JBL L Series (1990s)

[hjames]

Hey, I just noticed that the 6 1/2" mid-bass driver in the L-5's seems to be sealed (acoustic suspension) not ported. The woofer is ported but the mid-bass has a box around it inside the cabinet and when I depress the cone then release, it takes almost 2 seconds for the cone to return to the neutral position. Same goes for the 5" midrange. An interesting design. Are any other JBL speakers built this way?

The 43xx JBL 4 ways (4341/4343/4345) had a "doghouse" built around/behind the 10 inch midbass driver to isolate it from the 15 or18 Woofer's actions ...

[JeffW]

Hey, I just noticed that the 6 1/2" mid-bass driver in the L-5's seems to be sealed (acoustic suspension) not ported. The woofer is ported but the mid-bass has a box around it inside the cabinet and when I depress the cone then release, it takes almost 2 seconds for the cone to return to the neutral position. Same goes for the 5" midrange. An interesting design. Are any other JBL speakers built this way?

The 250ti has an enclosure around the 8" lower midrange and the 4" upper midrange (can't remember about the tweeter)

[opimax]

no to the tweeter

Mark

[jbl-ahhh]

Just following up on my earlier post (#532 in this thread) about the bad 708G. I started a thread about it (http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...ce-coil-repair) in the Technical Help forum. All comments are appreciated.

[gferrell]

This thread sure has been quiet for a while. Hope everyone is doing well. My trip back in time to vinyl has been a great experience. I have found so many close to mint LP's averaging about a buck apiece. I had forgotten how good they sound. Especially on my L7 speakers. I would have to rate them #3 behind well recorded SACD's and DVD-A. MP3 music just does not compare. I have never gotten so much music bang for the buck as I have with vinyl. If your thinking about it I would recomend taking the plunge. I am sure you can find some great stuff at flea markets and second hand shops like I did.

[wkjeffers]

I see some refinishing notes in this thread, has anyone found a good match to simply touch up and blend some scratches in the existing L series finish ? I want ot leave the woodgrain but just fill in the scratches. Thanks!

[sewershark]

hello i am a newbie and my english is not very good


i found in my area a jbl l100t my question is if it's power handling is the same as l100t3 (400w rms)
if not how much is it?
i am asking because i don't want to risk and blow them up if i turn too high the amp volume (yamaha mx1000 295W at 6ohm) after i buy them

please let me know

[grumpy]

Dear Sewer...thing,

i don't want to risk and blow them up if i turn too high the amp volume

Rest assured that amplifier output capability has almost no bearing on whether you can
blow up your speakers or not. You could destroy the tweeters with a 5 watt amplifier
if the amp is over-driven (clipping).

If it sounds bad, turn it down. There's a JBL tech note on the subject if someone else
cares to look up the link.

[sewershark]

Thanks for your reply

i can understand clipping,but what i wanted to say is that i don't want to risk to overdrive those speakers

i saw the specs of the L100 "T3" and is says that recomended amplifire power is 400w rms(continuos), but i don't know about L100 "t" if its exatly the same it should not be a problem if else maybe yes!!

to be safe i wnat to get tohose speakers only if they can handle a way above of what the amp can do in terms of rms power

any help?

Dear Sewer...thing,



Rest assured that amplifier output capability has almost no bearing on whether you can
blow up your speakers or not. You could destroy the tweeters with a 5 watt amplifier
if the amp is over-driven (clipping).

If it sounds bad, turn it down. There's a JBL tech note on the subject if someone else
cares to look up the link.

[JBLAddict]

The higher power rating (assuming it's a true rating) of the amp has almost no meaning, use the volume you hear as the guide to what's safe for the speaker....... you'll know when the volume is loud to the point of the total current being applied being dangerous for the speaker.

The higher the wattage rating of the amp, that level will occur at a lesser % of maximum, but it won't be a very large difference from a 200W to 400W to 600W....and at such a volume the higher rated amp will have more room to spare (headroom) giving a cleaner signal which is less dangerous to the speaker

As stated earlier the bigger risk is driving a low wattage amp to distortion attempting to get high volume, and lead to the dreaded clipping.

that said, can the mods move this non 1990s L-Series discussion to a separate thread?

