JBL L Series (1990s)

[Calestus]

What sort of damage? If it's the outer rubber surround that has failed, I believe there are now foam surround replacements available which fit the 708G-1.

I get no resistance reading off the posts. Assuming the coil is dead.

[mortron]

I get no resistance reading off the posts. Assuming the coil is dead.

Sounds like a fried coil... Shame, as I know my L5 I purchased had bad woofers too. The glue on the spider failed in the 708's. The 706 uses the same glue, though it does not seem to work near as hard as the 708. I am having my 708s repaired... if they are all built like this, I wouldn't be surprised if others have their glue starting to give way as well.

Since your driver is out of the cab, I am curious: Are you able to see the spider where it joins the cone/coil? How does the adhesive look? Can you see anything showing or cracks? Even though your issue is different, I am curious what kind of abuse most of the 708's take.

Once I heard my L5's I regretted not paying over twice the price for L7's a week earlier. If you can get the L7 for a reasonable price, I'd jump, just be sure to check the drivers.

[Calestus]

Yeah, the spider is separated from the cone, probably what caused the coil to eventually fail.

[mortron]

Bummer. Is just quit huh?

On mine, it was still working, but could hear the spider scrape.

Is it possible that there is contact between the coil and magnet, due to the coil not being centered? Thus giving a bad read? I am unsure how exactly it works inside a speaker motor.

I've got a theory regarding the L5, and why the 708 is most susceptible to damage - look at where the port is. Based on what I have read, having a large port right behind a woofer can possibly negate the effects of the box, forcing the woofer to work harder and hit its excursion limit quicker than the other drivers. This would stress the spiders to the point of the adhesive giving way I would think. I could be way off the mark, but when I was reading about ideal port location on a speaker, it made me check my own L5's. No clue how correct it is, but the theory makes sense to me.

[Calestus]

Bummer. Is just quit huh?

On mine, it was still working, but could hear the spider scrape.

Is it possible that there is contact between the coil and magnet, due to the coil not being centered? Thus giving a bad read? I am unsure how exactly it works inside a speaker motor.

No idea, I bought it this way. Most of my speaker knowledge comes from my car audio days. On ported enclosures, the port is almost always in close proximity to the driver due to size constraints. :dont-know:

[mortron]

No idea, I bought it this way. Most of my speaker knowledge comes from my car audio days. On ported enclosures, the port is almost always in close proximity to the driver due to size constraints. :dont-know:

In most speakers in car audio with a port, the driver is a 10+ inch woofer, by comparison, the port is rather small.

On the L5, the port looks to be about half the diameter of the 708 driver. Its somewhat behind the driver as well. This as I have read, can cause the woofer to act more like a free air woofer in a respect - the box does not damp the woofers excursion as much, and sub bass will overexert the woofer. The reason I am lead to believe this is that both of my 708 woofers had spider damage where they separate from the cone due to over exertion and degradation of the adhesive used.

That said... my woofers were still moving, and not cooked. Had I kept listening they would have been. But I stopped and took a step back, and called a pro.

While my diagnosis of torn seam between spider and cone was correct, there was something I didn't know about:

When a speaker bottoms out, the voice coil former will hit against the backing inside the basket and damage the former. This can cause coil material to unravel from the former, contacting the inside of the basket, causing additional rubbing beyond the cone and spider friction. This was what was going on in mine. The repair person dissected the original driver, inspected it, and rebuilt it with the original cone. Its impossible to tell which one he repaired, and even he had trouble identifying which one it is.

In my limited experience, and based on posts and videos I have seen, it would seem that the 708 suffers an early death if neglected, but can be brought back from the brink of certain death if one has the patience and means to go about it. It also helps to use professional repair people with real world experience working with JBL and other high end and vintage drivers.

[JBLAddict]

Setup the L1's to rock my daughters high school spirit night yesterday.
100W early 90's Kenwood integrated + L1 put out surprisingly filling open-air Disney theme toons :)
Good to see them faithfully serving the public 25 yrs later


73939

[grumpy]

Nice. Wonder how many L1 systems were involved with budding students... I don't think I'm getting "mine" back :o:

[JBLAddict]

Nice. Wonder how many L1 systems were involved with budding students... I don't think I'm getting "mine" back :o:

Yup, my student already put a claim on these once he moves out......:)

[thymanst]

Resurrection time - picked up a pair of L7's off cl cheap - couple dings, but drivers are perfect. Read whole thread ( ok not all the measurement posts) placed 3' out from walls with. 15 Deg. toe in - great soundstage and bass - using Yamaha rxa3040 in bi-amp mode (150 both hf & lf) drives them well - home theater sounds great with them. Had L250s, l890's and they compare favorably. I'm a big soundstage guy and really appreciate the stage they throw.

bonus - I remembered I had a lc2 and a pair of l820 bookshelves so changing out my ht speakers to a JBL lineup

[JBLAddict]

Congrats, the L7 is still a fine performer. I have mine in storage after switching to the PT stacks a few years ago. Was at the storage unit a few weeks ago staring at them wondering if I should lug the beasts back home for some ear time. They have a power and presence I do miss sometimes, but the Performance series 5.1 is so well balanced around the room and easy to manage with flat PT800s wall mounted on the rears its hard to disrupt what is an ideal setup.

[JuniorJBL]

Resurrection time - picked up a pair of L7's off cl cheap - couple dings, but drivers are perfect. Read whole thread ( ok not all the measurement posts) placed 3' out from walls with. 15 Deg. toe in - great soundstage and bass - using Yamaha rxa3040 in bi-amp mode (150 both hf & lf) drives them well - home theater sounds great with them. Had L250s, l890's and they compare favorably. I'm a big soundstage guy and really appreciate the stage they throw.

bonus - I remembered I had a lc2 and a pair of l820 bookshelves so changing out my ht speakers to a JBL lineup


Congrats on the purchase!! :)

I am glad you are enjoying them! The L7's are quite fun IMO!

[Holtcamp]

I love the style on those old ones.

[AugustaPrime]

Hello all, I've recently got a pair of JBL L5s and after a couple months of use I was checking out the woofers. For whatever reason I touched the 5" midwoofer under the tweeter and noticed that I could not feel it move at all as music was playing. The low end woofers on the bottom were definitely moving and I could hear music coming out of the tweeter. It didn't sound like any music was coming out of the midrange woofer. I moved over to the other speaker and was shocked to find the same occurance, I couldn't feel the midrange woofer vibrating or moving at all as music was playing. Is the frequency as such that you can't feel the woofer moving or could it be a random case that BOTH woofers are busted or not connected? I have unscrewed them from the speaker to investigate the inside yet... I plan on doing that tonight. Thanks for any insight

[Chris Brown]

I touched the 5" midwoofer under the tweeter and noticed that I could not feel it move at all as music was playing.

The crossover frequencies for the L5 are 170Hz/900Hz/4kHz. That means the 5" Midrange is only handling frequencies between 900Hz and 4Khz. Those aren't frequencies that are going to produce much cone movement. Try playing some test tones within that frequency range and see what sort of output you get.

[BMWCCA]

It didn't sound like any music was coming out of the midrange woofer. I find using the inner cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels held to the ear and in front of the suspect driver can often help determine if there's sound coming out . . . or not.

