The OFFICIAL JBL Owners Thread - Page 360

Ooh, 7x 4410 would be sweet.
Let's hope those many turn up on Craigslist. Paying shipping for 3x pairs on ebay won't be that good.

My buddy just bought a pair of l1's and got them last night. He is still waiting on his receiver to come, so I took the l1's from him till he gets his receiver in a few days.

I unplugged the speaker cables from my l880's and set the l1's ontop of the l880's and have been listening to music movies and tv. In 2.0 and 5.1.

I did not run the audyssey setup when I did this. I turned off all of the EQ on the onkyo 876 for my comparison between my l880's and my buddy's l1's. Since I didn't want to run audyssey a bunch of times.


My first impression of the l1's are that they are good speakers. I think I even like how the base sounds from the l1 better then my l880's. I just think the base from the l1's sound more natural and fuller.

In 2.0 I think the l1's sound better overall then my l880's do. I didn't think this at first but after about 5 hours or so of listening to music I can say with out a doubt I like the sound of the l1's over my l880's.


When I use the l1's as mains in my 5.1 setup with an lc2, l830's and l8400p I think they sound great and don't even miss my l880's as mains. The l1's blend very well overall and I also think the l1's blend very well with the l8400p sub.


Overall the l1's do sound very good and I can't wait till I can audition l5's or l7's some day.


Update:

I have been switching out my l830's with the l1's this morning listening to various sacd's and DVD-a's in 2.0.

IMO the l1's sound better then the l830's. The more I listen to the l1's the more I like them. I guess to me the l1's sound more natural and lifelike then my 830's. And the base sounds more pronounced and less boomy then the 830's.

I really wish I owned the l1's. I don't want to give them back to my buddy either

I would trade someone my entire studio L 5.1 setup 2 L880's 1 LC2, 2 L830's and the L8400p for pairs of the l7's l5's and l1's.

I'm freaking depressed now

Im a newbie and recently got a JBL Northridge speaker system (e20's, e30's, and ec35 all for $75 with a hk amp included . I was wondering if anyone here has bi-wired the e30's and the ec35? Did it make a noticeable difference? Did you use that expensive bi-wire cable or just two speaker wires? Amp is HK AVR 430 if that makes a difference. E30's are my fronts btw. Thanks fellow JBLLERS!

Thanks guys, I have a weird blood disorder, doctor says my chances of getting hit by a bus is worse. LOL...but my feet, lower legs are numb-peripheral nueropothy-so I can't feel the Gas or Brake pedals...."oh yea..it sucks"
Here are pictures if I can do this correctly...
(The 4312A's are not being sold-I couldn't do it!!!!)


(Sale pending on the L20T's)

What can I say...I like White Woofers....LOL
Off to watch football....

Or the Hi hat.

Seriously though, that does suck. I hope it's something you can reverse or at least arrest. Good luck.

I found out late last week that my PS1400's are still in California. The guy that handles Saipan was on vacation and there was a mix up so they just sat there. They should leave this week and be here the first half on next month.

I hope they didn't drink the rest of your shipment. That one guy looked pretty thirsty.

You know that guy is just sending you 2 boxes of rocks anyhow.

Just wanted to drop in and say hi. I've owned a pair of JBL L3's for over 15 years now. They were the first nice speakers I ever owned and they've served me well through the years. We were still using them in our 5.1 setup until finally replacing them with DefTechs about a week ago. I've now moved them to the living room for music listening. I stil love the sound they produce!

welcome BH. I just bought that same Sanus vertical rack (in black) to go with my L7s.

looks like you're also using the CL505 center (with the HRD tweeter) believed to be a quasi-match to the L series, did you buy it at the same time?

The lesson here is to trust your ears. Bigger, newer, and more expensive isn't necessarily an upgrade for everybody.

I've listened to just about every consumer (not high $$$ synthesis) JBL speaker from the original L series (l20/60/80/100) up to current product, along with some older semi-vintage models, various pro control/eon units, and a few here and there from the high end consumer and synthesis lines.

My .02 is that peppered here and there in the consumer lines are speakers that just "worked". L1's go on that list for me, as do the L5's, and S38's. S centers and E/P35 for centers. Control 1's and 29's are also quite nice for what they are. If you like the L1's that much you should try to find a pair of L5's.

