Mr. T, just the speaker I was interested in having someone review. I enjoy the retro look. I also enjoy acoustic suspension speakers. Your reviews are always the bomb. A big THANK YOU your way.

"This is a modern speaker in Granpa's clothing." Wonderful! Another typically thorough, balanced, professionally done review. Great that you have referenced your test tracks as well, as checking them out is always fun, regardless in which segment of the speaker market a viewer "resides."

Thanks for the great review. I would have loved a pair of these when I was in college - long ago. I made do with my JBL L26 Decades. These look like a more affordable version of the L100 Classic which is the kind of the way it worked in Los Angeles in 1975. You scraped the bones together for a pair of L26 and your buddy's Dad, the dentist, had a pair of L100s. You wanted a pair of those! These are great times for an old audiophile like me. Thanks again!

I was so curious for your review about this speakers , as you mentioned in your last video , thanks 🙏 Tarun

Fascinating about the edge diffraction, thanks for the great explanation!

Hi Tarun, these are the kind of reviews I really like. I used to be a big JBL fan. So it is nice to see this stuff coming back even though it lacks the magic (in my eyes) of the vintage stuff they had. I also think that generally I prefer the retro look over the modern look of speakers. Some modern speakers look class act but with many it is as if they try to make them appear audiophile by looks rather than sound, if that makes sense.

What a masterful review. Nice recommendations and comparisons 👍

Thanks... Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season

Excellent and honest review as usual Tarun. What I personally like in a speaker is a fine wood such as Walnut, Oak, Yew or Ash. I guess modern with a hint of classic look. KEF, Focal, Sonus Faber, Proac, Splendor, Ophidian and B&W Nautilus would be among my favourite speaker's in terms of styling and quality of finish.

Great review! Like the style of your reviews. Can’t beat JBL classic styling.. My favorites are the classic L Series from JBL especially the L100, L96, L86, L80t and the fabulous L100t. Add a good front end and your set especially if your amp has nice big power meters (Carver TFMs or Onkyo)!!! Keep up the excellent work and btw enjoyed the conservation you and the follow Texan, the Cheap Audio Man, had a week or so. You guys should do more.. Cheers from Texas

I was really interested to see how these would go Tarun and now I know. A really informative review well done as always. I guess the reason I was interested in these is because, I think they look fantastic love those orange grills😍😁👍

Another interesting video. Really like the look of those JBL's 👍👍

Perfect, I was looking at the L52 for small room. Subscribed

And also big big congratulations 🥳 for crossing 40k a crucial mark now things will be easy and wish you 100k by next Christmas good luck and very well done

Really nice review thanks. I have the JBL L100 Classic. They’re so much fun to listen to. But for so called bookshelf speakers they’re enormous. Great looks though.

Been looking at these so, glad ya did this one and as usual you did a great job. Oh, retro. Definitely retro.

Thank you for this review. QOTD: I'm a fan of the early 70's looks of the KLH 5s. They remind me of the Advent speakers I had back then as part of my first decent stereo. I'm a bit of a fan of the tweedy looking retro speaker cloth that some speakers are using, although the Elac Debut References do that look very poorly. So very poorly. I still have a pair of early 70's JBL 100s but unfortunately my cat took a liking to the foam waffle grilles in the late 80's, so they have blue fabric grilles now. They had dried to a powder anyway before the cat got them.

My favourite for looks: Elipson 1303 with Foster tweeters I bought in 1988. Also interesting from a technical point: bass driver relatively small placed horizontally dividing the lower section of the cabinet in 2 equal sized partitions. Ported design with ‘Helmholtz resonator’ to control lower bass. They were still in use without modifications until just a few years ago. The new owner is now giving them a second life.

Thank you for an insightful video

Finally! I’ve been waiting for either you, John Darko, Steve Gutenberg, or Zero Fidelity to review these recent arrivals. I mean it’s not like I can actually audition them myself around here. Memphis, Tennessee had no less than 3 rather large and 2 small high-end, two-channel audio dealers 30 years ago when I moved here. Between the 5 of them, every reputable brand was represented. And now? They’re ALL gone and have been for over 10 years.

Thanks Tarun for an interesting review.

Thank you these are so sweet. I have some 43 yr old jbl floorstanders that resemble these great video

Thanks Tarun, I am pleased that you love old things. I don't get a lot of that these days. The feeling us mutual.

