JBL L110 against JBL L3

[jan_slagman]

Hi Friends,

I have the opportunity to change a pair of my JBL L3 loudspeakers for a pair of JBL L110 loudspeakers. The owner says one tweeter might have had a little dent, but the former owner had carefully removed the dent. Is it possible to remove the phenolic diaphragm and to remove a dent from the backside of the dome ?
Do you guys think this is a good deal.
The seller says they sound 100% and they are still looking good.
Please let me have your comments.

With kind regards,

Jan Slagman
The Netherlands

[BMWCCA]

I think most here will tell you to make the trade. L3s are actually sort of so-so and there are many L110 fans in this group.

If you were talking L5 I'd tell you to sit tight with what you have.

[KromeDome]

I would do it, Jan. The L110 is not really that well known outside of JBL afficionados, but it was revolutionary for it's day, and even without tweaking is an impressive 3-way "bookshelf" speaker. In the several years that followed the L110's introduction, several iterations on the basic theme were manufactured, culminating with the 4313B. The goal of all versions were a very flat response as opposed to the bass & midrange-heavy sound that most people were familiar with coming fro JBL up until that point.

I think recone kits are still available for the woofers and midrange. The 033 tweeter was used in 3 models (L40, L110, L150), and there are no new parts available that I know of. You can remove the diaphragm and pop more of the dent out, but it will never come out all the way due to the memory of the fabric; ideally it will need to be reinstalled using a waveform generator and a very fine touch. It probably isn't worth the effort IMO.

Best of luck,

Bri

[clmrt]

I once owned the L5 and have since been more than satisfied with other speakers. I would trade them in.

[jan_slagman]

Thanks BMWCCA, CLMRT and KromeDone,

I really appreciate your worthy input. I had some bass problems with the JBL L3's. I think this problem was caused by the bassreflex-pipe at the backside of the speaker. I don't have these problems with my JBL 4312B Mk II's at the same spot.
Tomorrownight the seller (!!!) will bring the JBL L110's to my place in exchange for the JBL L3's. By the way, a pair of JBL L5's are for sale on Dutch Marketplace right now !!! (this knowledge makes me very nervous and creedy).

With kind regards,

Jan Slagman
Veenendaal
The Netherlands

[grumpy]

033 dome = phenolic impregnated linen = you dent it, you've "broken" it.

The linen will keep it together... you might even see or "hear no difference", but
the dome has been irreversibly altered. Phenolic resin is hard and brittle.

Personally, I'd be looking for a spare 033, for peace of mind if nothing else .

If the 033 is anything like the 044 in construction (adhesive on periphery of
diaphragm), I would only recommend you experiment on a unit you can afford
to throw away. -grumpy

[LRBacon]

My original pair of L110's that I purchased in 1982 had one of the domes partially pushed in by one of my young kids. I used the vacuum cleaner to suck it out. It still works fine today. I have also used Gorilla Tape (like duct tape but more sticky). I have taken a piece of it and pressed (not hard enough to do more damage) it on to the dented area of the dome and then pulled it quickly off. Sometimes it works quite well and other times you have to do it several times before the dent comes out. This way works best on small dents and ones where the phenolic material has not been creased. (As Grumpy said the phenolic material is damaged when dented. I have had a few 033's that have rattled along with few LE5-10's, too.)

I would be reluctant to take it apart. I had one 033 tweeter that had a dome that was in excellent condition but the voice coil was open near where it was soldered to the ribbon wire that runs under the face plate and is connected to the terminal. I tried to solder it back together with no luck and managed to damage the fine ribbon wire (manual dexterity not what it used to be). Not much good for anything but a paper weight or a magnet now.

If you really need one that has no dents, try your luck with eBay. I think more L110's get parted out and sold on eBay than any other model except L100's.

Larry

[BMWCCA]

I once owned the L5 and have since been more than satisfied with other speakers. I would trade them in.

The question was concerning the L3, not the L5. Maybe that's what you meant to type?

By the way, a pair of JBL L5's are for sale on Dutch Marketplace right now !!! (this knowledge makes me very nervous and creedy).

