WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO JBL
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- Опубліковано 30 кві 2024
- OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS JBL HAS REMAINED A TOP PLAYER FOR SPEAKERS. FROM THE MUSICIAN, TO THE PERFORMANCE, AND ESPECIALLY AT HOME FOR THE LISTENER. HOW DID THEY DO IT WHEN SO MANY COMPANIES FAILED?
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00:00 Intro
00:45 The Early Years
02:29 Altec Lansing
04:14 JBL
04:29 JBL Paragon
04:46 JBL Studio Monitors
05:19 JBL Fender Amps
05:35 Woodstock 1969
06:44 Grateful Dead Wall of Sound
07:10 Woodstock 99
07:35 JBL L100
07:53 Pioneer HPM-10
08:21 JBL 4350
08:52 JBL Prima 25
09:46 JBL L250 & B460
10:30 JBL Speaker Parts
11:00 JBL TiK
11:21 JBL Bluetooth Speakers
11:55 JBL Classic - Наука та технологія
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Hello JustAudio. Long a go all the JBL tooling and remaining parts were bought up by the guy behind Kenrick Sound in Tokyo who re-manufactures modern, improved versions of JBL classics by the hundreds (mainly for rich retired Japanese guys). This is a hugely important continuation of JBL's legacy products.
To talk about JBL's history and not mention this is a serious omission.
Thanks so much for this video and the history of JBL. My father spent 20 years working for JBL as an Engineer. Harold Newton 60's- through the 1970's. He had 3 draftsmen and 4 that were machinists working for him. He designed the magnet machine that charged them. He also designed the voice coil winding machine. He then had a patent under JBL for the design of the dowel pin that held the grill clothes on the front of the cabinets. All these he would scratch out and then give to the draftsmen and then to the machinists that built the parts. He also designed the carton for the larger cabinet. I remember working as a JR. Draftsman one summer while I was in High School. To test the carton, everyone was invited to the loading dock, and Bill Thomas, President threw the cabinet in the carton off the dock to see what would happen to it. It passed without a scratch. We always had speakers in our home growing up.
This brought good memories and tears to my eyes.
I'm glad we could provide a story to do that! Really, our goal here is to provide the best story possible to envoke emotions. Appreciate you sharing!
From Wellington nz thank you so much for your post I have been using jbl In my pa business for over 35 years and I still love the brand
@@JustAudioHiFi No mention of some guy in Asia who many years ago bought up all JBL's pro drivers and tooling? Check out UA-cam's Kenrick Sound out of Tokyo who re-manufactures classic JBL speakers by the dozens with upgrades and improvements naturally. This is a hugely important continuation of JBLs legacy products.
Yes, they were back then and it was a great place to work, and with my Father that was really great. Thanks for post.😊
Jesus, you don't leave home much do you?
What I'm writing here might get taken down for content! I asked Lenny the gent in this video to get me a pair of clear "Lucite" Pioneer HPM 100 Store Demonstration Speakers. He did. They were in rough shape so I asked if they could make them more presentable. Lenny did that and more with genuine Pioneer replacement parts. Lenny tries his best at for every customer. Lenny has a passion for vintage and modern audio. I've brought in over 30 vintage items including 16 monster receivers. Lenny always treats me right. Lenny just finished my rare Pioneer HPM 100 Lucite Speakers. I'm autistic with cerebral palsy and more. Lenny & the Just Audio staff made my dreams come true with these speakers. Behind all the jokes & pranks Lenny is a Good Man!
I love reading positive reviews like this ! Good on you !
I'm mortified
@@ChiefExecutiveOrbiterwhy
>Be Me
>Be Lenny
❤Bose❤. . Jbl🔉💩💉No bass
You asked the audience to post any JBL stories we have in the comments section, so here’s mine, specifically about the Prima that you talk about in detail.
I was employed by JBL in 1972 and started at 3249 Casitas Ave. I was with the company until 1977, but I would come back from 1986 to 1993. The Prima was developed a couple of years after started. Because the Prima was molded from hardened Urethane Foam, it was thought to be a very resilient material, unlike the more commonly used Particle Board or MDF.
