JBL110s

[Jobrewer1983]

Good Morning Lansing Folks,

I am new to the community, but have made a mutual friend via Audio Karma. I recently acquired a set of JBL L-110's that needed a little work. With the help of a few members, I was able to find a lot of great information, and bring them back to life. This is my 1st set of JBL's, and it has been a long time waiting. I had a friend many years ago with a set of the L96's and at the time, I thought they were one of the best sets I have ever listened to. I was hooked as a JBL fan since that day, but finding vintage JBL equipment in the area where I grew up, is next to impossible. I moved to the bay area back in 2002, and have been watching CL for about 10-12 years for a set in good cond., that would be worth the restore. I ended up giving up on actively looking, I figured that one day it would happen, and if not.. Well that's life. I picked up a set of the LVT ear University speakers by Altec from thy late 60's, and decided that the only way I would get JBL sound and quality, would be to actually buy JBL. For the past 6 months, I have been looking for a set of the L-96's, and actually found a set on CL for barter. The downside, the guy who had them, wanted to barter for a SX1250 that I have, I did not feel it was a good trade..

To make a long story longer, I came across a CL post for some "HQ home Audio Gear" The image that they had posted was a pic of a baby advent... Not really high quality to me... After digging a little deeper, I noticed in the background of his pix, a single JBL. I emailed him immediately asking him if they were spoken for. He responded rather quickly, and stated that not one person had asked about the JBL's, and that he was asking $100.00. He said his brother had a recording studio in his garage, and had recently passed. He said that they sold the house, and needed to get rid of the equipment. He then stated that they would be having an estate sale, and they would be available. I asked him if he would mind holding them for me, and that I was not looking to purchase them and resale them, but was going to re-foam them, and restore the cabinets. I told him that I would be using them for personal use, and would be willing to pay more if he held them for me. His response... "You asked 1st, they are yours for $100.00”!

The catch: It was a good 60 mile drive for me, and I needed to pick them up at 07:45 hours. It was well worth the drive, they were in great cond., a little dusty and dirty. I replaced the foam, and they sound spectacular. I will own them till the day I die, by far the best set of speakers I have ever owned. I posted this link to show Jerry, the gentleman I purchased them from, the restoration process, and the new home they now belong in.

Also, Id like to thank (Larry) User Name: Irb1951 for all the great information on the re-foam job on the LH111's great information!

Nice to be a part of the Lansing community now!

Thanks all,
- John -

6350663507635086350963510

[srm51555]

Good find and welcome to the Forum

[hjames]

Welcome, welcome!

[Doc Mark]

Greetings, John,

Welcome to LH, and well done on finding a lovely pair of L110's!! Also, well done on the refoaming. Those speakers are well thought of, and if memory serves, JBL did a great job on the design, with special attention to the crossover match to the drivers! I'm happy for you, that you found them, and happy for the seller, who needed to move them to a new home!! Well done on all counts! Take care, congrats on getting a fine set of JBL's, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc (who also waited, almost 40 years, to get his own JBL dream speaker!! It was worth the wait!!)

[SEAWOLF97]

I run a recurring "WTB" ad on CL. This last summer got an email "I've got some 110's , you interested" ?

I don't lowball anybody and let them set a starting point. Seller says "they belonged to Dad. he bought them new, put on a shelf and never moved them" ,,,"come on over and we'll discuss price"

He was only about 5 miles away, so I rolled out his way. They were pristine, needing only new foams. He had them set up and playing. We talked and turns out he is a Vet too.

so I said OK, price ?

"Could you do $75" ? yup. He even loaded them in my truck as my back was sore.

I tried my standard 10 incher foams, but they don't fit right , the 8's don't either. Gonna have to break down and buy some Cobb surrounds and refoam this winter , but have no available slots to stick them in (all filled by bigger speakers)

[Jobrewer1983]

Good Morning All, Thank you for the welcome, and for the kind words. The more I listen to them, the more I fall in love with them. They have such a smooth sound, and the lows are really defined. I do need to have a set of stand built, I recently had a components rack built for my receiver. I am running a SX-1250, and needed a rack that would fit the size of the unit. The gentleman that built it for me was a professional stereo cabinet, and speaker cabinet builder. He dose great work, and he has an incredible stash of rare wood. The rack I had built is solid Clear American Mahogany, it has 2 shelves for Vinyl, and a display table top for my Turntable. I have been in the process of staining in for a few weeks now. My time is a little limited due to working nights, and attending classes in the mornings. I requested that when the rack was completed, it be left unfinished, I enjoy the finishing steps of wood work. I would have built the rack myself, but I am limited on space, and would have had to build it in my living room... Living inner city really has is drawback sometimes. The rack was my design, and I should have it finished in the next few weeks. I applied a coat of dark stain to darken the accents, let dry for a few days, than sanded it down with an 80 grit up to 400 grit. I have most of the sanding work done, next will be a conditioner, than a Danish oil. I will have to track down Tom for some matching stands. I'm sure I’ll end up paying out the window, but if they match, it will be worth the investment. Below is a link to my Audio Karma thread, outlines my SX 1250 find for $40.00 bucks, and also the rack build, and the progress I’ve made so far, or the lack thereof. :) It will be finished within the next week or so.. I've already started clearing the space for it. Link:http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=610654Now that I have finally found a set of JBL's, I need to get my hands on a nice set of bookshelves. I know it’s hard to find any of the JBL bookshelves in the Vintage era, so maybe I’ll track down a set of Jennings, they seem to match the walnut, and are pretty good quality. Anyone have a good suggestion on some bookshelves that would pair nicely with the L110's? Again, thank you for the posts, I really look forward becoming an active member. The more information the better! Oh, and have a happy and safe Halloween.Something was going on with the formatting of the text. The text was merging together. Had to edit the post, if this is reading in one huge paragraph, my apologies.

