L80t in the house

[Mike F]

Came across a one owner pair for sale the other day. According to the owner, the speakers were all original including the surrounds which I found to be odd given they are made of foam. The price was certainly right and the cabinets, drivers and surrounds appeared to be in very nice shape so after a brief listen, I just couldn't resist.

Unfortunately, after getting them home and upon a closer inspection, the surrounds weren't in that great shape after all, they failed the pinch test miserably, oh well.

I`m really looking forward to refoaming and comparing them to the 4311s I`ve been listening to for the past few months.
I welcome any comments from past and present owners regarding their sound and how they differ from other JBLs.
Also, I cant seem to make out what kind of veneer they are sporting, too dark for Oak, too light for Walnut, I dont know.
Luckily, there are no major scratches as the veneer, whatever it may be, appears to be very thin and probably unforgiving to any type of sanding. I`m thinking Feed and Wax or maybe some Watco will breathe some life into the finish..

[svollmer]

I believe that is walnut as most of the T series were. It will get nice and luxurious with Howard's Feed N Wax.

Great catch!

[SEAWOLF97]

I`m really looking forward to refoaming and comparing them to the 4311s I`ve been listening to for the past few months.
I welcome any comments from past and present owners regarding their sound and how they differ from other JBLs.
.

IMHO , if the 4311's are working correctly , it should be "no contest" .... tho the hotter 035Ti may be a little better on the top end. Compare resale prices and see which set is more valued.

L80T's (I did not have the T3) are OK , but just didn't stand out, for me. They are top heavy and were hard for me to move around. Mine were the infamous "spaghetti wood" and oil just paddled and never soaked in , others have had different experiences.

They have ESSENTIALLY the same driver load as the 4410's ... which I did really enjoy and so I concluded that the sonic capabilities were squandered between the cab and network. Of course, YMMV ..

[coachmorin]

I have the exact same speakers in my home and I loved them, always have. The foam has been redone in 2012 by Orange County. Some people fells the 035ti is harsh, but to my ears, they are perfect. They were driven by an HK PM 645 vxi for years and sounded wonderful. Better than my Canton and BW for me. The crossover has not been checked at this point. Maybe I will go T3 crossover in the future.

[hjames]

The Howards Orange Oil (or Feed and Wax) stuff makes a huge difference in the look of old dried out veneer
You can see the difference in a pair of L100Ts I had a few years ago ...

Came across a one owner pair for sale the other day.

Also, I cant seem to make out what kind of veneer they are sporting, too dark for Oak, too light for Walnut, I dont know.
Luckily, there are no major scratches as the veneer, whatever it may be, appears to be very thin and probably unforgiving to any type of sanding. I`m thinking Feed and Wax or maybe some Watco will breathe some life into the finish..

[Mike F]

IMHO , if the 4311's are working correctly , it should be "no contest" .... tho the hotter 035Ti may be a little better on the top end. Compare resale prices and see which set is more valued.
YMMV ..

My 4311s are indeed in proper working order and sound better than they have a right to, are you saying they`ll blow the L80t out of the room?

[martin2395]

I'd say the L80T are more pleasant to listen to. Comparing L100S to 4311 I very much preferred the L100S, I simply can't live with the shoutiness of the 4311/4312/L100.

[Mike F]

I'd say the L80T are more pleasant to listen to. Comparing L100S to 4311 I very much preferred the L100S, I simply can't live with the shoutiness of the 4311/4312/L100.

I`m confused. L100 and 4311 are for all intents and purposes identical, I cant seem to fathom your strong preference to them.

[Mike F]

The Howards Orange Oil (or Feed and Wax) stuff makes a huge difference in the look of old dried out veneer
You can see the difference in a pair of L100Ts I had a few years ago ...

Heather, that is dramatic, looks good. I seem to recall another member, perhaps it was Phil who posted side by side comparisons of a pair of L80t using Watco only.
Since mine have negligible veneer damage, I just may give them a coat of Howards F&W.

[BMWCCA]

Yeah, I took out the woofers to replace the surrounds (Rick Cobb) and did a light sand and Watco. Did this to two sets. Both received T3 crossovers at the time. One pair is working beautifully at a friend's house and the other is still in my comparison room with another dozen JBLs, etc.

Here's the pic you mentioned:

[audiomagnate]

I`m confused. L100 and 4311 are for all intents and purposes identical, I cant seem to fathom your strong preference to them.

Maybe they meant L100t.

[BMWCCA]

Maybe they meant L100t.

The original poster mentioned the L100S which I took to be the vinyl-clad version of the L100T3 or L100T, not the plural of "L100".
It was pretty obvious to me.

[SEAWOLF97]

The original poster mentioned the L100S which I took to be the vinyl-clad version of the L100T3 or L100T, not the plural of "L100".
It was pretty obvious to me.

I can't find where OP mentioned L100S .... later on, Martin did.

Luckily, there are no major scratches as the veneer, whatever it may be, appears to be very thin and probably unforgiving to any type of sanding. .

as I recall, it chips very easily around the edges. be careful.

My 4311s are indeed in proper working order and sound better than they have a right to, are you saying they`ll blow the L80t out of the room?

I would have no trouble deciding , if 1 pair was the limit

[BMWCCA]

I can't find where OP mentioned L100S .... later on, Martin did.

Correct, the comment I was referring to was Mike F's reply to Martin. I believe Mike F (the actual OP) was confusing Martin's comment about "L100S" for the plural of "L100" instead of the later series of L100T/L100T3/L100S.
I was only attempting to alleviate his consternation over Martin's perceived inability to differentiate between an L100 and a 4311.

But that's okay. All's well. Keep muddling along! As you were! Nothing to see here.