More Speaker Manufacturers should remake speakers with quality components like they used back in the 70's! 😃

Everyday is a learning day. Thanks Tarun 👍🏻

Great review as always Tarun. I always enjoy your videos and rate you as one of the best on any format. Your reasoning is always backed up by solid technical knowledge. I see you have an RME ADI-2 DAC in your set up there. Have you reviewed it as I don't remember watching a video of you doing so? If not I'm hoping you share your thoughts on it at some time in the future. Best wishes, Richard

Great presentation mate

Man I haven’t been alerted to your videos in a while. I’m back:)

I like the retro look and the long vintage history of JBL. The floor models are out of my price range and my listening room is only 10x10 being a spare bedroom. I’m getting into vintage gear and thought these would complement the style in a small space along with keeping me in budget. Subscribed Thank You!

Oh Tarun, a rapier thrust to the heart! I’m a grandpa and quite vintage in my tastes. I own McIntosh separates from the 80s and ADS speakers from the same era. There was nothing that thrilled me more than seeing the KLH 5 looking identical to my vintage Large Advents that I still own from the 70s. I bought a pair of modern Revel speakers. F36 floor standers. @ $2k they were significantly expensive. I found them to be ear bleedingly (not a word) harsh. I couldn’t do anything to mitigate their tweeters. I had to move them at a significant loss. Back to my vintage blankets.

First baby! I'll take a pair in blue as my Christmas gift. Thanks Tarun :)

I'm loving your channel, brother....glad I stumbled upon it. From what you describe, I bet the L52 would sound great with warm, brute force integrateds. Think McIntosh or Parasound HINT. Something with gobs of power but rolled off up top? Thin or neutral sounding units like NAD Masters/Bluesound Powernode or Anthem STR, maybe not.

Thanks very much for this Tarun, mate. I built my dream system last year. Well, over the past two years, but I finished it last year. I'm running a TMC AV32 SP into two TMC 60w power amps (rear and centre) and a TMC 100w running the front speakers, which are Revel M105 in piano black. I got them from Nintronics NIB for £799, so half price. I don't regret one thing. I have always preferred the sound of a neutral system, and these will show any weakness in anything from vocals to recording quality at the studio. Get it right however? and dang, my system blows your mind (Quad S1 as rears, so again there is absolutely no hiding from the truth). Maybe if Nintronics have any left they could send you a demo pair. I would be fascinated to hear your take on what was over a million pounds in research just on the wave guide from what I read. I do love these older speakers, but you know the saying "Don't meet your heroes". I have a feeling if I say back and listened to some LS59s these days I would be frankly gutted lol. So I tend to avoid the vintage/repro vintage style gear.

I also like a little variety. I've just retired a pair of Tannoy 609 large standpoints, the hexagonal cabinets of that series gave them some style. They have been replaced by Audio Physic Step 25 with their slightly sloped front baffle, again something a little different. I'm also very fond of my teeny tiny Neat Iota (how do they get bass out of those little boxes?), And I love their bigger siblings too.

I guess I like variety in the look and sound of my speakers. I have KEF LS-50s, Tannoy XT 8F floorstanders, Harbeth 30.2s, Klipsch 600s and for a really different look Magnepan .7 panel speakers. I love them all. ( My first quality speakers were JBL L 77s.)

My older brothers had L100’s and the model before L80 possibly. I like speakers that don’t look like a box which I equate with a boxy sound real or otherwise. I own Canton Vento Reference 7’s from a few years back. Good all a-rounders and built to a high standard and their 65 lbs is manageable. The rounded cabinets are gorgeous with beautiful binding posts not plastic cups. Their speakers aren’t inexpensive but look great in black to my eyes.

I am also a fan of the KLH 5s but have never heard them. I am currently using a pair of Cambridge Aeromax 6's that use BMR's to cover the mids/highs. The new Alchris Audio speaker range looks interesting. Take a look if you haven't already! Nice review!

I'm all about the classic look - love those grills!

For some bass port control, that is less drastic than stuffing a sock into the port, you could try a bundle of drinking straws cut to the length of the port tube. This adds friction to the air motion in the port, without appreciably changing the size of the port - let alone totally obstructing it, and completely changing the tuning design. The straws often take a dB or two off the peak of the port's output - AND it often extends the bass 2dB or so deeper. If port chuffing is an issue, the straws will help with that, too. What's not to like?

