Monday, May 11, 2015

56. JBL L100 Century 1970, Love em or Hate em, they ARE the 1970's HiFi Sound

I really can't think of a pair of speakers, or any stereo equipment for that matter, that stirs emotions like the L100 Century. People either think they are wonderful or hate them. The biggest complaint is the "forward" sounding midrange. After a while, it can give you what is known as "listener fatigue". Either that or just a plain old headache! I had a nice looking pair and sold them. Now I have an okay looking pair and they are not nearly as harsh. As with all equipment this old, the capacitiors have varying levels of degradation from one to the next. This has an affect on the sound. Personally, I think they are dynamic! Listening to the helicopters in Pink Floyd's The Wall with 100+ watts driving a good pair of Century speakers is an eye opening experience. I felt that thrill just yesterday. Man, these speakers still kick ass! Here's a guide for you:

Do you like listening to the Ramones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Stones or any rock, post-punk, alternative, new wave, punk, grunge or metal?
If yes, then you might enjoy the JBL L100 Century experience.

Are you a lace curtain, choirboy Kenny G fan?
If yes, then you probably won't enjoy the JBL L100 Century experience.
Go buy Klipsch speakers, play a Mozart SACD and eat an alfalfa sprout salad.
You'll probably then feel the need to take a drive in your Volvo or Prius to the vegan food store for a refreshing bowl of humus for desert. Good grief, Klipsch, how sad. I hope you don't have kids...

Here's a picture of my L100s.

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