The Vice President of Sales at the time was a very charismatic individual by the name of Irv Stern. When it was decided to introduce the Prima to the sales force, a formal dinner meeting was organized. Irv decided to have some fun and pretend that he was the actual industrial designer, dressing up in a flamboyant costume and speaking with a strong, but questionable Italian accent. (I forget what fake Italian name he gave himself.)
After the initial presentation, giving the audience the opportunity to see the color options, a demonstration of their clever stacking design, followed by a listening session, Irv made a big deal of the fact that they were made of a synthetic plastic material and claimed that they endure abuse better then their wood counterparts. He proceed to lift one, a Yellow Prima as I recall, and toss it across the stage. To everyone’s surprise, (they had not rehearsed the latter), it hit the floor and exploded into several pieces. Needless to say, that would not be part of future demos.
Dude, that's a great story! This is great stuff! Thanks for sharing, and keep it up!
I was a retail salesman when the prima came out. We never sold any. NOT ONE. If those wouldn't sell in Austin, I can't see that did well elsewhere. The L 110 did much better. Same speaker in a conventional box. ???Does anyone has sales numbers on the Prima 25? I did sell a Paragon. That was a good day!
*have
@@roberthastings708what did your store do with the surplus?
@Kleinage We had 3 pairs. They sat for months.
The owner took the display, and the other 2 pairs were returned, as I recall. I was just a salesman and not really involved with that part. They didn't sound bad, but the shape and color seemed like the problem.
As a music producer and sometimes touring musician, I have several D130s in my various rigs. A super efficient workhorse speaker that sounds great. In the studio, I have a set of 4308s. They sound too flattering to mix on, but I love to listen back to projects on them. Nice work on the history.
I've been a fan of JBL for years. I'm a drummer and a bit of an audiophile, so I've been around a good amount of audio gear. I've recorded at a couple of studios years ago, and the JBL monitors they used had such a life-like sound, I was instantly hooked. Back in the mid to late 80s, I bought a set of JBL 12" car audio subwoofers, and I kid you not, those were the best sound quality subs I've ever owned. Sure wish I still had them. 😢
Everyone knows pros use Yamaha monitor speakers not JBL 😊
@@samholdsworth420 haha! Good one. 😄
@@samholdsworth420 You know why? It was not for the clarity or accuracy but because the NS1000M was billed as the closest approximation to the average home stereo system for a mixdown for the masses. They were never intended for or to be audiophile gear. They are meant to be the representation of mediocrity. LOL.
PS. Don't hate on me. I had a pair in my studio for years for this very purpose - final mastering. I got this from Yamaha themselves in their marketing blurb of the time.
@@GarthClarkson hmm I don't remember what model my dad had in his studi but it wasn't the ns 🤔
My jeep still has one inside of it lol. Great sub.
Thee is a company in Japan called KENRICK SOUND and they have permission from JBL to re-manufacture classic vintage JBL home audio speakers. They have developed improved components for these as well. They do have a UA-cam channel. Their workmanship and passion is amazing to watch.
Damn good the Japanese are anal about perfection
They don’t have permission from JBL they just build and sell reproductions of old JBL studio systems. Very good reproductions.
are they the ones that had their youtube channel and/or videos deleted? I used to watch those
I've always been a fan of JBL speakers. For me, they represent the "American Sound" I tend to prefer in my audio gear: full-range, full-bodied sound with an emphasis on being entertaining more than revealing; speakers that are easy to enjoy with all genres of music. Today's JBL is almost like an enthusiast's secret...the public know and think of them as a mainstream brand, but we know them for their pro and high-end models like the K2 and Everest. In Asia (especially Japan) JBL vintage and hi-end gear trades for very high prices...for them, this is the American sound they chase. I was all set to buy a pair of the JBL L100 75th Limited Editions (the ones that came with the stands and that monstrous shipping crate), until one day, I stopped into Just Audio and bought a pair of Kef Blade Two's from Spencer and Lenny...an entirely different path, but not as different as it sounds. Great video, Lenny...Keep dropping the knowledge!
Except the TV soundbars from JBL, they sound like crap.
to me jbl is currently over inflated for their quality
You guys videos have improved so much, keep it coming! :)
I really enjoy your 'history' videos! I had the original L100's in the mid '70s and alas divorce separated them from me. It was 50 years later and I was able to obtain a pair of completely refurbished L88 Plus. Thank you again for these great videos! There truly is no sound like JBL's.