[hjames]

yes, the version of vBulletin (the forum software) they use here is broken somehow when you re-edit your posts ...
doesn't happen on AK or the TivoCommunity forum (they both use the same software).
That big blob of text thing drives us crazy but maybe it will be fixed with the next software upgrade.

We know its not your fault, sounds like a fun project, and thanks for posting!


... Something was going on with the formatting of the text.
The text was merging together. Had to edit the post, if this is reading in one huge paragraph, my apologies.

[Jobrewer1983]

I run a recurring "WTB" ad on CL. This last summer got an email "I've got some 110's , you interested" ?I don't lowball anybody and let them set a starting point. Seller says "they belonged to Dad. he bought them new, put on a shelf and never moved them" ,,,"come on over and we'll discuss price"He was only about 5 miles away, so I rolled out his way. They were pristine, needing only new foams. He had them set up and playing. We talked and turns out he is a Vet too.so I said OK, price ?"Could you do $75" ? yup. He even loaded them in my truck as my back was sore.I tried my standard 10 incher foams, but they don't fit right , the 8's don't either. Gonna have to break down and buy some Cobb surrounds and refoam this winter , but have no available slots to stick them in (all filled by bigger speakers)Good Morning SEAWOLF97, That LH111 have a 9" cone, kind of an odd size, but unique. :) One tip, if I may... Be sure to get adhesive tips, for the adhesive you use. The LH111s have limited travel on the cone, and the basket lip is very narrow. I ended up getting a little glue on the lip of the cone, but this is due to not having a tip to the adhesive. I will most likely re-foam them again in a year or so, I do want the perfect look, but i can live with it for now. Also the inner foam lip will flex as soon as you drop the slightest amount of glue on it, they are very thin surrounds. If you are able to look me up on AK, I have the same user name, take a look at the CV's I knocked out a few weeks back. The JBLs were not my best work, sadly to say. I was impatient, and decided to try them without a fine tip. I did ok, but as you can see, I got a little glue on the foam and the lip of the woofer. Either way, well worth the time to restore, looking forward to seeing them complete. The woofers require a little more attention to detail :)

[SEAWOLF97]

Good Morning SEAWOLF97, That LH111 have a 9" cone, kind of an odd size, but unique. :) One tip, if I may...

welcome to the forum, looks like you'll fit in well.

I can't even remember how many refoams I've done. Was doing so many that we took a trip to Asia , went to the distributor and filled my suitcases with rings. I have sold much of the overstock on CL, and made some nice friends in the process.

The 110's will get done this winter on some day that I'm stuck in the house (I ride bikes at every possible chance). With 20 active speakers in the house (plus :dont-know: in storage) , the only possible slot to play them is where the current favorite small speakers are. They are 120Ti's and will be are hard target to beat.

2 Xmas's ago I sold off 32 pairs of various speakers to a Vietnamese couple who shipped them to Saigon, so probably down to under 20 pairs left here. Once you learn the refoaming process, you start seeing candidates everywhere. CL, garage sales, thrifts etc.

Owners will sell at giveaway prices because their speakers are "blown". ha.

I rarely have to purchase foams that are outside of whats still in my inventory. Did have to for the 14's on a pair of 250Ti's, and looks like the 110's too.

You were right to hold on to that SX-1250. It's a keeper. I've gone through many,many receivers until I went to separates. They just could not provide the power that my BGW 750D does (450wpc into 4 ohm, 375 into 8) ..that much really awakened the 250Ti's although I bought it to run my OHM Walsh F's (which are very low impedance).

I kinda make a game out of affordable audio (see http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?17712-Speaker-Safari ). We may be in the sweet spot for that classic gear right now.

[dezmond]

Nice grab. I got my pair for $15 at the local thrift , but the woofers were replaced with Dayton . I just yesterday received the original woofers from ebay. They sound very nice , much better then the dayton woofer. I am running them off a parasound hca1000 for now.

[Jobrewer1983]

welcome to the forum, looks like you'll fit in well.

I can't even remember how many refoams I've done. Was doing so many that we took a trip to Asia , went to the distributor and filled my suitcases with rings. I have sold much of the overstock on CL, and made some nice friends in the process.

The 110's will get done this winter on some day that I'm stuck in the house (I ride bikes at every possible chance). With 20 active speakers in the house (plus :dont-know: in storage) , the only possible slot to play them is where the current favorite small speakers are. They are 120Ti's and will be are hard target to beat.

2 Xmas's ago I sold off 32 pairs of various speakers to a Vietnamese couple who shipped them to Saigon, so probably down to under 20 pairs left here. Once you learn the refoaming process, you start seeing candidates everywhere. CL, garage sales, thrifts etc.

Owners will sell at giveaway prices because their speakers are "blown". ha.

I rarely have to purchase foams that are outside of whats still in my inventory. Did have to for the 14's on a pair of 250Ti's, and looks like the 110's too.

You were right to hold on to that SX-1250. It's a keeper. I've gone through many,many receivers until I went to separates. They just could not provide the power that my BGW 750D does (450wpc into 4 ohm, 375 into 8) ..that much really awakened the 250Ti's although I bought it to run my OHM Walsh F's (which are very low impedance).

I kinda make a game out of affordable audio (see http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?17712-Speaker-Safari ). We may be in the sweet spot for that classic gear right now.


Good Morning SEAWOLF97,

Thank you for the post, and the link. I'd love to have an inventory like that. I recently gave away a set of Klipsch KG2s, KG4's, sold a set of Cerwin Vega VS100s, and probably gave away 5 or 6 sets of some Realistic's, Nova 7B's and some Minimus 11's and 7's. All due to the lack of space.