Tarun, great narrative of creating a setting about nostalgia and retro & vintage audio gear. And you delivered a "fair" thorough review of these speakers, what they are and what they are not! 😎👍🏼 I also loved your slightly comical "I'll be right back" segment. 😁

As usual another stellar balanced review! After your recommendation of using muddy waters to test male vocals, it got me thinking do you have a playlist or video for songs to use for testing speakers - male/female vocals, bass, mid, highs etc..?

Sounds like a wonderful home tarun, as old as mathuselah 😂I've never owned a JBL speaker, I like the look of the of the L52 regarding the offset tweeter, you can try to the speakers with tweeter inboard or outbound to see which suits your room.. A. Very in depth review as always, it sounds like a versatile speaker especially the tweeter adjustment. Anyway looking forward to seeing another review soon..personally I like the look of a British speaker if such a thing exists, wood veneer two way bookshelf or a nice floorstander, mission 752 tannoy dc 3000 etc, classic looks appeal to me.

nice review! I remember the JBL 100s were everywhere back in the day. I opted for the Electro Voice Interface As I was blown away by them! I currently have Kef C80s. Are the Kefs still competitive with todays better speakers?

I like the look of the AAD 7001, simply beautiful industrial design.

Thank for the GREAT review! I love the vintage styling and was thinking of pairing these up with a McIntosh MA6300 that I found for a steal. Do you think that is too much amp for these little guys or should I save for one of the big brothers?

Thanks Tarun for another great review. Best looking speakers today? My vote goes to the Fynes. Chess Records - yeah. An interesting side note: the Voyager Golden Record includes Johnny B. Goode, recorded at Chess in 1958.

I love retro. I have the Heresy IVs and Sound Artist LS/35a. I have a bunch of modern stuff but retro styling is my thing.

Another great review. I typically go minimalist but these do not offend. Maybe the bigger brother needs a review.

In the seventies I had Marantz amp and separate tuner it was if I can remember only 15w per channel. The speakers were just like the cabinets you have but larger 15w floor model. At first I thought I might not like the setup, but the sound in my small room was amazing. The only thing after a few years the rubber on the cones started to decorate. Mine didn't have the foam grills.

Another great review as always. I noticed the RME ADI 2 fs DAC behind you, will you be doing a review of it as I am considering buying one but would love to know your view of it.

Interesting question! I would have to say that my favourite looking speakers are my speakers! I have finally swapped out my Epos ES14 on their stands for PMC fact.3s . Ironically on the same Epos stands, beautiful speakers on a frankenstand... Truly gothic and spiky to touch with blutac doing the job.

excellent review again , i have seen the fyne audio f700 in walnut , maybe one day

I enjoyed your explanation of tweeter location and why. Always something to learn with Tarun. 😄 I love the retro/vintage look, else, minimalistic design, especially with covers removed. Recently got hold of Solidsteel SS stands (bare metal), rather industrial, but great combo for classics (and everything) 😉. What's your impression re. buildquality of the JBL's, they seem quite light weight?

I have the mid eighties version of this, the JBL L20t3. Paired to my JBLB380 Sub the sound is as effortless as it is natural at a lifelike volume.

Just found your channel and I think we're going to be able to get along. Long Love for the original JBL L100 due to having a short relationship with them when they were new paired with a Marantz 2015 Mounted on proper stands off a wood floor The very first song played by Fleetwood Mac On vinyl with a Technics turntable... It was Love and nothing has ever compared. Alas L100s in mint are rare and so are the original Marantz receivers. But JBL is a leader in this category and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a pair of these using yamaha amps.

Another excellent video Tarun! I searched your channel to get your take on Dynaudio (any speaker) and was surprised that there are none. Is there any particular reason?

Love the old look , I recently tried a pair of Bose 901 series 3 with modern drivers and an upgraded crossover they are absolutely incredible but almost impossible to place correctly

I know they are big; if possible please review the JBL L100s. Great review!

I nearly wetted my pants when you spoke about the "Afterlife" and winked with your hand.... smiling so mischievously! Just another case when our British Audiophile used words and gestures like a first-class entertainer! But who can do this if not you! lol...

Hi, another nice review. To answer your question about the speaker looks, I love the vintage looks, eg. Klipsch. I feel plastic enclosures make the speakers look less worthy. It's just a feeling and I admit I like the KEF's LS50 looks, but it is more toy-like than equipment like. Having said that, why is it that studio monitors are mostly plastic, probably cost effectivness? If it's good for pros, it should be good for me I guess.