I still have my L88 speakers from 73. They are like the L100 but without the mid range driver. About 15 years ago I updated the binding posts, build an actual crossover and replaced the old tweeters with JBL Ti035s and did a few more cabinet mods. Sound great. Using a frequency response tester, the one sold by Parts Express, I get +/- 3dB across 40 Hz to about 16K with a little tweak of the tone controls on the amp. Listen to them almost everyday. Sound stage very nice and wide but not too deep. Could be improved with speaker placement but limited by the room size and shape.
No mention of “Ed May” the design engineer of the JBL L100 and many other models , if you look at his history he left JBL and moved to Marantz Superscope to become their head of loudspeaker designer . He used it to turn out three complete lines of loudspeakers in very short order. However, this was the last loudspeaker work he would perform. Edmond May passed away suddenly in 1980 while still at his desk employed at Marantz .
Indeed….I owned a pair of Ed May designed Marantz Hd880 speakers purchased new in 1978 while stationed in Germany. These were superb speakers and served me well for many years. JBL hit their pinnacle in home stereo 2 channel systems about the time Ed May departed, not a coincidence.
@@timothylindsay3244 still have his HD880’s , DS940’s and his last designed M10 , all original just needed to refoam the woofers . Would be great to see a pair on this Ytube channel.
Thanks for the channel, great work !!
Simple, they got acquired by Harman Audio and haven't been the same since. Many of their products are clones of Infinity products now.
Well bc infinity is the same company. So you could call the infinity a clone of the JBL. Most infinity is made to play flatter and JBL louder or peakier. After Mark Harmon passed many engineers left and we saw a decline. Samsung has done a good job revitalizing the brand with large financial support in engineering. They are still a force to be reckoned with.
They suck now,not alot of punchy bass,everything has went to hell in this new millenium
Thanks for the video and history lesson. Having become a fan of JBL products just a couple years ago. And not sure I will want anything less moving forward. (And I have had some decent audio gear: Pioneer Elite, and Onkyo receivers, Polk and Marantz speakers) so it was nice learning about the history of JBL. I didn't realize their impact in the Pro Audio segment. Good video.
Great series. Love the all the info…. Thanks, again….
In 1963 I bought a pair of JBL C50 Olympus for about $1k each. They had LE15A woofers and PR15 passive radiators along with the 375 driver/horn and 075 tweeter. Almost 200 lbs each and still sounding great today!
Hello from Chicago burbs. One of my favorite memories growing up at my parents house with a Carver M500 amp and my L112's ❤ watching the lights dim as I turned it up 🤯 ( no parents of course) this content really takes me back 1983!😮
That's the goal! Thanks for sharing!
Carver m500t, my speakers are 105db efficient so she only runs easy at scale.
Great Video!! Keep’em coming!
Another great informative article. Please keep them coming!
Thanks, will do!
In high school in late 70’s saving up all I could afford were the JBl L26. After school I would lay on the floor positioning each speaker like headphones to feel the power of the newly released Physical graffiti album Led Zeppelin album. Powerful experience.
Very informative! Thanks for this!
I definitely appreciate these videos, keep it up!
Thanks, will do!
My first connection with JBL was a disco in Chicago (Dugan's Bistro) - which had JBL Pro Series speakers and the the best DJ (Lou DiVito - 3 time winner of the national DJ contest). Other disco / dance systems had JBL Pro Series speakers, and I was absolutely hooked on their sound!
Great vid! I still have my JBL 4312 and a set of JBL 4311's in my music room, they are over 30 years old respectively, bought them while I was in the Army. Still sound great! Awesome vid and back story of the JBL company and how it came about. Keep the great work!
