Hello JustAudio. Long a go all the JBL tooling and remaining parts were bought up by the guy behind Kenrick Sound in Tokyo who re-manufactures modern, improved versions of JBL classics by the hundreds (mainly for rich retired Japanese guys). This is a hugely important continuation of JBL's legacy products. To talk about JBL's history and not mention this is a serious omission.
Thanks so much for this video and the history of JBL. My father spent 20 years working for JBL as an Engineer. Harold Newton 60's- through the 1970's. He had 3 draftsmen and 4 that were machinists working for him. He designed the magnet machine that charged them. He also designed the voice coil winding machine. He then had a patent under JBL for the design of the dowel pin that held the grill clothes on the front of the cabinets. All these he would scratch out and then give to the draftsmen and then to the machinists that built the parts. He also designed the carton for the larger cabinet. I remember working as a JR. Draftsman one summer while I was in High School. To test the carton, everyone was invited to the loading dock, and Bill Thomas, President threw the cabinet in the carton off the dock to see what would happen to it. It passed without a scratch. We always had speakers in our home growing up. This brought good memories and tears to my eyes.
@@LennyFlorentine No mention of some guy in Asia who many years ago bought up all JBL's pro drivers and tooling? Check out TH-cam's Kenrick Sound out of Tokyo who re-manufactures classic JBL speakers by the dozens with upgrades and improvements naturally. This is a hugely important continuation of JBLs legacy products.
What I'm writing here might get taken down for content! I asked Lenny the gent in this video to get me a pair of clear "Lucite" Pioneer HPM 100 Store Demonstration Speakers. He did. They were in rough shape so I asked if they could make them more presentable. Lenny did that and more with genuine Pioneer replacement parts. Lenny tries his best at for every customer. Lenny has a passion for vintage and modern audio. I've brought in over 30 vintage items including 16 monster receivers. Lenny always treats me right. Lenny just finished my rare Pioneer HPM 100 Lucite Speakers. I'm autistic with cerebral palsy and more. Lenny & the Just Audio staff made my dreams come true with these speakers. Behind all the jokes & pranks Lenny is a Good Man!
You asked the audience to post any JBL stories we have in the comments section, so here’s mine, specifically about the Prima that you talk about in detail. I was employed by JBL in 1972 and started at 3249 Casitas Ave. I was with the company until 1977, but I would come back from 1986 to 1993. The Prima was developed a couple of years after started. Because the Prima was molded from hardened Urethane Foam, it was thought to be a very resilient material, unlike the more commonly used Particle Board or MDF. The Vice President of Sales at the time was a very charismatic individual by the name of Irv Stern. When it was decided to introduce the Prima to the sales force, a formal dinner meeting was organized. Irv decided to have some fun and pretend that he was the actual industrial designer, dressing up in a flamboyant costume and speaking with a strong, but questionable Italian accent. (I forget what fake Italian name he gave himself.) After the initial presentation, giving the audience the opportunity to see the color options, a demonstration of their clever stacking design, followed by a listening session, Irv made a big deal of the fact that they were made of a synthetic plastic material and claimed that they endure abuse better then their wood counterparts. He proceed to lift one, a Yellow Prima as I recall, and toss it across the stage. To everyone’s surprise, (they had not rehearsed the latter), it hit the floor and exploded into several pieces. Needless to say, that would not be part of future demos.
I was a retail salesman when the prima came out. We never sold any. NOT ONE. If those wouldn't sell in Austin, I can't see that did well elsewhere. The L 110 did much better. Same speaker in a conventional box. ???Does anyone has sales numbers on the Prima 25? I did sell a Paragon. That was a good day!
@Kleinage We had 3 pairs. They sat for months. The owner took the display, and the other 2 pairs were returned, as I recall. I was just a salesman and not really involved with that part. They didn't sound bad, but the shape and color seemed like the problem.
Thee is a company in Japan called KENRICK SOUND and they have permission from JBL to re-manufacture classic vintage JBL home audio speakers. They have developed improved components for these as well. They do have a TH-cam channel. Their workmanship and passion is amazing to watch.
I love the Bluetooth speakers by JBL I don’t use old school audio anymore Bluetooth took over and they are just getting better every year good video as usual JBL HAS MADE A NAME FOR ITSELF IN BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS THE BEST OF THE BEST EVERY COMPANY IS TRYING TO OUT DO THEM THAT JBL SIGNATURE SOUND.
As a music producer and sometimes touring musician, I have several D130s in my various rigs. A super efficient workhorse speaker that sounds great. In the studio, I have a set of 4308s. They sound too flattering to mix on, but I love to listen back to projects on them. Nice work on the history.
I've always been a fan of JBL speakers. For me, they represent the "American Sound" I tend to prefer in my audio gear: full-range, full-bodied sound with an emphasis on being entertaining more than revealing; speakers that are easy to enjoy with all genres of music. Today's JBL is almost like an enthusiast's secret...the public know and think of them as a mainstream brand, but we know them for their pro and high-end models like the K2 and Everest. In Asia (especially Japan) JBL vintage and hi-end gear trades for very high prices...for them, this is the American sound they chase. I was all set to buy a pair of the JBL L100 75th Limited Editions (the ones that came with the stands and that monstrous shipping crate), until one day, I stopped into Just Audio and bought a pair of Kef Blade Two's from Spencer and Lenny...an entirely different path, but not as different as it sounds. Great video, Lenny...Keep dropping the knowledge!
Well bc infinity is the same company. So you could call the infinity a clone of the JBL. Most infinity is made to play flatter and JBL louder or peakier. After Mark Harmon passed many engineers left and we saw a decline. Samsung has done a good job revitalizing the brand with large financial support in engineering. They are still a force to be reckoned with.
Hello from Chicago burbs. One of my favorite memories growing up at my parents house with a Carver M500 amp and my L112's ❤ watching the lights dim as I turned it up 🤯 ( no parents of course) this content really takes me back 1983!😮
I've been a fan of JBL for years. I'm a drummer and a bit of an audiophile, so I've been around a good amount of audio gear. I've recorded at a couple of studios years ago, and the JBL monitors they used had such a life-like sound, I was instantly hooked. Back in the mid to late 80s, I bought a set of JBL 12" car audio subwoofers, and I kid you not, those were the best sound quality subs I've ever owned. Sure wish I still had them. 😢
@@samholdsworth420 You know why? It was not for the clarity or accuracy but because the NS1000M was billed as the closest approximation to the average home stereo system for a mixdown for the masses. They were never intended for or to be audiophile gear. They are meant to be the representation of mediocrity. LOL. PS. Don't hate on me. I had a pair in my studio for years for this very purpose - final mastering. I got this from Yamaha themselves in their marketing blurb of the time.
Great video! I made a home built copy of the B460. Got the actual driver off Ebay (2245H), and used the factory specs to design and build a cabinet for it. The result is a phenomenal subwoofer, powered by a 900W amp that I have used to knock snow off my roof in winter. I have discovered the resonant frequency of my house is 27 Hz. My neighbors love it (not). After saying for decades that you can't have too much bass, I have learned that after shaking the house and moving pictures on the walls (and we are there at about 50%), it does become too much. I've been a JBL fan since high school. Just counted: 23 JBL drivers in my house. Most are from the 70's and 80's.
I really enjoy your 'history' videos! I had the original L100's in the mid '70s and alas divorce separated them from me. It was 50 years later and I was able to obtain a pair of completely refurbished L88 Plus. Thank you again for these great videos! There truly is no sound like JBL's.
I bought my first L100 Century speakers in 1975. Lost them to a burglary in 1979. Bought another pair in the same year. Lost them in a divorce in 2010. Out of music for about 8 years, jumped back in about 5 years ago with a pair of JBL towers. During the pandemic set up a listening room with a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV. Really missed the sound of the L100’s but read some negative reviews of the “new” L100’s so decided to search for a pair of vintage L100 Century’s. Found a pair on EBay and am a happy camper.
I’ve had a pair of 4311’s since 1975. Part of my backup sound system with a Pioneer sx1050, also from 1975. Both the speakers and receiver still sound great. Wouldn’t ever give up these speakers.
I also bought my 4311’s in 1975. Still listening to them, though not with the SX939 I had originally. I compared the L100s to the 4311s at the time I bought them and the 4311s were much clearer and true to the music, the L100s colored the music with less clarity. Many people at that time were buying Bose 501s or 901s but those couldn’t beat the brilliance of the JBLs!