If I hadn't upgraded I would definitely still be running a L1/L5/EC35 based system. At one point I had a pair of L7's, a pair of L5's, two pairs of L1's, and two EC35's. All the L's were sacrificed for my costly P-series upgrade. Still have Control 29's in the basement, S38's in the workshop, and Control 1's in the kitchen. P series everywhere else.

Imho it's a damn shame those L models are getting so old. For the money there is not much out there to replace them. Some rich hobbyist should make correct recone/surround kits for them.

How much of an issue is the recone/surround kit? Do the foam surrounds on the woofers wear out often? Should I be hesitant buy speakers from the early 90's. Can you still get parts for them.

I don't want to sell off my studio l series then find out that I can't fix a pair of l5's or l7's if something happens to them. I live in central pa and don't believe I'm close to any jbl dealer for a repair Job anyhow.

What should I look for when buying a used pair of l5's l7's. What questions should i ask about their condition.

I'm also concerned about powering them. I have an onkyo 876 that does 140 watts per channel 8 ohms and the l5's are 6 ohm speakers. You can bridge the onkyo 876 for 200 watts per channel but they recommend for 8 ohm speakers only when bridging. How well would the onkyo 876 handle the l5's or l7's. I can't really afford an amp right now or I would just do that

Can you mix 6ohm and 8 ohm speakers. Because the l1's are 8 ohm and the l5's and l7's are 6 ohms

Is the lc2 a bad match for the l1 l5 and l7's

Could I use an l1 as a center channel or is that not a good idea

Brock, I will answer a couple of your questions.

There are third party recone kits for the 12" woofer on the L7's. The rest of the drivers I don't believe so. I just have a few spares around in case.

Listen to them and inspect the drivers yourself.

Your Onkyo 876 should be enough for the L5's or bridge it. I would bi-amp the L7's with it though, which you can do with that receiver. I ran my L7's with an Onkyo 806 at first and it was just ok. Then I bi-amped it with the 806 and it was much better. Now I have 2 2-channel amps running them bi-amp using the 806 as a pre.

I don't think mixing 6 ohms with 8 is an issue.

I would think an L1 would be an excellent center speaker.

That's a lot of questions; so many, in fact, you ran out of question marks!

You'll get lots of answers no doubt. Here's mine.

1. There is no replacement surround available and no recone kits were ever made, except for the 12" woofer in the L7. JBL's recommended practice from Day 1 was to replace the entire driver.

2. They don't wear out as much as they separate from the cone and/or develop a fatigue crack right at the join. The surround is perfect except where it fails. Some folks have used latex to seal/heal the break, and it appears to work, but I don't know for how long. If done from the rear, it's not too unsightly, but I suspect it changes the speaker's performance and characteristics slightly. How much I don't know.

3. Look at each driver closely, and if possible check for breaks in the surround near the attachment to the cone. Also check for voice coil rubbing. Have the seller play them if possible. If you hear a whizz or a buzz, you'll likely need a new driver or two. Lots of used drivers in good condition are available on ebay. These drivers last a long time, so if they're in good shape and you take care of them, you're good to go. "Taking care" means not being stupid.

4. 140 genuine Watts will be enough; if it's 140W at 1000 Hz with one channel driven, then it's not 140 W. I wouldn't bridge the Onkyo even for an 8 Ohm load; it's not really robust enough.

5. Yes you can. In fact speaker loads are an average number put out by the manufacturer, so an 8 Ohm speaker and a 6 Ohm speaker might vary from 2 Ohms to 10 Ohm across their entire frequency range. The L1 and L3 will have resistance dips and peaks that are at points quite similar to the L5 and L7 dips and peaks. Don't worry about it.

6. The LC2 is not a bad match. It's not a good match. It might be an okay match. For the L Series there is no good match for a center, not even the similar looking CL505 (though lots are in use that way), except for...

7. Using an L1 or L3 as a center, which is an ideal match if it fits into your layout.

Good advice all 'round.

