I remember hearing SR8 Sovereigns in about 1970 - sexy beasts. To expensive- had to come down the line to L77's - Lancers. Great speakers took them everywhere with me. Just something about JBL, build quality, sound and yes as my previous poster said - smell as you unpacked them.
Originally Posted by scott fitlin
I totally agree and I think the JBL marketing department have found their next M.D
I experienced the same thing as KromeDome with my first JBL cabinets, a pair of well taken care of L150's. They had 20 years of age when I bought them and I bet they sounded and smelled like brand new!!! Yep, it sure is something special with that smell of Black American walnut, and the looks of course!!!
OHHHHH,I am such a smeller...I smell everything. Smells are one of the most important direct links to events in our past that the brain can distinguish. Remember hearing a song you loved but hadn't heard in years...suddenly it comes on and the entire day or moment 20 years back comes alive,the smell,the weather,what you did or did not have on,where you were? What you were doing,the emotions,pain,love your heart aches again for that moment in the song,the interlude,the way the bass was plucked at that certain moment,the lyrics.....ahhhhhhh,I love certain smells....
Titanium Dome,Hey Smiley, I was born and raised in Monclova and graduated from Anthony Wayne HS. I still go back there a couple times a year. I didn't know there were any Paragons in Maumee.
My JBL passion started with the original in line L100s I purchased from Woodville Appliance, along with a Kenwood KR6160 receiver, and a Dual 1219 turntable. The L100s survive in my collection to this day.
The sound of the L100s, which I still admire to this day (to the consternation of forumites who think they know better than me
I just picked-up this Paragon a month ago or so from my wife's Uncle. It my be the first one in Maumee. My Brother-in-law picked-up his other Paragon but may not use it due to room size. If I can get this one I bet I'll have the only Paragon stack around.
Maumee class of 1985.
When I first met JBL speakers they weren't known for deep bass and didn't make an 18 inch but nobody else made speakers like they did: 4 inch voice coils with edge wound voice coils, magnetic structures that focused the force on the voice coil. The GratefulDead played on Mac and JBL so it seemed right to play them on the same. Today many company's make premium speakers but I don't have time to sort them out and dollar for dollar it's probably hard to beat used JBL drivers.
Interesting reading from you’re recollections on you’re first JBL experience.
I remember reading an small article in what is called Box Office magazine and seeing this incredible site of JBL 4675-A and 4645 subs all stacked in a what is called a THX baffle wall and around 8 subs placed under and slightly behind the high rise THX baffle wall. At the same time I kept hearing about THX and after seeing Indiana Jones and the last crusade playing in 70mm Dolby stereo at the local cinema here in Bournemouth which sounded okay, I kept reading and haring about THX even on the end credits this film was mixed and recorded in Lucasfilm THX sound system theatre.
So there was just one place it was playing in the UK in 70mm THX! Destination the Empire Leicester square Wednesday 13th September 1989 and at £6.00 for the 3.15pm show it was astonishingly out of this world, when I entered the auditorium the JBL sound hit me with impact! I immediately ran down the toward the front and looked for a middle row that was placed 5 or 6 seats from the very front, and relaxed in what is called a rocker chair.
I was in the film with JBL and thou the film had already started, I only missed around 8 minutes the music score jolted my back in the rocker chair with total surprise, has I was unprepared for the JBL THX experience and what a treat it was, I was feeling the soundtrack not just hearing it with a few bumps here and there in a common cinema, no this was in my face!
After the film finished I explained to the usher that I was working as a projectionist at one of there other UCI sites and with kind generosity, I was allowed to see the next showing free. What I was about to see and hear totally gob smacked me to this day my jaw is still on the floor at the Empire, I kidd you not that is one evil wicked sound THX cinema with around 13KW at the time.
The laser show that was presented started off the show followed by adverts and trailers, then the tabs closed and the laser show started again only different from the other one, the music that accompanied it and the sound power of the JBL 4675-A and 4645 subs 8330 surrounds was seeping around the cinema with the coloured neon lighting bouncing up and down the cinema with different mixtures of colours, that helped to set the tone the mood and more importantly the atmosphere to whole new meaning of presentation.
When I first saw the THX trailer I was dazzled the force of the pressure coming of those JBL hit me like ten Mike Tyson’s pounding my chest at the same time!!
When the film started again the deepness in the opening music was deep as the camera moves over hill and the sound of Indian’s dancing to the beat of drum fader off the low end got deeper and the pressure built up, without a single trace of distortion, much less vibrations or buzzing sounds, just the soundtrack was herd, nothing more and nothing less.
So from that day on I wanted to buy some JBL loudspeakers but the prices where extremely high for most models, that was until summertime 1990 I saw some JBL Control loudspeakers 12SR and the smaller control 5 which I end up buying three. For the home cinema three matching sexy JBL control 5, over the years I’ve rather enjoyed the JBL sound in the home and last year I went nuts and brought around 10 JBL control 1 for a surround array. Since then I’ve unattached there from the surround arrays and placed three up front with a (active loudspeaker management crossover) DCX2496 to allow me to tailor the fronts for a slightly better front sound stage, so far its been working very well.