I still have my L88 speakers from 73. They are like the L100 but without the mid range driver. About 15 years ago I updated the binding posts, build an actual crossover and replaced the old tweeters with JBL Ti035s and did a few more cabinet mods. Sound great. Using a frequency response tester, the one sold by Parts Express, I get +/- 3dB across 40 Hz to about 16K with a little tweak of the tone controls on the amp. Listen to them almost everyday. Sound stage very nice and wide but not too deep. Could be improved with speaker placement but limited by the room size and shape.
I installed this stuff in high end homes in 1974, at the peak of quad. We installed L100 & L200’s with high end Sansui and Dual 1229Q tables. AWESOME! Later, I would use 4560’s & 4550 pro in my live PA systems. Now I have L100 and L200 in my personal studio. SRX is my live system now, but I still have my 4560’s! Love JBL!
As someone that was perhaps in the middle of the original 2 channel explosion, working in it from '69 to '81, watching the names appear, grow, multiply,.... technology solidify, ... and to then leave it almost completely until a few decades ago, it is totally confusing as to who is whom anymore. Your efforts have been incredible on these different big names. Very enjoyable and informative. And I get to throw in person data from the time when you shake the cob webs as well. This one was very well done. Filling in spots in my knowledge of them. And were they went! We appreciate your research! I "married" a pair of L88's, still connected to her Sansui 5000 X in a 2nd system. She had no problem relegating them to that status after hearing my more recently purchased Maggies. I have a friend with his original L88's that wanted to upgrade them to L100 by adding the mid. But I think I talked him into getting Ohm Walsh 2000's instead. Especially for his strange rooms arrangement. But I doubt the Grateful Dead Wall of Sound was designed in 1953! 🙂
I've got record producer Martin Hannet's JBL speakers. He mastered tracks from Joy Division, early U2 and others on those (TLX 9) representing typical 'home' speakers from the time and also Aurotrons for radio/car stereo and some Tannoy Gold's representing high end systems. The final mix had to sound good on all three. Excellent video by the way.
Thanks both, I've just found his notes... the speakers are TLX 7Gi and he described them... "Beautiful pair of medium size monitors for listening to my mixes when I bring them back to my home music room from the studio... " and then compares them to the Aurotones and Tannoys. For someone with such a wayward life he apparently made notes on everything. It's stange listening to tracks like Love Will Tear Us Apart through them.
In high school in late 70’s saving up all I could afford were the JBl L26. After school I would lay on the floor positioning each speaker like headphones to feel the power of the newly released Physical graffiti album Led Zeppelin album. Powerful experience.
My first connection with JBL was a disco in Chicago (Dugan's Bistro) - which had JBL Pro Series speakers and the the best DJ (Lou DiVito - 3 time winner of the national DJ contest). Other disco / dance systems had JBL Pro Series speakers, and I was absolutely hooked on their sound!
I bought my first system in 1978 and my intention was to buy the Century L-100's, but the salesman that I had dealt with for a long time talked me into buying the L-166 Horizon's. That was a mistake because I never did like the way they sounded, but I kept them for awhile and then sold them. In 1981 while stationed in Okinawa, I bought a pair of L-112's when they first came out and they were awesome. I still have them to this day in mint condition. I'm still amazed at the way they sound. I'm surprised that you didn't mention these.
my exposure to JBL is as a DJ. I own 515xt’s and they are still going strong after 10 years of use at events. Great sound and technology built into them. Thank you for this video.
Thanks for the video and history lesson. Having become a fan of JBL products just a couple years ago. And not sure I will want anything less moving forward. (And I have had some decent audio gear: Pioneer Elite, and Onkyo receivers, Polk and Marantz speakers) so it was nice learning about the history of JBL. I didn't realize their impact in the Pro Audio segment. Good video.
Great vid! I still have my JBL 4312 and a set of JBL 4311's in my music room, they are over 30 years old respectively, bought them while I was in the Army. Still sound great! Awesome vid and back story of the JBL company and how it came about. Keep the great work!
I brought my JBL L-150, The Big brother to the JBL L-100 when I was in the Military in Germany around 1980. That means I had these speakers for 43 years😲
Can you share a bit more about your 4311? Because I'm planning to save up for 4311 and I already have my eyes set on them but when I looked it up on forums there are always people saying 4312 / L112 are better so I'm interested to hear a bit more about your experience with them
@@tormenmashi_ The 4311s are a bit more subdude on the sound in comparison to the 4312. Now both models are the originals, not variants as there are models (a, b, c). The difference is in the arrangement of the drivers, were the 4311's woofer sits on top and the midrange and tweeter sit on the bottom of the speaker box with the high and mid adjustment controls. The 4312's area bit brighter and although the mids and tweeters look similar, I believe there is a difference in how they were set up frequency-wise. However, they both sound good, it also depends on your preference of music, your hi fi set up. The L112 as I understand came with titanium tweeters which makes the sound much more brighter than the 11 and 12 (first gen). I believe the 12 variants (b, c) came with titanium tweeters later. Hope this helps a bit, hopefully, someone else may have more to add.
@tormenmashi_ lpsalas.. is right on. I've found very little info from JBL. I have owned 4312b. The main differences in all of the 43xx series are the tweeters, x-overs, and driver alignment. If it were me, I'd look at cabinet condition and the amplifier used to drive them over the years. Enjoy the journey.
I spent almost a year in 1977 looking and listening to speakers for my stereo and kept coming back to JBL Century L100s. I purchased a pair late in 1977 and They have been with me ever since. The 70s orange grills dried out and fell apart in the early 90s but nothing has ever failed and they have been rocked, classicalled and country westered to death. The last few years they have been enjoying Rammstein and several other Germany heavy metal bands. Most likely I will have them until I die.
I've been using Control 5 and Control 1 speakers for many years now and I love the natural sound of them. They are my go-to reference for near-field auditioning.
In the pictures you show the altec 604a, jbl 4355, l100 etc. I own all of the speakers you shown currently in my collection. I’m still a sucker for vintage Altec hifi. I was raised on it. Thanks for making this video.
They were purchased by Harman who are owned by Samsung... and it shows in their current product range, and not for the better. Crown are owned by Harman also, it shows in their product range too.
Hello folks; They bought Auadx speaker around the end of the 80's. Hanging around The Speaker Shop. The question came up we all said. They'll wreak it as the same as anything that they touch.
As a big fan of JBL, I had/worked on lots of JBL speakers...not only home speakers, but also a couple headphones, some car audio setups with JBL amp and speakers, etc. I'm watching this video on 4411. Also have CF100, J900MII, 308P MKii, Studio 590 theater setup, SRX speakers, etc. All very good products.
I still have a pair of L26 Decades I purchased in 1973. Originally had 4 used with a simulated 4 Channel HK 75+ receiver. My first system. Wanted the L100 but couldn't afford them at the time. Have only had to recone the woffer a couple of times through the years. Use in my office and still enjoy that 70's sound they produce. Thank you for the video.
Also, JBL used a patented rounded-edge on their woofers, which was incented by Edward Villchur of Acoustics Research in 1953 also known as acoustic suspension woofers. Please make a note for same, and have a nice Labor Day weekend.
I Love JBL .... i've owned JBL Bluetooth speakers for years now and i'm really Happy with the quality.... My favourite JBL related experience was to Help a friend restore a pair of Vintage L100's which became my absolute dream speakers after listening to them after they where finished .... And the Looks of them are Just gorgeous
In 1963 I bought a pair of JBL C50 Olympus for about $1k each. They had LE15A woofers and PR15 passive radiators along with the 375 driver/horn and 075 tweeter. Almost 200 lbs each and still sounding great today!
Started my JBL journey with a Diy set of 12" JBL D123a woofers and a 1" dome tweeter back in the late 70's, rocked for many years with my Marantz 2325 receiver what a combo ( I still have both! ) ! Moved on to the JBL L100t towers powered with an Adcom Gfa-555, same Jbl sound just more of it! Currently using the JBL Stage A-190 towers, notice a trend here? Just an audio enthusiast , not an audio snob. It's worked for me, many years of listening enjoyment.
I had JBL's on my Fender Twin reverb amp, in my 4 by 12 cabinet and a few years ago the mighty Control 5's. These not very well loved among enthusiasts but very good as far as I'm concerned.
Good summation, though omitting the fact that the Harmon connection shut down their R&D/design and spares operations. I've lost count of the number of Control series units I've installed, but they were classic bulletproof JBL gear, from the JBL horn systems we built at Liverpool university in the 70s, to the last control 5s I bought, for myself, they are part of my history. these days I'm more fond of Dynaudio, (hint - do a video about them), and Genelec, but yes, they were giants.
No mention of “Ed May” the design engineer of the JBL L100 and many other models , if you look at his history he left JBL and moved to Marantz Superscope to become their head of loudspeaker designer . He used it to turn out three complete lines of loudspeakers in very short order. However, this was the last loudspeaker work he would perform. Edmond May passed away suddenly in 1980 while still at his desk employed at Marantz .