Welcome to the Forum. I have two pair of L5s and two pair of L7s if I can help with anything. So, how do they sound?

[AugustaPrime]

I find using the inner cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels held to the ear and in front of the suspect driver can often help determine if there's sound coming out . . . or not.

Welcome to the Forum. I have two pair of L5s and two pair of L7s if I can help with anything. So, how do they sound?


The crossover frequencies for the L5 are 170Hz/900Hz/4kHz. That means the 5" Midrange is only handling frequencies between 900Hz and 4Khz. Those aren't frequencies that are going to produce much cone movement. Try playing some test tones within that frequency range and see what sort of output you get.

Great ideas, thanks for the responses. The paper towel roll helped out a lot to isolate the woofer as the speaker was playing. It sounds like the woofer is working fine :). The limited frequency range must be why there's not much woofer movement that alarmed me in the first place. The speakers have sounded great so I would've been really surprised if the midrange woofer was not operating at all! These speakers have been in my second system and on the back burner for awhile due to my new purchase of some Ascend RAAL towers, but with all the praise they get on here and elsewhere I need to give them a serious listening to. :D

[Slava Z.]

Meet a new member! Manage to get a pair of L7 from my boss. The price is 35 000 roubles (appr. 580 $). Previous speakers were Infinity Ref.61 MkII. Receiver Pioneer 922 for Home Cinema and Multichanel, Amp. Pioneer 702 for LP and Stereo. Unfortunately 10 years ago left unit of L7 was slightly damaged by a dog. The beast used it as a WC several times (((. In spite of this the rest is perfect. Will search for a cabinet (or a cabinet-maker) somewhere not far. Find one at Ebay. The unfortunate left unit is also spoilt.((( Besides the shipping is rather expensive. Decorate the wound by a flower for a while.The other thing. If I am not dealing with bi-amp and bi-wi, the manipulations with inner jumper is of no use for me ?
PS Read 40 pages.

[jkrichards]

Well I'm back on the L7 Group as I just picked up another pair after I sold my last pair and missed the sound. I now have a pair of USA made, a Japan Made, and a UK made monitors. The JBL's just have that kickin' bass and drive that no other has.


79660


From left to right:
L7's, Yamaha NS-1000M, Bowers & Wilkins 802 Diamond.
Pick your flavor! They all sound good.

[BMWCCA]

Well I'm back on the L7 Group as I just picked up another pair after I sold my last pair and missed the sound. I now have a pair of USA made, a Japan Made, and a UK made monitors. The JBL's just have that kickin' bass and drive that no other has.
Welcome back. You have some nice choices of what to listen to.

[jkrichards]

Welcome back. You have some nice choices of what to listen to.

Yes... I am quite fortunate as a mix and mastering engineer I get to listen to all kinds of music and make a living at it. It's really not a job to me. It's a passion. I can't wait to listen and work on the next project. The L7 are very fun to listen to!
I sold my original pair of L7's a few years ago thinking I found the holey grail in monitors (the 802's) however as my brother told me when he heard the L7's back in early 2011 "I always liked the way the JBL 4 ways sounded" I agree. He passed on 11/25/2011 from leukemia and I will always remember his comments on how good the L7 sounded to him. I'm so thankful I found another pair. Here's to you Bro! :rockon2:
Jeff

[JBLAddict]

Well I'm back on the L7 Group as I just picked up another pair after I sold my last pair and missed the sound. I now have a pair of USA made, a Japan Made, and a UK made monitors. The JBL's just have that kickin' bass and drive that no other has.

From left to right:
L7's, Yamaha NS-1000M, Bowers & Wilkins 802 Diamond.
Pick your flavor! They all sound good.

Cool Spread! Huge range in price and "market perception" spanning L7 to 802D. Some thoughts on sound comparison between this diverse group?

[rickmoen]

I had never heard L7's before. Had a set of L5's about 6 or 8 years ago and really liked them - never should have sold them. When a local CL ad came for L7's appeared, I gave the guy a call, intending to just listen to them. After hearing them and picking up my jaw from the floor, I fell in love. Immediately put my L100t3's up for sale and bought the L7's. So smooth and detailed! My 225 watt NAD seems to make them pretty happy.

[SEAWOLF97]

The L7 are very fun to listen to!

one member here had (AFAICR) L7's with good drivers and bad cabs.

Used his woodworking skills to make a 2 box solution. square box with front firing
12, and the rest in a box that sat on top (in original config) ... it looked outstanding :applaud:

He also stripped a pair and stained..they looked great too
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?32101-L7-Refinish&p=323609&highlight=#post323609

[martin_wu99]

one member here had (AFAICR) L7's with good drivers and bad cabs.

Used his woodworking skills to make a 2 box solution. square box with front firing
12, and the rest in a box that sat on top (in original config) ... it looked outstanding :applaud:

He also stripped a pair and stained..they looked great too
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?32101-L7-Refinish&p=323609&highlight=#post323609

How to align tweeter and woofer when in two boxes? and phase?:blink:

[BMWCCA]

How to align tweeter and woofer when in two boxes? and phase?:blink:
Since in the original design the woofer was side-mounted, how much difference do you suppose it would make??? :banghead:

[martin_wu99]

Since in the original design the woofer was side-mounted, how much difference do you suppose it would make??? :banghead:
That will make big different bass:D

[BMWCCA]

That will make big different bass:D
The woofer is crossed at 180Hz. Were you asking how much difference turning it 90º would make in time-alignment? If it really made any difference, then just turn the base cabinet 90º to the inside! I don't think it will make any difference in the time-alignment, personally. Sure, at 180Hz some of the sound produced by the woofer would be somewhat directional but mostly it's not. Can you tell from the circuit diagram if any time-alignment consideration went into the design of the woofer section in the first place?

[martin_wu99]

The woofer is crossed at 180Hz. Were you asking how much difference turning it 90º would make in time-alignment? If it really made any difference, then just turn the base cabinet 90º to the inside! I don't think it will make any difference in the time-alignment, personally. Sure, at 180Hz some of the sound produced by the woofer would be somewhat directional but mostly it's not. Can you tell from the circuit diagram if any time-alignment consideration went into the design of the woofer section in the first place?

You mean the frequency below 180Hz has no direction?

[BMWCCA]

You mean the frequency below 180Hz has no direction?
No, but pretty much non-directional around 120Hz and under.

[jkrichards]

Cool Spread! Huge range in price and "market perception" spanning L7 to 802D. Some thoughts on sound comparison between this diverse group?

The L7's are the most dynamic of them all. They have more bass. The L7's are a little more colored then both the Yamaha's and the B&W's. If I want to hear concert level music with tons of dynamics Ill always go the L7's. I'm using an Audio Research tube pre-amp and an Audio Research D-400 SS amp. Also on Wednesday I built and installed a Spike system on them and WOW... what a difference it makes on these L7.:eek: Best upgrade for the L7's.