I was so confused on which retro speaker to buy, I grabbed both! - JBL L 100 Classic and Heresy IV

Hi Tarun, you are a very talented audio reviewer. You have a lot of technical expertise and you communicate in a very clear, understandable and pleasant way. To my mind there is some potential for improvement in terms of the visuals: the right side of your face is never well lit and the background could benefit from some uncluttering. Simply removing the wine rack and adding some green plants would make a big difference. Why am I bothering? Because I would very much like you to have more than 100k subscribers.

Excellent analysis as always. Your reviews have a soothing effect on me, such a stark contrast to many other KZfaq reviewers. I'm a man of extremes myself - either give me a proper vintage look like those JBL or a futuristic chimera like those Beolab 90s. As much as I enjoy the quality and wooden textures of scandi speakers like Dynaudio, they could you use a touch eccentricity and excitement in their design.

Great review. Your right, the speakers are not about audiophile presentation. It is about the fun, or soul of the music. That roughness is comb filtering due to bad time alignment between woofer and tweeter. In the original version, they did not make these speakers in mirrored pairs. The new ones are. By putting the tweeter on the outside, that makes the tweeter farther to your ear so that the tweeter ends roughly the same distance to your ear as the woofer, for better time alignment. Slight rotation of the cabinet can get the time alignment just right. That will minimize the comb filtering, cleaning up the roughness.

I've seen many of these older box speakers in garage systems, like Technics and Pioneer 3-ways... the gear we once loved but can't discard.

Lovely, informative review. I have a Creek A50i and some Epos M12.2 speakers, which I very much enjoy, but am looking for something with a smaller footprint. Do you have thoughts on how the new JBL L52s might compare?

Preference is a modern, unassuming look that doesn't draw attention to itself. Ideally, something around 30cm or so tall would be nice that could give me essentially what I have now in my Focal 807W. The synergy between the Focal and a small Keces E40 still impresses me. So far, havn't found anything I outright prefer but I do like my Triangle Plaisir Zetas which for a budget speaker does better than many others I have tried. I've shrank everything else down, fine with a lower power amp and dac. The Marantz CD6006 looks huge by comparison. Still looking forward to a review of the Amphion Helium and whether they could be driven fine with essentially a 40 watt amp. The days of cranking music is behind me and look for speakers that perform well at low to moderate volumes.

Still 70's product fan... I still use my Sansui 9900 and Pioneer 9500. It was a enjoyable review with insight thank you despite being a grandpa with old clothes ; = )

Was looking to pair these with a vintage Harmon Kardon 430 twin. Sounds like it might be a good pairing. Thanks for in review!

I have owned some of the classic JBL speakers over the years, L100, L150 and the L300 Summits, have to say that I moved on from their sonic presentation too some years ago so most of these retro designs do not interest me but as always a fantastic review Tarun

Tannoy have quite a pleasant look to them especially the models show on this review

Again nice job, thank you speakers which made the best impression to me were/is/will be are Acoustic Research, started with AR17 and finished with AR9 As one of 61 years young, I like sound of 70es and 80es....comparing vintage and new sound, for me, is like to be in forest....now sound=you see every tree, vintage sound=you see forest Can you say word or two about ARs, please? Thank you

I love the look of the Quad Z-2s. Beautiful curves.

JBL speakers of the 1970's had what was known as the "west coast sound". A very forward sounding midrange.

As a furniture designer-maker the appearance of speakers is important to me. There are enough fine-sounding options that I needn't have ugly speakers in my home. Obviously, this is a case of chacun a son gout, but I find Focal's stacks of toppling pizza boxes absurd looking, but the gracefully proportioned and superbly finished cabinets on my Canton Reference 9.2 DCs beautiful.

Currently rocking some KEF Q150's, but sometimes get the floor standing Q50's out for a stretch... so I must like KEF then eh? And I bought that RME dac/pre. Wow!

Like the look of Sonus Faber towers especially the Olympica Nova product line.

Hi Tarun considering I’m a product of the early 50s I’m a bit like you about vintage hifi , and don’t really get the need to look back . What is being produced to day is streets ahead by comparison particularly when it comes to speaker design , the science used just in the enclosures is amazing . And definitely evident in the sound , I just feel that in order to make it look the same as the original some degree of compromise has to be made . Warts and all Best wishes and kind regards as always 👍👍👍😀

Hi Train thank you for the great review. Is that a REL. subwoofer on your left ? I like a Modern looking speaker. I own and love the sound of the DeVore Fidelity Gibbon X Speakers hand made in Brooklyn NY.