Indeed….I owned a pair of Ed May designed Marantz Hd880 speakers purchased new in 1978 while stationed in Germany. These were superb speakers and served me well for many years. JBL hit their pinnacle in home stereo 2 channel systems about the time Ed May departed, not a coincidence.
@@timothylindsay3244 still have his HD880’s , DS940’s and his last designed M10 , all original just needed to refoam the woofers . Would be great to see a pair on this Ytube channel.
JBL's name was sold, just like Bose, Pioneer, Rockford, Technics, Soundstream, and the dozens of other excellent companies to others that wanted to maximize profits based on their name recognition. Just note, even Lamborghini makes 4-doors now.
many thanks for this video, I am a JBL lover and owner of two pair of speakers: 2 cheap bookshelf in a little room and 2 main speakers with 4 15" woofers and titanium drivers with wave guides in my listening room. I have the book about JBL but your video add some more info and pictures, so I appreciate the view of this short documentary. Actually JBL is a piece of history and we have to be grateful to these men who studied acoustic and created projects and so loudspeakers to allow us to listen to live music and greatly reproduced music in our homes. If you go deep studying their patents and projects you will not be disappointed! really proud to listen to my loved music JBL products. Best regards from NE Italy CIAO
When my ship was in Japan in 1978 I almost bought a pair of L100s but I couldn't quite afford them because I had already bought a Kenwood amp and tuner. My son bought four JBL Lancer S99s a few years for 80 dollars. He had to have two of the 14 inch woofers refoamed and he replaced two of the tweeters but cosmetically with the wooden grills and original stands, these things are beautiful. They may be the loudest speakers I have ever heard. I have owned three pairs of JBLs and loved them.
JBL professional still makes some good stuff. The 2000s seemed like a kind of low point for them, the VRX and VERTEC were not my favorite speaker to see at concerts, but in the past few years their new VTX speaker arrays, especially the A series, are actually pretty good, though other manufacturers like L-Acoustics and D&B Audiotechnik have risen to the top for big touring bands and festivals. Also they make the LSR studio monitors which I’ve heard good things about. They’re certainly not L100s though. They’ve also always made really good point source install grade speakers for sports venues, and these are mostly pretty good.
Company I worked for had a set of A12's. Much easier to rig than their earlier designs like the Vertec's, took mere minutes to have a stack in the air. I definitely don't miss the old caster boards on the faces that kept falling off while trying to bump a chain motor up!
@@altgraymedia3655 Yeah! VTX A12 seems like a great product. The new arena in Seattle has 8 hangs of those in the rafters. That sound system is massive. They’ve got the A12s for the main bowl, 2 small hangs of A8 facing downward toward the court, 2 hangs of the VTX S28 subs, pd6000 series high power point sources in the east upper bowl, AM5212 point sources in the west upper bowl located behind a sky bridge, VRX 932 in front of the sky bridge and facing the upper bowl corners, control 25-1 under an overhang on the lower bowl, and control 28-1 and control series pendant speakers along with some EV and Bosch speakers in the halls, bathrooms, etc. truly massive.
I had a pair of L-112. I really liked them a lot. I did sell them in the mid 1990's. There are days when I wish I still had them. They were a great set of speakers.
I got the deal of the "century" (pun intended) when i found a pair of JBL Century L100's in perfect condition at an estate sale in the mid 1990's. The orange foam was missing off the grill covers. After pulling off the cover, I saw what they were. "How much?", I casually asked. "$20". For the pair. I've paired them with my restored 1976 Marantz 2325 and still use them each and every day in my recording studio/home office. Absolutely love them and the only speakers I had that can handle the output of the 2325.
JBL is one of the few audio brands that still makes products that cater to various users, as you stated. It's my go to brand if it's available in the budget and use case. I use several portable speakers from them, my two Toyotas are fitted with sound systems bearing their logo, also I have some headphones, but because of iOS's peculiarities I prefer to use some in ear wireless Beats, specially for work. Gladly I will buy more products from them when need arises as for the moment they are covering almost all the needs that arise.
My JBL experience began with a friend's parent's system in high school. Loved listing to these. My first purchased speakers were JBL LX 500 in college. I still have these they are refoamed and stored in their original boxes. My current JBL's are 4310 WX.
I love these videos ❤ could you do a video like this on Gene Czerwinski and Cerwin Vega? It seems like a trend, that all the cool brands and the people behind them really gets chewed up and kicked around alot. Is there any audio company ever that had smooth sailing from the start? I know alot of brands are still around, but are they really?? I mean the names and logos are still in use, but they are often totally different in too many ways. 😅 like seas, scanspeak, vifa and peerless. Mergers, buyouts, shutdowns and restarts... Like the dirty "aristocrats" joke, only with hifi manufacturers instead of people 😂
Jeez there's a name I haven't hear of in years. Speaking of which, I saw Blaupunkt the other day...in the post office on a 32" HD TV with a $199 price tag 😢
As an audiophile (just someone who loves all things related audio). I’ve had both home and audio products from JBL. I loved the loud speakers, their subs and the 1200,1 amp was a monster…
I started out in my JBL Journey with the cinema spot. I was in college and didn't have much money. I absolutely loved these speakers as they were used for mini house parties and my gaming sessions. Fast forward to today, I'm using the JBL encounter and now my left speaker is losing audio . I currently have the JBL Xtreme 2 for my biking needs and I love it. Where I am sad is that I wish JBL would come out with some more unique speakers like the encounter or creature series.
I own a pair of HPM-100 :O It's funny to see vintage stuff that you own in a video, I bought the pair from my neighbour for 4 bucks when I was 15yo in 2011 Hahahaha
I was working at a stereo store in Harvard Sq, Boston as a salesman in the late 70's- early 80's while I went to music college. I bought a pair of JBL L112's which I STILL have! I've reconed the woofers 2 times, but they still sound great. I was able to find a pair of L15's for $150 that are now my matching surround speakers. The best part of these series of JBL's is that they're very effcient. With 90 watts per channel in my home theater, I can literally shake the walls!
JBL Legacy continues! Check out TH-cam's Kenrick Sound out of Tokyo who re-manufactures classic JBL speakers by the hundreds (mainly for rich retired Japanese guys) with upgrades and improvements naturally. This is a hugely important continuation of JBLs legacy products. To talk about JBL's history and not mention this is a serious omission.
A great but very messy history, was JBL's. I'd no idea that Lansing died at 47 years. BUMMER and, not fair! Since I first set eyes and ears onto it, I always after wanted a MINIGON - the baby of the Great and Mighty PARAGON! (With the Metrogon stuck in-between.) My only JBL acquisition was to be a pair of D-208s factory-fresh in the box, and so memorable was that olfactory sensation they produced -- to myself seemingly magical in their effect. Forever I shall think occasionally of James B. Lansing himself most fondly, he and his having been cheated of this owed 'three-score and ten'. ('Got mine long ago!)
James Lansing was noted as an innovative engineer, but a poor businessman. As a result of deteriorating business conditions and personal problems he committed suicide, hanging himself in his home in San Marcos on September 29, 1949, aged 47.
@@bluevalkyrie2517 Hi ! Thanks for the note with information. That is so terribly sad to me, that he had to do such a thing out of despair and pressure likely from business. Well, at least he lives-on in a way, by means of his name on millions of manufactured items. I left information on your Marantz Special a few weeks ago which I enjoyed and learned much from. Ciao!
My dad had L300’S cabinets were mint and all they needed was new surrounds. He ended up selling them for like a 100 bucks in a garage sale. I could cry those should have been mine!
In the early 2000s I picked up a slightly weather beaten JBL 4550A cabinet for $5 at an auction. It got tucked into the storage area of my shop and I occasionally had to dissuade my dad from chopping it up for the plywood. Fast forward to 2017 and my local theater was being cleaned out for the digital conversion. I knew the owner and got an Altec Lansing 8-cell horn, driver, and crossover out of the dump trailer, 15 minutes before it was leaving for the landfill. I then had all the parts. I ordered a couple cheap MCM Audio 15" paper cone drivers, mounted the horn and crossover on top with a Crown DC300A II. An old DOD mixing board combines L and R to feed the Crown. It's kind of a Frankenstein monaural system but my ears are completely spoiled now.
Oh yeah, I have had plenty of iconic JBL products ranging from Lansing, James Lansing, Altec Lansing, and JBL. JBL D series from 110 to 140 in guitar amps and their ceramic successors. My friend has an old old one of a kind built in pair of Jim Lansing speakers with galley rails on top so any items placed on the speakers cannot vibrate off the speakers and fall to the floor. Who would think of that? James Lansing, that's who.
