L100A brilliance and presence setting help

[speakerdave]

Or start with both controls turned down, source turned to FM, interstation noise, volume level set fairly low. Listening close to the speaker adjust the mid control until the sound seems to come from a point halfway between the woofer and the mid. Do the same thing with the mid and tweeter. Note the position of the controls and let this be your reference point. Do the other speaker.

David

[wally44]

Hi Viking
Sorry - I don't have either the boxes or the book in front of me right now, and I cannot find any illustration on E-Bay that is good enough for me to advise you - but I think mine have a "reference" setting at the 12 o'clock position with +/- sttings either side of that. I'll have a look in about 12 hours time (don't know what the real time is in your part of the world, but it's sure to vary from Sydney Australia) and post something more then.
Sorry - but some of the other posts will probably help you more than I can anyway!!
Geoff S.

[GordonW]

I tend to not like "brightness"... so the pet position I find for most L100A controls, is between 3 and 4 for the midrange, and between 5 and 6 for the tweeter. Seems to balance them right out.

Of course, this is with the speaker ON A STAND (usually about 15" tall). If they're on the floor, the higher position recommended by Augspurger makes sense. The floor will reinforce the bass and midbass, and the mids and highs would need to be increased to compensate. But, I find, that the best balance of everything occurs on a 15" stand, with the above settings... it reduces the "boom" at 60-70 Hz, and results in a surprisingly neutral speaker...

Regards,
Gordon.

[wally44]

Hi Viking
Attached as promised are two quick and dirty scans from the orignial JBL manual. I will submit the whole thing for upload in a week or so - don't have time just now, but maybe this will be interesting reading...if the whole upload thingo works. If not, I'll just have to get my act together and submit...
Geoff S.

[Viking]

Hello again

Thank you for all the good advises and the enthusiasm. I did try a combination of both. For the mid I start to hear a change in the sound image at 2, at 3 the sound comes equally from the woofer and the mid. The tweeter is a little bit more difficult to adjust by ear - but I find that 3 is a good level. The setting now is at 3 and 3, which is what the speakers was set at when I got them a couple of weeks ago, and what I feel sound right to my ears.
I will try to find a local audiophile with the right gear to come and take a look at my speakers, to see how far my ears are from the theoretical flat responce.

They stand so far on top of the old speakers ( 48cm high ) till I find the right position. Placement is very critical so will experiment with this. However - they are really really good speakers, small adjustments to get it perfect is just part of the fun - they sound great in almost any position.

Will go more close into the configuration when I have changed my amplifier, since the chain is no stronger than the weakest link. I use a Technics SU-610, specs. looks fine but I have the feeling that they drag the L100 down and that the settings could depend very much on the amplifier too, so will look for a more suitable amplifier.

Any suggestions of a classic good quality amp for my speakers, should be soutable for a pair of L150A too, since my next project will be to add L150A to my collection. Output for speaker set A and B is a must. Thinking to find an old MARANTZ ?

20 years ago with my JBL L25 I had a JBL Lansing pre-amplifier, the one with square white plastic buttons with build in light, and a alu. square pot as volume. As a fool I sold it, also used a JBL Lansing small amplifier, but it was not mine.

I will keep you updated in the process.

[droh]

At this point I think the good advice has already been dispensed asabout how to set the controls regardless of what the decals may reveal. But in case it's useful I'm posting pics of two different models that i have. I think these would be considered an L100A and an L100 Late? Anyway, they both have scales with a zero in the center and an indication of "Laboratory Standard"

[Viking]

So mine should then be "very late" version of the L100. Please check the large picture in my first post.

Anybody know the story about the scales I have ? They are very different from all the former L100´s. My serial number starts with 29, yours with 23 so a long time in production between the two speakers.