No high end JBL in audio stores here

[SEAWOLF97]

AMagazines like Consumers didn't like JBL because they are expensive and all wise gave lower costing speakers the higher rating. Most of the speakers that CU rated high have long since died and have been scrapped but my 41 year old JBL speakers still sound good as the day I bought them. John

The other day I was in a thrift store and they brought out about 30 STEREOPHILE magazines from the 90's. They were the small format like the old Readers Digest.

Browsed the TOC of each to find reviews that interested me.

In ALL volumes there was NO mention, much less actual review, of anything JBL. It's like they never heard of the company or couldn't spell it.

Was there a conspiracy or was JBL just not up to their standards

(and before the usual suspects jump in here and declare "this thread is xx years old, I know it and figure that it makes NO difference to this topic)

[DavidF]

The other day I was in a thrift store and they brought out about 30 STEREOPHILE magazines from the 90's. They were the small format like the old Readers Digest.

Browsed the TOC of each to find reviews that interested me.

In ALL volumes there was NO mention, much less actual review, of anything JBL. It's like they never heard of the company or couldn't spell it.

Was there a conspiracy or was JBL just not up to their standards

(and before the usual suspects jump in here and declare "this thread is xx years old, I know it and figure that it makes NO difference to this topic)

I have read through most of the issues that date back into the early 1980's and agree with your comments. There are only four reviews that I can recall- the L250, XPL 160, S38 and the Array 1400. Could have been more but I sure don't recall.

I was surprised at a comment by Editor John Atkinson in is technical review of the Array 1400. He mentioned that he was a fan of Greg Timbers since meeting him in 1981 and hearing prototypes of the L250. Go figure! So they were aware of JBL.

It's my understanding that Stereophile, like many equipment reviewers, does not buy the product for review (likely some exceptions). Instead, they rely upon the manufacturer to provide the products for review. So it seems to be a two-way proposition to get something reviewed. So it could be more of a lack of interest on the part JBL over the years.

[Mr. Widget]

It's my understanding that Stereophile, like many equipment reviewers, does not buy the product for review (likely some exceptions). Instead, they rely upon the manufacturer to provide the products for review. So it seems to be a two-way proposition to get something reviewed. So it could be more of a lack of interest on the part JBL over the years.

I’d place the blame on the marketing department at JBL. For whatever reason they decided that the domestic market was more interested in the low-end products and didn’t even make consumers aware of the better products that they sold around the world.

For the most part you have to advertise in these magazines before they will review your product… it certainly isn’t the way I would choose to run a business but it has been like that in these magazines for decades.

Stereophile did put the 1400 Array on their cover which was a surprise.


Widget

[Ed Kreamer]

There are many places to find blame here, audio snobism, intellectual dishonesty among reviewers, * but chief among them has to be JBL itself. We all know the quality of the product, and the sound. But the marketing geniuses and upper
mgt.at JBL continually shoot themselves in the foot, or so it seems. They should be aggressively promoting their stuff with ads and buying their way in to the high end salons. Surely they could find a way to market the K2 and M2, in a
place like Definitive Audio in Seattle, which hosts Music Matters every year. A fun event. (The only way I was able to hear the LSR 6332 was at a guitar store, it should have a twin all dressed up to stay home, and marketed elsewhere.) And as long as I'm ranting, why are they getting rid of their top talent? I
I know markets change, and companies have to change with them, but I hate to watch Mr. Paliwal destroy Harman and JBL, because I don't think he has too just to chase the auto and headphone market.


* Floyed Toole was once called by Sidney Harman after C.U. gave a JBL speaker a bad review and wanted to know to know why. Dr. Toole went to CU and found that CU was testing them in a manner that made the JBL sound bad. I found this
on You Tube sometime ago. If I remember, C.U. owned up to the error.

Another test involved the band Phish A,B ing JBL 890,s and some other brand in a blind test, and were astounded to find that they prefered the JBL this was in the old Stereo Review Mag. The Editor at the time disliked JBL's and made no effort to conceal it.