New portable models from Charge 4 to Xtreme 3 are really terrible. They have audio quality just for pop or rap music. Any rock, any electric or another kind of music and they are suck. I prefer to use older models such a Charge 2 and Charge 3. They are perfect for any kind of music and quality of build.
I have a pair of LT100s in my living room. They are powered by my NAD C272. Two sets of C60 are installed in our boat and do a fantastic job. :) A portable boombox, Charge 5, and my party box 200 make everything complete. The 200 has no battery pack but that doesn't bother me, as it's only used when hooked up to a cable. For the beach and camping the Charge 5 is more than enough. The next step is a solar-powered battery pack for it which I will fabricate during the winter. :)
For the last 20 years JBL is really just a branding exercise. They lost their studio monitor market to the smaller Genelec style of very compact studio monitors, as recording studios moved into the homes of the musicians themselves, and thus had to shrink.
I bought JBL Professional Drivers in the late 70`s and early 8ß`s. Still in use since 40 years for Home HiFi.. 4530 rear loading horn, 2205 A 15" Driver, 2441 2" Mid-High Driver, 2390 Horn-Lens, 2397 Wood Horn, 2402, 2405 and 2404 HF Drivers.
Just look at jbl's "Party Line" of equipment. Total garbage, with Peak ratings on the box, on the instruction manual, even on their website. Something JBL would never do in the past, it was RMS only !
Again most companies including JBL are living on there name. Not the only company doing this. Nothing is what it was. My new 1987 Honda Civic lasted for over 350k trouble free. Only reason I traded it in I was tired of looking at it and had enough money to afford better quality. My last NEW car a 2020 Honda Accord. Still a good car, not the same quality as the one that was made in Japan. Not to mention prices are not fair at all. Spent $10,000 out the door. Every option, Tax, Tags, Ect. Today expect to spend $30,000 on something not as good.
NOTHING IS WHAT IT USE TO BE. EXAMPLE, IN THE 1970s MY FIRST RECEIVER. PIONEER SX-1980 IT'S NOW GOING ON 2024. I STILL HAVE IT. SOUNDS GREAT. NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. HOW MANY YEARS IS THAT ? I SPENT JUST UNDER $500. I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT PRICE. WENT THROUGH MANY SPEAKERS OVER THE YEARS. LOOKS LIKE THIS WILL LAST FOREVER! STILL HAS EXCELLENT SOUND QUALITY!
Actually speakers haven't changed that much in 100 years. Some good information but could do without the clickbait title. Nothing happened to JBL. They are still industry leaders with a good reputation and are known for having one of the best research and development teams that are continuing to advance the industry. They are still a huge presence in studio's, in theaters and homes.
Remember listening to the L250's in a local HiFi store together with the massive B460 Sub. This is still to me some of the best HiFi speakers ever made for prmary Rock and rhythmic music, and Their beuty is beyond anything else. Unluckily also completely out of my at that time late teen econonic league 😥Would have been fun tho .. think I wouldn't have needed the sub for my 15m2 room at that time tho 😅 As an aspiring musician that store was what braught me into the world of later building my own systems for our live gigs. It was a fun quircky club of music geeks that imported Highend stuff directly to be on the edge with some of the bigger HiFi stores selling more common consumer products. Being before the internet they provided us the math formulas for designing our own cabinets and crossovers. I ended up with a couple of EV Proline 18"subs and 12" Bas/middle speakers, Middle 2" Horn and a couple of those wellknown JBL Horn tweeters, driven by 5 Niko Alpha II Amps baught used. If people don't remember them it was actually a HiFi 2x120W Power Amp that was fameous for being almost indestructable. Delivering around 300W Bridged. So total was 4x300w for Sub/Bass and 2x120W for the Upper mid/treble. They were dead cheap back then Today I see refurbished ones go for upwards 7-800$. That much more than what they used to go for brand new. Unfortunately They are now long gone and don't even have pictures of the System anymore. But the fun thing was also just to say we build it ourself. Today I would never haull that many amps and passive speakers around.
@@Mr.Robert1 Yeah We had a little local band with I think a propably 20 year old Dynachord Power mixer that we had blown so it was in for repair and we borrowed a brand new 2x300w Mackie mixer and it was peaking all the time and wasn't half the sound level of what the old Dynachord delivered .. the power of class D amps .. lol. It's funny tho cause as soon as you buy Quality powered speakers like we have now they CAN deliver when designed correct. It's just sad to see how much crap even in well known brands that is just pooh. If it is promissing 1/2/3000 wats and cost nearly nothing you can be sure thei're pulling your finger.
I had Jbl for the past 45 years and I have 2 sets of l300s that look amazing but sound amazing as well yes there been some changes but the new high end line sold mostly in Uk and Japan is amazing
I own 21 pairs of vintage JBL & Altec Lansing speakers. Initially I was reluctant to buy JBL's newer range of products, but I could not help myself. I love them too. I wasn't expecting much from them, but boy I was wrong. Though, as much as I enjoy the JBL partybox 1000's and partybox 710/310's, nothing will be replacing my vintage JBL Cabaret series, 4628B's. Still, I don't think you can go wrong with their newer range, especially if you enjoy massive bass levels at ear bleeding, house shaking power. No separate receiver/amplifier needed either. Not bad for a consumer grade product.
I own a pair of JBL L100 classics that were brought out again in 2018 I believe. Love the classic look and sound. I also have a JBL 710 party box and it sounds awesome. Great for party's. I also have a few other Flip series smaller units.
I've owned a pair of L100's since 1987. I bought them from our first landlord right after we got married. They had the original orange foam grills which rotted out. I replaced the foam with a brown fabric insert that JBL sold in the late 80's. I still have the speakers along with the Yamaha receiver I bought at the same time. They still sound good all these years later. I've thought about replacing them but I really don't know what would sound better.
For more of my content subscribe to TH-cam.com/@ThatGuyWithTheBeard
Hello JustAudio. Long a go all the JBL tooling and remaining parts were bought up by the guy behind Kenrick Sound in Tokyo who re-manufactures modern, improved versions of JBL classics by the hundreds (mainly for rich retired Japanese guys). This is a hugely important continuation of JBL's legacy products.
To talk about JBL's history and not mention this is a serious omission.
Dynaco a25 sold over 600,000 pair, far outselling JBL 100.
I have a product of jbl and it's pathetic service don't buy jbl but tribit much better product and price in india
Thanks so much for this video and the history of JBL. My father spent 20 years working for JBL as an Engineer. Harold Newton 60's- through the 1970's. He had 3 draftsmen and 4 that were machinists working for him. He designed the magnet machine that charged them. He also designed the voice coil winding machine. He then had a patent under JBL for the design of the dowel pin that held the grill clothes on the front of the cabinets. All these he would scratch out and then give to the draftsmen and then to the machinists that built the parts. He also designed the carton for the larger cabinet. I remember working as a JR. Draftsman one summer while I was in High School. To test the carton, everyone was invited to the loading dock, and Bill Thomas, President threw the cabinet in the carton off the dock to see what would happen to it. It passed without a scratch. We always had speakers in our home growing up.
This brought good memories and tears to my eyes.
I'm glad we could provide a story to do that! Really, our goal here is to provide the best story possible to envoke emotions. Appreciate you sharing!
From Wellington nz thank you so much for your post I have been using jbl In my pa business for over 35 years and I still love the brand
@@LennyFlorentine No mention of some guy in Asia who many years ago bought up all JBL's pro drivers and tooling? Check out TH-cam's Kenrick Sound out of Tokyo who re-manufactures classic JBL speakers by the dozens with upgrades and improvements naturally. This is a hugely important continuation of JBLs legacy products.
Yes, they were back then and it was a great place to work, and with my Father that was really great. Thanks for post.😊
Jesus, you don't leave home much do you?
What I'm writing here might get taken down for content! I asked Lenny the gent in this video to get me a pair of clear "Lucite" Pioneer HPM 100 Store Demonstration Speakers. He did. They were in rough shape so I asked if they could make them more presentable. Lenny did that and more with genuine Pioneer replacement parts. Lenny tries his best at for every customer. Lenny has a passion for vintage and modern audio. I've brought in over 30 vintage items including 16 monster receivers. Lenny always treats me right. Lenny just finished my rare Pioneer HPM 100 Lucite Speakers. I'm autistic with cerebral palsy and more. Lenny & the Just Audio staff made my dreams come true with these speakers. Behind all the jokes & pranks Lenny is a Good Man!
I love reading positive reviews like this ! Good on you !