I brought my JBL L-150, The Big brother to the JBL L-100 when I was in the Military in Germany around 1980. That means I had these speakers for 43 years😲
Can you share a bit more about your 4311? Because I'm planning to save up for 4311 and I already have my eyes set on them but when I looked it up on forums there are always people saying 4312 / L112 are better so I'm interested to hear a bit more about your experience with them
@@tormenmashi_ The 4311s are a bit more subdude on the sound in comparison to the 4312. Now both models are the originals, not variants as there are models (a, b, c). The difference is in the arrangement of the drivers, were the 4311's woofer sits on top and the midrange and tweeter sit on the bottom of the speaker box with the high and mid adjustment controls. The 4312's area bit brighter and although the mids and tweeters look similar, I believe there is a difference in how they were set up frequency-wise. However, they both sound good, it also depends on your preference of music, your hi fi set up. The L112 as I understand came with titanium tweeters which makes the sound much more brighter than the 11 and 12 (first gen). I believe the 12 variants (b, c) came with titanium tweeters later. Hope this helps a bit, hopefully, someone else may have more to add.
@tormenmashi_ lpsalas.. is right on. I've found very little info from JBL. I have owned 4312b. The main differences in all of the 43xx series are the tweeters, x-overs, and driver alignment. If it were me, I'd look at cabinet condition and the amplifier used to drive them over the years. Enjoy the journey.
*owned for about 30yrs. Purchased new from Army PX.
Thank you sir. I am a new viewer of yours, and I guess I haven't seen all the avenues you have in your channel already, but compared to some of the other videos I've seen, I liked this one a lot due to the deeper History info and such than I sometimes find elsewhere in the HiFi space.
Wow, thanks for this video. You brought back memories of listening to my JBL L112's in the dorm while stationed in Okinawa in the early 80s. My first real stereo system was purchased there. JBL L112, Technics SL-10, Marantz receiver and tape deck. All on an airman's budget. I still use the SL-10 in my system. The L112's drivers ended up failing and I never replaced them. I still have the cabinets stacked on each other as a tv stand. Nice walnut veneer.
As someone that was perhaps in the middle of the original 2 channel explosion, working in it from '69 to '81, watching the names appear, grow, multiply,.... technology solidify, ... and to then leave it almost completely until a few decades ago, it is totally confusing as to who is whom anymore.
Your efforts have been incredible on these different big names. Very enjoyable and informative. And I get to throw in person data from the time when you shake the cob webs as well. This one was very well done. Filling in spots in my knowledge of them. And were they went! We appreciate your research!
I "married" a pair of L88's, still connected to her Sansui 5000 X in a 2nd system. She had no problem relegating them to that status after hearing my more recently purchased Maggies.
I have a friend with his original L88's that wanted to upgrade them to L100 by adding the mid. But I think I talked him into getting Ohm Walsh 2000's instead. Especially for his strange rooms arrangement.
But I doubt the Grateful Dead Wall of Sound was designed in 1953! 🙂
Thanks for the insight as always! Got my numbers mixed up haha
@@JustAudioHiFi…. Yeah I just let it go
@@Dirtyharry70585 OCD.
I installed this stuff in high end homes in 1974, at the peak of quad. We installed L100 & L200’s with high end Sansui and Dual 1229Q tables. AWESOME! Later, I would use 4560’s & 4550 pro in my live PA systems. Now I have L100 and L200 in my personal studio. SRX is my live system now, but I still have my 4560’s! Love JBL!
As a teen 20 years ago I picked up a vintage Sansui amp and big Pioneer speakers. I LOVED that rich sound.
My JBL experience began with a friend's parent's system in high school. Loved listing to these. My first purchased speakers were JBL LX 500 in college. I still have these they are refoamed and stored in their original boxes.
My current JBL's are 4310 WX.
I’ve had a pair of 4311’s since 1975. Part of my backup sound system with a Pioneer sx1050, also from 1975.
Both the speakers and receiver still sound great. Wouldn’t ever give up these speakers.
I also bought my 4311’s in 1975. Still listening to them, though not with the SX939 I had originally. I compared the L100s to the 4311s at the time I bought them and the 4311s were much clearer and true to the music, the L100s colored the music with less clarity. Many people at that time were buying Bose 501s or 901s but those couldn’t beat the brilliance of the JBLs!
@@hawgbreath I agree, the Bose had “expansive” sound but not clean or accurate sound.
They were purchased by Harman who are owned by Samsung... and it shows in their current product range, and not for the better. Crown are owned by Harman also, it shows in their product range too.
Hello folks;
They bought Auadx speaker around the end of the 80's.
Hanging around The Speaker Shop. The question came up we all said. They'll wreak it as the same as anything that they touch.
