JBL L Series (1990s)

[gferrell]

There are the aftermarket kits.

[cjmustang69]

I'd been reading this thread for the past several days and I concluded I would like to try a pair of the L7s at some point in time, should they become available locally. I've never owned a pair of JBL speakers and thought these would be a good pair to begin with. As fate would have it, a pair was posted on a local CL Thursday evening. I went to look at them after work last night. The cabinets, drivers, and grills were in excellent condition and the bases also came with speakers. The price was fair so I bought them. Just hooked them up about an hour ago so don't have any impressions yet.

[jblsound]

Nice pick up, hope the L7 are all you hope they will be.

[Titanium Dome]

They look good. Hope they work out for you.

You have an attractive set up.

[JBLAddict]

CJ, look forward to your impressions. Also pls tell a bit about your upstream components and the two other speaker sets in the background you're comparing against

also fwiw, the black L7s "look" much better with your gear than the other sets!

[cjmustang69]

Thank you for the welcome. I can tell you it was this thread which convinced me to try a pair of these L7s - so I appreciate eveyone's input since 2005!!! My upstream equipment with the L7s is:
Sunfire Load Invariant Amp, Coda 04r preamp, Denon 3910 transport, Cambridge Audio DacMagic. I also have another 2 channel system made up of: Adcom GFA 565 monoblocks, BelCanto Pre1 preamp, Marantz DV8400 transport, Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC. I currently have the 2nd system hooked up to a pair of Kappa 9s. I also have a pair of ADS 980, ADS 910, and Pioneer HPM200 speakers to alternate in. The speakers closest to TV are a pair of Klipsch RF63 I'm using for HT system. I must say the Pioneer HPM 200s are one of my favorite speakers - it was this speaker that made me want to try a pair of JBLs.

[Don Mascali]

I received an LE120H-1 purchased from member HSCGuy. He was a nice guy to deal with and he packed the the thing well enough to survive Armageddon.

The speakers have been moved to the living room and I'm trying to get the placement right. They sound nice, I'm looking forward to getting it spot on. They sure are picky about the boundaries.

More shall be revealed.

[Don Mascali]

@ JBLAddict I decided to answer your question here where it is on topic. I didn't want to step on that Marketplace thread any more. You asked;

"BTW, how do you like your L7 compared to some of your fine 3W's, in particular the 4412A and L100T3 which you clearly love with 3 sets?"

IMHO the L7's are a cut above the others if they have the room to be set up right. L100t3 are nice in almost any room and the 4412A are near-field on my computer desk for moving music around. The Ti tweet and the 5" midrange are a magical combination in them all for listening at any "sane" volumes. (I have a bunch of big JBL stuff for the "insane moments' and DJ gigs)

They are all good in the proper application.

[BMWCCA]

Thank you for the welcome. I can tell you it was this thread which convinced me to try a pair of these L7s . . .

Yep, me, too! But I did the L5s first, then the L7s. Love 'em all.

I've been a L112 owner since they were new. They're great speakers but the L7 set-up right is superior in range, extension, and that airy soundstage. Even the L5 is close and can be nearly as satisfying as my L112s, L96s, and 4412As. IMHO, of course.

[cjmustang69]

Yes, I have to say I immediately noticed the soundstage and imaging capability of these speakers. The L7s seem to disappear in the sound which they convey. I hope to have time tomorrow and play more with their placement.

[localhost127]

can i ask a question?
if the coupling between the 12" drivers is so important, is there any effect when going off-axis when toe'ing in the speakers for directional (HF/MF) energy? it seems counter intuitive?

or is the omni-directional nature of LF not have as big of an effect when the towers are toe'd in off-axis?

thank you,

[Titanium Dome]

can i ask a question?
if the coupling between the 12" drivers is so important, is there any effect when going off-axis when toe'ing in the speakers for directional (HF/MF) energy? it seems counter intuitive?

or is the omni-directional nature of LF not have as big of an effect when the towers are toe'd in off-axis?

thank you,

LF waves are very long as you know. The effect is far, far less than with higher frequencies. In a very general sense, as long as something isn't disrupting the waves or redirecting them prematurely, it's not a big deal. I'm not saying it's nothing, okay? I'm just giving my opinion that it's not a big deal to me.

I've answered this question and variations of it so many times in PMs, I'm just going to cut and paste a series of emails I sent to a member of AVS.

[Titanium Dome]

This shows basic placement in a very "hard" room.

[Titanium Dome]

Here are a few more placement and perspective shots.

[Titanium Dome]

Here is the most obvious effect I've found from toe-in more than 15 degrees or so, and it only becomes a problem on certain over-produced recordings like dance tracks and club mixes. It might even be that the doors have a resonance somewhere around 40 Hz. Luckily, I have a built-in solution.