I'm mortified
@@ChiefExecutiveOrbiterwhy
>Be Me
>Be Lenny
❤Bose❤. . Jbl🔉💩💉No bass
You asked the audience to post any JBL stories we have in the comments section, so here’s mine, specifically about the Prima that you talk about in detail.
I was employed by JBL in 1972 and started at 3249 Casitas Ave. I was with the company until 1977, but I would come back from 1986 to 1993. The Prima was developed a couple of years after started. Because the Prima was molded from hardened Urethane Foam, it was thought to be a very resilient material, unlike the more commonly used Particle Board or MDF.
The Vice President of Sales at the time was a very charismatic individual by the name of Irv Stern. When it was decided to introduce the Prima to the sales force, a formal dinner meeting was organized. Irv decided to have some fun and pretend that he was the actual industrial designer, dressing up in a flamboyant costume and speaking with a strong, but questionable Italian accent. (I forget what fake Italian name he gave himself.)
After the initial presentation, giving the audience the opportunity to see the color options, a demonstration of their clever stacking design, followed by a listening session, Irv made a big deal of the fact that they were made of a synthetic plastic material and claimed that they endure abuse better then their wood counterparts. He proceed to lift one, a Yellow Prima as I recall, and toss it across the stage. To everyone’s surprise, (they had not rehearsed the latter), it hit the floor and exploded into several pieces. Needless to say, that would not be part of future demos.
Dude, that's a great story! This is great stuff! Thanks for sharing, and keep it up!
I was a retail salesman when the prima came out. We never sold any. NOT ONE. If those wouldn't sell in Austin, I can't see that did well elsewhere. The L 110 did much better. Same speaker in a conventional box. ???Does anyone has sales numbers on the Prima 25? I did sell a Paragon. That was a good day!
*have
@@roberthastings708what did your store do with the surplus?
@Kleinage We had 3 pairs. They sat for months.
The owner took the display, and the other 2 pairs were returned, as I recall. I was just a salesman and not really involved with that part. They didn't sound bad, but the shape and color seemed like the problem.
Thee is a company in Japan called KENRICK SOUND and they have permission from JBL to re-manufacture classic vintage JBL home audio speakers. They have developed improved components for these as well. They do have a TH-cam channel. Their workmanship and passion is amazing to watch.
Damn good the Japanese are anal about perfection
They don’t have permission from JBL they just build and sell reproductions of old JBL studio systems. Very good reproductions.
are they the ones that had their youtube channel and/or videos deleted? I used to watch those
@@EdwardT9 Not that hard to beat JBL in quality lol
I love the Bluetooth speakers by JBL I don’t use old school audio anymore Bluetooth took over and they are just getting better every year good video as usual JBL HAS MADE A NAME FOR ITSELF IN BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS THE BEST OF THE BEST EVERY COMPANY IS TRYING TO OUT DO THEM THAT JBL SIGNATURE SOUND.
As a music producer and sometimes touring musician, I have several D130s in my various rigs. A super efficient workhorse speaker that sounds great. In the studio, I have a set of 4308s. They sound too flattering to mix on, but I love to listen back to projects on them. Nice work on the history.
I've always been a fan of JBL speakers. For me, they represent the "American Sound" I tend to prefer in my audio gear: full-range, full-bodied sound with an emphasis on being entertaining more than revealing; speakers that are easy to enjoy with all genres of music. Today's JBL is almost like an enthusiast's secret...the public know and think of them as a mainstream brand, but we know them for their pro and high-end models like the K2 and Everest. In Asia (especially Japan) JBL vintage and hi-end gear trades for very high prices...for them, this is the American sound they chase. I was all set to buy a pair of the JBL L100 75th Limited Editions (the ones that came with the stands and that monstrous shipping crate), until one day, I stopped into Just Audio and bought a pair of Kef Blade Two's from Spencer and Lenny...an entirely different path, but not as different as it sounds. Great video, Lenny...Keep dropping the knowledge!
Except the TV soundbars from JBL, they sound like crap.
to me jbl is currently over inflated for their quality
Simple, they got acquired by Harman Audio and haven't been the same since. Many of their products are clones of Infinity products now.
Well bc infinity is the same company. So you could call the infinity a clone of the JBL. Most infinity is made to play flatter and JBL louder or peakier. After Mark Harmon passed many engineers left and we saw a decline. Samsung has done a good job revitalizing the brand with large financial support in engineering. They are still a force to be reckoned with.
They suck now,not alot of punchy bass,everything has went to hell in this new millenium
Hello from Chicago burbs. One of my favorite memories growing up at my parents house with a Carver M500 amp and my L112's ❤ watching the lights dim as I turned it up 🤯 ( no parents of course) this content really takes me back 1983!😮
That's the goal! Thanks for sharing!
Carver m500t, my speakers are 105db efficient so she only runs easy at scale.
I've been a fan of JBL for years. I'm a drummer and a bit of an audiophile, so I've been around a good amount of audio gear. I've recorded at a couple of studios years ago, and the JBL monitors they used had such a life-like sound, I was instantly hooked. Back in the mid to late 80s, I bought a set of JBL 12" car audio subwoofers, and I kid you not, those were the best sound quality subs I've ever owned. Sure wish I still had them. 😢
Everyone knows pros use Yamaha monitor speakers not JBL 😊
@@samholdsworth420 haha! Good one. 😄
@@samholdsworth420 You know why? It was not for the clarity or accuracy but because the NS1000M was billed as the closest approximation to the average home stereo system for a mixdown for the masses. They were never intended for or to be audiophile gear. They are meant to be the representation of mediocrity. LOL.
PS. Don't hate on me. I had a pair in my studio for years for this very purpose - final mastering. I got this from Yamaha themselves in their marketing blurb of the time.
@@GarthClarkson hmm I don't remember what model my dad had in his studi but it wasn't the ns 🤔
My jeep still has one inside of it lol. Great sub.
Great video! I made a home built copy of the B460. Got the actual driver off Ebay (2245H), and used the factory specs to design and build a cabinet for it. The result is a phenomenal subwoofer, powered by a 900W amp that I have used to knock snow off my roof in winter. I have discovered the resonant frequency of my house is 27 Hz. My neighbors love it (not). After saying for decades that you can't have too much bass, I have learned that after shaking the house and moving pictures on the walls (and we are there at about 50%), it does become too much.
I've been a JBL fan since high school. Just counted: 23 JBL drivers in my house. Most are from the 70's and 80's.
I really enjoy your 'history' videos! I had the original L100's in the mid '70s and alas divorce separated them from me. It was 50 years later and I was able to obtain a pair of completely refurbished L88 Plus. Thank you again for these great videos! There truly is no sound like JBL's.
I bought my first L100 Century speakers in 1975. Lost them to a burglary in 1979. Bought another pair in the same year. Lost them in a divorce in 2010. Out of music for about 8 years, jumped back in about 5 years ago with a pair of JBL towers. During the pandemic set up a listening room with a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV. Really missed the sound of the L100’s but read some negative reviews of the “new” L100’s so decided to search for a pair of vintage L100 Century’s. Found a pair on EBay and am a happy camper.
I’ve had a pair of 4311’s since 1975. Part of my backup sound system with a Pioneer sx1050, also from 1975.
Both the speakers and receiver still sound great. Wouldn’t ever give up these speakers.
I also bought my 4311’s in 1975. Still listening to them, though not with the SX939 I had originally. I compared the L100s to the 4311s at the time I bought them and the 4311s were much clearer and true to the music, the L100s colored the music with less clarity. Many people at that time were buying Bose 501s or 901s but those couldn’t beat the brilliance of the JBLs!
@@hawgbreath I agree, the Bose had “expansive” sound but not clean or accurate sound.
I still have my L88 speakers from 73. They are like the L100 but without the mid range driver. About 15 years ago I updated the binding posts, build an actual crossover and replaced the old tweeters with JBL Ti035s and did a few more cabinet mods. Sound great. Using a frequency response tester, the one sold by Parts Express, I get +/- 3dB across 40 Hz to about 16K with a little tweak of the tone controls on the amp. Listen to them almost everyday. Sound stage very nice and wide but not too deep. Could be improved with speaker placement but limited by the room size and shape.
I installed this stuff in high end homes in 1974, at the peak of quad. We installed L100 & L200’s with high end Sansui and Dual 1229Q tables. AWESOME! Later, I would use 4560’s & 4550 pro in my live PA systems. Now I have L100 and L200 in my personal studio. SRX is my live system now, but I still have my 4560’s! Love JBL!
As a teen 20 years ago I picked up a vintage Sansui amp and big Pioneer speakers. I LOVED that rich sound.
As someone that was perhaps in the middle of the original 2 channel explosion, working in it from '69 to '81, watching the names appear, grow, multiply,.... technology solidify, ... and to then leave it almost completely until a few decades ago, it is totally confusing as to who is whom anymore.
