JBL L Series (1990s)

[Scharnhorst]

Thank you for the reply Titanium

That is a tad extreme given the space I have is limited... argh

Thanks again for your contributions in this thread titanium, i've tried to do as much research as I can on these things, and truth be told there isn't a tone of info out there except for here. Its been very helpful. I just find myself at a loss as to what my next move should be. These paired with a sub would be pretty good just for stereo, I.E. music? Could you also use such a setup for TV and basic movies? Anyway to make the speakers I got be of any use

[jblsound]

Hopefully JBLaddict will chime in since he and I have both had complete L Series (1990s) HT systems. I had L7s up from, L5s on the sides, and further back L7s on the rears That was probably a waste of a pair of L7s back there, but I had plenty, so...

Practically speaking, no one who came over for dinner and a movie nights every said the system was anything other than the best they'd ever heard, but truth be told I suspect they hadn't heard much. You can make a very dynamic HT system with L7s or L5s up front with maybe an L3 as a center, then L3s or L1s as your surrounds and rears. Add in at least two subs (at the midpoint of the sidewalls) and you'd beat almost anyone you know for great HT sound.

Such a system will definitely kick the Polk's butt, but at the expense of more real estate in your room.

Full disclosure: I have a better system now, JBL Synthesis® One Array, but it cost at least 15 times as much as the whole L Series system picked up from ebay or craigslist (minus the original L7 pair which I bought new), and it's fantastic, but not 15x fantastic.

I will second the L series for HT. But as to your own words, if the Array is not 15x better, then why did you spend 15x more?
If I were to go beyond a Performance Series HT, every $ spent = every $ better, or not worth the bother.

[JBLAddict]

I will second the L series for HT. But as to your own words, if the Array is not 15x better, then why did you spend 15x more?
If I were to go beyond a Performance Series HT, every $ spent = every $ better, or not worth the bother.

we all know this is a subjective argument, what does 15X better mean? to who?

I heard the PS HT at his house, and own one, and also watched a movie on the Syn HT, to me, it was worth the 15x if one could afford it (when one could afford it ). it might not have 15X the flat response or 15X the power compression, but I can tell you when the cannons went off the movie was 15X better...to me

[JBLAddict]

Hopefully JBLaddict will chime in since he and I have both had complete L Series (1990s) HT systems.

Hey guys,

I just inherited a pair of the L5s..... I think they sound great but they probably aren't great for home theatre which is something I predominantly use. Do I sell them?

I had the L5 as mains, L7 as mains, and EC35,L1,L3 as centers in various configs over two years. Bottom line, the L5 make fine fronts for HT, surely better than what you own now by a margin. The 9" width and front firing woofer (compared to the L7) make them great for flanking your screen, the 4 way design works well and if/when you want to play music, even without a sub they do a very admirable job with the 8" and 6" dual bass configuration.

The center channel is the big problem with L-series; L1 and L3 work decently as two ways, but they're still two ways and IMO pale in comparison to designs with a dedicated mid-range. Therefore if you use an EC35 like I did, while a nice center, the timbre match is off from using a different tweeter and multichannel music suffers. All told, I'd still use the L5 in place of the set you have now

[hjames]

Don't know if you are interested but I just posted an LC2 center speaker for sale here -
should be a good tone match as Center with your L5s if you want to do Home theatre ...
It IS Cherry finish and not black ash. Its a 4 way dual woofer center speaker.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...Center-speaker

You may find other L5s, L3s or L1 to use as rear surrounds to make the whole system.

Hey guys,

I just inherited a pair of the L5s, they are in pretty good condition, weren't really used too much, and work perfectly. I don't know a whole lot about speakers... what I have been using this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290174
Obviously I didn't pay anything near that price for it and a denon avr 1611....

What do I do with these L5s? I think they sound great but they probably aren't great for home theatre which is something I predominantly use. Do I sell them? Is there a way to make a complete system with these?

Appreciate the help

[JBLAddict]

good point, not trying to help sell your center, but the LC2 is the one center I considered the best available match.

but I forgot to the include the LC1 I originally purchased for 250 before buying the EC35 for 140, before trying the L1 and then the single L3 from TiDome's garage. In trying to avoid the 400+ the LC2 was going for at the time, I blew through the same amount buying multiple centers that either didn't perform well, or had poor dimensions for mounting. The LC2 was the best choice in retrospect.

