efficiency, bombproof construction,gorgeous veneer,"you are there" immediacy

hi-end it ain't

I've wanted a pair of these since my first week of college in 1975, when I saw a neighbor's two pairs (with orange foam grills!). I've been fortunate to have had some excellent speakers (and a very understanding wife) over the years, but those ol'JBLs always just kinda stuck there in the back of my mind, and I always knew someday.....
Well, a new neighbor had a pair of these critters sittin in his den,and he sold them to me for $200. These were near perfect(of course the foam grills had long ago been inhaled and sucked up by the vacuum cleaner).Hey, these are rock and roll speakers pure and simple. They have the same rock and roll attitude, too; a little harsh, a little forward, and a lot of LOUD, if that's what you want. They can't compare to my Snell Ds in many ways, but when I get home from the clinic Fridays and I want to bust some stress, I don't want flat response and lovely soundstaging, or even timbral accuracy. I don't want Joni or Enya. I switch over to the L100s and let Pete,Roger, and the boys take my cares away on the Magic Bus. Did I mention that I like 'em? You will, too, if you want a fun loudspeaker, a nostalgia machine that will take you back over a quarter century to your first dorm party, your first kiss with a girl that didn't neccesarily have to go home, or the first time you heard Hendrix on something other than the family Magnavox.

PS I really want to let my son take these to college, but fear they may be stolen. If they are, my only consolation will be in the knowledge that the jerk that steals them gets a hernia from running away with these anvils!

Similar Products Used:

vandersteen, klipsch, mb quart, Snell,

The JBL L100 is a classic reference speaker from the mid 70's. Super rugged and stands the test of time!

Some of the best bass available

Stock tweeter is obsolete

As a historical note, these were the standard monitor in U.S. recording studios throughout the 'golden age' of rock'n'roll. If you listen to classic rock, these are most likely what it was mixed on. In maybe the late '70s I saw the Outlaws use a huge bank of these as their P.A. system. Sweet.

Bought my first set in about 1974 for $400. They still work perfect, although the foam grilles fell apart with age.

While overall frequency response sounds relatively flat, the old technology paper-cone tweeter in particular has a lot of distortion and sizzle by modern hi-end standards. The midrange has a bit of harshness compared to a current 'audiophile' speaker, but may well match a lot of stuff currently available for less than a grand.

The bottom end still ranks as one of the best available, regardless of price. The old school Alnico V monster magnets tightly control the heavy looking 12" cone, providing both detail and weight that's barely matched by my $4K Celestion A3s. They'll let you hear the bassist's fingers slide on the round-wound strings even on 'thumpy' sounding recordings like Sublime. When the late bassist for Morphine starts pounding out the chords in some sort of a drug-induced frenzy, you can still discern the individual notes while you run around picking up the stuff that's rattled off the shelves. Most 'mid-fi' speakers or subwoofers turn this into a large 'blat' if you're lucky and a small one if you're not.

The woofers use a pleated cloth surround, which seems to allow greater excursion and longevity than current foam surrounds. The impact they produce on percussion will hit you in the guts.

For comparison purposes, I've got a jap clone of a Fender bass along with a '60s vintage all-tube Fender Showman. Speakers are Utah Professional 12s in a ported enclosure. The JBLs come the closest to replicating this sound of anything I've heard. Come to think of it, the magnets, surround, cabinet volume and porting on the JBLs are very similar to this professional bass cabinet of the same era. May as well reproduce the music on something similar to what produced it in the first place...

Anyhow, after the original grilles started falling apart and I couldn't find anyone who could actually deliver replacements, I had an outfit called Audio Ventures replace the foam with basic black grille cloth. Very professional job, and they look much more subdued than the original blue foam. While I was there the owner Bill started raving about how great the JBLs were with Vifa tweeters and his own custom crossovers. Yea, sure, dude... and then he played a set. I instantly bought 'em without even haggling over the $650 price.

The Vifa tweeter is the same as is used in many extremely high end systems, and totally cured the high frequency distortion of the original. While the midrange and to a much lesser extent the highs don't match the smoothness of my Celestion A3s, they're close. On the other hand, there is a big difference in dispersion - the relatively wide cabinet and protruding grille frame construction of the JBLs gives them a relatively narrow 'sweet spot' compared to the slim tower typical of current hi-end speakers.

Overall, if you're into rock at 100+ db, the improved JBLs will make you happier than anything I've seen for under a couple grand. If you're into home theatre, you'll laugh at 'sub' woofers with puny 8" drivers after hearing these. If you have or can find a used set, this upgrade gets you into the 'audiophile sound' ballpark for (relatively speaking) dirt cheap.

