The OFFICIAL JBL Owners Thread

I just upgraded my main speakers from JBL G300 to the JBL Balboa 30. I am looking for a more substantial center than the JBL Balboa center (prefer 3 way versus 2 way). I am looking at the JBL EC 35, but no luck finding it online (besides amazon).

Anyhow, my max budget is 200 with shipping, so are there any recommendations? I see the LC1 and LC2 and wondered how those would timbre match with my balboas? If not, what other JBL speaker should I be looking at? I will be using my set up as 90% HT and 10% gaming.

Center: S Center II
Fronts: S38 II
Rear: N24 II
Sub: Athena AS-P300

Thanks to thrifty shopping, that whole system cost me under $500.

At my production station I have a pair of E30s hooked up to a T-Amp. Poor man's monitors, what can I say?

I haven't heard the Balboa, but I would say they wouldn't match very well. The LC1 and 2 are completely different beasts: different crossovers, different drivers, different high end frequency response.

The Balboa center would be the best choice, or pick up an LC1 or 2, and then plan on upgrading your fronts to the Studio L series down the road.

Good points. I didn't notice the different crossover points until I started comparing brochures. Some have said the Balboas are based on the Northridge series and that getting an EC35 will timbre match with the Balboa30.

Balboa30:
http://www.jbl.com/home/products/pro...CheckProduct=Y

Balboa Center:
http://www.jbl.com/home/products/pro...CheckProduct=Y

EC35:
http://www.jbl.com/home/products/pro...CheckProduct=Y

Does the EC35 look comparable to the Balboa center?

There's one on fleabay. (No connection to me.) It seems a little on the pricey side, though. H/K's ebay store frequently has the EC35. Keep watching. I got mine from another vendor for $135 + shipping. Great little cc, IMHO. I cannot say if it will timbre match your Balboas....but I'd guess that it will come pretty close.

Yes, the EC35 uses the same "3/4" (19mm) Titanium-laminate dome, shielded" that the Balboa Center uses "19mm (3/4") Titanium-laminate dome, shielded".

The key to timbre-(voice)-matching is the High Frequency Driver for the entire Series.

Phil

I was thinking about doing this thread a while ago.

I love my JBLs.
Have SRX Series, Northridge E series, Studio S series, and some Studio Monitors.
Oh and some Pro Cinema JBL Subs.

JBL For the win!
Love these speakers.

My current setup (7.1) is:

L/R fronts = S - 38II (although I have also a pair of E -50)
Center = EC - 35
Surr. + SB's = E - 30
SW = SVS PB-10 ISD.

My next goal could be the Studio L Series, but only when they got discontinued (so I can get some incredible deals at Fry's, as their current prices are a bit too high, IMO and I'm fine with my current setup for now).

As an additional info, I've heard a, let's say, very unusual setup at a friend's house a while back: 03 centers all over the front stage ( LC -2) and the sound was just wonderful to my ears ( all 3 layed horizontally over a rack ).

From my post in the other one:

This is my current JBL setup:
Recever: H/K AVR 147
Mains: JBL E60
Center: JBL E25 (upgrade to E35 planed when one can be found in Cherry)
Surround: JBL E20
Sub: Audio Pro Ace Bass B2-40

Pulled it off (w/o the receiver) for about $350 when the E Series was just ended and there were really good deals on refurbs on E-Bay. Mains were new, and the sub was one my dad had but was never able to use due to lack of a pre-amp.

Let's see... And my car (Toyota Avalon, it was free) has a JBL system in it, and my parents have some studio monitors set up in the living room at there house. On that topic, I think that in the radio station that my dad used to own we used JBL stuff.

On the EC 35, you can find a LOT of black ones around if you look just a little. The Cherry and Beach ones are a pain to find though (if any one does, pass the word to me!)

I'm also kicking my self for not stopping back by the local tweeter on the last day to see if they could give me the pair of Studio L's they had left for a steel. At 50% off, they were just at the price you could grab them online. Unfortuntally I was out of town, and coudent find any one with good bargining skills to go in and cover for me. But hey, I got to fly down to Florida for free (well, the gas for the plane and were I stayed was), so I guess that evens out.

Current setup (7.1)
Mains: E100
Center: EC35
Surrounds: E20 x 4
Sub: PC-Ultra (legacy version)

I've also owned the E250P (actually I still "own" that one), PB12, SP120PII, and whatever sub was the predecessor to the PB10.

They used (still do?) to have killer deals on the SP120PII. If you can find it for a good price, that is a very good sub.

I just posted this is the Post you speakers stickied thread.