However now that I have a fully matched Perf Series upgrade, it doesn't really matter other than the orphan speakers I have in storage.

[Scharnhorst]

let me bounce a few question by you guys. How are the JBL speakers of today and what are some of the advantages of today's speakers? I've read used speakers are normally a pretty good bet because speaker technology doesn't really drastically change like many others.

I'm just stuck... not sure what the best route is. I know using the other L series for a center channel is one route, but not ideal, and not for me. They sound good and maybe i'm just over analyzing, i could probably just get by using these two and a sub for awhile.

[Titanium Dome]

I will second the L series for HT. But as to your own words, if the Array is not 15x better, then why did you spend 15x more?
If I were to go beyond a Performance Series HT, every $ spent = every $ better, or not worth the bother.

As JBLAddict correctly writes, it's just a number. How does one quantify a qualitative improvement? Whenever these comparative numbers get beyond "2" (it's TWICE as good) I tend to think they're simple hyperbole. I could have written the Performance Series is 5 times better than the L Series, and the One Array system is 12 times better than the Performance Series. Would that mean it's 60 times better than the L Series? No.

It's easy to compare prices. $5000 is ten times $500 which is ten times $50. But is the new speaker I bought at $5000 ten times better than the used $500 speaker that cost $2500 when new, or is the used $500 speaker ten times better than the $50 speaker picked up at a garage sale that's really worth $1000?

When it comes to qualitative assessment, real numbers are difficult. For starters, what's the scale? 1-10? 1-100? What represents "1"? My original L100s? In the case of this thread, the L1? The L5?

So the One Array is better than the Performance Series, and I think it's worth it to pay 15x as much as the super killer deal I got on the Performance Series because I'm very pleased with it. But there's no way it's 15x better, even if there were a way to actually measure that. When I'm listening to either system, I don't think about how I wish I were listening to the other, and when I listen to the L7s or the L5s, I don't wish I was getting 5x, 10x, or 15x better sound listening to my K2 S9900s. I just enjoy the moment.

[JBLAddict]

it's fun discussion the qualitative attempt to quantify, but probably the reason for 50% of the text in online AV forums....good times

to each his own, one man's treasure, and so on.....makes me think of that bay commercial with the guy's GF making fun of him trying to sell his green car online, and the other guy with his apt decked in all green seeing the posting and expressing "sweet mother....!"

[JBLAddict]

Friend

You ask one of the most difficult and vague questions to answer. This forum is loaded with 1000's of threads debating that topic. Your position reminds me of when I joined 4 yrs ago to check out the L100s I inherited from my childhood home. I'll try to give you my simple perspective a few $10K's later, though surely everyone here feels different to a degree.

I started with my 1976 speakers that I was quite happy with and proud of. Searching here opened me up to the decades of iconic JBL offerings, and I started to lust after legions of speakers between 1975 and 2008. I asked a lot of questions, read a LOT, had some chances to hear many of them, and kept OCD-like "wish lists" including their original MSRP and driver content. The deeper I got the less I was able to decide how to spend my hard earned dinero. Speakers, driver swaps, plumbers pipe plugs of bass-ports, amps, AVRs, pre/pros, DACs,

I've had years of learning and enjoyment now going from L100 to.... HK AVR354, L5, LC1, L7, L1, EC35, L3, PT800, PC600, PS1400 , Soundcraftsmen S800, Soundcraftsmen A400, AVA7......and very very seriously considering 4412, Ti10K, K2S5800, Array 1400 along the way.....and spending good time with the Everest 2, K2 S99000, 4338, S4800, TS8000, LS80 for an informed perspective

So....if I could turn back the clock to where you are knowing what I know now, what would I do? Well, first the newer gear is better, period. The same company continued to make technological progress, albeit at diminishing returns for a lot of new money, hence many here buy old to get very very good and very very good prices, but make no mistake, JBL's latter best are better than their former best.

That said, for those of us on a limited budget, who don't like selling gear, going direct to the best you can afford is the move I would recommend to avoid amassing a speaker and electronics collection, while getting the best audio you can until having the means to move up later (maybe). I'm still glad that I've had the chance to experience so much JBL for so little an investment, until dropping a load on the Performance Series (still at a third of the original MSRP)......but if I could go back a few years to when the 1400 array was selling for 4-7K, I would pull the trigger and bypass all I've acquired to this point. I don't like having unused speakers wedged in corners of the house, the garage, in a storage unit etc. I don't like messes and I have one on my hands right now (I have a wonderful complete PS HT setup, with two giant L7s wedged between them for lack of a space to put them).

