yet to hear or find anything that competes with JBL Pro Monitors except Dr. Bruce Edgar's Titan system, which often uses some JBL components in its configurations and the TAD 2401 studio monitor. I have been contacting JBL sales reps in northern Illinois to see when the K2 S9800's will be on display but it seems that may be a year or more in the future and as a home theater system. Vintage JBL Pro Monitors are still way ahead of what most so-called high-end audio stores have on display and it is great to have this forum to learn more about building and enjoying them.

[Steve Gonzales]

A family friend was the sole JBL PRO dealer in the early70's to early80's and he had four 4311's, a Phase Linear amp and preamp and a Thorens TT.(When I was about 13, I'm 42 now) He invited me to hear his rig one evening. He played Fresh Air's "Fresh Air" album and from the very first note I WAS HOOKED!!!.He also invited my family to spend weekends at his mountain cabin where he had some huge Altec VOTT's with 511's modified to accept 2440's powered by an JBL Icecube amplifier and another Thorens TT and also a Nakamichi 550?. As long as I live I will always remember hearing Steely Dan's music from ACROSS the meadow over my Honda Trail 90! I just sold my first pair of JBL's -L166's after much contemplation, I loved them. I used to play hooky and visit Bakersfield Audio and DROOL over all the 70's vintage L series, especially the L300's-AWESOME!!!!. The salesman must have thought I was a nut (proud of it!). I also used to go to Casa Moore Stereo and listen to the big Altec's too. I'll never forget hearing Patti Smith's version of "Because the Night" Played thru a Technics RS1500US, Onkyo Grand Integra 300wpc and the Mighty Altec Model 19's. Thank you JBL and Altec LANSING for all the great times and Memories!!

B.T.W ;




I just read every response to this simple thread and think that it is so COOL that so many different people from so many walks of life can share the JOY of JBL! In a world filled with so much hate and trouble it is comforting to have a WARM place to come to and leave all the crap behind for a little while and just enjoy all things JBL. Happy Holidays my Friends!- Steve G





JBL + FRIENDS= !

[johnaec]

About 1969 or 1970 I went to an Iron Butterfly/Steve Miller concert. They were playing on this big rotating stage, and Steve Miller's bass player was playing through a Sun system, with four double 15 bottoms, which I later learned had D140's in them. I'd never heard a true, clean 40hz before that, and JBL was the only thing for me after that. Maybe that's also why I ended up playing bass, (I used to play lead guitar, but never heard a bass player with the sound I liked, so I switched...lead players were a dime a dozen...)

John

[paragon]

Heared a pair of 4530 in a Rockdisco in the late 70`s.
Never heared such good sound, deep bass, clear non distored mid and highs.
Drivers were 2205A, 375 with HL89(black horn with white lens), 075 and 077 with JBL passive networks. All driven by an RSD 800B power amp.
One year later they changed into the 4520 with EV 15B Drivers (mid and high they used the old JBL drivers). More deep bass !!
Bought a 4530 (copy) with the same JBL drivers in the early 80`s and used them for many years in the living room.
Later i build a pair of 4508 reflex enclosures for two 2205 drivers and used them also many years with the same mid-high combo. The old 4530 stored in the cellar for many years.
All this was driven 3 way active.
Reactive the 4530 two years ago and hear them in my small (3x3m) "HiFi room". Use a pair of L90 with a big bandpass sub (two 2205A) in the living room.

Eckhard

[Earl K]

Very Handsome 4530s' you've got there, Eckhard !

Yep, Handsome Indeed !

<. Earl K