JBL L200 Studio Masters-Pics

[GD70]

Nice job Glenn...and those do look hefty! I am not that familiar with JBL but the ones I have heard have been on the bright side. Several audio guys I know have told me the same thing but yet others love them.

You mention how bright with lens off but don't fight it if it just ain't your cup of tea...even as others fawn over them. They will be worth a few bucks so win/win either way...

Thanks, and yeah, hernia speakers!
They are brighter than typical vintage east coast speakers, but dialing down the horns -6db made a nice difference, calming them down. They are quite enjoyable to listen to.
Glenn

 

[Johnny_Law]

Thanks, and yeah, hernia speakers!
They are brighter than typical vintage east coast speakers, but dialing down the horns -6db made a nice difference, calming them down. They are quite enjoyable to listen to.
Glenn

Huh, if only we could get my L200Bs across the country and side by side with your L200s. My Bs are anything but bright! I wonder if anyone has A/Bd the L200 vs. L200B.

 

[GD70]

Huh, if only we could get my L200Bs across the country and side by side with your L200s. My Bs are anything but bright! I wonder if anyone has A/Bd the L200 vs. L200B.

Maybe the B's were changed a bit?
You can hear in the videos the highs are pretty crisp! This was before I dialed them down.

 

[toddalin]

I've been putting some speakers together using JBL 2241H 18" woofers, JBL 2251J 10" mid, Heil AMT, and compared to my L200/300s, with the horns and tweets cranked to get the flattest overall sound on the RTA, they sound smooth, but dull, using a 61-band RTA in the room. I have them set with a slight downslope to the treble, maybe ~1 dB per octave above ~350 Hz. But, in this case the peakiness of L200/300s makes them unlistenable, and I have to dial both the mids and highs back to avoid "glare" and "tizz."

Once I cut them back to "listenable levels" the home brews no longer sound dull, just smoother and less peaky with a tighter bass..., and much less "swimmy."

 

[Johnny_Law]

Maybe the B's were changed a bit?
You can hear in the videos the highs are pretty crisp! This was before I dialed them down.

Yeah they were tweaked a bit - the history of JBL says that Ed May / Pat Everidge / Greg Timbers may have been involved?

You can look at the tech specs back to back: https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/jbl/l200.shtml

The L200 used a LE15B woofer and LE85 compression driver with H91/L91 horn and lens, and a crossover with 2 inductors, 2 capacitors, 1 resistor, and the multi-position L-pad.

The L200B used a 136A woofer, the same compression driver / horn / lens, and a more complex crossover w/ a variable L-pad.

I've always been curious to hear the L200s after listening to my L200Bs so long.

 

[GD70]

Yeah they were tweaked a bit - the history of JBL says that Ed May / Pat Everidge / Greg Timbers may have been involved?

You can look at the tech specs back to back: https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/jbl/l200.shtml

The L200 used a LE15B woofer and LE85 compression driver with H91/L91 horn and lens, and a crossover with 2 inductors, 2 capacitors, 1 resistor, and the multi-position L-pad.

The L200B used a 136A woofer, the same compression driver / horn / lens, and a more complex crossover w/ a variable L-pad.

I've always been curious to hear the L200s after listening to my L200Bs so long.

Awesome Johnny!

I have some reading to do on this snowy evening.
And maybe some day I'll get to hear a set of 200B', and 300's!

Cheers, Glenn

 

[indyhawg]

Very nice work.

 

[GD70]

Grills are done!
I bought a pair of original badges off fleabay as I'm pretty anal about originality and keeping speakers as original as possible when needing parts.
I used various photos from online sources to position the badges on the foam grills. Once you make the cuts, you're committed.
So I'm just about finished but needing maybe one or two more oil applications.
Glenn

 

[GD70]

Grills placed in the cabs. I love how these look!

 

[nedseg]

Very pretty in their natural state, aren't they? A classic.
Good work!!!

 

[Drugolf]

Dude those look great! Kenrick is going to offer you a job.

 

[doctorolds]

Looking great from here Glenn!
These were probably one of your easier and quicker restoration projects. Since your entry price was nothing I don't blame you for spending some money on the correct pieces to make them as original as possible. Almost time to sit back and enjoy them for years to come, enjoy!

 

[Masonavenut]

Really cool, congrats.

 

[GD70]

Dude those look great! Kenrick is going to offer you a job.

Thanks David!
That's a nice complement to compare to Kenrick! They do fantastic work.
Cheers, Glenn

 

[GD70]

Looking great from here Glenn!
These were probably one of your easier and quicker restoration projects. Since your entry price was nothing I don't blame you for spending some money on the correct pieces to make them as original as possible. Almost time to sit back and enjoy them for years to come, enjoy!

Thanks! Once the oiling is completed, I'll slide these in where my LST, AR3, KLH Six stack sits. The Sixs will sit on the L200's. Then I can do some A/B'ing with the 910's! Will be lots of fun.
Glenn

 

[GD70]

Gave my wife a quick demo, and her first words were "Oh Wow!" Her next words were "can you turn it down?" Yikes!
I have a feeling I'm going to hear this pretty often! That's ok with me!

 

[doctorolds]

Gave my wife a quick demo, and her first words were "Oh Wow!" Her next words were "can you turn it down?" Yikes!
I have a feeling I'm going to hear this pretty often! Thanks ok with me!

Welcome to my world! I like some volume when the moment or song strikes, but my wife sounds like yours, and she likes music.

 

[GD70]

Welcome to my world! I like some volume when the moment or song strikes, but my wife sounds like yours, and she likes music.

I usually do my serious cranking when she's out of the house. She appreciates the work put into the speakers I restore so it's all good.

 

[toddalin]

Mine just slams the door!

 

[Spiceman50]

Mine just slams the door!

Forgive me for laughing. the image in my mind of her doing that. My wife would sneak in and quietly close the door. I have since, resolved the problem by installing a return air vent to get rid of some if the heat build up, but when she closed the door, it would get so warm that I would fall asleep, then the play list or record would run out and the music stopped. She knew what she was doing.