I am really hesitant to purchase anything that I know I am unable to bring back to new. Fortunately for me I have a lot of friends who collect vintage gear. My SX-1250 was a $40.00 investment. I have a friend who works for an electronics recycling facility. They don't take in personal drop off's, only from local companies, as there is a charge for their service. Every now and than, some knuckle head will leave a load of junk on their loading docs late at night, to be rid of it. Apparently someone dropped a load of vintage equipment off, and a 1250 was in the pile. Usually the load would be either thrown out, or taken to the Good Will. My friend knows I collect vintage Pioneer, and snagged it for me. He wanted to give it to me for free. I explained to him that he could make a good return if he were to flip it. He said he just wanted it out of his office, and was holding it for me. I told him I would pay him, he asked what I had in my pocket. I had $40 bucks on me.. He said take it. If you look me up on AK, you can follow the thread, it outlines my find, and rack build. Basically I've spent $150.00 total on this set up, rack included. That's right, I basically paid $10 bucks for the rack, I traded a NOS Pioneer SX-650 for the rack. The JBL's were my most expensive purchase on this system. Mind you, this has been close to 8 years of looking.

You mentioned bike riding... Nice, I was up to 300 miles a week, but have slowed down in the past few weeks. I am going for a ride this morning (Alum Rock Park). I assume you are talking about bicycles, and not motorcycle's? I am currently down to one bike for me, and one for my girl. I road ABA as a child, and teen. I was big into BMX, and grew up in the high desert area of California. I have since moved to the road. I do enjoy a good mountain ride, but living inner city dose not really allow it that often. I recently built a Trek 2021 Carbon for my girl. NOS frame, full 105 set up, with Mavic Ma40's and Phil Wood hubs. Ill have to send you some pictures. I am riding a Cannondale R400, with Bontragar Race Light wheels, and a lot of upgrades. I have restored it to new. I have had many bikes along the way, Specialized, Cannondale, Trek, Schwinn, you name it.. Sold a Cad 9 a while back.. Like stereos, I prefer the vintage gear.

I hope the post is not one big paragraph again, if so, sorry, its not my intention. Ok, I better get back to work... :)

[Jobrewer1983]

Nice grab. I got my pair for $15 at the local thrift , but the woofers were replaced with Dayton . I just yesterday received the original woofers from ebay. They sound very nice , much better then the dayton woofer. I am running them off a parasound hca1000 for now.


Nice, I love the thrift store finds. I found a set of MK Bookshelves yesterday for eight bucks at a local savers, while on vinyl patrol. My girl talked me out of purchasing them, but would have been a good find.

There is also a set of BW Matrix 3's at a local thrift store, apparently I don't need them either... LOL Im not a BW fan at all, so im willing to pass them up, and they are the black vinyl veneer, not my style. Good for resale.

Nice score, the L110s are my best speakers so far, but found a set of 112s on CL for $700. I've emailed him already. The condition is not that great, and would require some work. Ill let it simmer, I highly doubt anyone will pay that on CL, for the cond., they are in.

Thanks for the Post!

[SEAWOLF97]

Good Morning SEAWOLF97,

You mentioned bike riding... Nice, I was up to 300 miles a week, but have slowed down in the past few weeks. I am going for a ride this morning (Alum Rock Park). I assume you are talking about bicycles, and not motorcycle's?



I'm currently at 5 bicycles , 2 long frame Tourers, a Trek commuter, a Fuji MB and a Guerciotti ALAN framed project.

here's the continuing blog. ==>> http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?29314-Funny-Bicycle-stats

I'm slowing down (at 65) and will only break 2k miles this year. Fortunately, here in Portland there are at least 13 places that sell used records within my riding radius. Thrifting is the local past time here (Appalachia West) and I've bungied some amazing finds to my racks.

It's not like I HAVE to bike (do own a nice truck & BMW) , but I prefer it. Many destinations are within 3 miles and so I ride nearly 365 and actually like riding in PDX rain.

We had friends who lived over on Tulley in SJ (by Raging Waters) and stop in there when in the area. Great flea market in SJ too.

Grew up in Santa Barbara and school in Monterey ...so I know that area well.

[Jobrewer1983]

I'm currently at 5 bicycles , 2 long frame Tourers, a Trek commuter, a Fuji MB and a Guerciotti ALAN framed project.

here's the continuing blog. ==>> http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?29314-Funny-Bicycle-stats

I'm slowing down (at 65) and will only break 2k miles this year. Fortunately, here in Portland there are at least 13 places that sell used records within my riding radius. Thrifting is the local past time here (Appalachia West) and I've bungied some amazing finds to my racks.

It's not like I HAVE to bike (do own a nice truck & BMW) , but I prefer it. Many destinations are within 3 miles and so I ride nearly 365 and actually like riding in PDX rain.

We had friends who lived over on Tulley in SJ (by Raging Waters) and stop in there when in the area. Great flea market in SJ too.

Grew up in Santa Barbara and school in Monterey ...so I know that area well.



Good Morning Seawolf97,

I have a few friends living in Portland, and Organ City. I was out that way back in 07, one of my college roommates was getting married. I remember it to be cold and wet the whole time. I absolutely loved it. Lots of good riding places, nice area for morning rides. Im with you, while I have a truck, and a nice car, I tend to take the bike due to being able to beat traffic. Mind you I do enjoy throwing the bike in the truck, and taking a drive to Sunol. Most of the time my rides consist of me walking out my front door and just going.

You are a native to the area, I was in Monterey a few weekends back. I’ve done many a rides in Santa Barba, nice area. My girlfriend is an avid shopper, they have nice out door shopping, and a few good restaurants as well. Many nice bed & breakfast spots, it’s one of our weekend getaways.

I’ve lived in the Bay going on 12 years now, and I recently found out that they hold a secret flea market on the 2nd Saturday of each month. They hold it at the DeAnza College, the good thing is they only sale vintage audio gear. It runs from June-November. I think they are extending it till December, but I have yet had the opportunity to check it out.