However,

Front LX55's
Rear 2500's
Center n-Series Center
non-JBL sub, and I may need to upgrade!!!

I bought the LX55 and 2500's as a poor college student in 1991. The center came in 2001. So the average age of my JBL's is 14 years old.

So has anyone heard much on the new Northridge ES Series?

Looks like the same old northridge with another cosmetic makeover. Better to find ebay deals on the e series.

Does anyone know what the 3rd driver is though. It doesn't look big enough to be a midrange. Probably a supertweeter, a la the studio L series.

I'm thinking it's also a supertweeter.. I wonder if this line will have any bi-pole speakers? I've been wanting a pair of JBL bi-pole speakers, but if I can't find one besides the performance line, I'll just get an infinity..

I own JBL S38s for my 2 channel system. I think they're great for parties (I've even DJ'd with them in a small room) or when you just want some good bass.

Mine is a pretty crazy mix right now but I got:

JBL Balboa 30's
JBL Balboa Center
Paradigm 390 rear's
HSU 3.3 with Turbo Sub

I must say the Balboa's Sound WAY better than the money I spent for all 3. Money WELL spent in my very humble opinion.

I'm in the process of getting speakers to go with the rest of my setup, here is the room and equipment in it now:

Room : 12x20x8
Seating : My chair (I'm single) is centered, center of chair 4' from back wall
Equipment:
Yamaha RX-V661 AVR
Yamaha 2600 5.1 speaker setup (cheap, works if played LOUD!)
JVC 61" DiLA TV
Sony BDP-S300 Blu Ray Player
Toshiba HDA2 HDDVD Player
Dish Vip622 HD DVR Satellite Receiver

System is strictly for Video/tv viewing and listening, with a very seldom FM radio useage.

Here is the JBL Series I'm looking at :

http://www.jbl.com/home/products/ser...=US&Region=USA

I'm planning on the Balcony's as all satellites as I like wall mounting, the center and the 12" sub, in a 7.1 setup.

Opinions please. And should I consider towers for the front L/R vice the Balconys? This series seems to fit my budget and I like the JBL sound.

My only other set considered is the Cerwin-Vega CLSC series.

thanks

My JBL system is great for HT and not too bad for music...better than many higher priced systems I've auditioned, in fact. My current setup is about to change as I just acquired a NOS pair of S38's. They'll have surround duty in place of the J350A's. I prefer the older models, up to the Studio S series, as they have pure (and not plated) titanium dome tweeters and rock solid cabinets.

Mains - S312's
Center - EC35 (quite underrated cc speaker!)
Surrounds - J350A (20 year old 3-way floor standing system with 10" woofers and passive radiators)
Rears - Infinity Reference Ones.

All are driven by a Yamaha RX-V2500.

This is an inexpensive system, that IMHO performs WAY over it's head.

It's nice to have a little home for JBL fans on the site.

OK guys, I'm a bit of a JBL fanatic, and if I listed all the stuff I've collected over the years, you'd want to slap me. It started right out of high school when I got a summer job on the Penn Central Railroad and could afford a real stereo before going off to college. My first JBLs were a brand new pair of L100 Centuries, which survived college, three kids growing up, and a divorce, and I still have them today. Not bad for $546 a pair in 1970.

I have lots of different JBL systems around the house and in my offices, but my main home system these days is the JBL Performance Series. Altogether I'm running six PT800s, one PC600, two PS1400s, and three HTPS400s as subs. Two of the PT800s are stacked with the 14", 400W PS1400s to run as main L&R front full range HT speakers and as a standalone stereo pair.

One day in Fry's Electronics I came across a pair of Northridge E50 open box specials for a crazy price, so I grabbed them and subsequently took one apart to examine it. It's an amazing speaker in many ways, even incorporating some of the same JBL technology as the Performance Series. In most ways the E50 is superior to my venerable L100s, though the L100 goes lower with it's 12" woofer and it has a nice walnut veneer cabinet. The E50 cabinet is technically superior, however.

The newer Venue Series brings much of the value and innovation of the E Series to a lower price point, and the upcoming ES Series should be a discernible improvement over the E Series. The best of the main consumer lines is the Studio L Series, which is out of the price range most of you are looking at right now, but sound for sound and dollar for dollar it is the best deal in its market segment. If you ever find a way to squeeze a set of those out of your budget, you'll be very happy.

Filecat....

How do you use your Centuries? 2-channel?

My first set of JBL's was a beautiful pair of L100's. I wish I still had them today, as I lost them to a very unappreciative EX-first wife!