79772


The B&W is the most accurate of the lot. They are very picky on source material. If it's good it will sound good however if it's not so good it sounds awful. The Diamond Tweeter is what makes the 802's shine. The best treble I have ever heard as the diamond dome does not breakup until it hits 70Khz. The Yamaha's sound very similar to the 802's with its Beryllium dome tweeter and midrange drivers. The Yamaha is the best bang for the buck. If I were on a tight budget I would purchase the L7's and the Yamaha NS-1000M's.:D
Jeff

[BMWCCA]

Also on Wednesday I built and installed a Spike system on them and WOW... what a difference it makes on these L7.:eek: Best upgrade for the L7's.
You do know that the original plastic bases that came with the L7 were configured to accept spikes, right?

[jkrichards]

You do know that the original plastic bases that came with the L7 were configured to accept spikes, right?

Yes however the plastic is not a good support for these speakers. It's to flexible. That's why I used steel angle and large spikes. These baby's are sturdy and the bass driver no longer vibrates the cabinets. These spikes go through my carpet and into the concrete. I originally tried the plastic bases with spikes (The spikes came with inserts that fit into the plastic base) and it made little difference. The bass is now very tight and fast. The top end opened up more. The dynamics even increased. If I would have done this on my old pair of L7's I would have never sold them. This simple mod made these good speakers great. :bouncy:

[BMWCCA]

The bass is now very tight and fast. The top end opened up more. The dynamics even increased. If I would have done this on my old pair of L7's I would have never sold them. This simple mod made these good speakers great. :bouncy:
Thanks. I should give it a try, after I get everything organized and move into my new home. What spike setup did you use? A bit hard to see from the photo. I have two pairs of L7s so I can make direct comparisons.

[jkrichards]

I am so very torn between which L series speakers to look for... My heart says L7 or bust, a rational part says L5 or even L3... anyone faced a similar conundrum?

I have owned both the L5 and L7. The L5 has weak bass and is easy to overdrive the 8" woofer to failure. If you listen to Vinyl get the L7.

[jkrichards]

Thanks. I should give it a try, after I get everything organized and move into my new home. What spike setup did you use? A bit hard to see from the photo. I have two pairs of L7s so I can make direct comparisons.

I used these
https://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-speaker-cabinet-1-2-super-toe-spike-set-4-pcs--240-730

4 pieces of 1" angle iron cut into 1 foot pieces, Round corners and drill and tap for the threaded spikes/lock nuts. I drilled two additional holes with countersink to screw the angle to the base of the cabinet from the bottom.

[BMWCCA]

I used these
https://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-speaker-cabinet-1-2-super-toe-spike-set-4-pcs--240-730

4 pieces of 1" angle iron cut into 1 foot pieces, Round corners and drill and tap for the threaded spikes/lock nuts. I drilled two additional holes with countersink to screw the angle to the base of the cabinet from the bottom.
You must have bought them out! Out of stock!

I see these come with inserts. I wonder if the bottoms of the L7 would support installing the inserts, and it that might not be a better solution, though granted the L7 could use a bit of an outrigger to keep it steady with kids or dogs.

[grumpy]

Too bad old school snowmobile spikes aren’t usually available in small quantities... ~$1/ea but in 50-100 pc bags.

[mortron]

I have owned both the L5 and L7. The L5 has weak bass and is easy to overdrive the 8" woofer to failure. If you listen to Vinyl get the L7.

I would like to comment here. Originally I sought the L7, but had trouble finding a pair that weren't priced by a nut job, and settled on a pair of L5 that someone sold me. Unfortunately the woofers were a little worse for wear and they suffered from the aforementioned above overdriving. I recall reading somewhere that having a port directly behind the speaker can allow for overextension. Regardless of the cause, the voice coil former had hit the back magnet and delaminated some coil... recipe for disaster.

Fortunately they were rebuilt by a professional and I was able to preserve these speakers. The weak bass is somewhat of an issue I agree, and would only run the L5 if augmenting using subwoofers. I run a pair of 12" sealed Infinity 1262w from about 80hz down. I have driven these quite hard and enjoy them in my system. One can do much worse.

All that said... I would love to find some L7's :D

[jkrichards]

I found this on ebay. The dampeners we need for the L7 (and others) for the tweeters. Installed today and what a difference it makes. No harsh high frequency. My original foam was rotten and not doing what it was designed to do. :D




https://www.ebay.com/itm/162909599587

[jkrichards]

New Link:

I found this on ebay. The dampeners we need for the L7 (and others) for the tweeters. Installed today and what a difference it makes. No harsh high frequency. My original foam was rotten and not doing what it was designed to do. :D



https://www.ebay.com/itm/162923277235

[grumpy]

You might want to make it clear whether the eBay seller being richards-electronics in Maryland is just a coincidence...

[BMWCCA]

You might want to make it clear whether the eBay seller being richards-electronics in Maryland is just a coincidence...:thmbsup: Good catch!
Not that it doesn't provide a valuable service (price not withstanding) but being up-front and honest about any affiliation is the proper way to handle it.

[rickmoen]

Saw a nearby pair of L5's for sale and just can't let them get away. Had a pair a few years back and still regret selling them. Get 'em on Sun night or Mon.

Read this entire thread - WOW!!! So much information here.

I was reading my User's Manual about placement of L series speakers and saw that JBL recommends all of the L's (not just the L7) be 3 feet from a back wall and 3 feet from a side wall. I missed that before. Seems not to be so critical with the L1, L3, and L5.

And finally, would placement of the L7 be so touchy if it had a front facing woofer?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[BMWCCA]

And finally, would placement of the L7 be so touchy if it had a front facing woofer?
Hope you enjoy them.

As the owner of two-pair of L7, two-pair of L5, an L3 and an L1 it is my opinion that the placement issues of the L7 are overblown. They have issues common to any rear-vented speaker and work better if there's not an audio-shrine stuffed between them but beyond that they can overcome many room issues and still offer a soundstage you can walk through. But if their reputation helps keep their price down so we can scoop them up for pennies on the dollar, I'm all in favor of perpetuating the misconception. :dont-know:

[jbl-ahhh]

Sad to say my L5's are out of commission due to the 708G-1 surrounds splitting/tearing right where the inner edge of the roll meets the cone.

The same thing happened a while back. I have refoamed lots of woofers, so I tried refoaming them back then. The replacements weren't an exact fit so I had to trim the outer edge back because there is only 1/8" of basket to glue to. I must have bungled it because the voice coil started rubbing shortly thereafter. Ugh. So I "borrowed" the 708G-1's from my L3's, but now those surrounds have split the same way.

I couldn't find anything on this thread about exact fit surrounds, but the last mention was almost 2 years ago, so I thought I'd check with fingers crossed. I really doubt there are any replacements with the same material (that cool kind of pseudo rubber/foam blend?) but I'm hoping for an exact fit. Anyone have any good news or alternative repair ideas?

[900HP]

My home theater. I've had my L7's since 1992 and I still love them. I added a JBL professional 3677 screen channel and JBL professional 9300 surrounds. The subwoofers are DIY projects. I am using QSC professional amplifiers, 1500w to each L7, 660w to the center, and 180w to each surround. The subs have a Behringer amp rated at 3000w per sub but it's probably more like 1/2 that. In any case, the sound is incredible, that is all I can say.