If you are ever in the Bay, and it’s the 2nd Saturday of the month, heads up! Nice to find someone with same passion for riding.

[Chris Brown]

That LH111 have a 9" cone, kind of an odd size, but unique.

Very interesting. The 12" 128H / 128H-1 woofers found on speakers like the L150, L112, 4411, 4412, etc have cones that are either 9 3/8" or 9 5/8". Apparently the "10 inch" woofer in the L110 isn't as far off in size as one might assume...

[SEAWOLF97]

Good Morning Seawolf97,

I have a few friends living in Portland, and Organ City. I was out that way back in 07, one of my college roommates was getting married. I remember it to be cold and wet the whole time. I absolutely loved it. Lots of good riding places, nice area for morning rides. Im with you, while I have a truck, and a nice car, I tend to take the bike due to being able to beat traffic. Mind you I do enjoy throwing the bike in the truck, and taking a drive to Sunol. Most of the time my rides consist of me walking out my front door and just going.

You are a native to the area, I was in Monterey a few weekends back. I’ve done many a rides in Santa Barba, nice area. My girlfriend is an avid shopper, they have nice out door shopping, and a few good restaurants as well. Many nice bed & breakfast spots, it’s one of our weekend getaways.

I’ve lived in the Bay going on 12 years now, and I recently found out that they hold a secret flea market on the 2nd Saturday of each month. They hold it at the DeAnza College, the good thing is they only sale vintage audio gear. It runs from June-November. I think they are extending it till December, but I have yet had the opportunity to check it out.

If you are ever in the Bay, and it’s the 2nd Saturday of the month, heads up! Nice to find someone with same passion for riding.

yeah, my Randonee's get more miles than my truck. The pickup is mostly used to transport the bikes to where I want to ride. We have a converted railway corridor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springwater_Corridor) 4 miles away that snakes across the area and comes right up to Goodwill's salvage store, where everything that is too weird/ddirty/broken for their retail stores ends up. Anything over 3 pounds is .89 a pound. Flat out amazing what shows up there.
I got at least 2 pairs of L-166's there at $5/pr. Have seen McIntosh there, records are $1 ea.
It's a 13 mile ride for me , partly through a wildlife reserve. It's right in the geese migration corridor. I dodge nutrias, skunks, snakes, roadrunners, pheasants, joggers and dog walkers.
Mountain lions have been spotted too. It parallels a large creek that is great for feet soaking in the summer.
The corridor also passes Cartlandia, a food truck mecca. $1 real tacos are only 100 feet off the trail. It's a rather "get back towards nature" ride with a shopping reward at the end.

Since GW is "by the pound" pricing, I've got all the Gore-Tex you could ever need. Retail stores dump their overstock there and lots of bike parts show up too.

Portland is so GREEN that they make me feel guilty when I burn gas and cycling/coffee/beer/records/hipsters seems to be the focus of our town :crying:

Spent a lot of time in Sandy Eggo too, but it's an anthill now.:(

[Jobrewer1983]

Nice, I knew Organ was one of the best cycling spots around, but I have yet to ride Organ. I had a co-worker when I worked for eBay/PayPal who would fly in a few times a week from Portland. He loved organ so much he would commute from there.. I figured it was a huge pain, but considering he was consulting, he was only there for a limited time. He would tell me about many good spots in the area to ride.

Springwater Corridor: This place looks awesome, 21 miles of road that leads to a Good Will, and tacos! Sounds like a dream come true! I would need to rig up a wagon to my seat stem though, I don’t think I could pass on anything McIntosh, I would end up walking it back, rested on the saddle. Im sure you know that trick. ;) It’s almost an oxymoron. It’s a cycling, shopping, & eating, extravaganza. The next time I visit my fried, I’ll be sure to bring along the bikes.

We have a few similar places … the only thing different is what we dodge. I get to dodge, hobos, stray dogs, passing cars, and hipsters. Hipsters in skinny jeans to be exact..

Nice score on the Gore-Tex, it’s pretty dry in San Jose, and when it dose rain, I get wet.. I have rain gear, but rarely use it. I recently put my Vittoria Diamante Pro’s back on, due to the rain. Not sure if you have any experience with the Diamante’s, but if not, I would recommend them. They stick like glue, even in wet cond. Make sure you go with the Pro and not the Pro 1. You want to stick with the originals. I find them to be great tires for the rain.

San Jose try’s to be green… We have a lot of people with hybrids… We do have a lot of cyclists, but it’s mostly on a corporation level. What I mean is, they say they ride their bike. They usually ride to the bus stop a block away from their house. The average Joe would not pay hundreds of dollars to take the light rail for a year. Most of the people who take the light rail and VTA, are taking it because it’s paid for by our companies. I get free public transportation from work, VTA, Bart, Light Rail, but I don’t really consider that as a step closer to being green. I do try to do my part though. I ride many times a week to work, skip the VTA, Keep a coffee cup in my cube, so I don’t generate paper waste.. You know, all the standard things.

One thing I love about the bay area, is bike to work. I know that’s a national thing, for in San Jose, it’s pretty big. This is due to all the tech companies crammed into one area. The company I work for is equipped to handle many bikes, but we still have people locking them up in the stairwells, and random break rooms on each floor. LOL I love to smoke all the one time riders who come in all geared out, you can always tell who they are. Their bike has dust on the frame from sitting in the living room since the last bike to work. They all have on new jersey’s, shoes, and way to many strobe lights for the day time.

We do have the famous San Jose Bike party. That is a must, hundreds maybe a few thousand people show up, and just overtake the city. It’s a lot of fun, and a good ride. Most people will do the inner city portion of the ride, but there is a good size group who takes the whole 18-20 mile run around the city.

Ok, I better get back to work, I'm sure my email is building. Thanks for the good post!

Link to AK thread for the rack and JBL's... I have to keep this about the JBL's to some extent! :http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...610654&page=4I (http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=610654&page=4I) just finished the 1st coat of stain.All one paragraph....

