I am going to be picking up 2 pr. of JBL 940's. I have not found any info except what is on JBL's web site. Does anyone here use these? Also any info or comparisons regarding these would be very helpful.
I currently use S38II's, EC35, N26, and N24 in a 7.1 HT set-up.
Thanks for any insight and help!
I've been waiting years for someone to ask about these ! They were my first pair of JBL's, bought new in 1987 for $550/pair (list was $1100 - I got a deal). I'll start off by saying that these speakers were some of the first JBL's to be made after the Harman take over. The old timers and JBL purists here will not willingly accept them "into the fold" as they were obviously made to a price point and lack key JBL givens like cast-frame drivers and proper screw-on speaker terminal. Like many other corporate take-overs reshaping the old school audio companies in the 80's, this one resulted in some down-market plays. That being said, I still listen to them almost every day and I really like the things they do well.Originally Posted by Dbryant
Some of the high points of the JBL940 are:
1) 4 ohm system impedance
2) 94 db efficiency
3) 300 watt power handling
I'll stop here to say a bit about these ratings. They are extremely efficient speakers that have no trouble rattling the walls with a 20-watt tube amp. They are *much* more efficient than any other JBL I have in the house, and that efficiency gives way to a very lively and dynamic sound. Blindfolded, you might almost believe you were listening to horn-loaded speakers in terms of the dynamics.
4) 4-way design in large ported enclosure (approx 42x18x12, 75 lbs)
5) Titanium Tweeter
6) 5" poly mid (internally sealed from main cab)
7) 8" and 10" Aquaplas low frequency drivers with no foam surround (hooray)
The mids and highs are extremely smooth and never tiring even at high levels. I really like this tweeter (022Ti) even though it does not have critical acclaim like the better known 035ti, 044ti, etc. The same can be said for the poly mid (305G-4) which is very lively and imparts a lot of energy into the vocals.
Where the cost cutting really shows is in the low end. Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of low end here with usable response down to about 40hz. What it lacks is accuracy and a sense of tightness. The culprits are the open cabinet (with the 8" driver ending up being a radiator for the 10" as well as trying to cover its own range) and the lack of proper cast-frame drivers. Truthfully I never really noticed this until I stepped way up the JBL line in the last few years. Some people (my wife included) still prefer the somewhat bassy/boomy sound of the 940. It's what many people (right or wrong) associate with bass and it delivers in spades.
Overall these are a very enjoyable set of speakers. I used them with a variety of amps over the years and they're not terribly picky about amplification. I also used them for HT and they excelled in that role - lots of dynamic range and great vocal clarity. There were 5 speakers in the (redundantly named) "JBL" series - the JBL940, the JBL 830 (same tweeter, dual 8" woofers), 630 (same tweeter, dual 6" mid/bass) and two smaller two-ways, the 62 and 82. You can still find all of them somewhat regularly on ebay if you want to put together a matched HT setup. There was no matching center from this time period but I used (and still do) the CL505 with good results.
I realize I may have gone into more detail than you were looking for, but I've been debating getting all of this info into a "JBL" series thread and this is a good a place as any.
Welcome to the site as you explore JBL's past - you'll find nothing but great people and useful info here.
jblnut
Here's a 940:
That is great info. I think I am getting a great deal. Making a trade which will cost me about $250 in cash value. One pair is mint while the other has a speaker with the mid and 8" woofer needing repair or replacement. To me, that is not priority as I want to use three for a front soundstage in my basement HT which is about to begin construction.
I was surprised not to find any info on these speakers. I figured they must be as good as the E80's or E90's from the E series line currently out. Thanks for the insight, the more info the better.
I have been looking at JBL's older stuff for awhile. On a side note-I just missed out on getting a pr of L100's for $30. Guy did not know what he had and I was late by minutes...
Just to be clear, the Harman takeover was 1970. There was a four year break in ownership starting in 1977 when Harman sold his holdings to Beatrice as part of the divestiture requirements of joining Jimmy Carter's administration. However he reaquired his holdings from Beatrice in 1981. For over 30 years, Dr. Sidney Harman has been in control of Harman International and its JBL subsidiary.
I'll start off by saying that these speakers were some of the first JBL's to be made after the Harman take over.
Regards
Don McRitchie
Sorry about that Don - I took two known items (the takeover and the shift in product downmarket) and , ahem, wrongly coupled them time-wise. I must say that JBL did a tremendous job holding off the cost-cutting that plagued the rest of the "hi-fi" industry in the 80's. This "JBL" line didn't appear until 1987 which was 17 years after the takeover.
Look at the Japanese audio industry in the 80's (like Luxman) and you'll see a very different timeline of takeover versus product shift....
jblnut
That baffle is 18" wide? Ho, momma, that's wide for those drivers!
Very interesting post, jblnut.
Do you know the approximate internal volume, minus the sealed off driver? Is that thing ported somewhere or sealed?
Out.
I just measured them in the basment as I was going off memory today when I posted. Not too far off - 42x9.5x18.5 externally with two 2.75x4 ports in the back. The entire inside volume is used for the two bass drivers minus a 5" front-back cardboard tube that "seals" the upper mid from being a third passive radiator.That baffle is 18" wide? Ho, momma, that's wide for those drivers!
Very interesting post, jblnut.
Do you know the approximate internal volume, minus the sealed off driver? Is that thing ported somewhere or sealed?
If a set comes up for sale near anyone cheap I'd encourage you to take a listen. Compared to anything JBL sold in that timeframe (even the later LX series or the Danish-made HP series), these are clearly superior. I even had them next to some L5's I bought for a friend 10 years ago and though the L5's were a little smoother and better balanced, the 940's clearly had the edge in dynamics and bass extension.
They aren't going to be collectible and I doubt many more threads will shout their praises here. But if you're looking to setup a budget HT or even just searching for a pair of speakers to put in the rec room with teenagers, you would have a hard time beating these for the money.
Oh - and they will play LOUD...
jblnut
would there be a safe retrofit to isolate the 8" driver? i have an hk680i i just refurbished and think those two would get along famously.
I just picked up a pair today for 60 bucks! Cabinets are a 8 3/4 out of 10 and the drivers are like new. Sound is amazing, but I can see where having the 8" unprotected could be a problem at high levels.
If these weren't so heavy, I would have gotten home with them sooner.
However, no other information can I find other than here.
heavyduty
I'm sure you will enjoy them! What are you powering them with ?
jblnut
I used to have the step below...830's. At the time I thought they sounded great. I have a spare set of 630T's I bought off ebay NOS a couple of years ago. Sound okay in a bedroom setting with a JBL L8400 sub. I switched those out in favor of JBL L5's with a Sansui G-8000 receiver.
I bet the 940's sound good.
I need some help, I finally blew part of these wonderful speakers. I believe it is either the mid range on one speaker or the titanium tweeter. Any help on where or how I can get this baby's back up to speed would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Guys, I need help for the JBL 940 speakers.
One of the platinum tweeters stop working. I called JBL and they have obsoleted this model.
Does anyone have any idea what to do? JBL sold me one pair of the different model tweeters but unfortunately they don't fit, and I can't install them.
I have the JBL 940 for over 20 years and love them so much, just not ready to give them up yet.
Thanks!
Try ebay. I think the model is 22ti? I have seen them before there.
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