82876

[JBLAddict]

My home theater. I've had my L7's since 1992 and I still love them. I added a JBL professional 3677 screen channel and JBL professional 9300 surrounds. The subwoofers are DIY projects. I am using QSC professional amplifiers, 1500w to each L7, 660w to the center, and 180w to each surround. The subs have a Behringer amp rated at 3000w per sub but it's probably more like 1/2 that. In any case, the sound is incredible, that is all I can say.

82876
Great room you got there. The L7 towers have an excellent presence. I’ve had mine in storage for 2 years since putting in a full performance series HT, but have contemplated swapping them back in for old time sake. The key issue owners have on this forum is bass balance with the inside firing 12” woofers and need to pull a few feet from the corners. The L series was designed before the HT boom, and didn’t have a center channel, so the design intent I’m sure was 2 channel music. Guess the massive subs between haven’t given you any issues in this regard? (I have two HTPS3-400s between my PT800/PS1400 stacks). Thanks for posting, been a while since anything new popped up on this thread, good to see L7s in a high end setup like yours. Maybe I’ll get mine back on the floor this weekend from your inspiration....cheers

[SEAWOLF97]

The L series was designed before the HT boom, and didn’t have a center channel

center channel=CL505

[BMWCCA]

center channel=CL505
I have one, thanks to a fellow member here, but it is an L-series match only visually. Never intended to be an acoustic match for the L-series and shares no drivers. I'll give it a try when we move, though, and report back.

[svollmer]

I have one, thanks to a fellow member here, but it is an L-series match only visually. Never intended to be an acoustic match for the L-series and shares no drivers. I'll give it a try when we move, though, and report back.

And I'm glad it has a great home with Phil!

By the way, have you posted any updates on your home build?

[BMWCCA]

And I'm glad it has a great home with Phil!

By the way, have you posted any updates on your home build?

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?40482-Finally!-House-construction-has-started!&p=419045&viewfull=1#post419045

[900HP]

Great room you got there. The L7 towers have an excellent presence. I’ve had mine in storage for 2 years since putting in a full performance series HT, but have contemplated swapping them back in for old time sake. The key issue owners have on this forum is bass balance with the inside firing 12” woofers and need to pull a few feet from the corners. The L series was designed before the HT boom, and didn’t have a center channel, so the design intent I’m sure was 2 channel music. Guess the massive subs between haven’t given you any issues in this regard? (I have two HTPS3-400s between my PT800/PS1400 stacks). Thanks for posting, been a while since anything new popped up on this thread, good to see L7s in a high end setup like yours. Maybe I’ll get mine back on the floor this weekend from your inspiration....cheers

You know, I've owned my L7's for around 26 years. I've never had an issue with how they sound **however** I have either had them in a room where I could not listen to them like they were meant to be listened too, or I had them in a decent enough room. That being said NOTHING and I mean NOTHING prepared me for the sound that is coming out of them after putting them in a room and tuning the room. I have a friend who's an audio engineer and he flew into Fargo and spent a couple of days at our house helping me set up the room and showing me how he tunes a room. The sound is unlike anything I have ever experienced.

I am also driving them with a LOT of power which makes the sound easy and free with no compression, none, nada, nothing............ even at a sustained 115-117 db at the listening position.

82911

[CH46E]

I just scored a nice clean pair of L3. Should have them next week. In the meantime I'm trying to find the schematic for the crossover. I've been looking off and on for a week now. Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

About 2 years ago I sold my L80T that I recapped with Sonicaps and have regretted it very much. I also let my L20Ts go. So needless to say I'm very happy to have some JBLs in the house again. They will give my vintage Polks some company.

I'd just like to find out the values of the caps, resistors and inductors. Not sure I will mess with the inductors but want to put new caps and resistors in.


Thanks for any guidance!
Chris

[rdgrimes]

I just scored a nice clean pair of L3. Should have them next week. In the meantime I'm trying to find the schematic for the crossover. I've been looking off and on for a week now. Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

About 2 years ago I sold my L80T that I recapped with Sonicaps and have regretted it very much. I also let my L20Ts go. So needless to say I'm very happy to have some JBLs in the house again. They will give my vintage Polks some company.

I'd just like to find out the values of the caps, resistors and inductors. Not sure I will mess with the inductors but want to put new caps and resistors in.


Thanks for any guidance!
Chris

http://manuals.harman.com/JBL/HOM/Technical%20Sheet/L3%20ts.pdf

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?10661-JBL-Consumer-Tech-Sheet-Links

[CH46E]

http://manuals.harman.com/JBL/HOM/Technical%20Sheet/L3%20ts.pdf

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?10661-JBL-Consumer-Tech-Sheet-Links



That's perfect! Thank you very much!!

[SEAWOLF97]

CH46E

Sea Knight ?

[CH46E]

Sea Knight ?

For sure! Phrogs forever! Semper Fi.

[SEAWOLF97]

For sure! Phrogs forever! Semper Fi.

:applaud: USN here...UH1's , we've also got an ex-Cobra (AH-1's) driver among our posters.

[Don C]

I remember those.

83125

[SEAWOLF97]

I remember those.


Here's a driver with SKILLS :D

Chinook helicopter makes daring rescue on Mt. Hood

https://www.koin.com/news/chinook-helicopter-makes-daring-rescue-on-mt-hood_20180714061216/1301926324?fbclid=IwAR24VQuWbSXf9uKeV-fZQ0TYxLFTssiDoRSV_d5M9KZdB5CyFYar9kg64H4

[LSeries]

Good stuff, a shi__er and a phrog on an LHD. I was a skid kid, UH-1/AH-1. Semper fi

[SEAWOLF97]

Good stuff, a shi__er and a phrog on an LHD. I was a skid kid, UH-1/AH-1. Semper fi

we had 1962 UH-1b's in '70 after USA declared them unsafe.

[lodoc]

Great thread w tons of information! Goes back over 15 years. Thanks to all who contributed. And with the support and most recent input from those who served...Can't do any better than that.:applaud:

[lodoc]

FYI - I recently signed in as new member-site did not recognize my username or email. Did find old posts I submitted at least as far back as 2005. Computers and forums are NOT my area of expertise...

Wife watching TV in an area and not happy with acoustics. Started talking soundbar after being at friends house. May be a great option for some but prompted me to look at components in storage. Pulled out pair L 5's and binge read thread last night.

Questions:

1) Is the CL 505 still best option for center speaker with these L 5's? Found two on Evil Bay and 2 more various audio sites.

2) Are parts for CL 505 still available ? They are 25 y/o now and subject to deterioration like anything else. I recently had my 4301 B's drivers redone by a local JBL specialist. Always says he can repair anything 'if I can get the parts'.

Thanks again for all the info I've gotten over the years.

[SEAWOLF97]

I have a CL505.

some here say "ok , it matches the L series style but doesn't match acoustically"

never stopped me. ;) ..it was OK, not great ...been replaced in my sys with better.

[HCSGuy]

CL505 is more of an LX series center speaker - stamped frame woofer, etc. If you’re going to be a little bit off, I’d probably go a little bit up versus a little bit down. I’d go with the PC600 center speaker from the performance series. Despite being 16yrs or so old, they still pop up - I think there was one or two on Ebay, still sealed their boxes, for $300 or so over the last year. They kind of come in waves - you’ll see nothing for 3mos, then 2 of them will show up. CL505’s are so cheap, you could buy one to use until you find a PC600.