Ahh Tarun, you're tearing me apart here. Firstly you begin by speaking my language "Vintage" but then you highlight all my Audiophile / HiFi prejudices with JBL, a company whose products I just don't like, but I know that's just my personal preference so please allow me my opinion. You ask what speaker 'looks' we like, well for me it's floor-standing and I care more about the sound than the looks although that orange-ness of JBL is something that I could never consider. I love the looks of my vintage KEF C95's which have been replaced by B&W 702 S2's which in turn I adore in both looks and performance. One other comment I have is that for me any HiFi must be black, none of these modern colours like white, blue, red, loud orange ... etc. well, you asked but thanks anyway for another well presented review. I won't mention turntables this time ..... damn, I just did ;-)

Hi Tarun. Love the KZfaq channel. I was wondering if the L52 would be a bit of a steel at the £450 price mark?

I like minimalist design, I have buchardt S400 and Arendal 1723 /1961

Hello sir! Enjoyed your review! Any opinion on combining L52 with NAD D3020v2 amp?

Re: what style of speakers do we like? I've always been a fan of panel speakers, whether planar or electrostats, it's interesting to talk about how they work and always fun when you run into someone who either has, had, or has a friend that has Magnepans or whatever. Now, if cost and space are not issues, well, then I need to add MBL and Avantgarde!

Retro Chic '' YES. I've always wondered - the 'redo' of speaker foam surrounds , can the replacements be anywhere near original & does it matter to the sound ? I speak of Advent, AR.... then excellent models. My '78 Koss 1020 are still my main spikes, backed by new model KEF which don't sound much different to me ( I'm 72)

Would you consider reviewing Dynaudio entry Emit series? Lots of reviewers do the middle and higher end but almost no one has done the entry level. Is there a value prop to be had?

You beat those old items Tarun, you looking about 1400 years old! However, I'm the same camp as you, I love old, although my home is only 100 years old! I got to the age where bungalows became an attractive option... Having said that, I go and convert the loft, so have a staircase anyway... ffs! lol It, is essential that I have a detached house, my hifi system guides that decision! Anyway... keep up the good work chap! Great vids! Frank...

I think I'd like their L100 big brothers. Nothing like a large woofer to lay the foundation for a good pop or rock song. But I think I'll first invest a bit in my seventies Sansui's New caps and cabinet improvements. A more economical option.

I have project carbon Evo TT and Rotel cd11 and A11 tributes. Do you think these JBL or Wharfedale Linton's be best speaker match or any other? Tia

Just bought a pair of L52's and I absolutely love them. I also have a pair of Harbeth Compact 7es speakers and I'm actually thinking about selling them and replacing them with the L82's. Hooked on the JBL sound over the polite sounding Harbeth's. What brand and height stands are you using with the 52's?

I am unsubscribing from rest of other channels and keeping this one only. 😄. This channel is in another level.

"Folk Singer" is an AMAZING recording. DAMN! 😁

Your comment about the L52's attributes in your Conclusion sound a lot like the the comments that reviewers made when the L-100s first hit the market. I remember reading about how hard the midrange punched without overwhelming the lows and highs. It was a new sound that people took a liking to (or else hated) very quickly. At 85dB sensitivity and 4 ohm impedance, are the L52s going to make demands on $1K (+/-) integrated amps that they can't deliver?

Just ordered a pair. Fingers crossed. :-)

Sonus Faber Amator Electra ... design wise ... are my choice. Highest quality review in all segments ... as usual ... Best Regards Tarun!

How about reviewing an excellent British brand of speaker from County Durham? Kudos Audio make some great speakers with big personality from the Cardea at the more budget end to the Titan at the more expensive end. Worth a look??

We would love to hear from you about Elac Carina and Golden Ear BRX

I enjoyed the review. I had 2 4311 and 1 late 1970s L100.... SO THE QUESTION to me that is important is how much of the GRANDpa sound is retained, or what is MUCH better about the Grand-KIDS than is Grand-PA, or some observation you couldn't shake that older and younger people might find interesting. - 'Just a Thought.' All the best!

I'll admit, I think the JBL looks are incredibly attractive. I ended up with the new KLH Model 5's which also have that vintage flair, though I think the JBL'S look better.

For some reason, I like the look of the KLH model fives. Not that looks would be what determines what I might buy. To be frank, 95% of speakers are boxes and on looks alone there's not much to choose between them. I don't like black, however, and that could be a deal breaker for me. If I really wanted a speaker that is only available in black, I 'd try to find some way to change its colour.