Done my bit to keep JBL in business

[wu6fiend]

Well, I finally accomplished my goal. I decided some time ago that I wanted to put together a complete 7.1 setup, featuring new JBL product. Living up here in the "wilds of Canada", it is very difficult to purchase JBL stuff, let alone hear/see it in advance. I decided that I wanted the Studio L-series.

I started calling JBL, asking which companies sell their wares. After many unreturned emails and messages, I got a cell number for their local sales rep. Nice fellow, he put me on to a little local store. Very little stock, and not much interest in selling it to me. More time on the internet. More time, more unreturned calls/messages. Finally decided to take a leap of faith, and started ordering on the internet, sight unseen.

After a few challenges with the online vendor (took my money, didn't ship the product), boxes started arriving. And it is now complete:

L890 fronts
LC2 center
L8400P sub
L820 sides
L830 backs

And: two spare sets of L820s, in case a future house layout is more condusive to wall mounted speakers, instead of big towers.

I'm extremely happy with my new system. The speakers sound amazing, the quality and asthetics are what I expect from JBL, and I've received tons of compliments from vistors to the house.

Sure wasn't easy to accomplish this goal, though.

[MikeBrewster77]

Congrats on your new set up!

I eyed the Studio Series for quite some time, but after going through exactly what you went through, I finally gave up and went in another direction. Glad you had the fortitude to see it through

I'm interested to hear more about how they sound. Can you share what stands out about the system, and what is your point of comparison in terms of other speakers?

And of course, any chance you could post some pics?

Best,
- Mike

I decided that I wanted the Studio L-series.

Sure wasn't easy to accomplish this goal, though.

[wu6fiend]

I had a few pairs of JBL's (both new and old) to make some comparisions to. The previous 7.1 setup was all JBL too, from the Northridge E Series. I had the E80s, E150P, E10, and the bigger of the two center channels (E2500?), with an old pair of 2600 bookshelfs as backs. Good overall sound, but I thought it sounded thin when I played music. Accurate, but "thin", no other way to describe it.

I then tried a partial upgrade, a pair of Venue Stadium front towers, and the Venue Sub12. Better, but still something was missing. Plus, I hated the grills on the Venue's.

Then, I started playing around with my vintage L100Ts, and absolutely loved them. Big, full, rich sound I remembered from the 1980s. If I could have that sound in a modern (black finish, relatively slender footprint) speaker, that would be the ticket.

Hence the Studio L-series. I love the sound, particularly turned up. At low volume (just as ambient music, during a dinner party), they still need a little more help from the sub. That's why I've been tinkering with the settings. But turned up (for example, Genesis "Live in Rome", wow!)

I will see if I can post some pictures...

[wu6fiend]

Here is the front line team (L890 towers, LC2 center, and L8400P in the corner). The various objects placed in front of them are to protect them from the claws of our feline friends).

[wu6fiend]

And here are the L820s, and the L830s. I prewired the house for surround, for a cleaner look. The L820s are quite heavy, so I used 50lb anchors, to make sure they stayed put. The LC2 is oversized, so it had to be wall mounted. I still have to hide the cable.

[Titanium Dome]

Nice! Congratulations.