Audio Ventures is currently (March '01) in West Allis, WI, and will soon be moving to larger quarters in Waukesha. They do good work, have piles of used hi-end equipment, and are fun to deal with. They sometimes have stock or already modified L-100s and can modify yours. Two thumbs up.

These don't equal the finest of audiophile speakers but I'm giving them a 5 anyhow since that's as close as I can get to the 4.9 they really deserve. What the modified versions will do is produce almost everything a four grand audiophile speaker will for a small fraction of the price.

Similar Products Used:

Celestion A3, Advent Heritage, CSW New Ensemble

Midrange and Highs Clarity, Tight Bass, Fair Price

None for this hifi era

I bought my Century 100s in 1974 and have never regretted it. Choice of grill colors: orange, blue or brown - got the orange ones. Hooked them up to Sansui 9090DB receiver and was fabulous. My 9090 eventually died so I replaced it with a 100-watt Technics receiver and 5-disc Technics CD changer (both work off of the same Technics universal remote). At the time of this purchase, I had a choice of Bose 901s, Klipsch Micros, and these puppies. The sound convinced me and the Walter Becker ad that showed these as his studio speakers. I think TDK had an ad that showed a guy's hair being blown away with L100s, too.

I want to upgrade to better speakers, but I have not heard one yet that sounds as good as these in the sub-$1500 range.

Any suggestions?

Built to last and perform nearly forever, alnico magnets, no foam woofer surrounds.

Marginal crossover design; paper tweeters, those fugly grilles.

These are the "Furniturized" # 4310 monitor. ALNICO! Lose the tweeters, in favor of the current titanium model, at about $50 a pop. Clone the 4410 type crossovers, (need a schematic? - email me. Solder all connections, now you have as good or better a monitor as they currently sell, plus now they will image very well (for the first time!) I sold a pair of 4310's 15 years ago, and regret it. Those were modded with # 4502 slot tweeters, but the titaniums are much smoother, and far less costly. If you love your L100's or 43xx series monitors, this tweak is a real jaw dropper, cheap and fun, too.

Similar Products Used:

JBL 4310, 4311, 4312 et al.

I picked up a pair of these with a Kenwood 4140 at a thrift store for $40!! I then sold the receiver(mistake) for $50. these are really amazing boxes, small, heavy as shit, and pack a huge wallop. made in the old way with a ribbed cone on the bass speaker with ribbon suspension(which won't decay like foam), insanely huge magnets on the midrange and tweeter. I have them in closets with my tv and stereo in between and they really thump like a son of a bitch in the closets. amazing low end from such a small cabinet. I use them for the home theatre mode and usually use the CV AT15s(at the other end of the room) for music. when I got them, the foam on the grills had been taken off. so I painted them white and covered the grill plate with white grill cloth. they really look great, and a steal at $40, plus the receiver! I highly recommend picking a pair up if you can find them, even if you have to have cones repaired, or whatever. they don't make 'em like this anymore!

I bought a set in 1970 and still have and listen to them, awsome , can handle it speakers

Ditto to all previous posts. If you wanna hear it just as it was recorded, buy them.

A pain to move. 70's shag carpet-colored grille covers. Your teenage kids may kill you for them.

Bought 'em new in '77. Had to choose between them and similarly priced Pioneer HPM-100's. Took about one second. They're the fronts coupled with Dynaco A25's in my surround system. Anyone who thinks a surround system needs a subwoofer needs only to experience the Saturn V launch in "Apollo 13" with these to stand corrected. The ports will blow out a match at one foot yet you can still tell how sweaty the bass player's fingers were. The mids and highs will cross your eyes without causing ear fatigue. I'm pretty sure electricity was invented for them.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaco A25's

Sound, durability, style

tweeters

Wow, what great company to be in...L100 enthusiasts. I've read the postings below, and there's little I could add in terms of accolades for these fine, fine speakers. I have three friends who bought JBL's after listening to mine. I've had these since 1972. About 5 years ago I bought a pair of BIC Venturi V52's and discovered that the L100's tweeters did not quite measure up, so I upgraded them by installing JBL 035TI titanium tweeters. Now the high end matches the BIC's.
The L100's are now front L&R in a DD 5.1 configuration, with KLH 17's at the rear L&R. There is no need for any subwoofer!

Similar Products Used:

KLH 17, Dynaco A25