Most here are pretty pleased with the performance of the L5 for the price. I compare it to the 4412A and L112s I also own very favorably and for a whole lot less money these days. If you use this site's search function you'll find lots of interesting information on the L5 and L3 (and L7) but you might start out with searching for "L-5" since the search function can't handle a two-character search. This thread will give you a good start: here!

[clmrt]

I meant five. I added the comment in the interest of the L3 / 5 family connection and the fact that life goes on when a speaker is sold or traded.

If regretted later, the L3 is more common and less expensive, I would think.

[jan_slagman]

Hi Friends,

Thanks for the information. I surely will try to acquire a few spareparts and i already have seen a pair of JBL LE 5-10 midranges and a pair of 033 tweeters, all in an excellent condition. I am very curious to learn the difference between my JBL 4312B MkII Control Monitors and JBL L110 loudspeakers. I also have a DIY project with JBL 4312B components in it.

See picture:

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...ad.php?t=20771

I wonder if the crossover is correct, for the builder of these green monsters "only" installed a Visaton attenuator for the mid-section. Do you have any alternative suggestions how to use these loudspeaker-components, instead of building Control Monitors again.

With kind regards,

Jan Slagman
Veenendaal
The Netherlands

[jan_slagman]

Hello friends,

Wow,.............................you guys were so true ! Hearing the JBL 110's for the first time tonight in my living-room, i was totally gobsmacked ! Man oh man what an excellent sounding loudspeaker. Even the wife admitted she really liked these speakers and believe me, she has heard many loudspeakers during her marriage with me. Now i have the chanche to buy a pair of JBL L 112's too, but i can hardly believe they will sound any better. Tonight i spoke to the seller and he told me he liked his pair of JBL L 80 T's better than the highly praised JBL L 112. He said in his opinion his JBL L 80 T's sounded more dynamic.
Well any way, i will surely keep my JBL L 110 loudspeakers, together with my JBL 4312 A Control Monitors.
Thanks all of you for such a good advice, i really appreciate your help in this matter.

With kind regards,

Jan Slagman
The Netherlands

[LRBacon]

Glad to hear that you like them. I've been enjoying L110's for some 25 + years.

Jan, do you know if you have the L110's or L110A's? If you have L110A's, there are the letters "A" & "H" die stamped to the right of the serial number on the foilcal. No die stamped letters, you have the original L110. The L110A has a different crossover network and woofer. The L110A, I believe was the first speaker JBL used bypass capacitors in the crossover network.

I am familiar with the L96 which has the tweeter and midrange in common with the L112. I think you'll find that the L112 has a more accurately defined top end compared to the L110. I can't say much about the bottom end since I don't believe I have ever listened to the L112. If I have, it was a long time ago.

Larry

[jan_slagman]

Glad to hear that you like them. I've been enjoying L110's for some 25 + years.

Jan, do you know if you have the L110's or L110A's? If you have L110A's, there are the letters "A" & "H" die stamped to the right of the serial number on the foilcal. No die stamped letters, you have the original L110. The L110A has a different crossover network and woofer. The L110A, I believe was the first speaker JBL used bypass capacitors in the crossover network.

I am familiar with the L96 which has the tweeter and midrange in common with the L112. I think you'll find that the L112 has a more accurately defined top end compared to the L110. I can't say much about the bottom end since I don't believe I have ever listened to the L112. If I have, it was a long time ago.

Larry

Thanks Larry,

Well i am not quiete sure what L 110 i have acquired. As far as i am informed i think i have the JBL L 110, but i will check the woofer. Well, i think the L 112 is a very nice speaker, but i think a L 96 would be a better match in my living-room. The L 110 produces a very controlled and tight bass in my living-room. I think i can live with these L 110's for a long, long time !
Thanks for responding Larry.

Kind regards,

Jan Slagman
The Netherlands.

[grumpy]

Hi Jan, you may have the L110's on stands already, but if not, I can
comment that my L96's sound better to me raised up ~45cm.
(they also get listened to almost every night as opposed to my L112's
... also nice, but the bass is more suited to a larger room than where
I have the L96's) -grumpy

[BMWCCA]

Tonight i spoke to the seller and he told me he liked his pair of JBL L 80 T's better than the highly praised JBL L 112. He said in his opinion his JBL L 80 T's sounded more dynamic.

"Dynamic" comes close to rhyming with "semantic". I can tell you the seller is off his rocker.