The formatting kills me, hopefully its fixed soon. apologizes for the huge body of text.. Figured it out! Not a huge body of text, sorry for the ones who had to read it as one..

Thanks again!

[SEAWOLF97]

Springwater Corridor: This place looks awesome, 21 miles of road that leads to a Good Will, and tacos! Sounds like a dream come true! I would need to rig up a wagon to my seat stem though, I don’t think I could pass on anything McIntosh, I would end up walking it back, rested on the saddle. Im sure you know that trick. ;) It’s almost an oxymoron. It’s a cycling, shopping, & eating, extravaganza. The next time I visit my fried, I’ll be sure to bring along the bikes.

We have a few similar places … the only thing different is what we dodge. I get to dodge, hobos, stray dogs, passing cars, and hipsters. Hipsters in skinny jeans to be exact..

It feels like a private bike hiway. The cars at the few street crossings are used to bikes and I've yet to see an accident. We also have our share of homeless "campers" along the trail. You can always tell by the blue tarps just visible above the bushes. Police clear them out regularly, but they re-appear quickly. Have made good friends with the homeowner at the location where I park the truck next to the trail. His Japanese wife sometimes brings out tea & cookies for me at the end of a ride.




Nice score on the Gore-Tex, it’s pretty dry in San Jose, and when it dose rain, I get wet.. I have rain gear, but rarely use it. I recently put my Vittoria Diamante Pro’s back on, due to the rain. Not sure if you have any experience with the Diamante’s, but if not, I would recommend them. They stick like glue, even in wet cond. Make sure you go with the Pro and not the Pro 1. You want to stick with the originals. I find them to be great tires for the rain.

One thing I love about the bay area, is bike to work. I know that’s a national thing, for in San Jose, it’s pretty big. This is due to all the tech companies crammed into one area. The company I work for is equipped to handle many bikes, but we still have people locking them up in the stairwells, and random break rooms on each floor.
Thanks again!

Thanx for the tire tip. I worked at Intel and Electric Lightwave , but there were surprisingly few bike commuters. Parking lots full of BMW's & Merc's.

Nice day, today, in the weather predictions. Gonna do SpringWater again. Retirement, cycling and thrifting (accumulating audio, CL dumping) all seems a natural progression anymore. California is close enough for when I get the urge to re-visit the past, but then I miss how it used to be.

Is the 1983 in your LHF-ID a birth year as many do ?

[Jobrewer1983]

It feels like a private bike hiway. The cars at the few street crossings are used to bikes and I've yet to see an accident. We also have our share of homeless "campers" along the trail. You can always tell by the blue tarps just visible above the bushes. Police clear them out regularly, but they re-appear quickly. Have made good friends with the homeowner at the location where I park the truck next to the trail. His Japanese wife sometimes brings out tea & cookies for me at the end of a ride.

Thanx for the tire tip. I worked at Intel and Electric Lightwave , but there were surprisingly few bike commuters. Parking lots full of BMW's & Merc's.

Nice day, today, in the weather predictions. Gonna do SpringWater again. Retirement, cycling and thrifting (accumulating audio, CL dumping) all seems a natural progression anymore. California is close enough for when I get the urge to re-visit the past, but then I miss how it used to be.

Is the 1983 in your LHF-ID a birth year as many do ?

Yes, 1983 is my birth year (31).

While I do love the Bay area, the lack of good cycling areas can be kind of a pain sometimes. I grew up in a very small town in central CA (Hanoford), and the riding is great. we are close to the Sierra Nevadas, and pretty much all farm land. Flat as the day is long. You can watch your dog run away for a few days..

I don't think I will ever leave California. I will leave the Bay, but that wont be for a while.

We have a community of homeless in our area. It's called "The Jungle", and one of our major Bike trails (Coyote Creek) runs right threw it. The problem is that we have cyclists that have been mugged, and had their bike stolen. I have been stopped by a few crack heads asking for money, but I don't ride it at night anymore. Not alone anyways.. They clear it out every few months, but like anywhere, they compile again.

Its a sad situation..

On a better note, you mentioned building up your audio collection, I found a great album today. I found an autographed R.E.M. Album in a box of albums I picked up from a local savers. It's the Chronic Town album. I checked the signatures against some documented ones, and they are spot on. Ill have to get it authenticated... It will probably sit in my collection for a few years before i try to get it done. Once found a signed "The Band" album, it was from a live concert. 2 Vinyl special ed.. Got it for 3 bucks.. Mind you this is years worth of create digging.

What I have been looking for is the 90's albums, Pearl Jam, Tool, Nirvana.. 90's the 90's era is the hardest to find in Vinyl. I understand why though... Who was buying Vinyl in the 90's... Limited prints.

Ok, I better get back to work. Thank you for the correspondence! :)

[SEAWOLF97]

Yes, 1983 is my birth year (31).

Flat as the day is long. You can watch your dog run away for a few days..


On a better note, you mentioned building up your audio collection, I found a great album today. I found an autographed R.E.M. Album in a box of albums I picked up from a local savers. It's the Chronic Town album. I checked the signatures against some documented ones, and they are spot on. Ill have to get it authenticated... It will probably sit in my collection for a few years before i try to get it done. Once found a signed "The Band" album, it was from a live concert. 2 Vinyl special ed.. Got it for 3 bucks.. Mind you this is years worth of create digging.

What I have been looking for is the 90's albums, Pearl Jam, Tool, Nirvana.. 90's the 90's era is the hardest to find in Vinyl. I understand why though... Who was buying Vinyl in the 90's... Limited prints.



My son was born at the end of 1981, you sound similar. He sells vinyl online despite having his masters degree. You might find some of what you want in his listings.

http://www.discogs.com/seller/pdxpunk52

He is in Chicago , which is really flat too. I enjoy the varied terrain of Portland and do OK biking on the hills..

