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Does JBL get a bad rap?

For years, all one heard regarding almost any JBL product, especially vintage consumer grade products was that they were all boom(bass) and sizzle( highs). I feel this is an unfair generalization. Surprisingly, I find much of their budget minded gear(80s-90s) actually soft in the treble and very non-fatiguing(titanium laminate tweeters). I also have experienced the L100T and found them fairly well balanced and nuetral. The midrange does lack some realism magic especially on vocals but so do other highly touted speakers. In short, I am a little late to the game in regards to the JBL, but as a mainstream maker I am impressed. And that doesn't even take into account their 4xxx studio monitors which are highly regarded. Back me up jbl fans!
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kiddman
341 posts
 
I meant to say "I can't be unfair to those hard-working guys who have achieved something nice by shotgunning an answer that's NOT (I forgot the word "not" in my response) fully researched......"
macrojack
1,292 posts
 
It's been a week now since I posed a reasonable question. Several of you have seen fit to discuss my question and comment about it, but no one has made much of an effort to answer it.

I have a hybrid system that I put together using B&C DCX 50 compression drivers, Acoustic Horn AH300 horns, an RCF 15 inch woofer in a JBL L-200 cabinets, and passive crossovers designed for me by Bill Woods. I have never experienced any of the speakers I asked about but I have read about them frequently enough.

The JBL Everest and K2 will probably remain an unrealistic consideration for me, as will the speakers I asked about. I'm just wondering what well informed JBL aficionados would have to say.
kiddman
341 posts
 
Macrojack, guys on forums love to proclaim winners and losers, so no response means there likely are not any people really familiar with the speakers to do a comparison.

Those are very low production, specialist companies you are talking about that don't use dealers. There is little ability to hear them.

I commented, but of course can't do so in detail unless I have those speakers at my place or unless I heard bad faults that are clearly the speakers' faults. Of the 2 I mentioned I heard no bad faults, but heard some really good sound. Further comparisons are not possible given they were not in my room and I did not have my speakers there.

As far as "well informed JBL aficionados" go, there are few in the West for JBL top line modern. JBL did not, until just a few years ago, offer them for sale in the West. Even after opening them up in the West, certainly they do not sell like hotcakes as 1. They are upper price range speakers. 2. JBL has for so long gotten a bad rap in the snobby, trendy world of high end audio that sales of a JBL, or any horn in this price range, are not easy.
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
Many may roll their eyes at this but I replaced my VMPS FF3 SRE powered by Classe amps with JBL PRX735 powered speakers about a month ago and really like most everything about them. For $2000 for powered speakers they are fantastic. I use a Lexicon MC8B as pre.
They may not image quite like a high end speaker but they have great bass, accurate mids and no fatigue in tweeters. I had to lower the fan noise but that was a easy mod. My main focus is rock and blues but everything sounds good to me, they just work well in my room.
mikewerner
93 posts
 
YES!
You have to hear a well implemented compression driver to comment!
The Array 1400 are a very sophisticated speaker. Paired with a low distortion system upstream they are very musical and real sounding.
The dynamics are secondary to none.
I have had Array 1400s for a couple of years now and they do things right that very few other speakers are capable of doing.
These JBL speakers are underrated!
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