I guess they don't make 'em like they used to? It's lovely veneer so it's a shame they don't put some effort into giving it longevity. Folks keeping these in brightly lit rooms may want to consider applying an anti-UV clearcoat or film of some kind. Sure that's the business model--to quote Proposition Joe, "Buy for a dollar, sell for two." Better shops I've dealt with pay out at closer to 2/3 of their own asking price than the (bit less than) 1/2 I got from these folks. But they had what I wanted and I did negotiate them down on the Focals a bit so I guess it all comes out in the wash.
That fading will happen to any speaker regardless of price if it’s exposed to sun. I lived in a loft with huge windows that would have sun blasting into them and anything in its path would get bleached out. All of my kitchen cabinets had to be re-stained.
I had the same thing happen to my L100s. It did not happen with my prior 4429s in the exact same location. I have no explanation for that. PSA: They are now for sale at TMR. I have to say they made the transaction absolutely painless. I have now moved-on to the JBL L82 Classics for a better room-size accommodation, that have undergone some break-in time. I still find the listening process very enjoyable. Because I have to have my speakers rear-wall-tight (about 12"), I was getting more "boominess" than I ever heard out of my prior JBLs (L100s or 4429s). I thought the speaker was designed for a nightclub... What really helped the situation was applying felt to the bottom of the rubber on the stands. After that, the natural break-in process really made the bass enjoyable. I know the Classic series is made to rock, but I really enjoy acoustic-vocal recordings on the L82s. It's just a wonderful center-image performance. I set-up "tweeter-in" at roughly 7 feet apart. I'm also finding some recordings I formerly found a little "bright", now sound great. I leave the tweeter at the "0" position. I was expecting to wince on the first L82 spin of Cyndi Lauper's "Body Acoustic" (because I had in the past), but it was smooth, and I could hear some vocal detail that I hadn't yet encountered. Outstanding for a speaker not designed expressly for this purpose. Nits to Pick? Likely recording dependent, but I think there's an "over-emphasis" on drums on some tracks. Vocals get pushed to the rear, and drums are brought to forefront. During break-in, I was playing Madonna's GHV2 for woofer exercise and I struggled to hear the Material Girl as many tracks were just awash in percussion. It's only a handful of titles that have the issue, but in-comparison it wasn't as prevalent on the past JBL models. Overall I'm very pleased with the L82s. Would I consider anything else? Given that I don't listen to recordings that beg for microscopic imaging and the Nth degree of detail, It would have to be something quite special, and quite the hassle-free experience to justify a change. I still enjoy hearing discs I hadn't yet tried on the L82s which is a very positive indicator. If you enjoy the JBL presentation style, it's a value for the ages.
Well as we learned from the black & blue/gold & white dress controversy, digital images can be interpreted in different ways. Having seen the speakers in person, I can confirm that the image accurately represents the condition. Sold in a flash anyway, fwiw.
Mine are in an irregular room that has lots of "nodes". I have the L82's on a hearth very, very close to the wall and I think they sound dang good. Bass is punchy, defined, and articulate. Stereo separation is excellent and vocal presentation is large and cohesive. I can only imagine how much better they'd sound on their accompanying stands on the floor in front of the hearth... best I don't know what I'm missing as I'm pretty stoked on how good my records sound these days. Of note in regards to this older photo: I've since increased toe-in and rake, and feel that has further improved sound synergy compared to this barely-toed hardly-raked set up. I was feeling like vocals were sounding a bit undersized, and imaging slightly low. I added another degree of rake and it has made vocals more life-sized and elevated their position in the room, hence my description of them sounding "cohesive". The Iso Acoustics Aperta stands have been a good choice for fine tuning such adjustments.
So punny. I've actually been impressed with how vibrant the L82's are. Not just a bass heavy rock n' roll speaker some may equate JBL to be. Ever since I've been driving them w/ my Yamaha A-S3200 I've come to redefine what "bass" is to myself. It's much more taut, supportive, and tonal. The punch is direct and the absence of "boom" has taken some getting used to. Whenever I think I want to hear more bass (usually recording dependent) I'll try very lightly dialing up the gain or crossover on my sub, or implementing a little extra bass via the 3200's tone control, but find that the cleaner, non-dominant bass, is more satisfying and leaves more breathing room for all of the other detail and nuance in the music. Pretty cool.
Thanks for the response. My setup of the speakers would be similar to yours on a heavy tv bank. Will look into those iso stands as well
Recently grabbed a pair of JBL L166’s for a fraction of the price of the new L100's. Have them in my basement mancave with my Fisher 500b. To me the L166’s smoke the L100'S... as I remember them away. Was wanting to try some nice west coast speakers. These fit the bill for sure.
Just made an Instagram. I’m a social media Luddite but here it goes. l100classicfanclub I need a few followers
Finally! I'm about 6 hours in on my L82's. I've had them for a while but was waiting quite some time for my Schiit gear to arrive. So far, they're very exciting. I don't want to offer too much in the way of critique since they only have a few hours on them and the system is mostly brand new as well. I will say the imaging and soundstage overall is much better than what I had before. Bass does sound a little congested but anticipate improvement over time. I feel I have them as optimally placed in the room as I can. 2 ft. from each side wall and 3ft from the rear wall and spaced 6 ft. apart. I definitely do not have the greatest room set-up and was concerned I might not be able to position them well but that worry has been abandoned. I'll post pictures when I get a chance if anybody is interested. I've been listening with grills off and HF attenuator set at the 0bd position. The system is exclusively for vinyl playback only so it's slow going in the break-in dept. but I'll hook up a DAC and streamer sooner or later so I can run some hours on them when I'm not home.
Sounds good. The congested bass does clear up. My L82's went through the same thing. Post some pics if you can!
A nice review of the L82's by somebody who knows what they are talking about. I agree 100% with what he says!
I want to reiterate how multi-faceted the L82's are to me. My musical taste has been all over the place lately. From Hollie Cook, PJ Harvey and Nina Simone to Mastodon, Art Blakey, and Wayne Shorter. These speakers sound delightful. Everything comes through with persistence, delicacy, and poignant enunciation. I wish I had a feasible plan to fit the L100's into this room...
Most reviewers are preferring the L82 over the L100 and then there is the new KLH Model 5 which is cheaper than both and closer to L100 in size.
how would the l82 compare to the british monitors, something like the harbeth 30.2, graham chartwell ls6 etc. , anybody got some experience with those?