I buy vinyl for myself and also for him. Just shipped 38 pounds of LP's to him (thank heavens for Media Mail rates). We've got a fantastic 1960's type time capsule record store here that has 35 different vendors renting space to sell theirs. http://www.yelp.com/biz/crossroads-music-portland Well worth visiting on your next trip to the area. It's funny, my wife also likes going in there with me. It's got a good vibe.

yes I've picked up albums signed by both Simon and Garfunkle (only worth $25) and an autographed Elvis Costello that my son has displayed on a wall.

[Jobrewer1983]

My son was born at the end of 1981, you sound similar. He sells vinyl online despite having his masters degree. You might find some of what you want in his listings.

http://www.discogs.com/seller/pdxpunk52

He is in Chicago , which is really flat too. I enjoy the varied terrain of Portland and do OK biking on the hills..

I buy vinyl for myself and also for him. Just shipped 38 pounds of LP's to him (thank heavens for Media Mail rates). We've got a fantastic 1960's type time capsule record store here that has 35 different vendors renting space to sell theirs. http://www.yelp.com/biz/crossroads-music-portland Well worth visiting on your next trip to the area. It's funny, my wife who is N. Vietnamese, likes going in there with me. It's got a good vibe.

yes I've picked up albums signed by both Simon and Garfunkle (only worth $25) and an autographed Elvis Costello that my son has displayed on a wall.

Thank you for the Link, I will be sure to pass it along to my friends, hopefully generate some business for your son. Dose he own the business? If so, he is in a good place. A lot of new artists are starting to release their music on Vinyl and believe it or not, tape. It's a hipster thing. In fact, I just found out yesterday that a new record store opened near my house. They are starting to show up all over the place. Vinyl has been making a slow comeback for a while. Good sustainable market, If marketed properly. Dose he market on CL and ebay?

I will be watching his site for some good 90's LP's.

I would love to find a Elvis Costello signed album. I do have an iPod that I had Snoop Dog sign, he was in the area raising money for his peewee football league, and he knows my Girlfriends boss and stopped by her work. I asked her to give him my iPod to sign, and he did. :) The funny thing is, one of her other superiors lives next door to Tracy Chapman, and another coworker is good friends with Usher. Gotta love the Bay area.

Ok, I have a few things to knock out before I leave for the day, have a great weekend, and thanks again for the link!

[Jobrewer1983]

Good Morning Lansing Folks,

I was able to complete the rack, and start the set up process. What I would give to have a set of the L-150A's they would look so great in my listening area. They would also match my rack perfectly, and I have the wattage to power them.

I still have a few things to take care of...

1. Sound proof the room, add foam to the inner roof, and flat surfaces
2. Move the Axiom bookshelf speakers to the rear of the area
3. Adjust the room so that everything is centered
4. Hang some "Man Art"... Mind you my Girlfriend has the wall painted purple, so my framed Scarface poster probably won't be the best idea :)
5. Find a nice rug for the center
6. Enjoy the area...

I do have a few questions:

1. Anyone know the proper height that the L-110's should be placed at? Is there a standard height off the floor they should be?
2. Any recommendation on stand? I'm thinking about building some myself, unless someone has a good idea?

Thank you all for all the help, I'm sure I will have many questions in the future, and I hope I can be of help as well. I know a lot of you probably have a vast knowledge of JBL products, I really hope to pick some minds! :)

[BMWCCA]

I do have a few questions:

1. Anyone know the proper height that the L-110's should be placed at? Is there a standard height off the floor they should be?
Conventional wisdom is to have the tweeters near-level with the listener's ears. So, choose your chairs or couch first and make adjustments. You might also consider getting them just slightly off the ground to kill any unwanted barrier reinforcement and tilt them backward a bit and toe them in to aim directly at your sweet spot while keeping them spaced apart at least the distance the listener is from the speakers. For that you could try to construct the simple stands that came with JBLs in the '70s. Don't be afraid to mess with the "golden triangle" metric to make it sound right for your ears and your room.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?20630-JBL-wooden-speaker-stands-dimensions/page2

[Jobrewer1983]

Conventional wisdom is to have the tweeters near-level with the listener's ears. So, choose your chairs or couch first and make adjustments. You might also consider getting them just slightly off the ground to kill any unwanted barrier reinforcement and tilt them backward a bit and toe them in to aim directly at your sweet spot while keeping them spaced apart at least the distance the listener is from the speakers. For that you could try to construct the simple stands that came with JBLs in the '70s. Don't be afraid to mess with the "golden triangle" metric to make it sound right for your ears and your room.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?20630-JBL-wooden-speaker-stands-dimensions/page2

BMWCCA,

Thank you for the information, and for the link on the stands. Currently, they are on foam blocks, about an inch off the floor. While I do like the original JBL floor raisers, I sill want a little more height.

My idea would be to raise them with 4x4's stacked linkin' log style, this would require a bit of peg & glue work. I would have a slight tilt as well, but would be a lot beefier.. I would also apply a few coats of Danish Oil to match the stands to the rack. It will raise them off the floor a good 6-8 inches, depending on how I construct them.. I will draw it up today, and post the idea. Let me know what you think, and if you any modifications that could/would help.

Again, thank you for the information, Tweeters at ear level. Today will be a fun day!

[grumpy]

Personally, I'd go higher ... 12-18" is where I ended up with the similar L96,
but you may sit lower :) Something between the stand surface and speaker
bottom might help to prevent scratches and vibration-induced buzzing, e.g.,
very thin neoprene, felt, Blutak, ... (although others might argue for more
intense coupling to the speaker and floor... not my fight). L110 remains a
very listenable speaker :)

[SEAWOLF97]

I'd go for 16-20 inch stands , angled as Phil said ...up at a couple of degrees and toed in towards the listener.