Your efforts have been incredible on these different big names. Very enjoyable and informative. And I get to throw in person data from the time when you shake the cob webs as well. This one was very well done. Filling in spots in my knowledge of them. And were they went! We appreciate your research!
I "married" a pair of L88's, still connected to her Sansui 5000 X in a 2nd system. She had no problem relegating them to that status after hearing my more recently purchased Maggies.
I have a friend with his original L88's that wanted to upgrade them to L100 by adding the mid. But I think I talked him into getting Ohm Walsh 2000's instead. Especially for his strange rooms arrangement.
But I doubt the Grateful Dead Wall of Sound was designed in 1953! 🙂
Thanks for the insight as always! Got my numbers mixed up haha
@@LennyFlorentine…. Yeah I just let it go
@@Dirtyharry70585 OCD.
I've got record producer Martin Hannet's JBL speakers. He mastered tracks from Joy Division, early U2 and others on those (TLX 9) representing typical 'home' speakers from the time and also Aurotrons for radio/car stereo and some Tannoy Gold's representing high end systems. The final mix had to sound good on all three.
Excellent video by the way.
A legendary producer, with some legendary acts. 'Martin' - FAC325 is an awesome compilation...
that's so cool! so precious.
Thanks both, I've just found his notes... the speakers are TLX 7Gi and he described them... "Beautiful pair of medium size monitors for listening to my mixes when I bring them back to my home music room from the studio... " and then compares them to the Aurotones and Tannoys. For someone with such a wayward life he apparently made notes on everything. It's stange listening to tracks like Love Will Tear Us Apart through them.
@@hackedoff736How so?
@@colnixon8989 I bought them from Chris Hewitt, a friend of Martins. He sold a mountain of stuff on behalf of the family.
In high school in late 70’s saving up all I could afford were the JBl L26. After school I would lay on the floor positioning each speaker like headphones to feel the power of the newly released Physical graffiti album Led Zeppelin album. Powerful experience.
My first connection with JBL was a disco in Chicago (Dugan's Bistro) - which had JBL Pro Series speakers and the the best DJ (Lou DiVito - 3 time winner of the national DJ contest). Other disco / dance systems had JBL Pro Series speakers, and I was absolutely hooked on their sound!
I bought my first system in 1978 and my intention was to buy the Century L-100's, but the salesman that I had dealt with for a long time talked me into buying the L-166 Horizon's. That was a mistake because I never did like the way they sounded, but I kept them for awhile and then sold them. In 1981 while stationed in Okinawa, I bought a pair of L-112's when they first came out and they were awesome. I still have them to this day in mint condition. I'm still amazed at the way they sound. I'm surprised that you didn't mention these.
my exposure to JBL is as a DJ. I own 515xt’s and they are still going strong after 10 years of use at events. Great sound and technology built into them. Thank you for this video.
dude samw! 10 years going strong
Thanks for the video and history lesson. Having become a fan of JBL products just a couple years ago. And not sure I will want anything less moving forward. (And I have had some decent audio gear: Pioneer Elite, and Onkyo receivers, Polk and Marantz speakers) so it was nice learning about the history of JBL. I didn't realize their impact in the Pro Audio segment. Good video.
Great vid! I still have my JBL 4312 and a set of JBL 4311's in my music room, they are over 30 years old respectively, bought them while I was in the Army. Still sound great! Awesome vid and back story of the JBL company and how it came about. Keep the great work!
I brought my JBL L-150, The Big brother to the JBL L-100 when I was in the Military in Germany around 1980. That means I had these speakers for 43 years😲
Can you share a bit more about your 4311? Because I'm planning to save up for 4311 and I already have my eyes set on them but when I looked it up on forums there are always people saying 4312 / L112 are better so I'm interested to hear a bit more about your experience with them
@@tormenmashi_ The 4311s are a bit more subdude on the sound in comparison to the 4312. Now both models are the originals, not variants as there are models (a, b, c). The difference is in the arrangement of the drivers, were the 4311's woofer sits on top and the midrange and tweeter sit on the bottom of the speaker box with the high and mid adjustment controls. The 4312's area bit brighter and although the mids and tweeters look similar, I believe there is a difference in how they were set up frequency-wise. However, they both sound good, it also depends on your preference of music, your hi fi set up. The L112 as I understand came with titanium tweeters which makes the sound much more brighter than the 11 and 12 (first gen). I believe the 12 variants (b, c) came with titanium tweeters later. Hope this helps a bit, hopefully, someone else may have more to add.
@tormenmashi_ lpsalas.. is right on. I've found very little info from JBL. I have owned 4312b. The main differences in all of the 43xx series are the tweeters, x-overs, and driver alignment. If it were me, I'd look at cabinet condition and the amplifier used to drive them over the years. Enjoy the journey.
*owned for about 30yrs. Purchased new from Army PX.
I spent almost a year in 1977 looking and listening to speakers for my stereo and kept coming back to JBL Century L100s. I purchased a pair late in 1977 and They have been with me ever since. The 70s orange grills dried out and fell apart in the early 90s but nothing has ever failed and they have been rocked, classicalled and country westered to death. The last few years they have been enjoying Rammstein and several other Germany heavy metal bands. Most likely I will have them until I die.
I've been using Control 5 and Control 1 speakers for many years now and I love the natural sound of them. They are my go-to reference for near-field auditioning.
In the pictures you show the altec 604a, jbl 4355, l100 etc. I own all of the speakers you shown currently in my collection. I’m still a sucker for vintage Altec hifi. I was raised on it. Thanks for making this video.
They were purchased by Harman who are owned by Samsung... and it shows in their current product range, and not for the better. Crown are owned by Harman also, it shows in their product range too.
Hello folks;
They bought Auadx speaker around the end of the 80's.
Hanging around The Speaker Shop. The question came up we all said. They'll wreak it as the same as anything that they touch.
As a big fan of JBL, I had/worked on lots of JBL speakers...not only home speakers, but also a couple headphones, some car audio setups with JBL amp and speakers, etc. I'm watching this video on 4411. Also have CF100, J900MII, 308P MKii, Studio 590 theater setup, SRX speakers, etc. All very good products.
I still have a pair of L26 Decades I purchased in 1973. Originally had 4 used with a simulated 4 Channel HK 75+ receiver. My first system. Wanted the L100 but couldn't afford them at the time. Have only had to recone the woffer a couple of times through the years. Use in my office and still enjoy that 70's sound they produce. Thank you for the video.
Yeah man same here! Use em all the time with a vintage 70’s Technics receiver. Killer sound! Added a Bluetooth dongle😉
Also, JBL used a patented rounded-edge on their woofers, which was incented by Edward Villchur of Acoustics Research in 1953 also known as acoustic suspension woofers. Please make a note for same, and have a nice Labor Day weekend.
Very interesting! My first speakers were a pair of AR-2’s!
Another great informative article. Please keep them coming!
Thanks, will do!
I Love JBL .... i've owned JBL Bluetooth speakers for years now and i'm really Happy with the quality.... My favourite JBL related experience was to Help a friend restore a pair of Vintage L100's which became my absolute dream speakers after listening to them after they where finished .... And the Looks of them are Just gorgeous
In 1963 I bought a pair of JBL C50 Olympus for about $1k each. They had LE15A woofers and PR15 passive radiators along with the 375 driver/horn and 075 tweeter. Almost 200 lbs each and still sounding great today!
Started my JBL journey with a Diy set of 12" JBL D123a woofers and a 1" dome tweeter back in the late 70's, rocked for many years with my Marantz 2325 receiver what a combo ( I still have both! ) ! Moved on to the JBL L100t towers powered with an Adcom Gfa-555, same Jbl sound just more of it! Currently using the JBL Stage A-190 towers, notice a trend here? Just an audio enthusiast , not an audio snob. It's worked for me, many years of listening enjoyment.
I had JBL's on my Fender Twin reverb amp, in my 4 by 12 cabinet and a few years ago the mighty Control 5's. These not very well loved among enthusiasts but very good as far as I'm concerned.
Good summation, though omitting the fact that the Harmon connection shut down their R&D/design and spares operations. I've lost count of the number of Control series units I've installed, but they were classic bulletproof JBL gear, from the JBL horn systems we built at Liverpool university in the 70s, to the last control 5s I bought, for myself, they are part of my history. these days I'm more fond of Dynaudio, (hint - do a video about them), and Genelec, but yes, they were giants.
No mention of “Ed May” the design engineer of the JBL L100 and many other models , if you look at his history he left JBL and moved to Marantz Superscope to become their head of loudspeaker designer . He used it to turn out three complete lines of loudspeakers in very short order. However, this was the last loudspeaker work he would perform. Edmond May passed away suddenly in 1980 while still at his desk employed at Marantz .