Also, JBL used a patented rounded-edge on their woofers, which was incented by Edward Villchur of Acoustics Research in 1953 also known as acoustic suspension woofers. Please make a note for same, and have a nice Labor Day weekend.
Very interesting! My first speakers were a pair of AR-2’s!
Great video!
Still using my JBL L100T as a main front speakers on my HT system and they are great!
many thanks for this video, I am a JBL lover and owner of two pair of speakers: 2 cheap bookshelf in a little room and 2 main speakers with 4 15" woofers and titanium drivers with wave guides in my listening room. I have the book about JBL but your video add some more info and pictures, so I appreciate the view of this short documentary. Actually JBL is a piece of history and we have to be grateful to these men who studied acoustic and created projects and so loudspeakers to allow us to listen to live music and greatly reproduced music in our homes. If you go deep studying their patents and projects you will not be disappointed! really proud to listen to my loved music JBL products. Best regards from NE Italy CIAO
I had a pair of L-112. I really liked them a lot. I did sell them in the mid 1990's. There are days when I wish I still had them. They were a great set of speakers.
my exposure to JBL is as a DJ. I own 515xt’s and they are still going strong after 10 years of use at events. Great sound and technology built into them. Thank you for this video.
dude samw! 10 years going strong
I spent almost a year in 1977 looking and listening to speakers for my stereo and kept coming back to JBL Century L100s. I purchased a pair late in 1977 and They have been with me ever since. The 70s orange grills dried out and fell apart in the early 90s but nothing has ever failed and they have been rocked, classicalled and country westered to death. The last few years they have been enjoying Rammstein and several other Germany heavy metal bands. Most likely I will have them until I die.
Thank you for doing this!
I listened to this twice, but somehow missed the transition from James Martiti to James Lansing???
Love my D208's, D110's, D120's, D130's, and D140's. The only amp that doesn't sound better with JBL are the Class A VOX amps. They just seem to be tuned to the Celestine's, especially the Blue's.
I've got record producer Martin Hannet's JBL speakers. He mastered tracks from Joy Division, early U2 and others on those (TLX 9) representing typical 'home' speakers from the time and also Aurotrons for radio/car stereo and some Tannoy Gold's representing high end systems. The final mix had to sound good on all three.
Excellent video by the way.
A legendary producer, with some legendary acts. 'Martin' - FAC325 is an awesome compilation...
that's so cool! so precious.
Thanks both, I've just found his notes... the speakers are TLX 7Gi and he described them... "Beautiful pair of medium size monitors for listening to my mixes when I bring them back to my home music room from the studio... " and then compares them to the Aurotones and Tannoys. For someone with such a wayward life he apparently made notes on everything. It's stange listening to tracks like Love Will Tear Us Apart through them.
@@hackedoff736How so?
@@colnixon8989 I bought them from Chris Hewitt, a friend of Martins. He sold a mountain of stuff on behalf of the family.
I had JBL's on my Fender Twin reverb amp, in my 4 by 12 cabinet and a few years ago the mighty Control 5's. These not very well loved among enthusiasts but very good as far as I'm concerned.
I bought my first L100 Century speakers in 1975. Lost them to a burglary in 1979. Bought another pair in the same year. Lost them in a divorce in 2010. Out of music for about 8 years, jumped back in about 5 years ago with a pair of JBL towers. During the pandemic set up a listening room with a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV. Really missed the sound of the L100’s but read some negative reviews of the “new” L100’s so decided to search for a pair of vintage L100 Century’s. Found a pair on EBay and am a happy camper.
I remember the k140 and k145 drivers we used as mid and low end drivers in our live reinforcement, my dad built his own cabinets( mcaully designs) and modified to our needs. Always got a ton a of comments on how well they sounded at high volumes and they were never muddy like some of the other cabinets and sound systems we heard when listening to other bands. Been a jbl junkie almost all my life and still have one pair k140’s sitting in my shop begging to be placed in a pair of good cabinets!
I still have a pair of L26 Decades I purchased in 1973. Originally had 4 used with a simulated 4 Channel HK 75+ receiver. My first system. Wanted the L100 but couldn't afford them at the time. Have only had to recone the woffer a couple of times through the years. Use in my office and still enjoy that 70's sound they produce. Thank you for the video.