Oh well, I think I'm done for now.

Ed

[santashooter]

I also think there is a factor of electronic consumables - in the 60-70's a home livingroom housed of a good stereo.
Today, a household buys computers, tv's, consoles, tablets and mobile phones. The stereo needs to find a room within that same budget, and therefore a more budget-oriented market arises. The average person today, would rarely buy anything the size of a pair of L-16 decades, let alone L-100's or 43XX speakers.
So the market for new speakers that are not "Audiophile high-end no-compromize speakers", but bigger and more serious than tiny bluetooth speakers are a very small market, I Think.

Add to that the development of listening practices: most of todays music listening happens on the go with earphones on - it is "while you do something else".
And if it is just a background thing anyway, why spend big amounts of money on that?

[SEAWOLF97]

I also think there is a factor of electronic consumables - in the 60-70's a home livingroom housed of a good stereo.
Today, a household buys computers, tv's, consoles, tablets and mobile phones. The stereo needs to find a room within that same budget, and therefore a more budget-oriented market arises. The average person today, would rarely buy anything the size of a pair of L-16 decades, let alone L-100's or 43XX speakers.
So the market for new speakers that are not "Audiophile high-end no-compromize speakers", but bigger and more serious than tiny bluetooth speakers are a very small market, I Think.

Add to that the development of listening practices: most of todays music listening happens on the go with earphones on - it is "while you do something else".
And if it is just a background thing anyway, why spend big amounts of money on that?

I agree with most of your post.

Another part of the equation is that more and more of the population is more mobile that in the past. With the prices of houses, many are not able to purchase homes, thus becoming permanent renters. They need to be able to relocate with a minimum of fuss/work.
Moving 4345's or 250ti's every couple of years or whenever the job peters out or the landlord wants his place back , would get tiring quickly. From the posts I've read here, many LHF members are able to do room treatments , speaker positioning , able to play high volumes ... which all point to more stable living situations.

It ain't the 70's/80's/90's anymore.

Was funny the other day remembering waaay back to the year 2000, the cool news was that some guy was able to mount a laptop in his car and could now be mobile with his MP3's.

[Ian Mackenzie]

I think it’s the same everywhere

The problem for the hifi shop is floor space and the desire to rotate the hot product on the floor to keep foot traffic moving.

If it does not generate turnover they move it on. I think locally that is how it works. I have asked about the 4367 but they are only interested in pushing the 3900 small footprint systems. I have seen a 4365 in a shop locally and they don’t seem to be able to move it even discounted down.

The problem is the shop is in a very hip inner city area and the houses are small but very expensive (nothing under 1.5mil).

The same problem in another shop across the river.

Interestingly enough l offered to audition a phono preamp for our audio club and had a group over in February.
I used a pair of poor mans Proacs for the demo only because it was not easy to move the 4345’s into our big room on the day. The average age of the group was 50.

I know it’s a sin but ...... l promised to have the 4345 in there next time.

There could well be a market for the bigger Jbl’s in my area which is a pocket of older large homes which have a tenure of 30+ years.

There is a well stocked piano shop nearby!

[1audiohack]

While reading an article on advanced distortion measurments by Dan Foley of Audio Precision I encountered this in an article titled Audio Finds its Voice.

[Robh3606]

Well that isn't really a shocker although it is nice to see things going up overall. Those Blue Tooth speakers are quite a bit of fun to bring along I brought one to England and San Diego and it was much appreciated!

Rob

[Ian Mackenzie]

I thought New Yorkers were fairly parochial?

Last time we met you'd never been past the river.........

[Ed Kreamer]

Colleagues, I wonder do JBL's have a higher level of respect among audiophiles in Europe than here in the colonies?

I know the Asians do especially the Japanese have a high regard for them, but how about our European brothers and Sisters?

[SEAWOLF97]

I know the Asians do especially the Japanese have a high regard for them,

I have a Vietnamese friend who buys up all the JBL's he can get and sends back home ,
makes a good profit. They are a quickly developing audio market.

They really like almost any USA built speaker , esp. Bose