Indeed….I owned a pair of Ed May designed Marantz Hd880 speakers purchased new in 1978 while stationed in Germany. These were superb speakers and served me well for many years. JBL hit their pinnacle in home stereo 2 channel systems about the time Ed May departed, not a coincidence.
@@timothylindsay3244 still have his HD880’s , DS940’s and his last designed M10 , all original just needed to refoam the woofers . Would be great to see a pair on this Ytube channel.
I have a set of L5’s I’ve been rocking every day since the 90s. Love ‘em. Nothing compares for the price.
JBL's name was sold, just like Bose, Pioneer, Rockford, Technics, Soundstream, and the dozens of other excellent companies to others that wanted to maximize profits based on their name recognition. Just note, even Lamborghini makes 4-doors now.
In fairness, so does Porsche (for 20 years) and lately, Ferrari.
Pioneer, technics, Bose, are all still the original companies.
many thanks for this video, I am a JBL lover and owner of two pair of speakers: 2 cheap bookshelf in a little room and 2 main speakers with 4 15" woofers and titanium drivers with wave guides in my listening room. I have the book about JBL but your video add some more info and pictures, so I appreciate the view of this short documentary. Actually JBL is a piece of history and we have to be grateful to these men who studied acoustic and created projects and so loudspeakers to allow us to listen to live music and greatly reproduced music in our homes. If you go deep studying their patents and projects you will not be disappointed! really proud to listen to my loved music JBL products. Best regards from NE Italy CIAO
Hey can you do about ADS? Their speakers rocked, then they stopped making speakers.
When my ship was in Japan in 1978 I almost bought a pair of L100s but I couldn't quite afford them because I had already bought a Kenwood amp and tuner. My son bought four JBL Lancer S99s a few years for 80 dollars. He had to have two of the 14 inch woofers refoamed and he replaced two of the tweeters but cosmetically with the wooden grills and original stands, these things are beautiful. They may be the loudest speakers I have ever heard. I have owned three pairs of JBLs and loved them.
JBL professional still makes some good stuff. The 2000s seemed like a kind of low point for them, the VRX and VERTEC were not my favorite speaker to see at concerts, but in the past few years their new VTX speaker arrays, especially the A series, are actually pretty good, though other manufacturers like L-Acoustics and D&B Audiotechnik have risen to the top for big touring bands and festivals. Also they make the LSR studio monitors which I’ve heard good things about. They’re certainly not L100s though. They’ve also always made really good point source install grade speakers for sports venues, and these are mostly pretty good.
Company I worked for had a set of A12's. Much easier to rig than their earlier designs like the Vertec's, took mere minutes to have a stack in the air. I definitely don't miss the old caster boards on the faces that kept falling off while trying to bump a chain motor up!
@@altgraymedia3655 Yeah! VTX A12 seems like a great product. The new arena in Seattle has 8 hangs of those in the rafters.
That sound system is massive. They’ve got the A12s for the main bowl, 2 small hangs of A8 facing downward toward the court, 2 hangs of the VTX S28 subs, pd6000 series high power point sources in the east upper bowl, AM5212 point sources in the west upper bowl located behind a sky bridge, VRX 932 in front of the sky bridge and facing the upper bowl corners, control 25-1 under an overhang on the lower bowl, and control 28-1 and control series pendant speakers along with some EV and Bosch speakers in the halls, bathrooms, etc. truly massive.
I’ve had my JBL 4365’s for 11 years now. I just love the way they make music.
I had a pair of L-112. I really liked them a lot. I did sell them in the mid 1990's. There are days when I wish I still had them. They were a great set of speakers.
I got the deal of the "century" (pun intended) when i found a pair of JBL Century L100's in perfect condition at an estate sale in the mid 1990's. The orange foam was missing off the grill covers. After pulling off the cover, I saw what they were. "How much?", I casually asked. "$20". For the pair. I've paired them with my restored 1976 Marantz 2325 and still use them each and every day in my recording studio/home office. Absolutely love them and the only speakers I had that can handle the output of the 2325.
JBL is one of the few audio brands that still makes products that cater to various users, as you stated. It's my go to brand if it's available in the budget and use case. I use several portable speakers from them, my two Toyotas are fitted with sound systems bearing their logo, also I have some headphones, but because of iOS's peculiarities I prefer to use some in ear wireless Beats, specially for work. Gladly I will buy more products from them when need arises as for the moment they are covering almost all the needs that arise.
My JBL experience began with a friend's parent's system in high school. Loved listing to these. My first purchased speakers were JBL LX 500 in college. I still have these they are refoamed and stored in their original boxes.
My current JBL's are 4310 WX.
I love these videos ❤ could you do a video like this on Gene Czerwinski and Cerwin Vega? It seems like a trend, that all the cool brands and the people behind them really gets chewed up and kicked around alot. Is there any audio company ever that had smooth sailing from the start? I know alot of brands are still around, but are they really?? I mean the names and logos are still in use, but they are often totally different in too many ways. 😅 like seas, scanspeak, vifa and peerless. Mergers, buyouts, shutdowns and restarts... Like the dirty "aristocrats" joke, only with hifi manufacturers instead of people 😂
I too would like know about Cerwin Vega
A cerwin vega episode would be great
Jeez there's a name I haven't hear of in years.
Speaking of which, I saw Blaupunkt the other day...in the post office on a 32" HD TV with a $199 price tag 😢
My dad still has a pair of black L250's in his living room, they look and sound amazing, the design really is something.
As an audiophile (just someone who loves all things related audio).
I’ve had both home and audio products from JBL.
I loved the loud speakers, their subs and the 1200,1 amp was a monster…
I just bought a Bluetooth JBL Charge 5 and the sound is so dope. Bass is great awesome little speaker to take to the beach
Converting all my speakers into JBL
Still own my 1979 stereo system with JBL 4311's.
Wonderful!
Used JBL for live concerts in the 80's. The speakers were awesome.
I had a pair of disco 100’s in my bedroom when i was 17. My parents were so cool… on top a vitavox horn and jbl bullets.
There's no noise in Illinois! Cmon man!
As someone who live in Illinois, it drives me crazy when someone pronounces the "S" on the end of Illinois
I'll join for$3.99 a month to Get a pair of model 5 speakers
KLH entered the group chat
i have the same Marantz to you right
I started out in my JBL Journey with the cinema spot. I was in college and didn't have much money. I absolutely loved these speakers as they were used for mini house parties and my gaming sessions. Fast forward to today, I'm using the JBL encounter and now my left speaker is losing audio . I currently have the JBL Xtreme 2 for my biking needs and I love it. Where I am sad is that I wish JBL would come out with some more unique speakers like the encounter or creature series.
Thanks for sharing!
I own a pair of HPM-100 :O It's funny to see vintage stuff that you own in a video, I bought the pair from my neighbour for 4 bucks when I was 15yo in 2011 Hahahaha
Chyna
I was working at a stereo store in Harvard Sq, Boston as a salesman in the late 70's- early 80's while I went to music college. I bought a pair of JBL L112's which I STILL have! I've reconed the woofers 2 times, but they still sound great. I was able to find a pair of L15's for $150 that are now my matching surround speakers. The best part of these series of JBL's is that they're very effcient. With 90 watts per channel in my home theater, I can literally shake the walls!
JBL Legacy continues! Check out TH-cam's Kenrick Sound out of Tokyo who re-manufactures classic JBL speakers by the hundreds (mainly for rich retired Japanese guys) with upgrades and improvements naturally. This is a hugely important continuation of JBLs legacy products. To talk about JBL's history and not mention this is a serious omission.
A great but very messy history, was JBL's.
I'd no idea that Lansing died at 47 years.
BUMMER and, not fair!
Since I first set eyes and ears onto it, I always after wanted a MINIGON - the baby of the Great and Mighty PARAGON! (With the Metrogon stuck in-between.)
My only JBL acquisition was to be a pair of D-208s factory-fresh in the box, and so memorable was that olfactory sensation they produced -- to myself seemingly magical in their effect.
Forever I shall think occasionally of James B. Lansing himself most fondly, he and his having been cheated of this owed 'three-score and ten'. ('Got mine long ago!)
James Lansing was noted as an innovative engineer, but a poor businessman. As a result of deteriorating business conditions and personal problems he committed suicide, hanging himself in his home in San Marcos on September 29, 1949, aged 47.
@@bluevalkyrie2517
Hi !
Thanks for the note with information.
That is so terribly sad to me, that he had to do such a thing out of despair and pressure likely from business.