I email'ed Bob because he was back from vacation and asked for a ETA thinking everything shipped already. He email's me back and said "I've got the soda but can't find the 2 boxes." I just replied with a LOL. The next day he found them and got it all straitened out. Someone was holding them until they got an address for me not knowing we don't have addresses here. She had sent me an email 2 weeks ago that ended up in the spam folder.

The soda missed Tammy's 50th birthday but will be here for valentines day.

I sure hope not. By the time it gets here it will be too late to file a dispute with PayPal. I started buying things off the internet before there was an eBay and have only been burned one time. That was for some parts for my Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce about 8 years ago.



I have a week off in mid February and plan to spend some quality time dialing everything in to the best of my ability.

Thanks to everyone for the great advice.

Now i am nervous about buying the l5's or l7's because it will mow likely be over eBay and I won't be able to hear them. Or inspect them. Is this a bad idea?

Should I only buy them if I can actually hear and see them in person?

This is my modest setup with Studio S38II's and Scenter, not shown are my S26's for surround, Sony 57" HDTV


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I got all mine on C list. Keep an eye out. That is where the best deals come from.

I check in a four state area a few times a day ... No luck yet

Would you ever buy from eBay if the seller has 100 percent positive feedback?

Ok I have done several searches and haven't been able to find a clear answer. Also I was going to review my new system I purchased off C list to see what you guys think.

I bought:

JBL E80 x2
JBL EC35
JBL N24 x2
SVS 25-31
Onkyo 605

All for $250

Seemed like a good deal to me. I know the receiver is older but I only need two HDMI inputs anyway.

My question is reguarding setup.

What should each speaker be crossed over at and should the be set to small or normal in the receiver size wise?

Any other setup info would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Jason

I'd say Well Done!!!! I got to line item 2 and was like...awesome find!!!!! Enjoy!!

I also have heard a lot of different JBL models over the years and own way too many of them, but the first ones that absolutely turned my head around were the S38II, CL for $50-I'll never let these go, I was shocked because my belief was that only the 43XX series was worth any of my time, as a matter of fact I had some E80's that I let go, finding out afterward the reason they didn't sound good was the crappy AV receiver I was using and not the speakers. I kick myself everyday for letting them go...oh well. I recently picked up some ND310II off CL and they sound great but I just hooked the S38II's back up and they just "do it" for me and "do it" well. If it wasn't for you guys, rdgrimes in particular who said 'get them before they are gone" I would have never experienced these awesome little 3 ways. Notice how they are deeper than most other JBL's except for speakers in that same line???

Ya they do have pretty impressive low end.

What should I cross them over at? as well as the center and surrounds?

I used to try for 60 if possible. Maybe do the center a bit higher...these are settings in your av receiver correct?? You pick Large or Small speakers? Always pick small because then you can usually set the crossover, a lot of times if you pick large its automatic.
I hope that helps.

Nice setup. Those S38II's are sweet sitting on those stands.

Yes, it is the CL505. I purchased it a few months after I purchased the L3's. It's not the best center channel for movies. Dialogue is pretty muttled. It did serve me well for the last 15 years though. It's no longer hooked up to anything. The L3's and the BU-1 sub have been moved up to the living room for multi-zone music listening.

[quote="filecat13"]



4. 140 genuine Watts will be enough; if it's 140W at 1000 Hz with one channel driven, then it's not 140 W. I wouldn't bridge the Onkyo even for an 8 Ohm load; it's not really robust enough.











Why shouldn't I bridge the l5's. Are there pro's and cons to it for the l5's

Has nothing to do with the speaker in use for the most part, although most amps can only safely bridge with 8u loads. In general, bridging tends to bring out the worst of an amp. Noise and distortion are doubled for starters. Bi-amping gets the job done cleaner and safer.

I would say you did very well. I just (approx 2 weeks ago) purchased 2 x E80's and an EC35 for $200 Cdn. These speakers are in absolutely mint condition. The seller even had the receipts/manuals handy. There is not a mark on them and they perform perfect. Mine are hooked up to a Yamaha HTR6190 and do not sound "muddy" as some people have said.

Does JBL make a front firing or front port bookcase speaker? I am looking for 2 fronts and a center channel, in looking at JBL's web site, I could not determine if they are front firing or have rear ports?

I will need to place the speakers against the wall in an bookcase and would like speakers that do not have rear port.

Thanks for your help