I find it very interesting how people like myself get obsessed with a special brand. I know I'm not the only one here who thinks there is something special about JBL. It would be nice to hear some stories from our forum members why You chose JBL or got hooked or what ever You want to call it!
i didn't choose JBL, JBL chose me..
it was a couple of happy accidents finding great sounding JBL speakers that hooked me. i am not enamored of everything JBL, but the ones that sound great are hard to beat!
first was scoring a pair of LE8T drivers with PR8's in trimline boxes (cute but useless enclosure) that i refoamed and placed into a more appropriate size box. then finding my amazing horn loaded system which really sealed the deal.
C40/N400/150-4C/375/2397/2405/D123 (rear) + D208 - LE8T
I prefer the clean open sound of JBLs, that don't fall short at the top end.
Plus the overall dynamic sound. And lets not forget the JBL bass.
I can remember the first time I heard a Paragon, in the mid-sixties, just great.
I was in a local ht shop last Friday and they had Paradigm speakers playing. They seemed a bit too dull, overly warm, not open and airy like my L212s or PT800s. And that is what I don't hear when I listen to other speaker brands, most of the time
What first caught my attention was the ability to produce dynamics at very high spl without sounding stressed. My first encounter with "real" JBL was a set of SVA2100. Not high-end in any way, but it did something special. Another thing i appreciate, is the ability to sound the same, regardless of the volume i play at. Lack of dynamic compression?
The only other speakers i have heard this in, is the Avantgarde horns, and the Klipsch Heritage series.
When i got the chance to buy a set of L65 i didn't have to think twice
-Tim
2213 + 2435HPL w/aquaplas + H9800 (Matsj edition)
i was supposed to be picking up a pair of Bozak Moorish Concert Grands, when i went to check them out, there were some pretty major cabinet issues.... for the same $$$ the seller parted with very nice condition Altec Model 19s
(i know not "JBL", but in the family anyway)
When I was in high school, playing in a rock band, I heard our guitarist's pair of L100s powered by a big Pioneer receiver. It was by far the best reproduction I ever heard, and I quietly lusted after them for years until I scored some ebay 4311Bs.
A few years ago I thought of repurposing my old pair of JBL K140 bass guitar speakers as woofers in large scale monitor system. Thus began a meandering and often mis-guided quest to build a pair of seventies recording studio style main monitors.
glen
"Make it sound like dinosaurs eating cars"
- Nick Lowe, while producing Elvis Costello
Back in the 80's I was in a garage band. Although everyone had decent amplifiers(Fender, Ampeg, Peavey) our monitors with the JBL speakers had the clearest sound at high volume. The best part about the JBL Paragon is the way it shakes the house.
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.Originally Posted by smiley67
Back in the 80's I was in a garage band. Although everyone had decent amplifiers(Fender, Ampeg, Peavey) our monitors with the JBL speakers had the clearest sound at high volume. The best part about the JBL Paragon is the way it shakes the house.
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
Back in 1976, when Saturday Night Fever was all the rage, my family began going for big dance club type sound. We had Altec 15,s and horns, but by 1978, we had JBL 18,s they were the punchiest bass you could get. Also in 78, I went to Studio54 for my first time, and I heard the 2395 lens horns, the next day, Sunday, I am at my families place, and telling my uncle I went to Studio, and he asked me what I thought of the sound? I told him they had these funny looking air conditioner vent horns that sounded great. He told ne they were acoustic lenses. I said we NEED those. The following summer, we had them. And it was fantastic. back in these days, there were alot of new products hitting the market, none were as dynamic, as efficient, or as sturdy and reliable, and good sounding as both JBL and Altec products.
JBL has a unique sound character, it makes the punchiest, and most robust sounding bass, the horns and comp drivers sounded clear, and have really dynamic capability. The JBL tweeters had that certain something that gives a dance club LIFE and SPARKLE!
Because of what we did here in Coney Island, and because my uncle was a JBL fan, we got JBL at home too. Both my dad and my uncle had L-300,s and I had a pair of 4312,s in my room. My uncle originally had the orange grill century L-100,s in 1970 or so. AR-3A,s were my moms choice, but my dad, myself, and my uncle loved that kick ass JBL bottom, and dynamic midrange, and top end.
It just works and gets peoples attention.
scottyj
yes,yes,yes, and yes, and yes....the bass guts me into my soul,the tight crunch of the horns as they punch and the Hammond,SCOTT???? Are you forgetting the Hammond B3 in there???? That almost percolating or growl of the Leslie?
They are the work horses aren't they? Nothing in my life has gripped me like these do...except Farscape,but thats a whole different thing.
Wow, I wish James him self could read these loveletters...
Yep, JBL grabbed you by the ears.
JBL woofers have always been known for that punchy, and tight sound. And JBL 18,s have a weighty, deep sounding bottom, other makers comparable models dont sound as deep to me. Articulation and definition of basslines has always been outstanding. And they have always been reliable. Hard to break em, thats a plus.
To my ears, JBL comp drivers and horns have the crispest sound, and the right amount of bite, and something I call " Percussive Snap ". That means instruments like percussions are put out with authority and body, at high levels and remain clean and clear, but sound like what the instrument sounds like.
scottyj
and we all are here because we love that perfect sound....makes you just want to do that mmm-grunt thing because it's SO good.
JBL bass is rythmically alive, it pulsates, its clear, its the driving force behind the music and energy.
To this day, JBL bass is still the best you can get, and no one else has bass like JBL.
scottyj
My family was all JBL, and I was raised on it. While I was going to college I had a part time job in Bangor selling records and audio. This was around '78 and '79, and one day we got a pair of L110s when they were first introduced. Everyone else hated 'em (too clean, too flat, sterile, blah-blah), but they were the first speakers I had ever heard up till then that could accurately articulate mid bass, vocals/horns & drums. No one ever bought them, so I took a loan out and bought them as demos for $600. I lost them in a flood in the '80s, but I found another mint pair that I have upgraded and still use every day. Looking back though, one of the most memorable things about selling JBL was the "new JBL smell" when I unpacked those freshly oiled cabs, and you know what I mean...
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