Well, at least he lives-on in a way, by means of his name on millions of manufactured items.
I left information on your Marantz Special a few weeks ago which I enjoyed and learned much from.
Ciao!
Next up: The Rise & Fall of Aiwa. They were the sh*t back in the 90's lol.
I have owned JBL Speakers since the 1980s They are still my Main theater speakers !
I'm listening to this episode on JBL wireless headphones, great for podcasts and the like.
Cheers.
Awesome!
My dad had L300’S cabinets were mint and all they needed was new surrounds. He ended up selling them for like a 100 bucks in a garage sale. I could cry those should have been mine!
The Bear designed and applied the wall of sound in 1973, not 1953.
I have a pair of crossovers like the one shown @4:46
@Just Audio There were no line array speakers on woodstock, hanley put o 4 15'' in one box, not 8
They made solid PA speakers. I recently tried a pair of their headphones and was very disappointed, had to return them
In the early 2000s I picked up a slightly weather beaten JBL 4550A cabinet for $5 at an auction. It got tucked into the storage area of my shop and I occasionally had to dissuade my dad from chopping it up for the plywood. Fast forward to 2017 and my local theater was being cleaned out for the digital conversion. I knew the owner and got an Altec Lansing 8-cell horn, driver, and crossover out of the dump trailer, 15 minutes before it was leaving for the landfill. I then had all the parts. I ordered a couple cheap MCM Audio 15" paper cone drivers, mounted the horn and crossover on top with a Crown DC300A II. An old DOD mixing board combines L and R to feed the Crown. It's kind of a Frankenstein monaural system but my ears are completely spoiled now.
Why did not mention about L300 at all?
Oh yeah, I have had plenty of iconic JBL products ranging from Lansing, James Lansing, Altec Lansing, and JBL. JBL D series from 110 to 140 in guitar amps and their ceramic successors. My friend has an old old one of a kind built in pair of Jim Lansing speakers with galley rails on top so any items placed on the speakers cannot vibrate off the speakers and fall to the floor. Who would think of that? James Lansing, that's who.
I have Jbl LX55 and also TLX12 on my desktop, love them!
Jbl=Just Bloody Loud
I still like and use my L100Ts... 🙂 I bought them new around 1993 or so, I'd guess.
My JBL partybox 110 lasted less than 3 months. 😞
New portable models from Charge 4 to Xtreme 3 are really terrible. They have audio quality just for pop or rap music. Any rock, any electric or another kind of music and they are suck. I prefer to use older models such a Charge 2 and Charge 3. They are perfect for any kind of music and quality of build.
I have a pair of LT100s in my living room. They are powered by my NAD C272. Two sets of C60 are installed in our boat and do a fantastic job. :)
A portable boombox, Charge 5, and my party box 200 make everything complete. The 200 has no battery pack but that doesn't bother me, as it's only used when hooked up to a cable. For the beach and camping the Charge 5 is more than enough. The next step is a solar-powered battery pack for it which I will fabricate during the winter. :)
For the last 20 years JBL is really just a branding exercise. They lost their studio monitor market to the smaller Genelec style of very compact studio monitors, as recording studios moved into the homes of the musicians themselves, and thus had to shrink.
I bought JBL Professional Drivers in the late 70`s and early 8ß`s. Still in use since 40 years for Home HiFi.. 4530 rear loading horn, 2205 A 15" Driver, 2441 2" Mid-High Driver, 2390 Horn-Lens, 2397 Wood Horn, 2402, 2405 and 2404 HF Drivers.
Just look at jbl's "Party Line" of equipment. Total garbage, with Peak ratings on the box, on the instruction manual, even on their website. Something JBL would never do in the past, it was RMS only !
Again most companies including JBL are living on there name.
Not the only company doing this. Nothing is what it was.
My new 1987 Honda Civic lasted for over 350k trouble free. Only reason I traded it in I was tired of looking at it and had enough money to afford better quality.
My last NEW car a 2020 Honda Accord. Still a good car, not the same quality as the one that was made in Japan.
Not to mention prices are not fair at all.
Spent $10,000 out the door. Every option, Tax, Tags, Ect.
Today expect to spend $30,000 on something not as good.
NOTHING IS WHAT IT USE TO BE. EXAMPLE, IN THE 1970s MY FIRST RECEIVER.
PIONEER SX-1980
IT'S NOW GOING ON 2024.
I STILL HAVE IT.
SOUNDS GREAT.
NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. HOW MANY YEARS IS THAT ?
I SPENT JUST UNDER $500.
I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT PRICE. WENT THROUGH MANY SPEAKERS OVER THE YEARS. LOOKS LIKE THIS WILL LAST FOREVER!
STILL HAS EXCELLENT SOUND QUALITY!
Actually speakers haven't changed that much in 100 years. Some good information but could do without the clickbait title. Nothing happened to JBL. They are still industry leaders with a good reputation and are known for having one of the best research and development teams that are continuing to advance the industry. They are still a huge presence in studio's, in theaters and homes.
Remember listening to the L250's in a local HiFi store together with the massive B460 Sub. This is still to me some of the best HiFi speakers ever made for prmary Rock and rhythmic music, and Their beuty is beyond anything else. Unluckily also completely out of my at that time late teen econonic league 😥Would have been fun tho .. think I wouldn't have needed the sub for my 15m2 room at that time tho 😅
As an aspiring musician that store was what braught me into the world of later building my own systems for our live gigs. It was a fun quircky club of music geeks that imported Highend stuff directly to be on the edge with some of the bigger HiFi stores selling more common consumer products. Being before the internet they provided us the math formulas for designing our own cabinets and crossovers. I ended up with a couple of EV Proline 18"subs and 12" Bas/middle speakers, Middle 2" Horn and a couple of those wellknown JBL Horn tweeters, driven by 5 Niko Alpha II Amps baught used. If people don't remember them it was actually a HiFi 2x120W Power Amp that was fameous for being almost indestructable. Delivering around 300W Bridged. So total was 4x300w for Sub/Bass and 2x120W for the Upper mid/treble. They were dead cheap back then Today I see refurbished ones go for upwards 7-800$. That much more than what they used to go for brand new. Unfortunately They are now long gone and don't even have pictures of the System anymore. But the fun thing was also just to say we build it ourself. Today I would never haull that many amps and passive speakers around.
Not only that. 120 watts was exactly 120 watts Rms per channel or more ! Not some super inflated Peak rating that is meaningless.
@@Mr.Robert1 Yeah We had a little local band with I think a propably 20 year old Dynachord Power mixer that we had blown so it was in for repair and we borrowed a brand new 2x300w Mackie mixer and it was peaking all the time and wasn't half the sound level of what the old Dynachord delivered .. the power of class D amps .. lol. It's funny tho cause as soon as you buy Quality powered speakers like we have now they CAN deliver when designed correct. It's just sad to see how much crap even in well known brands that is just pooh. If it is promissing 1/2/3000 wats and cost nearly nothing you can be sure thei're pulling your finger.
Those old Niko's was also nearly as heavy as a Crown 2x300w amp
I had Jbl for the past 45 years and I have 2 sets of l300s that look amazing but sound amazing as well yes there been some changes but the new high end line sold mostly in Uk and Japan is amazing
That was just awesome to watch!
I definitely appreciate these videos, keep it up!
Thanks, will do!
I own 21 pairs of vintage JBL & Altec Lansing speakers. Initially I was reluctant to buy JBL's newer range of products, but I could not help myself. I love them too. I wasn't expecting much from them, but boy I was wrong. Though, as much as I enjoy the JBL partybox 1000's and partybox 710/310's, nothing will be replacing my vintage JBL Cabaret series, 4628B's. Still, I don't think you can go wrong with their newer range, especially if you enjoy massive bass levels at ear bleeding, house shaking power. No separate receiver/amplifier needed either. Not bad for a consumer grade product.
Party box shows there peek power only ! Not the rms. Something that the old JBL would NEVER do.
A peek rating is meaningless.
I own a pair of JBL L100 classics that were brought out again in 2018 I believe. Love the classic look and sound. I also have a JBL 710 party box and it sounds awesome. Great for party's. I also have a few other Flip series smaller units.
I was a fan of JBL until I bought a JBL Link bluetooth speaker with its annoying Google advertisement at the start up....everytime you start it up.
I've owned a pair of L100's since 1987. I bought them from our first landlord right after we got married. They had the original orange foam grills which rotted out. I replaced the foam with a brown fabric insert that JBL sold in the late 80's. I still have the speakers along with the Yamaha receiver I bought at the same time. They still sound good all these years later. I've thought about replacing them but I really don't know what would sound better.
Seen a lot of comments but everyone overlooked the most obvious of all the name JBL=Junk But Loud