My old L100's were a little bigger, and when I didn't have 2 nickles to rub together but needed stands , I made some from an old waterbed frame. 2x12's , cut a little over 2 feet long and the 2 pieces half cut across the width to lock to each other in a "X". (look at the letter "X" as an above view looking down on the stands) . Painted black on 1 view side and stained on the other so it was reverse-able to match whatever finished speakers were setting on them.

You will have to compensate for a little less bass than the current floor position provides.

Placing a sub, even a smaller one, in the room will round out LF's. (tho if vinyl is your main source, there usually isn't too much down there anyway) ... make sure of speaker lead polarity when connecting .. wrong pos/neg connections can ruin the sound.

[Chris Brown]

My L150 speakers have the 033 tweeter exactly 37" off the ground, when measured from the floor to the center of the tweeter dome. Since the L150s are designed as floor-standers, it would seem to indicate that JBL felt 37" was an appropriate height in at least some contexts.

[Jobrewer1983]

Good Morning All,

Thank you for the information, what I gather is I should be looking at 12-20" off the floor.

As you can see my stand idea will only reach 7", I can triple stack, and reach 10.5". I have not worked out how I want to do the tilt, but I'm sure ill work something out. Any suggestions? I want the look of the stands to be beefy, and heavy. I may need double the 4X4's, than double stack.. This would allow me to keep the look I want, and raise them to 14". Need to do a dry run to see how it looks. I also will be adding a foam topper to the stands, This will help dampen any vibration.

I have to many ideas for the stands. My other idea is to build a set that is pictured in an old University speaker advertisement. Super simple design, and they look great, just worried that they will be a little to flimsy to withstand the weight of the L110's. Basically, I would need to reinforce some of the sub frame.

Nonetheless, whatever direction I go it will be well documented on the thread.

Chris,

Thank you for the measurements on the tweeter height, I need to measure the distance from the tweeter to the floor on the L110's, subtract it from 37" and end up with the stand height.. I would love to fined a pair of the L150A's, I bet they sound amazing.

Again, thank you all for the great information, and for the conversation.

I better get back to work, I have a too many emails that I need to respond to.. Better start another coffee! :) Have a great Wednesday!

[dezmond]

Don't be afraid to give these 110's a bit more power then there rating. I just about buried the needles on a bose 1801 with them. I have no idea why the low 75w rms ratings.

[LRBacon]

Don't be afraid to give these 110's a bit more power then there rating. I just about buried the needles on a bose 1801 with them. I have no idea why the low 75w rms ratings.

The following is from their respective JBL Instruction Manuals:

Per the Power Capacity section the L110A's are rated for use with amplifiers of 10 watts continuous sine wave per channel up to 250 watts continuous sine wave per channel. The L110A Specification section listed the Maximum Recommended Amplifier Power as 250 watts per channel.

Per the Power Capacity section the original L110's were rated for use with amplifiers of 10 watts continuous sine wave per channel up to 150 watts continuous sine wave per channel*. The Specifications section of the original L110, listed Power Capacity as 75 watts continuous program, (which is not the same as continuous sine wave or RMS), the footnote stated that this rating was based on a laboratory test signal and to see Power Capacity section for amplifier power recommendations, which was previously stated.
*The explanation in a footnote in the Power Capacity section stated that it should be noted that many amplifier manufacturers use the term "watts rms" as a direct equivalent to the more meaningful "watts continuous sine wave."



Larry

[macaroonie]

Re Stands , you will probably need no less than 15" height , more like 18". Your method as shown will end up a bit clumsy to achieve that height. Can I make a general suggestion for you.

MDF is quite good for stands as it is non resonant. Using 18mm sheet make 2 bases the width of the speaker but square , giving a bit more front to back stability.
Make 2 pillars of the appropriate height , laminate 4 or 5 thicknesses to give you about a 4" x 8" section , nice end beefy. Make 2 top plates slightly less than the base of the speaker.
Add any edge chamfers etc and paint black as per the norm.
Your suggestion of foam will not work well as the speaker will be unsteady. I would recommend either sorbothane pads ( e bay ) or spikes.
Also for the base I would recommend spikes on a threaded insert to allow you to square up the whole set up. Spikes give a good solid non resonant mounting. E bay again.

look here , pretty standard stuff , well proven ....

https://www.google.com/search?q=MDF+speaker+stands&client=firefox-a&hs=aJn&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=gjpqVNqiBLDfsASn5oDgCA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1024&bih=650

[Jobrewer1983]

The following is from their respective JBL Instruction Manuals:

Per the Power Capacity section the L110A's are rated for use with amplifiers of 10 watts continuous sine wave per channel up to 250 watts continuous sine wave per channel. The L110A Specification section listed the Maximum Recommended Amplifier Power as 250 watts per channel.

Per the Power Capacity section the original L110's were rated for use with amplifiers of 10 watts continuous sine wave per channel up to 150 watts continuous sine wave per channel*. The Specifications section of the original L110, listed Power Capacity as 75 watts continuous program, (which is not the same as continuous sine wave or RMS), the footnote stated that this rating was based on a laboratory test signal and to see Power Capacity section for amplifier power recommendations, which was previously stated.
*The explanation in a footnote in the Power Capacity section stated that it should be noted that many amplifier manufacturers use the term "watts rms" as a direct equivalent to the more meaningful "watts continuous sine wave."



Larry


Thanks Larry,

Also, Thank you for all the good information provided on AK, it was a huge help. I can honestly say, the L110A's handle the 160 watts that i'm driving them with very well. The more they are used, the more I fall in love with them. The craftsmanship is so much nicer than anything I have ever owned. The crossovers are a thing of beauty, they have such great sound separation. Nothing like clearly hearing the bass line with fret buzz, that's pretty impressive. They bring out sounds in some of my albums that I have never realized were there. And, you really can listen to them all day without listener fatigue... I know, I have tried.

