In the 70s, JBL speakers reigned over the Audio Kingdom with little competition from other brands. It was around that time that I owned and operated an audio store at the corner of Broadway and McDonald Street in beautiful Kitsilano BC and we sold JBL, we sold lots of JBL. The iconic L100 became the bestselling loudspeaker in JBL’s history. Little did James B. Lancing know that the speakers he produced in the late 1940s would have such a profound impact on Pop music worldwide.
Well, they are back and they are new and improved! I would definitely call it a new retro look maintaining a dark walnut finish with an orange foam grille, set in a standard squarish box with a classic three-way design and above-average efficiency. The perfect match for your lava lamp.
I played one of my old-time favorite songs, Cat Stevens’ “Where Do The Children Play?” from my “Tea for the Tillerman” LP, through these speakers and it gave me goose-bumps. The opening guitar strums were almost palpable, the voice was clear and positioned midway between the speakers, two feet or so higher than the actual cabinets. As the purpose of this blog is not to review the speakers, I will just leave it at that, after all, you are the best reviewer in the world.
The speakers are part of the Synthesis lineup, you will not find these speakers at your regular JBL dealer because only a limited number of selected dealers are being appointed.
I have been told by the Canadian distributor that JBL will soon be introducing a very limited number of these 75th Anniversary Edition speakers and that Canada will get about 15 pairs. Price and availability to be announced soon.`