Around the late 1998 I saw someone was selling a JBL 2240 18” sub bass driver for £100.00 in a rather poorly made MDF cabinet and I mean poorly it was too square around 26” and only 12 or 14” in depth. I realized that if I buy it I’m going to need an enclosure well suited for it. So I asked a friend if he could make an enclosure that looks like the JBL 4645 and so after weeks and week of building and fabrication where one other friend did the paint work some four cans of premier and three cans of Saturn black it was delivered a little overdue and when loaded with the JBL 2240 I was stunned blown out the seat!
So it took one film a place called the Empire to sale the JBL concept to me within a few seconds, thou I had to wait a year before hand. And that’s that.
I still recall when I was a student and visiting the stores how the woofer of a beautiful L40 moved. It was 25 years ago and hooked to me.
Today, I´m impressed with the bass, clarity and openess of my beloved 4301B´s. Also I´ve got a pair of expensive Spendors but, I have to say that I enjoy much more my small blue pair.
I forgot it, the wood smell when I´ve been restoring the monitors is always in my memory.
Hi Folks,
I am new to the forum, so first, "HI"! Second, I have been a jbl lover since I was a child, growing up in queens, NY. My grandfather had a Hartsfield as the speaker for the hifi. Later own, growing up through the disco era, it seemed that every club I had ever been to had at least SOME jbl components in their sound system (thank you Richard Long). Once I was old enough to buy my own stereo, JBL was the only logical choice. To me, it just sounded "right". It made the music come alive. My system when I was a teenager, (all bought used ) was a Pioneer SA9100 integrated, Driving L65 Jubals, and L100's. It has all progressed from there. Today, my system consists of four 4333 monitors, biamped with Crown M600's on the bottom, and my own-design 807 vaccuum-tube amp for the mids and highs. The dynamics are terrifying, drums sound like drums, and female vocalists eerily float in front of me in the room. In my humble opinion, JBL IS the sound of music! Cheers!
Rob
Seems like you've got some great kit there.
Also, being in Austin, you have access to some great live music as well. You are a lucky guy.
I used to hang around Leonard Radio on 6th Ave. in midtown Manhatten on my lunch hour. The first time I heard the L88s, I knew what speakers I needed. I couldn't afford them so I suffered through Jensens and ARs. I finally got a pair of L88 plus. What a freakin difference. The damn things changed my life. The 70s wouldn't have been the 70s without them. I will never make it as far into the world of JBL as many on this site, but that's cool, I would have been fine with a set of L16s. I wanted to go as far as I could so now I have a pair of L100s with a Mac receiver in the bedroom and a 7.1 surround setup based on S412s and a 2241 sub in the living room. If you put in the work and do the tweaks, they play like fine musical instruments.
Love the L100s myself, and would really like to hear your S412s. Not many people have had the chance, and they're vastly underrated.
No problem Doug, if you ever come through Kansas, you know what to do!
I grew up on the Altec 604E's and G's. James Lansing was the mastermind behind the 604.....
JBL was a natural step for me.....following the great James B Lansing!
That is why I'm a JBL fan today!
Oh, and they are just the best damn sounding speakers available today.
Frederick
Hi; my name is Barry, and I'm an addict!!!
Brand obsession is an interesting thing!
My love for JBL centers on my love of live, dynamic music.
It started when I walked into the Hi-Fi Shop in Ogden Utah the year Elton John had a hit with Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. It was playing as I walked in. I think I was 11.
At the time my habit was fed by a turntable, a reel to reel, with a Heath Kit 12 watt amp that sounded like a rainstorm between tracks, and some home built two ways I made from plywood. And it was all mine! Bought with a paper route. My Dad had a Laughing-yette system with some wierd coaxial drivers, 15's? I think mine sounded as good. OUCH! Sorry Dad.
When I walked into that shop my life changed. I don't know what model JBL's they were, but they made my stuff sound like an amplified telephone.
I was devistated, and swore to my self I will someday own some of them.
Some years later the same store had a JBL three way display with a wedge cut out of it so you could see the baskets, magnets, voice coils and such, and it was beautiful!!! I had seen many drivers by then, and never any like that.
The enclosures! The craftsmanship!! The SOUND!!! Art, mechanical art.
Well here I am with more JBL than will fit in my house, and with TEF-25 on the way, I think my prognosis for breaking this addiction is pretty grim.
I even have a pair of 604 8-G's bi-amped in the garage!
Nobody help me!!!I don't have a problem!
Ezackitly!
...
Nobody help me!!!
I can remember JBL from several early encounters, one was a D130 in a Karlson, the dome angled up was such sweetness!I don't remember a tweeter on that one, or the next time, hearing the slot and the plates came much later. The second time I heard JBL, it was from far away, maybe a mile, but the bass came through loud a punchy. Turned out to be a bass and drums jamming down by the river, the bass cab was a dual showman with K140's. I jumped at the chance to by a set of 2420's on 2307's back in the 70's, even though the 15's didn't match. Still got 'em, well not the odd 15, 2215 or something. It was K140's and 2420's for years, doing sound gigs and playback duty. I had to replace one of the diaphragms back in the 80's when the surround gave out (it broke in the truck on the way to a gig), $20 for a used one, haven't needed another since. Say what you will about Ti, the Al is plenty tough, and a bit sweeter in this app... That being said, my current setup with 2446's on 2385's kicks from a distance, I still prefer the plates for closeup work.
Nearfield of course, there's nothing quite like EOS! I recently replaced a Control 1 center with a dedicated center with EOS between my L112 components, nice!
Mike Scott in SJ, CA
Drive 'em to the Xmax!
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