JBL discussed by T. Norton in Stereophile Aug. 2014

[DavidF]

I saw this article while on Stereophile's website today going back in time to a review originally published in 1991.....


JBL XPL-160 loudspeaker
Filed under Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

By: Thomas J. Norton • Posted: Aug 13, 2014 • Published: Feb 01, 1991 • 0 comments A visiting manufacturer recently told us here at Stereophile of an ongoing informal "survey" he was conducting. He would ask strangers to name three brands of loudspeakers. Their responses were not what I would have expected. They almost invariably named Japanese companies—two of the most commonly mentioned were Hitachi and Panasonic. Other than my spell-checker insisting that I change "Hitachi" to "hibachi," I have nothing in particular against these two manufacturers; they are well-recognized in many product categories. But loudspeakers? I can only guess that the respondents were dredging up the only consumer electronics companies that came readily to mind. My list for most recognized loudspeaker brands would most certainly have included JBL. How could it not? They have been involved in home high-fidelity since 1954. And for years before that in professional audio—primarily motion picture theater sound, a field in which they are still active. In short, they were around before there was such a thing as "hi-fi."

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Jason Serinus has some comments on the HK system shown at the Northern California Audio Show....

[tomee]

skipping the descriptive listening bits and going to the measurements... they look like fantastic speakers! to think this was over 20 years ago and I only learned of this series of JBLs recently. I don't think I'll ever see or hear a pair...

as an aside... I have problems with a few bits in the article... and a question

"But JBL's very success in the recording-studio business branded them as a "rock speaker" in the hearts of a significant number of audiophiles. The first glimmer that this would not forever remain the case came in the mid-'80s, with the introduction of JBL's 250Ti loudspeaker, reviewed in Vol.8 No.6. "
they forgot about the L166, L212, L250 and others that don't sound like L100s...

"Metal-dome tweeters were just beginning to make an impact—largely in British designs. (It was Celestion which awakened interest in this technology in the early '80s when they designed a metal-dome tweeter for their then-new SL6 loudspeaker system.)"
... ignoring the JBL LE30 from the 1960s, or the 066.

so when did JBL introduce the ti dome tweeter? it was the 035ti?

[SEAWOLF97]

as an aside... I have problems with a few bits in the article... and a question

"But JBL's very success in the recording-studio business branded them as a "rock speaker" in the hearts of a significant number of audiophiles. The first glimmer that this would not forever remain the case came in the mid-'80s, with the introduction of JBL's 250Ti loudspeaker, reviewed in Vol.8 No.6. "
they forgot about the L166, L212, L250 and others that don't sound like L100s...


"Metal-dome tweeters were just beginning to make an impact—largely in British designs. (It was Celestion which awakened interest in this technology in the early '80s when they designed a metal-dome tweeter for their then-new SL6 loudspeaker system.)"
... ignoring the JBL LE30 from the 1960s, or the 066.

so when did JBL introduce the ti dome tweeter? it was the 035ti?

066 is NOT a metal dome.
L166 is quite a bit like an improved L100

[Lee in Montreal]

"They almost invariably named Japanese companies—two of the most commonly mentioned were Hitachi and Panasonic."

Rule# 1 - Don't make a hi-fi survey in a South Florida shopping mail

[tomee]

066 is NOT a metal dome.
L166 is quite a bit like an improved L100

I suppose you're right in that it's a vapour deposited aluminum coating over a phenolic dome (according to the old ads I've seen for it), but the LE30 was a metal dome. I guess my point was this magazine routinely ignored what JBL did for the industry, sometimes decades before the "audiophile" world did.

I agree that the L166 is a bit like an improved L100 (better woofer, tweeter and crossover, and the mid is different too..). My point was I don't see JBL having advertised it as a RockNRoll speaker - just a good, well made speaker, that can sound pretty balanced.

[SEAWOLF97]

I suppose you're right in that it's a vapour deposited aluminum coating over a phenolic dome (according to the old ads I've seen for it), but the LE30 was a metal dome. I guess my point was this magazine routinely ignored what JBL did for the industry, sometimes decades before the "audiophile" world did.

I agree that the L166 is a bit like an improved L100 (better woofer, tweeter and crossover, and the mid is different too..). My point was I don't see JBL having advertised it as a RockNRoll speaker - just a good, well made speaker, that can sound pretty balanced.

To me ..the L166's grilles screamed R & R , and I was a R&R guy who loved the 60's/70's. It was just as forward as the Century. They were my fave bookshelf until recently buying a pair of 120ti's. Regretted selling my 3 pairs of Horizons. My L-100's went to my son who has the best system among his peers.

Stereophile mag ? I got sucked in by the nearly "at cost" subscription and stayed 2 years. Got really put off by the extreme super hyperbole of MF & Dud . Atkinson was about the only level headed person on that shill publication.

Not really into $30K preamps and the such. I found that their reviews of gear that I had experienced was difference than mine, and began to distrust their motivations.

Now I get monthly "begging for my renewell" packets for only $9.95 a year. At this point, don't even want it for free.

[Dave_72]

"Jason Serinus has some comments on the HK system shown at the Northern California Audio Show...."

May I have the link, please.

[DavidF]

"Jason Serinus has some comments on the HK system shown at the Northern California Audio Show...."

May I have the link, please.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/cas-2014-day-1-lift

[Dave_72]

http://www.stereophile.com/content/cas-2014-day-1-lift

Ok, thanks. Much appreciated.

[mike]

I would bet that a lot of JBL customers in the 60's and 70's were not rock fans. The alternative to JBL and the other "high efficiency" speaker companies back then were speakers that were pretty limited in dynamics regardless of the music. In my opinion the L110 was the first JBL "audiophile" speaker. It did all of the high end things and combined them with JBL dynamics. It was underappreciated then and now though. Mike