[LSeries]

What touch-up stain/paint, as Wagner calls it, does everyone use for our Black Ash Veneer finish our our L-Series. I want to touch-up a couple of scuff marks.

[gferrell]

So, I was thinking about selling my 90's L series that have been sitting idle for 6 or 7 years. I bring the L7's into the living room and pull the wires from my XPL200's and hook them up to the L7's to make sure they are still working right. Start playing Grover Washington's Winelight. I'm thinking wow these sound better than I remember. Then I realized I did not bypass the DX-1. The low end is better than the XPL=200's which does not surprise me. I just thought that was interesting. I guess I will need to dig out the L5's next.

[lodoc]

Thanks to HCSGuy and SEAWOLF97 for responding and again to all that contributed to this thread and prompted me to get the L-5's out of storage and playing

So it appears JBL never made a 'matching' Center speaker for the L-Series including the L-5's which I have? Transition from stereo and quadraphonic to the surround sound / HT era of the 90's and all that.

Hooked up the pair of L-5's to a decent Denon 80w/ch 5.0 reciever and concur w all the others in the thread - placement is a significant issue. Had fun for several hours. And agree they need more power. May pull a Crown amp in from the shop currently powering a pair of 4628 b's just to test but it's not one of my main listening areas and do not want to get carried away. Interestingly, in reading the thread this room may be compatible with L-7's but that's another story.

Please correct me if I am mistaken but my takeaway is:

There is no sonically matched center speaker to the L-5's.
CL 505 is 'ok' but I could do better.
Studio LC1 as mentioned in the thread when a member contacted JBL for suggestions is a consideration but likely not common.
It's ok to 'move up' in quality such as the PC 600 Performance Series or the Synthesis center.

[lodoc]

Thanks to HCSGuy and SEAWOLF97 for responding and again to all that contributed to this thread and prompted me to get the L-5's out of storage and playing

So it appears JBL never made a 'matching' Center speaker for the L-Series including the L-5's which I have? Transition from stereo and quadraphonic to the surround sound / HT era of the 90's and all that.

Hooked up the pair of L-5's to a decent Denon 80w/ch 5.0 reciever and concur w all the others in the thread - placement is a significant issue. Had fun for several hours. And agree they need more power. May pull a Crown amp in from the shop currently powering a pair of 4628 b's just to test but it's not one of my main listening areas and do not want to get carried away. Interestingly, in reading the thread this room may be compatible with L-7's but that's another story.

Please correct me if I am mistaken but my takeaway is:

There is no sonically matched center speaker to the L-5's.
CL 505 is 'ok' but I could do better.
Studio LC1 as mentioned in the thread when a member contacted JBL for suggestions is a consideration but likely not common.
It's ok to 'move up' in quality such as the PC 600 Performance Series or the Synthesis center.

[BMWCCA]

Hooked up the pair of L-5's to a decent Denon 80w/ch 5.0 reciever and concur w all the others in the thread - placement is a significant issue. Had fun for several hours. And agree they need more power. May pull a Crown amp in from the shop currently powering a pair of 4628 b's just to test but it's not one of my main listening areas and do not want to get carried away. Interestingly, in reading the thread this room may be compatible with L-7's but that's another story.I'm using one of my L5 pairs in my TV room/Library (no surround-sound) with a JBL/Urei 6260 which is rated around 150wpc at 8-ohms so I suppose about 225wpc at the L5's 6-ohm rating. They sound fine, to me. I've run them with Crown D150A-II, PS-200, and Power Line Three (90wpc @8ohms) and never really felt they were underpowered.
:confused:

I also have one of the CL 505s I've never used. Why wouldn't one L1 on its side make an effective center channel?

[DerekTheGreat]

Why wouldn't an LX series speaker be a good fit? The LX sport titanium dome tweeters. The ones in my LX44's appear very similar to the ones in my XPL200's. Sound is comparable too, the LX44 is a very good "sleeper" speaker. I had them hooked to my Carver TFM 55X just before I put them on as my rear surrounds and man, they really jam. Great bass for an 8" woofer, much better than I expected and the speaker itself is very easy on the ears while bringing out nuances and transients other speakers (like my Northridge E30's) just fumble through. Oh and greetings from a fellow Michigander audiohead!

[SEAWOLF97]

I was doing the "center channel shuffle" for a while , went thru 5 or 6 (including low/mid line JBL's) .... none ever quite right.

then, at a flea market I ran across one of these DefTech's .

Installed it and my shuffle was over.

Sometimes when I need a smaller soundstage, it gets run solo.

[lodoc]

SEAWOLF97,

Definitive Technology CS-8060 ? Running w single pair of L-5's without other surrounds, rears or additional sub in medium size room? That's where I'm at now though did plug in a sub last PM just to see how it paired with the L-5's.

Somewhat hesitant to go with powered speakers. They seem to not like me and fail after several years. I have 5 JBL LSR 25p's sitting now of which only two are still working. Agree with the 'small venue' aspect though. In the summer of 2019 (when you could still gather together) took to a small outdoor function for retiring coworker. Never had to take them out of the back of my vehicle. Pulled up, opened read door, stretched a power cord and let em' rip. Did just fine. A lot easier to haul than a pair of 4612b's and all the ancillaries.

[daveinfv]

CL505 is more of an LX series center speaker - stamped frame woofer, etc. If you’re going to be a little bit off, I’d probably go a little bit up versus a little bit down. I’d go with the PC600 center speaker from the performance series. Despite being 16yrs or so old, they still pop up - I think there was one or two on Ebay, still sealed their boxes, for $300 or so over the last year. They kind of come in waves - you’ll see nothing for 3mos, then 2 of them will show up. CL505’s are so cheap, you could buy one to use until you find a PC600.

I added a CL505 into my mix, with L7s L/R. It is clearly no where near an acoustic match to the L series, but it does sound very good.

[lodoc]

I added a CL505 into my mix, with L7s L/R. It is clearly no where near an acoustic match to the L series, but it does sound very good.
'sound very good' is my goal.

Again, this is not my main listening area. When I need a 'religious' experience with no one else at home have that covered and it's JBL all the way.

The L-5's have shown significant ability to fill the sound space as L/R (30x18') for TV/movie viewing and I'm glad I purchased. Though I'm still hesitant about admitting I purchased 5+ years ago and just now getting out of their original boxes - and they sound great for what they are. But it's obvious I need a center speaker.

My issue is I cannot listen to most of the suggestions without buying. And I have to wait until they show up for sale somewhere.

CL 505's sound like a good option and it's likely I could be more than satisfied for the application. I am leaning towards the PC 600 Performance Series though they are rather tall height wise (almost 12 inches) and will require some WAF adjustments. The Studio LC1's seem appealing but appear to be made with unobtanium. The Def Tech 8060/9060 series are tempting and I could acquire the 9060 locally/with returnable option but 'compared to what???' And the timbre discussions I read about - cause for some pause...

It's great to have this much fun with audio components and I really appreciate all the assistance that's been offered. Still keeping my powder dry.

[daveinfv]

'sound very good' is my goal.

Again, this is not my main listening area. When I need a 'religious' experience with no one else at home have that covered and it's JBL all the way.

