The L82s look like a better fit for that space. You mentioned less detail with the L82s, but did you find that you're missing anything else in moving away from the L100s?
Has anyone had a chance to compare the L100/82s vs the Tannoy Eaton/Cheviot line? I know the Tannoys are in a different price bracket, but these are the two general speaker types that I'm narrowing my search down to at the moment?
Good tip, DavidR. I went around my L82's just now. I wouldn't say any screws were "loose" but I got as much as a full turn out of more than one of the screws amongst the pair. Almost all other screws went at least a 1/4 to 3/4 of a turn before feeling comfortably snug. I think mine are finally settling in after playing them nearly constantly for the past couple of weeks. There haven't been any obvious shifts in sound character for a couple of days. Detail is becoming clearer and more consistent. My previous concerns of garbled mids and lows are ebbing to a state of wholesome definition and richness. I've finally landed in a good place with toe-in and rake for my less than optimal speaker placement option. I've turned the volume down on my sub quite a bit since beginning this L82 break-in. The L82's really don't need much low-end support and are sounding better each day. Thanks, JBL!
Interesting that the speaker drivers fixings where loose ,I'm wondering if there is a torque setting for them or it just a case of tightening them as tight as possible this is a general question about all loudspeakers.
I thought that, but the turns needed were different on each speaker, if it was a specific setting the turns would have been the same on both speakers...
"Did you find that you're missing anything else in moving away from the L100s?" I'm finding that it really just depends on the particular track(s). For instance on Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson "VH1 Storytellers", They have Johnny and Willie positioned as they were during the show. Johnny is to the left, and Willie is more a center image. Willie's performances are actually amazing-sounding with the L82s; as-good as any prior speaker, going back to my larger "home" days and there was quite the array. "Heaven" from the Tattoo You SHM SACD was also a best-in-show performance. Just a perfect presentation for my tastes. "And I Love Her" from the Beatles Mono "Hard Day's Night" was stellar. The vocals and guitar were well-positioned and a tonal treat. I wasn't as-keen on the the more upbeat selections. That will be a break-in/tweeter reset issue in-time. Also, what had been a crowd-pleaser, "Can't Find My Way Home" from the Blind Faith SHM SACD is now just "adequate". The cymbal that was once impactful is now very recessed. Now, it's hardly fair to compare because the L100s had been broken-in, but the general speaker character isn't going to change. The good aspects will be enhanced. The overall bass performance has been very impressive thus far, and will become more fluid in time. I guess if you're listening to Jazz/Classical you might crave the additional detail of the L100. I'll try my sole Jazz piece today, the SACD of "Time Out" by Brubeck. I was always very high on that one through the 4429s, not so much on the L100s. Today will be a day of mass-listening...
From the era when full range speakers were short and sat flat on the floor, I auditioned these in 1975. I'm a midrange fan for vocals and guitars. These speakers sounded treble happy, clear but slightly harsh. I opted for Aztec Picassos which were simply fuller. Fast forward to 2020. Vinylbuff and I heard these at the Florida Audio Expo. The difference was that they were on stands tilting them up slightly. They sounded full, rich, refined and powerful. If you buy the speakers, spend the extra few bucks on the stands. You won't be disappointed.
Agree, the JBL stands are essential with the L82's & L100's, the height and rake is critical for them to perform at there best.
Did someone had the chance to compare the L82 Classic with the Klipsch Heresy IV? I'm curious to hear your thoughts, especially with rock and metal music.
I had both side by side at home, I just did not like the Klipsch house sound and with highly compressed rock / metal recordings they fell way short of the JBL, the JBL's opened up the bad recording giving space between instruments were as the Klipsch just became muddy at high volumes. Really you need to try both and see what works for you and your music. The low bass on the IV's was also not great, the opening of Enter Sandman for example was OK, The JBL's just hit harder and woke you up!
This is great to know. And you haven't found the JBLs fatiguing or unsuitable for other, non-compressed genres?
I too have been interested in the L82 vs. Heresy IV stand-off. Out of curiosity, what were the break-in conditions of the two pairs of speakers you got to compare? I ask because you said "The low bass on the IV's was also not great" and I was just wondering if it could've been a break-in period issue? There was definitely a point in my L82's break-in (20-25 hour mark) where the mids and lows were downright blurry and disappointing, which hasn't happened again, and are now coherent and distinguishing. I'm not trying to defend the Heresy's, just aiming for fairness.
What are other owners finding works for them with the attenuators in regards to grills on vs. off? Reviewers have stated that grills-on softens and subdues the high's and that dialing up the hf attenuator is a good move when listening with grills on. My L82's are still quite new, <1 month, and I've kept the dial at 0 nearly the entire break-in period to gauge the natural break-in of them. I feel like my L82's are settling in now (40-60 hours) and am beginning to agree with the suggestion that a minor hf boost is merited with the grills on. Has anyone else noticed that there actually are very fine detents to the attenuator dial? Tonight I found that 5 tiny clockwise clicks from 0 was all it took to sharpen things to my liking. I do wish JBL would've added hashmarks around the dial. Might have to have some custom hashmark stickers made for the fan club...
My L82's sit at 15mins grills on and 10 mins grills off. if that makes sense. I need to get my calibrated mic out and come up with an accurate setting but these work well for me.
I take the grill covers off when listening I can hear the difference and now if I leave them on I keep thinking 'am I hearing everything?'
Grills on always. I have mine dialed back very slightly, but my room is a little bit on the live side.
Grills on here always. I have an orange and a blue pair. I leave the dials at 0 because my room isn’t very lively.