Yeah man same here! Use em all the time with a vintage 70’s Technics receiver. Killer sound! Added a Bluetooth dongle😉
Hey can you do about ADS? Their speakers rocked, then they stopped making speakers.
Good summation, though omitting the fact that the Harmon connection shut down their R&D/design and spares operations. I've lost count of the number of Control series units I've installed, but they were classic bulletproof JBL gear, from the JBL horn systems we built at Liverpool university in the 70s, to the last control 5s I bought, for myself, they are part of my history. these days I'm more fond of Dynaudio, (hint - do a video about them), and Genelec, but yes, they were giants.
Cool video, thanks. Been using a tiny JBL GO as a main speaker for years lol
JBL's name was sold, just like Bose, Pioneer, Rockford, Technics, Soundstream, and the dozens of other excellent companies to others that wanted to maximize profits based on their name recognition. Just note, even Lamborghini makes 4-doors now.
In fairness, so does Porsche (for 20 years) and lately, Ferrari.
Used JBL for live concerts in the 80's. The speakers were awesome.
I bought my first system in 1978 and my intention was to buy the Century L-100's, but the salesman that I had dealt with for a long time talked me into buying the L-166 Horizon's. That was a mistake because I never did like the way they sounded, but I kept them for awhile and then sold them. In 1981 while stationed in Okinawa, I bought a pair of L-112's when they first came out and they were awesome. I still have them to this day in mint condition. I'm still amazed at the way they sound. I'm surprised that you didn't mention these.
I listened to JBL speakers in a small disco when I was young and I loved that sound. Recently I bought a pair of 708P - absolutely great sound. Thanks for the video.
I love these videos ❤ could you do a video like this on Gene Czerwinski and Cerwin Vega? It seems like a trend, that all the cool brands and the people behind them really gets chewed up and kicked around alot. Is there any audio company ever that had smooth sailing from the start? I know alot of brands are still around, but are they really?? I mean the names and logos are still in use, but they are often totally different in too many ways. 😅 like seas, scanspeak, vifa and peerless. Mergers, buyouts, shutdowns and restarts... Like the dirty "aristocrats" joke, only with hifi manufacturers instead of people 😂
I too would like know about Cerwin Vega
A cerwin vega episode would be great
Jeez there's a name I haven't hear of in years.
Speaking of which, I saw Blaupunkt the other day...in the post office on a 32" HD TV with a $199 price tag 😢
JBL professional still makes some good stuff. The 2000s seemed like a kind of low point for them, the VRX and VERTEC were not my favorite speaker to see at concerts, but in the past few years their new VTX speaker arrays, especially the A series, are actually pretty good, though other manufacturers like L-Acoustics and D&B Audiotechnik have risen to the top for big touring bands and festivals. Also they make the LSR studio monitors which I’ve heard good things about. They’re certainly not L100s though. They’ve also always made really good point source install grade speakers for sports venues, and these are mostly pretty good.
Company I worked for had a set of A12's. Much easier to rig than their earlier designs like the Vertec's, took mere minutes to have a stack in the air. I definitely don't miss the old caster boards on the faces that kept falling off while trying to bump a chain motor up!
@@altgraymedia3655 Yeah! VTX A12 seems like a great product. The new arena in Seattle has 8 hangs of those in the rafters.
That sound system is massive. They’ve got the A12s for the main bowl, 2 small hangs of A8 facing downward toward the court, 2 hangs of the VTX S28 subs, pd6000 series high power point sources in the east upper bowl, AM5212 point sources in the west upper bowl located behind a sky bridge, VRX 932 in front of the sky bridge and facing the upper bowl corners, control 25-1 under an overhang on the lower bowl, and control 28-1 and control series pendant speakers along with some EV and Bosch speakers in the halls, bathrooms, etc. truly massive.
I managed to be able to purchase a set of JBL1400's for a venue back in the 90's and used these for live music. Fast forward to the mid 2000's and I was offered these to purchase for myself. After a full rebuild and even had the x-overs re tuned to match each other, I still have comments on how good they sound each time I roll them out.
When my ship was in Japan in 1978 I almost bought a pair of L100s but I couldn't quite afford them because I had already bought a Kenwood amp and tuner. My son bought four JBL Lancer S99s a few years for 80 dollars. He had to have two of the 14 inch woofers refoamed and he replaced two of the tweeters but cosmetically with the wooden grills and original stands, these things are beautiful. They may be the loudest speakers I have ever heard. I have owned three pairs of JBLs and loved them.
