OK, I answered a local ad on Craig's List for a pair of LX55s for $50 "or make offer". I couldn't get by for nearly a week and went to see them this evening. I was hoping for a 3-way with 10" stamped woofer and the 026Ti "pure titanium" tweeter, but the photos just didn't look in scale for something supposedly 26" tall. That turned out to be the case when I saw them in person. Taking off the grilles showed a 2-way with the 026Ti, but only a tiny LF driver, nominally a 6.5" but measuring much smaller in actual usable cone diameter. I've since determined it to be an LX22 after removing the 406G to confirm.
Not a bad little speaker for $25. The cabinet is incredibly stout with a thick MDF baffle covered in a foam "baffle pad" that encompasses the entire area under the grille with the speakers mounted on top of it. The 026Ti gets a bit shrill when pushed, but then it is being asked to cover the range of an 075 ring radiator when used as a 2-way with a D130. Might be asking a bit much. While the little 6.5" produces something one might consider bass beyond expectations, the mid-range hole sounds like the little guy is missing a complete formant. Well, maybe it's not that bad, but it's sure no L20T or L1, not by a long shot.
But to the original question and subject of this thread: These are most definitely labeled as LX55s. The sticker on the back of the cabinet is unmolested, securely attached, authentic, and clearly says these are LX55s. Even the serial number stickers are still on the terminal cup, which blessedly has openings large enough and spaced to fit a dual-banana plug so I didn't have to undo my wiring from my L5s to see what these LX22/55s sounded like with 200wpc of Crown PS400. So, what could have happened that had these little guys being sold labeled as LX55s? The wife was the original owner. The couple have been married for four years and recently bought some new piece of furniture that the JBLs wouldn't fit so they bought some tiny—wait for it—Bose speakers for their "entertainment" system. This is the first time I've seen someone selling 16"-tall 6.5" woofered JBLs because they were too large! Even my kids thought that was a laugh.
But now my curiosity is piqued. How could these things have escaped Northridge with the complete wrong label on the back? Surely the box would have been correct since the LX22 is the only one of the series to come boxed as a pair. I'm reasonably certain they must have been sold as LX22 and no one paid any attention to the labels until the day they listed them on Craig's List. It'd be a pretty dumb scam to try to sell these little things as their larger brothers. The speakers are in perfect shape, the cabinets well-cared-for, and no marks on them. Do you suppose JBL could tell me what the serial numbers match to?
I figured Fred might need some more 026Ti's some day so my $25 wasn't totally wasted. They might be just the ticket for my 14-year-old. But the nagging question is what happened on the assembly line? Very odd. :dont-know
A pair of LX55 JBL speakers. Good condition. $50 OBO.
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Originally Posted by BMWCCA