The L-5's have shown significant ability to fill the sound space as L/R (30x18') for TV/movie viewing and I'm glad I purchased. Though I'm still hesitant about admitting I purchased 5+ years ago and just now getting out of their original boxes - and they sound great for what they are. But it's obvious I need a center speaker.

My issue is I cannot listen to most of the suggestions without buying. And I have to wait until they show up for sale somewhere.

CL 505's sound like a good option and it's likely I could be more than satisfied for the application. I am leaning towards the PC 600 Performance Series though they are rather tall height wise (almost 12 inches) and will require some WAF adjustments. The Studio LC1's seem appealing but appear to be made with unobtanium. The Def Tech 8060/9060 series are tempting and I could acquire the 9060 locally/with returnable option but 'compared to what???' And the timbre discussions I read about - cause for some pause...

It's great to have this much fun with audio components and I really appreciate all the assistance that's been offered. Still keeping my powder dry.

I went back to my S Center to see about closer match to the L7s L/R. It does sound so much more open and clean than the SC305. Now to run Audyssey on the Marantz again tomorrow and see if I can get the sound really dialed in.

[clwinbe]

I went back to my S Center to see about closer match to the L7s L/R. It does sound so much more open and clean than the SC305. Now to run Audyssey on the Marantz again tomorrow and see if I can get the sound really dialed in.


same issue here. I have my L7 front, L3 rear. I tried taking a pair of L1 laying end to end, wired in parallel ( I think, mix that up). It works very well, but their not as efficient as my RBH SV-6100/R.

[clwinbe]

Sad to say my L5's are out of commission due to the 708G-1 surrounds splitting/tearing right where the inner edge of the roll meets the cone.

The same thing happened a while back. I have refoamed lots of woofers, so I tried refoaming them back then. The replacements weren't an exact fit so I had to trim the outer edge back because there is only 1/8" of basket to glue to. I must have bungled it because the voice coil started rubbing shortly thereafter. Ugh. So I "borrowed" the 708G-1's from my L3's, but now those surrounds have split the same way.

I couldn't find anything on this thread about exact fit surrounds, but the last mention was almost 2 years ago, so I thought I'd check with fingers crossed. I really doubt there are any replacements with the same material (that cool kind of pseudo rubber/foam blend?) but I'm hoping for an exact fit. Anyone have any good news or alternative repair ideas?

I ran this issue past my woofer repair guy in Utah. He’s worked on JBL 40+ years. Matt at Utah Reconing (801-419-3099). He ordered the surrounds listed for this woofer but they had an awful fit. After much trial and research, he discovered how to trim and get everything to align and move correctly. It’s tricky, but he’s got it figured out. He’s done eleven 708g-1 for me so far. Just put a fresh pair in my L7. Amazing sound.

[clwinbe]

Fun project getting the plastic bases removed and replaced with 8829588296a beautiful set of heavy steel spiking kits courtesy of my friends at RBH Sound in Layton UT. They rummaged around and found me a set of spikes they used to put in the T2 stacks.

No way these will tip over and there so easy to move now. Just walk them where you need to go. They look dang cool.

88294

[JBLAddict]

nice job on the L7. The original base is atrocious, as it is on the L5, but the weight of the L7 makes it unmanageable.

[lodoc]

Listed 12 hrs ago. Usual disclaimers. No affiliation, etc.

Wish was closer. Looks legit and a good deal. If anyone picks them up and wants aggravation, reimbursement, bonus $ to ship to me I'm in.

Sorry. Was so excited did not figure out how to provide link. Been looking locally and no-go. Not on ebay either. My kinda luck... Going to TB area in a month or so and was just looking...

Here's the link I got from Craigs to put in my email. May help. Dunno... [email protected] rg

[turnitdown]

Not planning on it, but, what if everything was removed from the cabinet of an L7 (Drivers, crossovers, etc.) and the cabinet was cut where the slant face ends, then replicate the lost box volume and put the 120H on the front, join the boxes together, add port. Would this obviate all the placement challenges?

[SEAWOLF97]

Not planning on it, but, what if everything was removed from the cabinet of an L7 (Drivers, crossovers, etc.) and the cabinet was cut where the slant face ends, then replicate the lost box volume and put the 120H on the front, join the boxes together, add port. Would this obviate all the placement challenges?

somewhere on this site is someone (JohnW? ) who made a 2 box solution out of L7's.

square box w/front LF and the smaller top portion sitting atop it.

Really looked very good. ;)

[turnitdown]

I am posting this for posterity. (I found a pair where I am) Thanks Seawolf, my rooms are large enough, but too angled to make these work without doing a JOHN W to them - not that I will, if I get them.

Thanks all. Here is JOHN W's project. Previously, I had no idea these were so good.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?15807-L7-Breakup

[turnitdown]

Marketplace (FB) and CL (same seller) listing for L7. I had to go look, right? I brought a class D amp and connected my phone. Sounded great in open space (garage) so we settled then and there. $200 was the final agreement. Plastic bases and grills are fully intact. Honestly, it was hard to hear the 035TiA (even with a paper towel tube I brought), but I got them anyway. They're not in the house yet, but I pulled the tweeters, tested them on the Fluke and they were at DCR spec. While I had them out, I replaced the mush behind the diaphragm and cleaned the gap to be sure that, that maintenance item was all good. The only things missing are the terminal straps for one wire operation - no big deal. I look forward the the magic.

[BMWCCA]

The only things missing are the terminal straps for one wire operation - no big deal. I look forward the the magic.You're probably better off making your own jumpers, anyway. Or actually bi-amping them. If you do it properly (electronic crossover, etc), read up on the blue wire in the crossover. I have two pair I paid $200 for, each. It is seriously hard to beat that value. Have fun.

[turnitdown]

Rolling my own now. I read from page one to here over the last couple of days. Good information in here, including the active approach.

[turnitdown]

I have the L7s set up and would like to know the "normal" position of the jumper on the LF crossover...the left or the middle? TIA.

[BMWCCA]

Well, this was my comment 8-years ago, which means the references are now 15-years old:
Sure, and if you look back seven-years in this thread you'll find that reference:

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?7498-JBL-L-Series-(1990s)&p=177549&viewfull=1#post177549

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?7498-JBL-L-Series-(1990s)&p=178680&viewfull=1#post178680

[turnitdown]

Thank you. I saw that in my reading of this thread. Still seems vague, but I got it, thanks.

[BMWCCA]

Of the three Faston connectors, the middle is larger so only the outside ones are swappable. The position shown is—I think—the "standard" one.

[turnitdown]

I was right, no sound from the 035TiAs. I tried them on the bench (w/ blocking cap) and they both work, but not in the intended circuit. I ordered new caps and resistors for the HF leg. It's (maybe) a little strange that the circuit died (HF) on both speakers and didn't take out the tweets? All wiring is solid and intact. Parts will be here Wednesday (7/28) so I'll trace it all out then.

Any thoughts? (As in, am I on the right track?)

What sound is there is great! Imaging is superb.

These are the real deal.