The hard part is deciding what's the best you can afford. You have to either take the account of others, or hear them yourself to make your wish list from top to bottom, and then decide based upon how available they are and at what price, what you're willing to spend.

one man's opinion FWIW....Godspeed

let me bounce a few question by you guys. How are the JBL speakers of today and what are some of the advantages of today's speakers? I've read used speakers are normally a pretty good bet because speaker technology doesn't really drastically change like many others.

I'm just stuck... not sure what the best route is. I know using the other L series for a center channel is one route, but not ideal, and not for me. They sound good and maybe i'm just over analyzing, i could probably just get by using these two and a sub for awhile.

[gferrell]

This weekend I decided to put my L7's back up front in my setup.The XPL160's are very clear and accurate but the sound stage is just not there for movies and multichannel. Maybe it is just my room, even in stereo the L7's just have an incredible soundstage if placed properly. I love the clear midrange on the XPL but the sound stage wins. It is hard to beat the L7 L5 combo for HT and multichannel. So Scharnhorst if you have enough room you may find some L7's to go with your L5's. Oh by the way, this thread just never seems to die, just hibernate.

[Aqualung1956]

This weekend I decided to put my L7's back up front in my setup.The XPL160's are very clear and accurate but the sound stage is just not there for movies and multichannel. Maybe it is just my room, even in stereo the L7's just have an incredible soundstage if placed properly. I love the clear midrange on the XPL but the sound stage wins. It is hard to beat the L7 L5 combo for HT and multichannel. So Scharnhorst if you have enough room you may find some L7's to go with your L5's. Oh by the way, this thread just never seems to die, just hibernate.

I see you have both. How would you compare the 4412 to the L series? I have L5's but I'm thinking about trying to score some 4412's or 4410's (reason: bigger woofer)

[Titanium Dome]

I see you have both. How would you compare the 4412 to the L series? I have L5's but I'm thinking about trying to score some 4412's or 4410's (reason: bigger woofer)

I know you're not asking me, but I sold my 4412s a couple of years back, and I still have my L5s on active duty in one of the spare bedrooms.

The L5s give up very little at the low end to the 12" woofer in the 4412, and the bass is cleaner in my opinion. The 4412 can dig a little deeper.

In the midbass and midrange the L5 is the clear winner for my tastes. The high frequencies are pretty equal, though the transition from mids to highs is better in the L5 by a long shot in my experience.

L5s are more room friendly. You can get more out of the 4412 by observing its studio roots and mounting it accordingly.

[quad250]

Just read the last pages of posts and saw the difficulties you have finding a matching center speaker for the L5/L7.

As I have multiple speakers of the european L series (L20/L60/L80) I recently bought the L Center to possibly set up a HT.



The unit uses:

Low/Mid 2 *JBL 705 H

Tweeter JBL 050 Ti

I expect them to match the L5/L7 quite good as the low/mid units are of the same series as the L5/L7. A little black spray on either side of the black grill will create a visual close match as well. I dont know if a set up with a mixture of 035ti and 050ti tweeters will work, but both are titanium based tweeters that have a very similar setup.

Problem for you guys in the States might be to find one as I believe these were only sold in europe.

[Aqualung1956]

I know you're not asking me, but I sold my 4412s a couple of years back, and I still have my L5s on active duty in one of the spare bedrooms.The L5s give up very little at the low end to the 12" woofer in the 4412, and the bass is cleaner in my opinion. The 4412 can dig a little deeper.In the midbass and midrange the L5 is the clear winner for my tastes. The high frequencies are pretty equal, though the transition from mids to highs is better in the L5 by a long shot in my experience.L5s are more room friendly. You can get more out of the 4412 by observing its studio roots and mounting it accordingly.

Thanks for the reply. I like the L5 but I find the midrange a little bit hot. I turn my midrange tone control down one notch (11 oclock) and this makes the sound less fatiguing. The 035tia may be the best tweeter I've ever heard, and this includes EMIT and HEIL!