[kiaphous]

Hello ,
I have a set of L3's that I have been rocking for about the past 10 years. I really like them but they are in need of some work at the moment. I've read through most of this thread and I have a couple questions I would like to ask.

1. The cabinets need to be refinished. Has anyone done this? What do you recommend?

2. I have the opportunity to pick up a CL505 center for $10 bucks locally. I am a casual listener so the fact they they were not designed with my speakers in mind does not bother me. Is it a good speaker? The reviews here seem to be mixed.

3. One of the 708G's has a broken surround as a result of some europeans, a turntable and my underpowered Onkyo SV-TX535 with which I drive them. Can I redo the speak surround myself? Or does it need to be taken to a pro? Your suggestions please.

4. Can you suggest a budget amplifier (graduate student) that would "compliment" the setup I have and drive the L's a little better? The Onkyo is only 85-100 watt in bypass/stereo mode.
Thanks,


Jess

[VintageJBL]

The L3 uses a black ash veneer on pressed wood. It is hard for me to say how you should refinish without knowing the extent of the damage. There are more than a few people here that are excellent at rehabilitating cabinets. Maybe they will chime in.

For $10 I would grab that CL505 and see if it works. From what you have said I think it will suit your needs.

Some will tell you to buy another 708G but they are pricey and go for well over $100 each on ebay etc. Orange County Speaker Repair has a kit they sell for $30 you can try. I haven't seen where anyone sells the original surrounds for the 708G. You can try an Orange County kit and see if it works. I am pretty sure it will sound better than a busted up surround. Here's a link to the kit: click here You might want to replace the surrounds in both speakers to even out any difference in sound between the two if the kit works well.

For the L3, I would think an amplifier of 100 wpc, or more, in stereo mode with less than 0.1% THD from 20hz-20khz would be sufficient. You can get some great deals on Craigs List for audio gear. Just stick to the respected brands like Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer etc. Just be sure you get something with good specs. If you are on a budget, buying used over new gets you far better gear for the dollars spent. I picked up an Onkyo DS-696 for $60 recently. It is a pretty decent 5.1 A/V receivers with very good stereo performance. Be patient and you can really find some good deals on the used market. Even pawn shops are good places to find quality audio gear for a good price.

I have had a pair of L3s for several years and they are a great speaker for a two way design. They will do every bit of their 35hz low end. A great speaker and I can see why you want to salvage them.

[JBLAddict]

your Onkyo is an honest 80WPC in stereo mode, which should be plenty to drive the 8ohm two way with a 8" woofer (I've very effectively driven the 6ohm L5 with 75WPC)

I suspect your issue was more "europeans" and less overdriven amp

that said, I just unplugged my L7s from their 240 watt source and into the L1s I picked up this week, and they do sound sweeeeett

[gferrell]

Hi, Hope everyone is well. I picked up a Carver M-1.0T and C7 Preamp cheap the other day. I had never heard a Carver amp before. Brought them home and hooked them up to my L7's not expecting much and wow it sounded good. Anyone had experience with one of these amps on the L7's? I have read mixed reviews on them. I was playing LP's so I'm not really sure if it was the pre or the amp or the combination. A little more experimentation will be in order soon.

[rdgrimes]

Hi, Hope everyone is well. I picked up a Carver M-1.0T and C7 Preamp cheap the other day. I had never heard a Carver amp before. Brought them home and hooked them up to my L7's not expecting much and wow it sounded good. Anyone had experience with one of these amps on the L7's? I have read mixed reviews on them. I was playing LP's so I'm not really sure if it was the pre or the amp or the combination. A little more experimentation will be in order soon.

I use several different Carver setups for all my 2-ch JBL systems. They sound fantastic. Solid, clean power - accept no substitute. And FWIW I think the all-analog preamp is the way to go too. The C-Seven is a really nice preamp.