I now would like L5s for another room, really. (Hahaha)

[turnitdown]

Well, that escalated quickly. Test equipment and crossover components arrived yesterday (late) so, no chance to get into the L7s yet because...I was picking up a pair of L5s! Showed up on FB right after my last post, literally. They are well cared for with all components intact and working. Stands and grilles included. Hooked up, no chance to listen yet. The guy said he thinks he has a set of L3s that were taken out of service a year ago. (He has a child that just went to college and a son that just turned 16, so living arrangements, and furniture are being rearranged.) I'll be happy to have my Studio 530s stand in for L1s.

[turnitdown]

This is a slow slog. I got all new parts for the HF crossovers and assembled one. Turns out I'm out of 1/4" wood stock, so off to pay through the nose for that tomorrow. Once that's here, I'll test the new crossovers and, if they pass, they go in the box.

I re-used only the coils and everything else is upgraded.

The L5s sound so good in the small bedroom that I can't wait to hear the L7s fully functional in the larger room.

[BMWCCA]

The L5s sound so good in the small bedroom that I can't wait to hear the L7s fully functional in the larger room.Hah! Gotcha, didn't they?

[turnitdown]

'fraid so.

[turnitdown]

Got one of the new crossovers in last night (L7). What a GREAT sounding speaker! Big sound, accurate...a giant studio monitor. They do sound that good. All new caps and resistors. Recycled the coils. I'm working on the second one now and should have it installed tomorrow.

I want to measure them sometime soon. Where do I place the mic on these? I am only used to measuring and building 2-way horn systems.

[turnitdown]

After re-capping the L7s, they seem to sound better (auditory memory and all) but I got them to play nice, even in a small room. Passive Bi-amping did it.

I can bring in the bass (12") to the point that it melds seamlessly in any size room.

What a GREAT set of speakers.

I got a package today. All new crossover parts for the L5s. Nice project while watching football.

I am still waiting for a guy to pull his L3s out so I can bring them home.

Hats off to Mr. Hagan, the designer.

[BMWCCA]

The L1 is likely to impress you more than the L3. I have them all. Only bought the L3 to complete the set. Not bad, but nothing close to the L5.

[turnitdown]

To be honest, I really want the L3s for experimentation. And the extra 708Gs and tweeters. I am fully sated with what I have now. Wellll, I might want to build a passive M2, but a lot has to be sold off first.

[bassmanz]

Not crazy about Black towers so I gave it a go with a Birch veneer and some Metallic Gold Paint. New stands to replace the plastic ones. Not a perfect job but... these are Great Speakers even if they have a few years on them...

[turnitdown]

VERY nice! Whatever it takes to make them look good in order to keep them. Definitely keepers.

[turnitdown]

Currently re-capping the L5s while the L7s do their thing in the background.

[turnitdown]

I am halfway through making up (freshening) the crossovers for my L5s. I doing so, and after looking at the specs, it seems the L7 cross the 12 at 180Hz and the L5 at 170Hz from the 708G.

I am going to put a 4 binding post terminal cup on the back and allow them to be bi-amped passively. Except for the terminal cup, completely stock otherwise.

BUT, I may move the port to the front because I usually hug the wall with my speakers.

It's still near 100 degrees in these parts, so this is an indoor project I can finish rather quickly.

[BMWCCA]

I am going to put a 4 binding post terminal cup on the back and allow them to be bi-amped passively. Except for the terminal cup, completely stock otherwise.Let us know if you find any improvement in their sound from bi-amping.

[Mr. Widget]

Not crazy about Black towers so I gave it a go with a Birch veneer and some Metallic Gold Paint. New stands to replace the plastic ones. Not a perfect job but... these are Great Speakers even if they have a few years on them...Very, very cool!
Thanks for sharing! FWIW: I completely agree with you on the black tower thing.


Widget

[turnitdown]

Let us know if you find any improvement in their sound from bi-amping.

I am almost completely sure there will be no improvement as these are well-balanced as is. I have been re-thinking this since last night.

[daveinfv]

Lots of folks trying to find a decent center match for their L7s/L5s. I have tried a veritable Plethora of options over the years, but never could find a satisfactory match. S Center was ok, but seemed to lack punch. So I pulled a pair of 62s out of the garage, running them parallel and I find it to be very close match to the L7s in timbre.
Now on to the search and wait for L1s to show up for sale somewhere nearby.
Marantz AVR-5014, HK Citation 22 driving the L7s, 62s Center, PROIIIs side and L3s rear + SVS PB1000Pro for sub.

[Titanium Dome]

Not crazy about Black towers so I gave it a go with a Birch veneer and some Metallic Gold Paint. New stands to replace the plastic ones. Not a perfect job but... these are Great Speakers even if they have a few years on them...

Those look great! Now they have a kind of Danish or Scandinavian look to them which actually helps highlight their geometric uniqueness. That's very nice work that provides an aesthetic beauty worthy of the L7's sonic beauty.

[daveinfv]

So I took my L7s in for a bench test and diagnosis to see if anything is amiss after 27 years of ownership. Just got back into music after almost exclusively HT for most of 2 decades and they just didnt seem right after extended listening. Replaced with my L5s and I have a bad feeling they may need some work to get back to spec and accuracy. Seemed like the mid and mid bass was thin, highs a bit lacking, and bass a bit muddy. I run them with a HK Citation 24 and that should be plenty of juice. The L5s seem to have a wider soundstage and more mids so I think they will check out as needing some work. Will update but the guy who has em is a big JBL fan and once he is done I can tackle tearing em down and making em pretty again with some fresh finish and new grill cloth. I miss em as the L5s dont command the same presence and its gonna be a while without em, but it will be worth it and they can go another 20+ years after this tune up.

PS - Really need to find a line on a pair of L1s for my Center Speakers so if anyone has a line on some or willing to part in SoCal area let me know.

[daveinfv]

So I took my L7s in for a bench test and diagnosis to see if anything is amiss after 27 years of ownership. Just got back into music after almost exclusively HT for most of 2 decades and they just didnt seem right after extended listening. Replaced with my L5s and I have a bad feeling they may need some work to get back to spec and accuracy. Seemed like the mid and mid bass was thin, highs a bit lacking, and bass a bit muddy. I run them with a HK Citation 24 and that should be plenty of juice. The L5s seem to have a wider soundstage and more mids so I think they will check out as needing some work. Will update but the guy who has em is a big JBL fan and once he is done I can tackle tearing em down and making em pretty again with some fresh finish and new grill cloth. I miss em as the L5s dont command the same presence and its gonna be a while without em, but it will be worth it and they can go another 20+ years after this tune up.

PS - Really need to find a line on a pair of L1s for my Center Speakers so if anyone has a line on some or willing to part in SoCal area let me know.

Multiple surrounds, tweets getting rebuilt, and full crossover upgrades in process. Cant wait for em to come home.

[jblguy]

Multiple surrounds, tweets getting rebuilt, and full crossover upgrades in process. Cant wait for em to come home.
Way to keep those legends alive Sir ! Enjoy em when they come home.

[VintageJBL]

Can anyone here tell me where I can find a shop that can replace the foam surrounds on a JBL on a pair of bass speakers in the Washington, DC area?

[hjames]

Can anyone hear tell me where I can find a shop that can replace the foam surrounds on a JBL on a pair of bass speakers in the Washington, DC area?
I'm not a shop, but I've done it a few dozen times.
What model speaker and how soon do you need it done?
I'm in Fairfax.