Absolutely my favorite JBL's, I'm so glad I did not swap the 1250 for the L96's, I also had someone wanting to trade for a set of L100's, they needed a new woofer, but I decided against that as well. I've had the opportunity to demo the L100's and they do sound Amazing, but I have to say, I'd keep the L110A's over the L100's any day. I'm a fan for life..

I need to track down some L150A's, ill bet they would be a great match with the L110As. Maybe one day id be so lucky!

Again, Thank you Larry,

John.

[Jobrewer1983]

Re Stands , you will probably need no less than 15" height , more like 18". Your method as shown will end up a bit clumsy to achieve that height. Can I make a general suggestion for you.

MDF is quite good for stands as it is non resonant. Using 18mm sheet make 2 bases the width of the speaker but square , giving a bit more front to back stability.
Make 2 pillars of the appropriate height , laminate 4 or 5 thicknesses to give you about a 4" x 8" section , nice end beefy. Make 2 top plates slightly less than the base of the speaker.
Add any edge chamfers etc and paint black as per the norm.
Your suggestion of foam will not work well as the speaker will be unsteady. I would recommend either sorbothane pads ( e bay ) or spikes.
Also for the base I would recommend spikes on a threaded insert to allow you to square up the whole set up. Spikes give a good solid non resonant mounting. E bay again.

look here , pretty standard stuff , well proven ....

https://www.google.com/search?q=MDF+speaker+stands&client=firefox-a&hs=aJn&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=gjpqVNqiBLDfsASn5oDgCA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1024&bih=650

Thanks macaroonie,

I ended up cutting down some 4x6's, they will get them off the floor for now. Going to stain them dark walnut. They are nothing special, but they get them off the floor.

The foam I will use is designed for sound and static, Its not your standard packing foam, or really a foam.. More like a rubber/foam. I will use it in thin strips on the rear lip for wood protection. It will help with some vibration, but not all. I don't have a brand name for the foam, but I can get the name for you. Its not the pink foam in the back ground... It's an adhesive foam used to dampen sound vibration for massive generators. Works quite well, basically quarter inch dynamat, just better quality. I found a few squares of it a while back, and snagged them. I'm limited on what I have, but it should be enough for the stands.

The Spikes are a good idea, I am pretty sure I have a few sets in one of my tool boxes. If i remember correctly, I have a wood pair and a brass pair. I know I've never used them, because I only have one set of each... Adding one wood set and one brass will look funny..

Thank you for the Link, while I understand I should have them off the floor a good foot or two, I feel it would look funny. I will go with 7-8" off the ground with a slight tilt. I know its not ideal, but I like the style better. Just personal taste really :)

Again, great information, I will be sure to keep the pictures posted, and any feedback is always greatly appreciated!

Thanks again :)

[Jobrewer1983]

Good Morning Lansing Folks,

Hope all is well, I have yet to finish my makeshift stands, but hope to have them completed this morning. Once I have them done, I plan to upload an HD video to YouTube. I will post the Link on the thread. On to the good stuff..

The reason for the post:

This last weekend my fried James who is also an avid collector sent me a text with the below picture of the L-150's. He stated that he found them at a yard sale for $50.00. He knows I have been looking for a set of the 150s for a while, and we have made many trades/barters over the past few months. Sometimes he gets the better of the deals, and other times I do. He is a stand up guy, and has a vast network of people who wheel and deal in vintage audio gear. He always finds the best stuff, he recently sent me a picture of a set of Sony SSM7s that he picked up, and got them for next to nothing. While i'm not a Sony fan, the SSM7's are pretty impressive. He has a side business dealing with vintage gear, I recently unloaded a few sets of the Klipsch KG2 on him for a lower end Yamaha EQ, I needed the room, and I knew he could make some good cash on them, they were flawless. I wanted to play around with and EQ for the 1250 to see if it would make any sound improvements, and could not use the KG2 due to them being 4oms. I did not want to run a speaker selector or duel receivers, so he got the the good end of this deal.

He has the same idea as me, if it dose not look new, or can be brought back to new, it's not worth the time.. All of his gear is mint, or it's sent to the good will. I can honestly say he probably has the largest inventory in CA, I don't think he knows it though.. He currently has a few hundred sets of Vintage speakers, and who knows how much hardware amps, receivers ect...

Nonetheless, he stated that he needed some work done on a Sansu Au-717, and if I conducted a Dexo-it and checked for any bad caps, he would give the L-150's for me for free... You better bet your bottom dollar that I am taking this deal. I have already downloaded the service manual, the PCB's look pretty accessible, he said that there is power issue, and the PS will need to be checked. I told him I would rebuild the whole PS if needed..

He lives a few hours away, but I will be taking the trip early next week. They do require new foam, and some good cleaning. He said the crossovers will need to be looked at, but he only has fifty dollars into them, and knew I wanted the 150's, and would match my L110's.

If I do end up with them, I will start a new thread. I'm sure I will have many questions regarding the crossovers, and would love any advice.

Thank All, and have a great Thanksgiving!

[Jobrewer1983]

Good Morning Lansing Folks,

My friend dropped them off today. He said they were in good cond., he was right... They are a good 8 out of 10. The grills have a little spot on them but nothing that cant be repaired. He picked them up in LA a few weeks back for a whopping $50.00. I will start a new thread once I start the restore process.

The site is not allowing me to key in text for some odd reason, I will post the link to the new thread once I have it stated.

My friend James gave them to me for what he gave for them, and some amp work. I will be cleaning a Pioneer SX 880, and a Sansui AU 717. The pioneer will require less work, than the Sansui, but over all a grate swap on my end. I need to get him on AK, and Lansing sites, he is a huge collector. He wheels and deals vintage gear, and has a warehouse full of some of the coolest gear..

Nonetheless, I will be starting the restore once the new foams arrive

Thanks All!