It was a bit of work but well worth the effort for this beautiful pair of JBL L16 Decade speakers.
I first hooked them up to a solid state amplifier and thought they sound good but not great, then I connected them to the tube amp and Oh My Goodness..... completely different speaker. These little speakers were meant for tube gear, not as good with the imaging as the Tannoy Oxford Gold.
The 8" JBL 116A woofer is from the same pedigree as the L26 and L100's that use a cast basket and Alnico magnet.
I could not source the proper surrounds locally so I turned to my good friend Audio Dogs Vintage Stereo in Comox for my hard to get parts, Thank you guys for the prompt and expert service.
The woofers where re foamed using a 50 hertz sine wave from my iPhone.
This is a really simple way of re foaming your drivers without cutting to dust cap off and shimming the voice coil, so far I have had a 100% success rate with this method.
The cabinets which were in excellent condition just got a light 220 grit sanding and a coat of Circa 1850 wood oil to bring out the grain richness. the small dimples in the tweeter were pulled out with a pin and re sealed with a dab of glue.
I have been really enjoying this set of JBL L16's through the tube amp, the bass is nice and deep for an8" woofer, the mid range is spot on without the fatigue I got from the JBL L26's that I have had in the past. It is a shame as the the bigger brother L26 gets more press than these speakers do.
I really like these speakers and I have a feeling they will be in the rotation for quite some time, absolutely amazing through the tube amp.....
I first hooked them up to a solid state amplifier and thought they sound good but not great, then I connected them to the tube amp and Oh My Goodness..... completely different speaker. These little speakers were meant for tube gear, not as good with the imaging as the Tannoy Oxford Gold.
The 8" JBL 116A woofer is from the same pedigree as the L26 and L100's that use a cast basket and Alnico magnet.
I could not source the proper surrounds locally so I turned to my good friend Audio Dogs Vintage Stereo in Comox for my hard to get parts, Thank you guys for the prompt and expert service.
The woofers where re foamed using a 50 hertz sine wave from my iPhone.
This is a really simple way of re foaming your drivers without cutting to dust cap off and shimming the voice coil, so far I have had a 100% success rate with this method.
The cabinets which were in excellent condition just got a light 220 grit sanding and a coat of Circa 1850 wood oil to bring out the grain richness. the small dimples in the tweeter were pulled out with a pin and re sealed with a dab of glue.
I have been really enjoying this set of JBL L16's through the tube amp, the bass is nice and deep for an8" woofer, the mid range is spot on without the fatigue I got from the JBL L26's that I have had in the past. It is a shame as the the bigger brother L26 gets more press than these speakers do.
I really like these speakers and I have a feeling they will be in the rotation for quite some time, absolutely amazing through the tube amp.....
Hi, I have the JBL l16 and I want to make the stands for them. I would be grateful for some suggestion. Greetings from Soko Banja.
ReplyDeletePretty straight forward, you need some nice plywood with walnut veneer. Base can be 10x10 or 12x12 inches. The mid section is from 7-10 inches tall and the top is 4x4 inches.
DeletePretty easy to make. I got veneer stipes for the edge that hot glue on.
Thanks for your reply. I think about the height to which these speakers should be placed. The manufacturer and a large number of connoisseurs think that these speakers work best when positioned at an ear height. Others feel that it is good that these speakers stand lower. Looking at your stands, I get the impression that they are not taller than 12 inches. Are you also a supporter of this group who thinks that it is better for these speakers to stand lower?
DeleteThose speakers add about 9 inches below the speaker and are angled for the tweeter to project at ear level. Those are a standard stand that I use for many pairs of speakers.
DeleteSo yes a higher pair would be good too.
The JBL decade sixteen are nice as monitors in my man cave. Just got them and I like the tight bass and the highs are clear without being harsh. Best of all I got a good deal at a vintage record store and audio gear.
ReplyDelete