As an audiophile (just someone who loves all things related audio).
I’ve had both home and audio products from JBL.
I loved the loud speakers, their subs and the 1200,1 amp was a monster…
JBL is one of the few audio brands that still makes products that cater to various users, as you stated. It's my go to brand if it's available in the budget and use case. I use several portable speakers from them, my two Toyotas are fitted with sound systems bearing their logo, also I have some headphones, but because of iOS's peculiarities I prefer to use some in ear wireless Beats, specially for work. Gladly I will buy more products from them when need arises as for the moment they are covering almost all the needs that arise.
Very good.. Love the history ! I have wanted to try a pair and this may just happen now.
Really enjoying these.
Glad you like them!
There's no noise in Illinois! Cmon man!
In the pictures you show the altec 604a, jbl 4355, l100 etc. I own all of the speakers you shown currently in my collection. I’m still a sucker for vintage Altec hifi. I was raised on it. Thanks for making this video.
Thank your for sharing theJBL History. My first pair of High Fi speakers were the JBL L112's. They were great. I then had an SAE Amplifier. All traded in for new gear but I enjoyed those speakers.
I bought my first pair of JBL P30s on eBay about 6 years, and I absolutely love them. I also have a question were the P40s a thing? and if so, what was the difference?
Watching this lovely doc running through my awesome JBL LSR studio monitors.
I Love JBL .... i've owned JBL Bluetooth speakers for years now and i'm really Happy with the quality.... My favourite JBL related experience was to Help a friend restore a pair of Vintage L100's which became my absolute dream speakers after listening to them after they where finished .... And the Looks of them are Just gorgeous
Great video, even too short really
Yeah will have to expand in another! Thanks!
I always swapped out my stock speakers in my Fender Twin for 12" JBL's back in the 70's and I thought they were great. Are they still the same? I did also use Altec Lansing's but found them too clean for guitar. JBL's were clean too but I could get a nice distortion from the JBL's when I used pedals. I did by different speakers for my stereo system though, I like Polk Audio.
That was just awesome to watch!
Very interesting and thanks for this video. By the way, is there a relation between James B. Lansing and Altec Lansing?
Finally someone has mentioned about the JBL TIK series when talking about JBL history , unfortunately they haven't been marketed right or maybe they were costly to produce for the price given that time . their years of production were very short 1999 to 2002 ,therefor they haven't received the love they deserve ,the technology they had at the time was far ahead . I have theTI10Ks they looks and sound so amazing , Neutral , powerful ,dynamic . A great example of brilliant craftsmanship .
I’ve had my JBL 4365’s for 11 years now. I just love the way they make music.
Thx for sharing the some of the history behind JBL. I used to own a pair of 4311 Studio Monitors and they were probably one of my favorite speakers I have ever owned.
I bought the JBL Clip 3 and the Flip 5 and can totally recommend both of them. The Flip 5 has phenomenal bass response for something so small. I don't really know how they do that with 2 inch speakers at either end of the tube.
Great video! @1:03 I never thought I'd encounter a grown man who doesn't know that the S is silent at the end of "Illinois". I remember getting into an argument with a classmate about it as a 90s kid, who insisted it was "ill-eh-noyss". Reminds me of another kid who insisted that "Santa Fe" was pronounced "Santa Fee". Anyway, with Illinois, the S is silent. Keep up the dope vidz :D
Back in the day I worked with a quad PA in Los Angeleeze. 4 JBL C55 cabinets with double D140f 15" drivers, 13.5 ft. rear loaded folded horns, useable to 43 Hz. 4 radial horns with 375 drivers, 4 double 12" direct radiating cabinets and 4 075 ring radiators, good for 40kHz. Powered it all with 4 Crown DC300A's and 4 JBL Energizers. Can't hear a thing now, but I remember it being fun.
I have a set of L5’s I’ve been rocking every day since the 90s. Love ‘em. Nothing compares for the price.
I purchased a pair of L100's in 1974. Still listen to them to this day.
