I've read about the various configurations of the these models (77, 99, etc.) but was wondering if anyone could comment on the philosophy of the company in bringing them out? Were they an attempt to hit lower price points or to be completely different and not water down the professional aspects of the monitors & theater gear?
Just curious & I'd appreciate the opinions or facts. Also, a comment or two on how they sound.
I picked up a pair of Lancer-99/Athena 99's at a tag sale for US $40 about 6 months ago. They have freshly reconed LE-14a's and the LE20's are completely unmolested. The cabinets are in great shape, the wooden fretwork grilles are in great shape, and the speakers even came with their original shipping cartons.
Certainly not the most impressive system JBL ever produced, the crossover points are a bit of a stretch and it shows on some material. That said, they do sound great in my bedroom/listening room driven by a Hafler 9505. They are no slouch.
I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have...
-Alan
Lancer 99's are among my personal favorites as far as bookshelf designs are concerned.
Just look at that LE14 with that massive port stuffed into that small box.
I've A/B'd a pair against an L100 and although the 100 had more presence,it couldn't match the low-end kick of the 99.
I own a few pairs of L100's but my choice for daily listening (in my office) is the Athena.
OPUS POCUS
I think that the Lancer systems were simply JBL's idea of compact speakers in the 60's and the early 70's. None of them were in any way made cheaply. Everything from the drivers to the crossovers to the cabinets were built to the highest standards. They were also fairly expensive when you compare them to other compact speakers of their day. There were several different models (33,44,66,77,99,101). The Lancer 101 is the only one that is really sought after by collectors but I've always thought that the other models were undervalued and under appreciated at least as collector's items. The best balanced and best sounding ones are probably the Lancer 66 and Lancer 77. These would make a nice vintage system with some Mcintosh or Marantz tube gear.
Mike
S99's were touted as the equivalent of a 15" woofer in a 12" size bookshelf.
Well, fine for the day, but LE14A plays much better in a bigger box with a M/H driver, or both, crossed at lower frequency.
The grilles are objects of art at Chateau Zilch.
S77's are a forum favorite, and probably deserve some serious upgrade attention here.
44's need a tweeter, but there's no room for it in the box, in which respect, 33's actually have better upgrade potential....
Outstanding feedback guys, w/ actual user input!
Your comments confirm the hunch I've had from studying these. I'd have to believe that minor crossover upgrades such as the caps in the tweeter circuit would yield impressive results.
Thank you for replying.
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