I'm Back! L100T Project

[evans224]

I never really went away, but I've been persuing other interests. I pretty much sold off all my JBL's over the last couple of years-L150A,4311A,Jubals,L220. In fact, I was down to one pair of L1's! I purchased a pair of 4410's in very good shape about 8 months ago from a JBL collector in my area. I saw them advertised and remembered that they are highly regarded here and got them for a good price. I have to say, I really like them and am looking forward to putting them through their paces with a "real" system in the near future. They are currently mains in my HT set up.

Anyway, check out these guys I picked up very cheaply ($85). They look pretty bad, and that's why they were sold. The dreaded WF-she couldn't stand to look at them anymore, and he was crying when he sold them to me. I've refinished/repaired my other JBL's with the help and advice of the knowledgeable folks here, and I will lean on you again for this project. Anyway, I'll post again to show progress.
Evans

[JBL 4645]

They look like they’ve been feed to Great White Shark!



Looks like major re foaming of the edge surrounds is needed!
A few blemishes on the sides of the enclosure to patch up as well!

[BMWCCA]

They obviously had grilles once; did you at least get them, too?

[wu6fiend]

I just picked up a pair of L80Ts in slightly better shape. The cabinets are sun faded, and stained in places, particularly on top. Components seem to be in ok shape. I will follow your progress in refinishing these, and take careful notes!

(I also have a new set of L100Ts, too, but they are in great shape, and I love them!)

[evans224]

Yes, I have the grills, they're in good shape. I love a challenge, and these speakers are that. I have re-foamed the 2214's, and removed the damaged teak veneer from the front (and top of one of them). I re-installed the drivers and am listening to them along side my 4410's. I want to hear if they are worth refinishing to me. Teak veneer will run around $100 to cover what has been removed. By the way, it was posted here that the veneer on the L100T's is stamped wood. Not true, according to the experts. It is teak veneer.

[demon]

hello evans!

just because im curious -are the L1ooT vented or closed box?
since i dont think ive ever seen a closed jbl speaker.

thanks,
mikey

[evans224]

Hi there-
They have a 4" port in the rear.......

[johnaec]

Did you do the refoam yourself? Great job!

John

[demon]

thanks, thats just what i expected.
---------
i had the 441oA for some time, and it really was the one speaker responsible to put me on the right track. it showed me the glory of famed jbl-brilliance+power, the iconic three-way.
i gave it to a friend lately, when i needed room (and money) for my big diy. clever people would have just added a sub or two to the 441o, to get a near perfect system, but i dont think im much of a clever guy.

anyway, what i wanted to say is that i think the L1ooT could be just as good as the 441o, from seeing it, and that would be darn good.
hope you enjoy them and bring them back to proper use.

cheers,
mikey

[evans224]

Yes, I refoamed them. Somebody else did the 4410's, including the one glued to the front of the cone (kills me!).
I'm experimenting with placement of the L100T's. I'm going to try them in a bigger, brighter room-hardwood floors etc.-and see what happens. I'm not overly impressed with them where they are-they are just missing that clarity, the punch I'm used to.......

[johnaec]

I'm not overly impressed with them where they are-they are just missing that clarity, the punch I'm used to.......

A couple messages in the forum have mentioned in the past that many found the L100T3 to be better sounding than the L100T and attributed it to better cabinet bracing in the T3, if I recall correctly. I wonder if some judicious additional internal bracing might make a difference. Also, are the crossovers slightly different in the T3? I've definitely heard it said the T3 sounds better...

'Looking at picking up a pair of L80T's today - 'just want to give them a listen and compare with my L110's.

John

[evans224]

Think I figured out why these things weren't overly impressive:

Have you guys ever noticed these JBLs are phase (absolute) inverting?
oh yes... as they would not cooperate with my Velodyne ULD15 II. If you are unsure about yours, just hook up a AA 1.5 volt battery to the terminals... cone should move out, not in. Simple solution is to switch your speaker wire leads.

I swapped the wires, and Voila! Bass and clarity! I seem to remember a discussion on why JBL did this. Makes no sense.
Also, I just picked up a Jolida hybrid amp, so I'll be thoroughly auditioning these things.

[westend]

Nice progress on the L100t's. What immediately occured to me was replacing all the veneer. If Teak is too expensive for your budget, maybe Oak or Walnut would be a cost-cutting solution. Good luck on the restoration.

[pos]

Think I figured out why these things weren't overly impressive:

I swapped the wires, and Voila! Bass and clarity! I seem to remember a discussion on why JBL did this. Makes no sense.
Also, I just picked up a Jolida hybrid amp, so I'll be thoroughly auditioning these things.

Do you realize that absolute phase, even if you can hear it in some cases, is not consistent from one song to another, and even from one instrument to another within in the same song? Mixing engineers do not care at all about absolute phase during the recoding.

[evans224]

The L100T may be highly thought of here, but I they are just not my cup of tea. I've moved them to the mains on my HT set-up, and the 4410's are now playing with the Jolida amp. Absolutely huge difference. The L100t's are very up-front and jarring in the mid range, the highs almost painful. Not exactly a natural sound. The 4410's sound very musical, and much easier to listen to. The bass is not prodigious, but to me it's better. I've got a subwoofer I may try with this new arrangement. In the mean time, the L100t project is on hold.......