JBL L100's?

For $20, I can be forgiven I think.

 

$300 for jbl100s was half price then I paid a bit under $600 in 75

 

Wasn't there a notation on "Ship Arriving Too Late" that the LP was eq'd or monitored on these? I'd dig out my copy but that might take awhile!

 

The AR3a is a great sounding speaker. I had good friend as a housemate in my early 20's in mid Seventies who had them in a full AR system with integrated amp and turntable. Sounded wonderful.

 

I still remember the first time I heared a pair of JBL L100

After so much hype, I decided to try them

BY FAR THE BIGGEST LETDOWN WITH A PAIR OF SPEAKERS

Boxy sound, completely colored, artitificial, with boomy bass (no definition whatsoever), shrill, ear-bleeding highs, recessed mids, etc

Surely they look pretty great, but, as with Pioneer HPM 100, must be among the most overrated speakers ever

 

Didn't the AR3's use all Alnico drivers ?

 

Those grills are pretty hideous...

 

That's the attraction for me. Those foam grills.

 

"This album has been engineered to sound correct on JBL 4311 speakers or an equivalent. Best results will be achieved if you set your pre-amp tone controls to the flat position with the loudness control in the off position. Before adding any treble or bass to the sound of the album, it would be advisable to check it out this way first. F.Z."

 

I wonder if Steve's experience was with the foam grills on or off? I have always looked at those grills and thought how much they have to be attenuating the mid and high frequencies. Wouldn't it be interesting if those grills were actually designed to flatten out the "wicked nasty peak"?

 

All I know is that I played a lot of loud rock music on those speakers in the mid to late 70s.

 

Thanks, Steve! Your advice hasn't failed me so far.

Btw, you were so on the money about The Beatles UK pressings. I only keep my Capitol versions strictly for nostalgia purposes.

 

OMG! That brings back memories. At a local radio station I used to hang around, KYNO 1300, the speakers in the main studio were the AR3's. Not sure if they were a's or not.
The one problem, it was with playing "(I Know) I'm Losing You" by Rod Stewart(45 rpm single). For some reason, it fried the cross-over network in the AR3's. If I remember correctly, it was during the drum break? It happened twice, so the engineer banned the record.

 

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

 

Yes. This pair was totally refurbished and refinished as well. I wanted my downstairs office area as sort of a retro room although I most play CDs through these. I've been enjoying these for three months now while I work. They are slightly tilted up so small wooden stands. I get that most here are not fans.

But who knows, maybe it was a mid life crisis. It was the JBLs or a 1970 Alfa Romeo. The JBLs were cheaper !

 

I got my AR3a's in December 1971 but briefly considered the L100's. Ultimately, I couldn't afford a separate set of speakers for classical and rock, so I opted for a speaker that didn't care what music I was going to play through it. Heck, what if I wanted to play rock that had strings?

 

Wasn't there an ugly orange grille as well?

 

Good news about the JBL 100s because I did miss out on a pair of these and formerly regretted it, thanks to the info here. I don't think I'm a big JBL fan, in general. I keep picking up their L-series monitors and wind out dumping them for being shrill. However, I did hear these and still lust for a pair (though I'll never be able to afford them unless some little old lady drags them to the curb (doubtful she could drag them!).

The JBL Sovereign. I swear these sound soooo good. Of course, they were set up by a turntable master in Bangkok.