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Thread: Top Ten Affordable JBL Consumer Speakers

  1. #1
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    Top Ten Affordable JBL Consumer Speakers

    This is just my opinion...feel free to disagree.

    10. L166…Ranked this last because the 066 is so hard to find or repair.

    9. L96…This is the L110 done right. Greg Timbers wanted this bad and had it designed outside the normal development cycle.

    8. L100…Bulletproof classic, no low freq refoam required, all the speaker most people ever need.

    7. L112…The 044 makes this look better than the L100 even if it doesn’t sound any better.

    6. 240Ti…I ranked this behind the L150A only because I hate the wood finish.

    5. L150A…Don’t get stuck with the L150 with the 033.

    4. L65…This speaker actually doesn’t sound very good but it has 077’s which alone are worth more than most entire speaker systems.

    3. L220…Beatrice Foods tried to kill this speaker because it was too expensive to build. They sent a former Samsonite VP over to wack it but JBL wouldn’t budge.

    2. L250/250Ti…This is suppose to be the best sounding speaker on this list but I think the workmanship on the enclosure is poor.

    1. L300…Last of the consumer grade speaker with a ring radiator and a compression driver together. JBL bean counters decided we couldn’t do this anymore.

  2. #2
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Interesting list... you are dating yourself.


    Widget

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    Administrator Robh3606's Avatar
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    You left out the 90's till the present.

    Rob

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    Senior Member Hoerninger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grumpy View Post
    "top" and "affordable" as
    the criteria for the list certainly leaves it open for discussion.
    This was my first thought as well. -
    Unfortunately I recently had to leave the jack pot (Lotto with 40.000.000 EUR) to someone else, but the JBL TOL speaker is far cheaper than the supprt of two own children, they have left the house now.
    ___________
    Peter

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    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hoerninger View Post
    ...but the JBL TOL speaker is far cheaper than the supprt of two children...
    You've discovered my secret. I avoided them from the start.

    Back on topic... I was wondering if he meant, affordable when new or affordable on the current used market...

    I suppose $2500 a pair on the used market could be considered affordable when you consider the number of speakers available at many times that price. I wouldn't think of affordable in the context of what any particular individual can afford, but rather in the context of the available field. Obviously, what is affordable to some is drastically different that what is affordable to others.


    Widget

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    Senior Member oznob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget View Post
    Interesting list... you are dating yourself.


    Widget
    As I recall, Bill left JBL in 1985. Bill, did you do any work on the studio/pro monitors? If so, I would be curious to see your top ten list of them!

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    Quote Originally Posted by oznob View Post
    As I recall, Bill left JBL in 1985. Bill, did you do any work on the studio/pro monitors? If so, I would be curious to see your top ten list of them!
    I don’t really have a Top Ten list for the Professional Series studio monitors but I do have favorites. I like all the large 4300 series monitors except for the 4315. I think the 4315 really needed a 15 inch low freq driver instead of the 12 inch.

    At the risk of angering every 4435 owner out there, I have to admit that I was never very fond of the large 4400 series biradial monitors. They sound very good, perhaps better than the 4300 series, but I always felt that they were too expensive for a 2 way with a plastic horn. If they had a 2405 ring radiator thrown in it might not sound any better but the perceived value would be greater. Also the biradial horn could crack where it joins the compression driver, even though the driver is supported by a cradle. The horn should have been cast in aluminum like all the 4300 series horns.

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    Super Moderator jblnut's Avatar
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    No XPL? No L1/3/5/7 ? No 4410/4412 ?

    No list of affordable JBLs is complete without some mention of these imho. JBL didn't just stop building good speakers in 1985 .

    jblnut

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    RIP 2011 Zilch's Avatar
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    Affordable begins at ~$20 on my list, but I'm keeping the top ten JBL "Sleepers" private.....

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    Quote Originally Posted by jblnut View Post
    No XPL? No L1/3/5/7 ? No 4410/4412 ?

    No list of affordable JBLs is complete without some mention of these imho. JBL didn't just stop building good speakers in 1985 .

    jblnut
    I only had 10 slots. I guess I should have included Honorable Mentions.

  11. #11
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    I figure the L20t's that I'm listening to right now (Morph the Cat-Donald Fagen), bought recently for $75 including stands have to be one of them regardless of your definition of "affordable". Just a 4006 in a cheaper configuration.

    Happy 60th to Donald Fagen (yesterday)! Has it been that long? We all must be old.

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    Senior Member brutal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bill8888 View Post
    This is just my opinion...feel free to disagree.

    7. L112…The 044 makes this look better than the L100 even if it doesn’t sound any better.
    LOL.

    My L100A sound like shrill, wet, muddy, horse dung compared to either set of L112's.


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    RIP 2021 SEAWOLF97's Avatar
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    Question

    Quote Originally Posted by bill8888 View Post

    L166…Ranked this last because the 066 is so hard to find or repair.
    so whats the trick to long life for the 066 ??? I kinda like my L166's, and even think the 066 may be equal or better than the 035tia.

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    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by brutal View Post
    My L100A sound like shrill, wet, muddy, horse dung compared to either set of L112's.
    I like the way this guy thinks!

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    Senior Member brutal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    I like the way this guy thinks!
    I realize I forgot to add "weak sauce."

    128H drivers hit SO much harder than 123's. 044's certainly have an extended response over LE25's, and the L112 crossover is much more sophisticated.


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