I had a tough time deciding whether to buy the NOS Studio S's this week, or going to the new Studio L line for surrounds. The L's have received some good reviews. But I guess I was overwhelmed by the urge for aesthetic 5-channel speaker 'matching'. Have you auditioned the L's? How do they compare to your Centuries? (Which, by the way, are fantastic, classic monitors, admired by many knowing audiophiles to this day.)

Perhaps With the JBL owners thread, Others like me that own JBL speakers can get some help and respect.

Perhaps someone here can have some positive input in my search for a Center Channel Speaker to work with my L7's. Here are the L7's specifications:

JBL L7

Recomended Power: 35 - 450 watts per channel
Impedance: 6 Ohms
Sensitivity: 91 db (1 watt@ 1 meter)
Frequency responce: 30 Hz - 27 kHz (+/- 6db)
Configuration: 4-way
12" / 8" / 5" / 1" titanium dome
Cross Over: 180 Hz / 900 Hz / 4 Khz
Enclosure: Tuned port, floor standing
47" X 9-5/8"X 17-5/8"

I was using a older Marantz 2 channel amplifier, currently using a Yamaha RX-V659 rear surrounds are JBL Control series monitors.

I was looking at the current JBL LC1 & LC2 but don't think it will match up due to the LC1/LC2 UFD driver and crossover points. The P35 has 3/4" (19mm) Titanium-laminate dome but the crossover is 800Hz, 3200Hz. closser but still questionable due to the laminated titanium versius pure titanium dome and crossover not exact.

Also been looking at older S-series (used) center speakers they are suppose to have 1" pure titanium dome but the crossover points are still 800Hz, 3200Hz.

Anyone have any input or using L7's in a home HT setup?

Did they have the Venue series hooked up? In particular, I'm looking at using all Venue Balconys as L/R/LS/RS/LB/RB, Center and Sub for my movie/tv only HT setup and have wondered how the performance would be in that setup.

Room: 15x18x8
TV: Mitsubishi 62525 (62" DLP)
Mains: JBL Balboa 30s
Center: Balboa Center
Surrounds: Insignia NS-B2111
Rear Surround: KLH L652B
Receiver: Pioneer VSX 1016 (THX Select 2 Certified)

A hodge podge collection of speakers that sound great to me. I'm done upgrading for awhile now.....

100r1.....

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Either center will work fine. I have used a couple of different centers (but not the L-series), and the EC35 mates with my S312's just fine, in spite of 1. titanium laminate vs. pure titanium tweets, and 2. slightly different crossover points. They're close enough. Remember, these crossovers aren't brick walls...they fall off (the degree of which depends upon the model). I have a great timbre match and even prefer the EC35 over the plastic cabinet S-Center.

Fear not. Go forth and slay the center channel fear demons!!

EDIT: Sorry about this, but I'm urged to be a fanboy for a second. And you're right about the respect thing. Boutique and trendy speakers are the fashion, now. People get really snooty about the inferiority of JBL's without ever hearing them or knowing much about them (except that they are sold a big box ugh-stores). Over on Audioholics, one such ignorant guy claimed JBL's to be passe because they haven't done anything new. OH YEAH?! How about JBL winning the glorious Innovation Award at this year's CES for the Everest DD66000 system. Cheap? Anyone want to spend a hundred grand on a system...JBL can accomodate that, too. JBL has the finest speaker testing facilities in the world and some of the finest designers that exist. Owning JBL's from the old standards and classics to today's super-high-end or cheaper consumer line, is not something to be ashamed of. But I do tire of hearing people who have not heard my system tell me that Brand X is "in a whole different league". Uh huh. Come over during my next A/B speaker comparison. End of rant.

I have the JBL EC35 center currently and was thinking of getting a pair of Studio L890's soon. Do you guys think the EC35 will be able to timber match the Studio L's? or would I need to get a LC1/LC2 to match them?

Might be a bit off... They say a lot of the timber match is in the tweeter, and the Studio L's have a super tweeter to help carry the load in the highs. You might as well sell the EC35 for $150-$200 and then be able to pick the LC1/2 for not much more.

I think the EC35 will get you close enough, but you should probably get the LC2 if you're picky. The only problem is that the LC2 is designed to be wall mounted, and can be a little tippy due to its shallow base. You may want to craft some sort of stand for it (go a head and angle it up or down towards your seating position while you're at it.

hmm, sounds like getting the LC1 might be the way to go afterall. Looking at the dimensions of the LC1, i think it might fit on my existing EC35 speaker stand perfectly too. The cheapest i've found the LC1 on the WWW is about $359. Do any of you know if this is the cheapest price i'll find on it?