In the early 2000s I picked up a slightly weather beaten JBL 4550A cabinet for $5 at an auction. It got tucked into the storage area of my shop and I occasionally had to dissuade my dad from chopping it up for the plywood. Fast forward to 2017 and my local theater was being cleaned out for the digital conversion. I knew the owner and got an Altec Lansing 8-cell horn, driver, and crossover out of the dump trailer, 15 minutes before it was leaving for the landfill. I then had all the parts. I ordered a couple cheap MCM Audio 15" paper cone drivers, mounted the horn and crossover on top with a Crown DC300A II. An old DOD mixing board combines L and R to feed the Crown. It's kind of a Frankenstein monaural system but my ears are completely spoiled now.
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Any time! Thanks for watching!
I completely rebuilt a pair of L80T's, took over 5 years to actually make it happen since I built new cabinets after the old ones got water damage, built new crossovers with much better components and ended up using Dayton audio titanium dome closest to the originals I could find since one of the originals went bad. I honestly forgot how much I liked them, especially that 10" woofer and I may try to source some suitable new JBL tweeters. I also have a K130 speaker which needs a cab built since that is a 15" monster! The most interesting thing I learned from your video was just how many companies were associated with the final creation of JBL, well done video!
Very cool and educational. Thank You
This was very interesting to see and hear, thanks for that! I didn't have JBL in the past but i have a small JBL bluetooth speaker these days. I was impressed with the sound of the JBL Go2. Not a big bass sound but a full sound for the size of the speaker and yes you can hear bass. I love this one because it also has an aux input.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This bring back the memory of the pair of L100 in our home, driven by a Sansui AU999 back in the 70’s. The sound was so sweet.
Great video
I have several pairs of different JBL's. I love them. They are by far my favorites. Thanks for the history of this beloved company.
My first speakers were my dad's old JBL Control 1 Plus monitors. Still have them, they just sit on top of the Elacs that replaced them. The small JBL blue tooth speaker we have is also nice sounding.
Nice...thank you...
Nice. And you didn't even touch on their involvement in automotive audio. Perhaps there's a video on that out there.
I have no clue about JBL per se, but we do have JBL Pro cinema speakers in one of our screening rooms. Would those count?
awesome video! some interesting new words invented in here too :D
I started as a professional sound engineer in the late 70’s, in the 80’s it seemed that JBL were the only high quality speaker driver manufacturer, I think at that time they had 80-90% of the market, my first studio monitors were JBL 4311’s, wonderful sound
I have a pair of JBL62 cabinets I refitted with planar ribbon's and 6.5" Kevlar mids as my PC monitors.
I kept the original drivers and crossovers and didn't have to modify the cabinets. They still sounded great
as they were.
I'm curious to what you think of the small Minirig speakers compared to the JBL portable ones.
Additional comment. I traded the speakers in for Carvers which were very different. It helped me get my McIntosh system and I still have not replaced the standalone speakers( now in wall Klosph I will continue to upgrade and we will see where this goes. This has been a dream ever since I saw those blue meters as a kid.. and so it goes. Maybe I will try to find an old pair of L112’s
I have a Flip 4 and Charge 4 that I still use even to this day and they both hold up well.
Don't forget about JBL Professional! JBL still makes some of the best selling (and highest performing) line arrays, PA speakers, and studio monitors in the world. Great video!
My dad was in a band in the 90s.
They had two ev 15" monitors, and 2 jbl pro series 15" speakers with matching ufo looking tweets that sat on top.
They were in 4'x4'x4' boxes that were so ridiculously heavy nobody ever wanted to move them.
After years of use in a bar, and many outdoor concerts, I ended up with them(and the 1200watt 8 channel Peavy p/a) I know they are at least 40 years old, and still crank out sound.
This was a fun history lesson for sure
You showed em! 4600 series!
Excellent mini-doc
Two things though:
There's no "noise" in Illinois.
San (sahn) Marcos, not "sane."
I'm a big fan of the 4312 and the 4312 M and MK II. Is there an amplifier you recommend ?
Pretty cool. Used em for a PA system and my first car sub as well.
I had a pair of JBL L150 speakers and the bottom end of the low frequencies would shake the entire house. Bought them from a guy for $100! They were well over 10 years old at the time but sounded great. The craftsmanship and engineering was top notch.