[VintageJBL]

I'm not a shop, but I've done it a few dozen times. What model speaker and how soon do you need it done? I'm in Fairfax. They are a pair of L80t3. Also, I have a pair of L100t3 that need the same done to them. I don't have any set time frame that I need them. I live in Gainesville and can deliver them to you. If you can only do one pair then it would be the L80s. I can get you the exact part number of the speakers. They are all original components for the respective model of speaker. I am the original owner of the L100s and have owned the L80s for 10-15 years. Thanks for the quick response.

[BMWCCA]

I'm not a shop, but I've done it a few dozen times.
What model speaker and how soon do you need it done?
Ahh, retirement! ;>)

[turnitdown]

Love my L5s and L7s as I've posted before. My bold move? I want to move the L7s into main service for a bit. My McIntosh Mac4300V is going under the knife for a refresh. My amp driving the L7s will be a Crown XLS402 or my Luxman R-117. Is this sufficient sound-wise? NOT power-wise. There's enough power, I am after SQ that will do the L7s justice.

[turnitdown]

I wanted to keep the thread alive and I do know, that with enough good power, these speakers would show what they have. Yes, I love the L Series. I have put the L7s in the main system. I tested them out with music from FM radio/classic hits. Meh. GOOD speakers, but they didn't WOW me. THEN I put in a few CDs running through my Luxman R117...BOOM! What a great sounding pair of speakers! I have the 12s facing in with about two feet of clearance and the rears about 18 inches from the wall, so I'm close to optimum placement. Every time I'm home and Rebecca is not, I put in more CDs and crank it. Now to A/B these with my 2426s with new Radian diaphragms on 2344s over the LE14H. Can't wait.

[DerekTheGreat]

Why not listen with Rebecca? Angela and I jam out all the time. In fact, it's nice having another pair of ears for when I make changes or think it sounds good but there's this one little aspect I *think* you notice but no one else will and then yep, she calls it out. Turn on the music, order some pizza, pour some drinks and let the good times flow.

[turnitdown]

Why not listen with Rebecca? Angela and I jam out all the time. In fact, it's nice having another pair of ears for when I make changes or think it sounds good but there's this one little aspect I *think* you notice but no one else will and then yep, she calls it out. Turn on the music, order some pizza, pour some drinks and let the good times flow.Rebecca does not like loud music and can barely distinguish different speakers from one another. She volunteered that information.We do listen to music together and have our evenings. My rewards? Spending a night (or anytime with her) and knowing the music being played is being represented well.

[Titanium Dome]

Before our last move, I boxed up my L7s and shipped them from CA to my son in Michigan. My SO is not normally a loud listener, though if I get in her car to move it, the system is too loud, and I turn that s$#& down! Those L7s were monsters on classic rock, hard rock, jazz, dance tracks, club mixes, and trance. Sadly, she doesnÂ’t like most of that, especially loud, so to keep other JBLs in play, I sent these off to my son.She likes the looks of K2 S9900, so those satisfy her aesthetically, and when we arenÂ’t listening to what she likes at moderate levels and sheÂ’s out of the house, then the K2s are a nice fill-in for the L7s.

[turnitdown]

Before our last move, I boxed up my L7s and shipped them from CA to my son in Michigan. My SO is not normally a loud listener, though if I get in her car to move it, the system is too loud, and I turn that s$#& down! Those L7s were monsters on classic rock, hard rock, jazz, dance tracks, club mixes, and trance. Sadly, she doesnÂ’t like most of that, especially loud, so to keep other JBLs in play, I sent these off to my son.She likes the looks of K2 S9900, so those satisfy her aesthetically, and when we arenÂ’t listening to what she likes at moderate levels and sheÂ’s out of the house, then the K2s are a nice fill-in for the L7s.Nice systems, of course. Above my pay grade. I'm not sure, having not heard them, what more they bring to the party though. Improvements seem to be so incrementally small at a certain point.

[turnitdown]

Nice systems, of course. Above my pay grade. I'm not sure, having not heard them, what more they bring to the party though. Improvements seem to be so incrementally small at a certain point.All that said, I am REALLY liking these. First time with dome tweeters in a long time (I am partial to JBL horns.) I'm leaving them in the main system until my MAC4300V comes back from Bob in a week or so.

[BMWCCA]

I wanted to keep the thread alive and I do know, that with enough good power, these speakers would show what they have. Yes, I love the L Series. I have put the L7s in the main system. I tested them out with music from FM radio/classic hits. Meh. GOOD speakers, but they didn't WOW me. THEN I put in a few CDs running through my Luxman R117...BOOM! What a great sounding pair of speakers! I have the 12s facing in with about two feet of clearance and the rears about 18 inches from the wall, so I'm close to optimum placement. Every time I'm home and Rebecca is not, I put in more CDs and crank it. Now to A/B these with my 2426s with new Radian diaphragms on 2344s over the LE14H. Can't wait.I think with over 1,100 posts, this thread is doing just fine.

To put it back on-track, check this out: Chris Hagen interview on What Hi*Fi? https://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?43528-Chris-Hagen-interview-on-What-Hi*Fi

[Ian Mackenzie]

I think as a listener we all grow into liking a particular loudspeaker. We kinda fill in the omissions.

On wow well it’s depends on what the wow it’s. I used to think ESS AMT1’s had wow 45 years ago because they impressed on particular Sheffield Lab Direct to Disk demo tracks. Same with RTR Magnum’s. At the time l like Maggie’s for regular listening.

Then l got involved in the larger JBL’s.
They are neither hifi or have a wow factor. They are Live Sound. They are very linear with power across the extremes and are accurate to put you right there in a recording session.

Wow on steroids.. l guess.

[DerekTheGreat]

I've heard a set of L7's, albeit very briefly. I can't say that I was impressed, sounded very thin and harsh. Although so too did the amp I bought (Adcom GFA-555 II) from the dude. He had a bunch of stuff in that room and we listened to the things that caught my eye, but I'm thinking something else in his signal chain was to blame. Would like to listen to L7's again properly. However, I am now a large format kind of guy thanks to my 813C's.

[Ian Mackenzie]

In the right room the L7’s are great

[turnitdown]

I have them placed per specs. VERY good. Esoterica is not my thing. Incremental improvements don't necessarily represent ROI. Tu meta no es mi meta.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Dome, for GOD SAKES, will you stop beating around the bush and get to the point! :D

Quote Originally Posted by Titanium Dome
you're idiots!

you're morons!

yo, stoopid!

hey, pinhead, get a clue!

The message here is this: PLACEMENT MATTERS.
Dome, for GOD SAKES, will you stop beating around the bush and get to the point!

I put placement under incremental improvements…..Lol

[BMWCCA]

Inspired from 1,117 posts earlier in this thread:
Quote Originally Posted by Titanium Dome
you're idiots!

you're morons!

yo, stoopid!

hey, pinhead, get a clue!

The message here is this: PLACEMENT MATTERS.
Dome, for GOD SAKES, will you stop beating around the bush and get to the point!

I put placement under incremental improvements…..LolThat and a Crown Studio Reference-II really make the L7 sing.
I won't say which variable I believe is the most important! :duck:

[Ian Mackenzie]

Love your post…Lol